I am thinking of trying one, getting the basic model since they can be modded and their basic stick is pretty cheap. If I do, what stick/button replacements would people be most interested in me trying and reporting on? I don’t like the square guide of traditional Japanese sticks, but as I understand it the 8 way guide would make rolling motions smoother and more similar to American stick designs. I used to own a Neo Geo home system years ago and their sticks seemed a bit like this: They weren’t totally smooth all around, but the distance from center position was equal distance in all 8 directions. I would be up for trying both a Japanese and a US style stick in the Quanba to see which I like best. Which ones would be best to try? I also like the US style bat, so if I get a Japanese stick I’d like to be able to put a bat on it instead of the ball. I expect to swap out the buttons at some point too, but the stick matters most to me. When it’s all done it seems like it will be a great way to play games on both the PC and the 360 due to the wireless PC adapter Microsoft makes.
Japanese: Sanwa JLF or Seimitsu LS-32
American: Happ Competition or iL Eurostick
Supposedly there are good Happs, and low grade Happs as in “Back in the day (but not anymore) they used to make the greatest American sticks” kind of thing. Can anyone explain that to me? Also, what’s with their optical (Perfect 360) stick that needs 5v, is that a great thing or a stay away from it sort of thing? Seems like a headache as I’d probably have to rig an additional battery pack just for the stick to function.
Check this out: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=141741
To sum it up, Happ was in charge of Wico, who made the best American stick parts, but Wico closed down and now Happ makes the parts. These new Happ parts are sometimes good, but usually shitty. I’d go with iL Eurostick if you’re getting an American one.
So an iL Eurostick would be nicer than any of the current Happ offerings? It sure is way cheaper than the Japanese types you mentioned, less than half the cost. I bought a massystems stick I think it was, a while back, and I believe I asked for a Sanwa stick because it was supposed to be the greatest thing. I was downright horrified by the square motion of it, though I now realize that it is possible to get a different (octagon) guide so I am open to that option. The massystems stick wound up barely getting used because the interface was such a headache, being PS2 keyboard if I recall correctly. One of the better setups I had was with the ancient Super Professional Arcade Joystick from when Street Fighter 2 just came out for the SNES, and I had the guts swapped out perhaps some 10 years later for a USB gamepad to use with the PC. That actually worked reasonably well, but the stick was huge. My friends called it “the table”, and it was easily big enough to write notes on while you were playing a game. Since I don’t have an upright arcade console setup with MAME and all that jazz, and I tend to sit on a couch when I play, that stick was a performer but it is a bit tough on the lap. It was also big enough, and of course wired, that it was a chore to drag it out and plug it in. Eventually it and all those other sticks found their way into boxes and after moving a few times I have no idea where they are any longer. I miss 2d fighters, and there is no way I can handle playing one where the challenge is “how do I perform this move” rather than “how do I chain a few more hits”. I figure that with a wireless controller that has good interface compatibility (Microsoft isn’t going anywhere soon), and no wires, this is a stick that won’t disappear into a box and be forgotten providing that it can perform well.
If I wanted to be able to get one of each restrictor plate shape, square, round, and octagonal for one of the Japanese style sticks, which one would I need to go with or are there plates of these types for both the Sanwa JLF and the Seimitsu LS-32? I looked on lizardlick and didn’t see all three available for both models, but perhaps I overlooked them.
Sanwa JLF can do Square and Octagonal.
Seimitsu LS-32(-01) can do Square and Circle.
Seimitsu LS-56(-01) can do Square and Octagonal.
Octagonal Main Guide of LS-56(-01) can go on LS-33 and LS-55(-01).
So there is not one Joystick that can do Square and Circle and Octagonal.
But M K L did do this.
http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=201984
So you can kind of say so.
Happ wasn’t in charge of Wico. Wico made the P360. Happ bought Wico to get that.
Happ used to have iL make competitions and their standard sticks. Then Happ outsourced to China to make their own.
So:
Best P360 = Wico
Best competitions = iL
Shit sticks = Happ
If I understand correctly, arcade joysticks such as these have 4 switches. To activate only one switch requires less movement from center than to activate two, because in order to press the right switch for example if you are going in a direction that is not directly towards it you will have to travel farther (going diagonally DR, or UR). What the restrictors that are round or diagonal have to do, is to allow the player to press a greater distance for UDLR in order to reach the same distance from center as the diagonals (diagonals require greater travel in order to activate both joystick switches together). Then it feels symmetrical, but there is “wasted” range of motion, as the player may be pressing farther than needed in the UDLR directions (non-diagonals). I have read guides that say the restrictors don’t matter if you are really good, because you won’t be pressing the stick all the way until it contacts the restrictors. It seems to me then that this is a design flaw of using only 4 switches in order to interpret 8 directions from the user. Are there any other designs that have overcome this, so the player need not press the stick as far for diagonals as for UDLR directions? I know there is an optical HAPP design, so I don’t know how they made that work. Or am I simply missing some of the mechanics involved here?
I got one of the wireless Qanba 360 sticks on ebay for $90 shipped. I was looking at ways to get compatibility with other things with Xbox 1 (I have a modded system that still gets some use), and I really like using wireless controllers with it but I imagine that would be a project to get working. I did notice the Cthulu board, which would let me plug into lots of stuff I guess if I don’t mind using the cables but would it be possible to wire that board in parallel with the Xbox 360 controller guts that will come standard in the Qanba stick? I mean, can I share the buttons with both the Cthulu board as well as with the 360 controller guts and have it still work?
The Qanba wireless 360 joystick I bought on ebay arrived today but it does not seem to work. All it does is blink the red lights when the xbox button is pressed but will not connect. My other wireless controllers will connect just fine so I know it must be the joystick. It also looked used and somewhat dirty when it arrived like perhaps it was used for display before shipping. So far I am disappointed. I hope Quanba treats me well. I have contacted them on ebay to let them know how it arrived.
If it blinks red it’s because the battery is out right? Have you tried new batteries, or recharging the one that came with it?
They were new batteries. Qanba got back to me and reminded me that there is another button you have to use when first mating a controller with a console. My mistake! It does look a bit scuffed up and used but now it works. It’s not bad aside from seeming a bit kicked around! I am now looking into getting some better parts to put in there. The stock parts aren’t horrible though (buttons are scratched but they work). I played Last Blade 2 with it and it’s decent.