It’s true, the 360 sticks now are required to have a certain button layout along with the rainbow buttons:
B X Y LB
A LT RT LB
I’ve only really noticed with the Hori sticks(EX-SE, VX, HRAP VX and HRAPP VLX) whereas playstation doesn’t care so they keep the default button layout.
Page 22 for the original or my layered version based off the original here: HRAP V Series Template.psd.zip
Any tutorials on how to open it safely and replace the buttons on the V3-SA?
damnit why are the ps3 ones always on sale but never the xbox version! arghh.
Unscrew the bottom plate(removing the sticker voids your warranty) and disconnect each button(they’re quick disconnects) and apply pressure are both sides of the clips on each button and push them outwards then do the reverse with your new buttons.
I don’t quite understand what quick disconnects mean.
Unplug the wire from the button. The quick disconnect is just a metal tab where the wiring is hooked up to, it allwos you to connect and disconnect the wire from the button without needing to solder.
By the same token, I could ask WHY are the PS3 versions of Limited Editions joysticks always marked up?
Can’t tell you honestly. A lot this stuff is random and depends on what the store wants to sell and how they think can drum up more business.
Right now, XBox 360 only has a slight lead on the PS3. Couldn’t begin to answer why the XBox 360 isn’t seeing discounts on stuff unless it’s a Microsoft conspiracy which I kinda doubt.
amazon lowed it to 99.99 with free shipping as well. Maybe we can see it drops to 89.99 soon. lol
What would be the easiest or most efficient way to mod a V3-SA for multi-console use? I have a 360 PCB (from a friends VX-SA he’s not using), however, I’m not sure if it would simply be a matter of switching the V3 PCB with the VX’s then wiring up an MC Cthulhu/Imp.
Got my second V3-SA today. Warranty only lasted about 5 mins! Had to plug the L1/L2 buttons. I personally like these way better than any of the TE’s I’ve owned. Just hope they don’t crap out on me like all my MadCatz sticks did.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f194/snakeeyes1/SDC12365.jpg
they won’t crap out on you like madcatz since hori PCB quality is superior; remember madcatz has really gone the route of quantity over quality in some aspects
shit years ago madcatz peripherals were absolute garbage period until maybe 3-4yrs ago when their quality went up somewhat
Til this day, there’s always a “what’s wrong with my TE stick” thread being posted in this section…The Hori sticks are much more well designed in every aspect, I just recently saw the inside of a TE stick and it looked horrendous inside(no real room and the weld burns make the stick look real bad IMO).
If I didn’t have my VLX, I would have kept my V3 SA(thank god I didn’t apply my custom graphic at the time).
To be completely honest…I never had a problem with any MadCatz products in the past. Their fightsticks are a different story. I’ve had usb cables break bc of the cramped cord compartment, which in turn caused two pcb’s to short out. Hell, the damn microswitches in my TvC stick crumbled to pieces…CRUMBLED! I’m really not too worried about the Hori’s failing. I still have one of the Hori sticks for the Neo Geo and it works perfectly fine.
Can you daul mod these??
you can dual mod anything that’s of common ground PCB. But yes, you can certainly dual mod these sticks.
^^ how so? sorry i don’t know much about dual modding sticks.
I’ve never had my Mad Catz TE sticks’ PCBs go bad on me (so far!), but I think the interiors of the Hori sticks are better designed.
I’ve had to zip-tie the Mad Catz wiring because it bundles up under the buttons and creates a situation buttons don’t depress after you hit them. Practically all my modded TE’s have the internal wiring zip-locked around the cutout holes in the middle plastic ribbing.
I NEVER had to reroute wiring OR do more than Scotch-tape it down in the HRAP sticks. So much more convenient to deal with wiring in those sticks and they don’t use miles of wiring of wiring like the TE’s!
That said, I prefer the R1/R2 TE Viewlix base design to the Hori HRAP Astrocade-style base. Astrocade is very old-style now, and I’ve gotten sick of it. Some of my favorite joysticks like HRAP 3 SE, HRAP 2 SA, and white Amazon HRAP 3 are astrocade-style and I still love them, but I still think a Hori redesign of the HRAP case was long overdue. They’ve been using the same base molds for 6 years!!!
Until I got my HRAP V3 SA, my favorite base design was the Mad Catz R1/R2. I still prefer the R1/R2 to those TE-S bases which I think were an evolution in the wrong direction for Mad Catz. Not everybody shares my opinion, of course, but still quite a few agree with me.
I fell in love again after receiving my V3 SA today! It it so much sleeker than any other joystick I’ve owned to date. I really like the base lines and inclined palm rest on the thing. The relocated START, SELECT, and HOME buttons don’t bug me. The button positions actually seem more natural to me!
My only gripe is that Hori continues to use all-white 30mm buttons in its top of the line joysticks (outside of the out-of-print HRAP 3 SE line). I changed the buttons on my HRAP 3 SA to a mix more like the HRAP 3 SE recently because of my problems with the original color choice. I could keep the 30mm buttons on the V3 SA for a while but I’d prefer to mix the color batch a bit in the near-future. I’ll still keep that neat grey 24mm button regardless. It’s a very elegant base otherwise but I’m anti-monochromatic to be honest.
I think I’ll swap out for different colored Sanwa buttons and ditch the JLF for an LS-32-01 or LS-40-01 in the near-future…
That said, I now see why owners love the V3 SA. It’s a really neat stick! Lighter but longer and shaped like a Hi-Def TV’s aspect ratio. Far more ergonomic than the last-generation design. The only flaws I see are, again, the insistence on monochromatism and a cable door that’s way too flimsy. Otherwise, I think Hori has once again reclaimed the throne of best single-person joystick design. Sure, it doesn’t allow for easy art replacement and there’s no plexi for it, but the first-generation V3 SA and VX SA are the most elegant-looking joysticks for the current-gen systems IMHO. The V3/VX color variants are weaker-looking in my opinion and I haven’t cared for the character art on the licensed BlazBlu Continuum and Arcana Heart 3 subvariants. The AH3 was tempting to me for a while because of my appreciation of that series and love for the red color but I just can’t past the weak art (IMHO) and button color selection.
I just have a small question. If I’m only changing the Art on my Hori Pro V3 do i need to remove the buttons to take off the case sticker?
Yep… OR you could use just slap new laminated art on top AFTER taking off the butttons and ball handle WITHOUT tearing off the original faceplate sticker.
Another SRK member made a template for V3/VX artwork. I don’t know which thread it’s in at the moment – probably an earlier page in this thread.
I would NOT recommend removing the original art, thought. The original sticker is thin enough that you could reasonably put new art and use removable double stick to secure it. I’d go with slightly more expensive Scotch tape used to secure photos in albums since that will probably leave less gum residue if you decide to remove the artwork.
One thing you have to keep in mind if you ever want to sell your joystick is to avoid doing permanent, irreversible mods. Many people who buy used joysticks won’t appreciate mods that they can’t undo. Not everybody likes customizations or would prefer to do their own mods from a stock condition stick. They generally want a joystick that’s near stock conditon (no crazy character art) with the original buttons and joystick if possible. If they have to remove and sell off different color parts that’s better than being told a mod is irreversible.
That’s something a lot more people should keep in mind when trying to sell online…
this stick is absolutely amazing 
