Konami Stick Appreciation!

Tech Talk
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http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/2214/hyperstick.jpg

I’ve been an avid follower of the Namco Stick Appreciation! thread, and I thought it might be cool to start something similar for the Konami Hyperstick. It definitely deserves more appreciation.

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/803/hyperstick2.jpg

What is the Konami Hyperstick?

A PlayStation 1 joystick released in Japan on June 28th, 1996 for an astounding ¥4500 ($50 or so at the time; the famous Namco Joystick, released that December, was ¥6090).

What makes it so awesome?

Great styling and a compact, weighty case, of course – in those respects, very similar to the Namco Joystick. There’s also plenty of room inside the case for mods:

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2097/hstick02.jpg

But even cooler, the stick is full Seimitsu, like some Sega Virtua Sticks:

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/9176/hstick03.jpg

LS-56-01 (with a custom shorter shaft)

http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/7543/hstick04.jpg

PS-15s (with custom PlayStation coloring).

Hypersticks are also highly moddable, with standard 30mm button holes and drop-in mounting for a Seimitsu LS-56, LS-55 or LS-33. Here’s a link to someone who mounted an LS-32 in the case.

Where can I get one?

Well, that’s the problem. There are far fewer of these floating around than the Namco, and it was never released overseas. I got mine from jap-sai, and they frequently pop up on Yahoo! Japan Auctions.

How about you hook me up with a Yahoo! Japan Auctions search string, son?

Use this, which will return all Hyperstick results and filter out any results for the recent “Hyperstick Pro” released for Otomedius:

(??? hyperstick “hyper stick”) -???(direct link)

By all means, try to find one. They rival the Namco in every way, and work perfectly with InPins and Xbox 360 Converter Pros. You can’t go wrong.

Finally, my Hyperstick mod with a new LS-56, OBSF-30s, and L1/L2 routed through the back:

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/9201/hyperstickmod2.jpg

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I’m guessing no, but will a stock jlf fit in there mounted at the correct height? Cool stick, it’s a lot like the Hori Fighting Stick PS which also has Seimitsu parts stock.

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Eww.

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This. It reminds me too much of the Fighting Stick PS. I’m all for exposing unknown sticks. If I had to be a fanboy of something other than the Namco the PS2 Virtua Stick gets me vote. Also Seimitsu with quick disconnects.

National Console Support, Inc. | Virtua Stick for PS2

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jdm doesn’t approve of the Konami stick!?

NRX, I thought you said the stock LS-56 on the Konami stick is shorter. How did you fit in the shaft cover?

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No go on the JLF stock. I’m sure you could mount one if you really put your mind to it, though.

Are there any Fighting Stick PSes with Seimitsu parts, by the way? I own one (and a Fighting Stick SS), and they’re definitely crappy Hori parts. The industrial design and placement of the stick also kill the Fighting Stick PS IMO.

Eww?! You know the Hyperstick is hot, son! :rofl: Sure, the button layout isn’t ideal, but she’s got a lot going for her?

It’s a new LS-56 altogether. LS-40 shaft covers won’t fit over the stock shaft, it’s thicker in diameter (the same as an LS-56 shaft with cover). It’s not at the correct height this way, but eh, it’s doesn’t bother me.

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Laugh.
I’m just play.
I like all old stuff.

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I like the shape on that one a lot.

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Wow, that is beautiful NRX! I love the LS-56, and for this arcade stick to have Seimitsu stick and pushbuttons out of the box is pretty awesome! I would take this over a Namco anyday! :arazz:

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That thing is beautiful.

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Looks like a mini-astrocade base with an HRAP 1 30mm button layout.

Doesn’t look too shabby.

I’d assume the Start and Select buttons are in the upper left hidden behind the joystick? (EDIT: Check, I just saw them in NRX’s other photos…)

And only $50 with full-arcade (slightly modded) parts? Very good deal!

Yeah, I NEVER saw these in the States and must have missed the day NCS or one of the other importers put the stick up on their website for pre-orders.

In 1996, however, I was way more into the Saturn. That’s the problem I had… I backed second- and third-place systems that had way more of the games I liked. I was never into popularity contests. Back then, Sega Saturn was the system for Sega arcade ports and fighting games in general (that weren’t polygonal).

I bought my two Namco Joysticks (red box release, various CG Namco characters from Soul Blade and Tekken) in about 1997/1998 when I was out of college/on vacation for probably $15 a piece. Wal Mart just couldn’t get rid of those sticks even at that price!

I guess part of why the Konami stick never had a large production run/high visibility is because nobody thinks of Konami as a fighting game developer.

Obviously, they’ve done a few fighters => see here http://shoryuken.com/f2/konami-fighting-games-184132/ , == but only about 1 of those games is considered memorable.

I was thinking Konami perhaps did Dynasty Warriors but I just remembered KOEI is the developer for that series!

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I probably won’t have much money to prettify my Hyper Stick when it arrives :sweat:

I MIGHT give it yellow Sanwas though – we’ll see :rofl:

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Yeah, I think it’s so strange that such a quality stick came from Konami. I mean, what game was it supposed to go with? Hyper Olympics in Atlanta based on release date…but that’s just weird :rofl:

Post it when it arrives! Blue and yellow will look fantastic. Yun hat colors :bgrin:

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Would this be an appropriate time to ask how to buy things from Yahoo! Japan Auctions? I don’t want to anger the japs with my pig american dealings. :frowning:

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http://www.shoppingmalljapan.com/
Is that I use.

There are other that do.
Like J-goods and Rinkya.

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Thanks, I’ll check that out. I also found this: http://shoryuken.com/f177/buying-yahoo-japan-auctions-209662/

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I know that Thread, I didn’t want to link you that.
For real, I don’t feel like helping today. :sad:
People are so not cool with me now.

A lot of dick people in Tech Talk.
Not you, other people.

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Group hug for jdm! :pleased:

Who is messing with you today? I will crush them.

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I hope JDM doesn’t mean me… I was just joking in another thread and said that he’s generally friendly with people unless he skipped his morning coffee…!

NRX,

Yeah I really think of fighting games when I hear or read the name, “Konami.”

Next thing you’ll know they’ll do a 3-D fighting game called “Masters of Contra.” You have these guys going at each other with chainsaws, flamethrowers, Gatling guns, bazookas, and grenades — and yet the weapons all do the same amount of damage!

(Shades of “Masters of Teras Kasi” anyone?)

Still, it is a nice looking joystick from the period.

To be honest, I really never wanted to buy a joystick from the mid-1990s. Sega had a few out for the Saturn and Dreamcast but I never really bit hard and the two Saturn sticks I DID get bit the dust spectacularly a while back when I first started modding joysticks… (I destroyed the PCBs… Thankfully, I kept the connector cords and was able to RJ-45 them for MC Cthulu. Helps to keep some hardware to save some cash!)

Now in my old age I recognize that the Dreamcast probably (as far as I’m concerned) had the best pre-HRAP, pre-arcade parts joystick. Even a standard Agetec before mods is not a bad joystick. I never really cared for the Namco that much when I had two of those…

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Here’s the Yahoo! Japan Auctions search string you want to use, by the way: (??? hyperstick “hyper stick”) -???

Just copy and paste the whole thing with the parentheses. That will return all Hyperstick results and filter out any results for the much more recent “Hyperstick Pro” HRAP variant that was released for Otomedius.

There’s one on Y!JA right now…I know you want it, Tech Talk!

(And Masters of Teräs Käsi…now that’s a blast from the past, what crap that was :rofl:)