i know but the blue mark can come off easy.
Wow, Iām extremely amused at how this went from being an appreciation topic for the greatest retail arcade stick of all time to a discussion on our recent finds/attempts to buy one off of each other and now a detour about Segaās Virtua Stick High Grade, which in my book doesnāt really rank high at all (since itās literally locked to Sanwa parts only). :xeye:
To get back to the discussion, I never thought Iād ever find anything more about the Namco Arcade Joystick I liked, but now I have.
I hate the Vewlix layout with a passion. :chainsaw:
There, I said it. I hate the curve of the buttons and I especially loathe the 7 or 8 button variants that will, thanks to Mad Catzās Arcade FightSticks and Horiās new Real Arcade Pro V series, be the future standard for home retail arcade sticks. But the Namco has made me appreciate just how much removing a couple of buttons can change the feel of an arcade stick almost entirely.
When I play on my Hori Real Arcade Pro 2 SA (which has an 8 button Sega Versus City layout), I can comfortably play since my handās small enough to have my pinky rest in that small little crevice in the center of the rightmost 4 buttons without hitting anything. But when I play on a FightStick, forget about it if itās got 8 buttons, my pinkyās gonna hit them all the time and itās simply annoying. Like, not just any kind of annoying either, but bordering painful since itās hitting the buttons at an awkward bend and angle.
The Namco and now Horiās new Fighting Stick V3 and VX do not and will not have this problem. Removing the rightmost 2 buttons makes the Vewlix layout (or rather, I should say Namco layout) feel infinitely more comfortable. My pinky doesnāt get sore and I donāt feel like Iām playing on some weird unergonomic button layout anymore. So hatās off to you, Namco! You were the first to bring the Vewlix layout to the consumer (maybe?) and you were the first to do it right! :tup:
EDIT: I want to join into the Sega Virtua Stick High Grade discussion too, so Iāll just say this:
It was ALMOST the best arcade stick of the current gen (at least in my book). ALMOST. 6 button layout in the Sega Versus City/Lindbergh panel layouts, 4 recessed buttons a la the Namco for the missing 2 buttons, Select, and the PS button, and a well-out-of-the-way arcade cabinet style Start button placement which wonāt get in the way of your game. Not to mention it had very nice hand placement room, weighed about the same as a FightStick Tournament Edition, and had a great flat top for lap players!
Where it falls short and basically kills the whole deal respectively are the fact that it had a buggy PCB which Iām still not sure they fixed and you couldnāt mount a damn thing in there except a Sanwa JLF. I know thatās the standard for the Japanese Virtua Fighter 5 cabinets, but seriously, to make that stick the ONLY thing you can put in there was a bit much! Whereās my good old Seimitsu support, Sega? ::lame:
^Ikagi
I had the same gripes with the 8-button layout. However, I donāt rest my fingers on the panel anymore I keep my hand above the buttons and just move my fingers down to press. Kind of like the way I type.
Also, whereās the āTechā in the talk the last few pages?
The namco i had for sale is sold to fonzee. thanks to all who pm.
Heh, the Tech went out the window a few pages back. Weāre just bullshitting at this point. :lol:
Yay! Congrats fonzee. You will love it.
there are some more scratches in front as well, you got another one in better shape?
Thanks d0c, it worked!!! triangle now works 100%
Anyone willing to Trade a VSHG for my Namco Stick?
what the hell is a VSHG?
Iām slling my namco stick for 60(GBP) shipped. pm if interested.
it is only one of the greatest sticks in the world.
You really think so? The multiple button press+direction issue is quite bothersome. With a decent PCB itād be a nice stick but fairly pedestrian.
no issues like that experienced with my VSHG, i prefer the VSHG over the TE
Yeah, it depends on the revision you receive. The later versions donāt have this issue.
VSHG is nice stick and heavy too.
good stuff! The more Namcos we save from being gutted the better:cool:
Hello. Just punching in for the day.
Hey Fonzee, if you decide to switch the Namco buttons for other buttons, Iād be willing to buy the buttons from you.
I donāt think Iām gonna do that as the stock stuff is supposed to be pretty wicked awesome. Good luck on your search though 
K, no prob.
Enjoy!
Random fact:
The Namco stock pcb has compatibility issues with the Mayflash āsuper dual box proā converter, itās fine for one player but if you connect another controller to the adapter for some reason it will just register the second controller as holding right, and the namco stick will be able to control both players.
just ordered a usb extension cable from amazon, both the namco are vshg cables are short as hell. I gotta sit my ass on the floor to play.