Hi everyone, I’m want to buy a Sanwa arcade stick and the big selling point for me is not just build and quality but whether the stick can play my PSone games because I have some great old school shooters like Raystorm, Raiden Project and Strikers 1945 I’d like to use with it. I would like to know does the Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 SA or Mad Catz Super Street Fighter 4 Round 2 sticks work with PSone games?
Only the Hori joysticks work with PS2-backwards compatibility (on the PS3 20GB, 60GB, and 4-port USB 80GB PS3’s only).
Sony wouldn’t release the program code to allow any of the Mad Catz joysticks to be backwards compatible. (Can’t say whether the backwards compatibility issue affects emulated/reprogrammed PS1 games but it probably does…)
Hori’s your only option at this point if you have a backwards-compatible PS3.
Note that* all* PS3’s play PS1 games through emulation but only first gen-PS3 (20GB, 60GB) and 4-port USB 80GB PS3’s are backwards compatible with the PS2.
As far as PS2 is concerned, you might as well hold onto your PS2 system since NONE of the “backwards-compatible” PS3 models are 100% compatible with the PS2.
My situation is that I have Japanese PS2 games. Very easy to mod an American PS2 to play legally-bought PS2(J) games but nobody’s done that with a PS3 to my knowledge. Again, even with a backwards-compatible PS3, 100% PS2 compatibility doesn’t exist – that affects Japanese gamers, too. There wasn’t 100% backwards compatibility with the PS1 on the PS2 to begin with, either. There’s a list of at least 20, maybe 30 PS1 games that didn’t play properly on the PS2.
I’d go with the HRAP V3 SA myself. It’s a nice-looking stick and just as moddable as the previous HRAP 3 SA but has the newer preferred Viewlix style pushbutton layout. (One caveat, though… It’s harder to replace the stock art on the V3 SA but that issue and the option of a plexi cover is being worked on.) It’s soon to be officially released in the US and it’s price-competitive with the Mad Catz TE’s. Shouldn’t be a PS1 issue on PS3 as far as I know with that stick. Other SRKers have verifed the V3 SA is backwards compatible.
Everything Hori works.
None Mad Catz.
He asked about PS1/PSOne games, not PS2 games.
PS1 games work fine with the Mad Catz sticks in either disc or PSN download format.
I wasn’t sure about the PS1 compatibility issue.
Thanks for the clarification!
I kind of thought the Mad Catz sticks would work since every PS3 model out there emulates PS1…
Wouldn’t make sense for one USB stick family not to work with that native function.
Only the PS2-compatibility isn’t native to the PS3 anymore…
(Watch for PS2 compatibility to come back as software emulation on the PS4, though. I think PS1 compatibility will be dropped or less emphasized on the PS4.)
I’d still go with the HRAP V3 SA unless changing art and plexi covers is an issue.
If you like Hori, the V3 SA is probably the nicest looking premium stick in their production runs.
You basically can’t get the HRAP 3 SA anymore and will probably have to pay a premium to get one now. Not worth it IMHO…
I know that it does not work with PS2 games (obviously played through the PS3), so I’d guess that it wouldn’t.
Goes to check my MKII
Edit: Oops, lots of more useful answers. Ignore my input 
Post of GeorgeC tricked me!
So the madcatz sticks work with ps1 games now? When I had an se it would not work with street fighter alpha 1 off psn. I suppose they updated the firmware.
Hmm, it may be limited to some games then.
I’ve tried it on most of my PS1 games and had no issues with it not working on them.
Thanks guys for all the input. I tried both sticks at my local game shop and I’m a sucker for anything Taito related so I went with the Hori HRAP V3. It feels amazing and just right. Not too heavy. Not too small and it plays amazing with Super Street Fighter 4. I was pulling off Sonic Booms faster than on my Dual Shock.
Ya, loved the V3-SA! Only reason I sold it was b/c I wanna VLX. FYI, Amazon has it listed for an Oct. 11th release for $130 (free shipping of course). I’ve had both the V3-SA & HRAP3 SA & I prefer the former. Feels better & less hollow as well.
Funny thing is that I know it’s basically the same style, BUT …
I like the HRAP 2 SA better than the HRAP 3 SA! The blue and white go better together. I also think the 3 SA is a bit plain for some reason…
(Heck, I like the white Amazon.jp HRAP 3 better than the standard HRAP 3, too…)
The V3 SA is probably the first black-molded Hori joystick that I’m liking before it gets out of the box…
Not that I won’t tinker with it and end up changing the joystick for a Seimitsu and getting different-colored pushbuttons.
I HATE all-white parts!