Review your Arcade Stick

Tech Talk
1

Just figured I make a thread to hear people reviews on their arcade sticks that they own so it will be easier to buy a stick. I will grade my sticks on a 100 point scale.

First of my sticks:

Custom 360 stick with convex buttons from DF:
Had these 2 sticks for over a year now and no problems with them ever. They are used in my home made cabinet and get a lot of play. Great sticks and they respond wonderful. Me and my friends beat on them and they always respond perfectly. Out of a 100 points I have to give it a 100 since I never had any problems with mine and if a move does not work it’s my scrubby ass not the stick that is not working.

X-Arcade:
Had the 2 player one first and it is a waste of money :frowning: The sticks are to close together so don’t waste money on this on. Out of a 100 I give it a 3 since I was able to sell mine of to a friend for his kids

The single player one:
I swapped the stick for a comp stick and changed the buttons to convex buttons. Very easy to swap the parts but that will cost you an extra $35 which makes this stick expensive. It’s not to bad now but I only use it for pc since I seem to get lag on dreamcast. It’s a decent stick but for the price really not worth it at all. If you plan to get a stick order a custom one. Out of a 100 I give it 50 since you have to mod the damn thing after paying so much for it.

Dreamcast Agetec "Green Goblin"
Great stick, buttons are nice :slight_smile: and after a while you get use to the square gate on it. I use this stick all the time on my dreamcast. Still expensive to get since it since it runs around $60 but if you use your dreamcast a lot works great. Only problem is you can’t get a converter to use this stick on PS2 and X-Box so it’s only a 1 system stick. But it plays great :slight_smile: Out of 100 I give this stick 88.

That is it for now but soon my stick from Tha-Darkside is coming so I will review that also :slight_smile:

2

My sticks:

Dreamcast Agetec:
Like Known said this stick is WONDERFUL. The buttons are large compare to my other sticks. But since its a one system stick, I can only play it on DC. But since it has broken, I’ve been thinking about replacing the stick and buttons and maybe make it a multiple system stick like others here have. I have to give this stick a 90 out of 100.

Universal Pelican Modded:

I bought this stick modded. It was replaced with black competition stick and convex buttons. But since this stick can only be played by PS2, XBox, and Game Cube; I can not play this stick on DC. I havent given the stick that much of a chance since I mostly play on DC. I plan on getting a XBox and it will get more usage later on. I can give the stick a 80 out of 100.

Hori PSX stick:

This stick is has a ball top joystick. The buttons are small and are arched like Pelican stick. The case is smallest of them all and it tends to move around a lot. But still I am able to do lots of the same stuff on this stick that I use to do on the Agetec. I like this stick for the fact that its has a balltop. I give this stick a 85 out of 100 considering the fact that this stick is the CHEAPEST but is being a replace for my Agetec until my HRAP gets here :clap:.

I use to have the SvC Choas stick. But when I played on it the stick was not as loose as my other balltop joysticks. And the button angles are too weird for me. I’d give it a 50 out of 100 (but I’ve heard others saying they like this stick better than a Agetec).

My next review will be posted when I get my HRAP.

:big ass smile:

3

Mas System’s P360, rewired to a psone dual shock and given a light ultimate spring instead of a hard. My stick of choice for Super Turbo and any of the versus games, all the buttons have been replaced with competitions and I plan to add some custom art/lexan to the top of it when I get the chance.

Modded Agetec DC stick. Rewired with both a XBOX pad with a relocated communicator port and a psone digital pad, it works on every system I own with a switch installed under the lip of the vmu slot. Brand new Sanwa JLF with an octagonal gate and sanwa buttons as well as an added 24mm button for select/coin on the side. Perfect for 3S and Zero 3.

http://www.shoryuken.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=40572

Custom Darkside stick. A JLF battop with custom made octagonal gate with Sanwa buttons and awesome art. Pretty accurate, but I prefer the other 2 sticks most of the time. I mostly use this for SC2 and CVS2.

http://byrdo.org/images/Arcade%20Stiks/Ryu%20Stik1.jpg

4

PS Arcade by Interact:
My first stick ever, cost me about 5 dollars at Gamestop and lasted me almost two years worth of Marvel action before I dropped it and busted the microswitches out of the stick. Nice base, ok buttons and stick without modification. 90/100 for a storebought stock stick. Probably a 50 when matched against a modded or hand made.

X-Arcade Dual:
I actually like this and find the distance between the two sticks a problem while sitting. I bought it to play friends but mostly I play alone on it and it is great for me because of the base and arcade style parts. I would rather spend less money on the dual than buy two single player joysticks… if at the expense of comfort. I also like the ability to add adapters, just wish there were an easier way to swap them besides serial cables. 85/100 against homemade I am sure because of player “closeness”.

I will hopefully buy a hand made stick once I read some more reviews.

5

Hori RAP PSX:
85/100 as I appreciate the nice buttons and authentic Sanwa JLF stick. The buttons are Hori and not Sanwa so I mark it down for that. Also I don’t like how the JLF is seated, it’s a little lower so the stick feels shorter than how it can be. The housing is also way tall. Start and Select are too close to the gameplay cluster. Solid stick though high marks on construction.

Hori Tekken 5 10th Aniv. PSX:
78/100 RAP body but w/ parts similar to the small body Hori sticks. It’s a great stick w/ the bundle and can be upgraded to full Sanwa all through. w/o turbo switchs modded 85/100

Hori SC2 PSX:
80/100 Nice stick with fast controls but it can be upgraded. Start is on the right side so it’s in the way. Nice low body. Buttons are laid out for SC2 but it doesn’t work well for other games. I remapped my buttons and upgraded the sticks to Sanwa JLF w/ optical 95/100.

Hori Tekken 3:
70/100 as it’s nice but only has 4 buttons and missing the select button. Upgraded mine with full 6 buttons and a Sanwa JLF stick 90/100.

Hori VF PSX:
75/100 Nice for VF4/evo but not for other games. Controls same as other Hori sticks. Nince Sanwa-ish feel but limited to the square gate.

Hori VF Saturn:
70/100 Same nice body as the other common hori sticks but it only has three buttons for VF. I like these bodies.

Hori OG Saturn:
68/100 Nice Solid body with full set of buttons and turbo but the stick component is on par w/ agetec and not the newer Hori stick components.

Nuby Street Fighter Anniversay Joystick:
65/100 stock is much like a pelican with worse buttons. Bao Lien buttons are not very good in this application. Solid case with dual platform works. The button layout is odd, but the graphics are great. Lots of stick for the price. Upgraded to competition stick and buttons. Adjusted stick height… 80/100

Namco Hori PSX:
85/100 great lowest of the plastic (jpn) bodies. Solid hori components that react fast.

Agetec Dreamcast:
70/100 as components don’t compare to hori equivalents. Other than that it works fine. Joystick is weaker than the hori parts.

Sega Saturn Virtua Stick (jp):
70/100 parts compare to the agetec and are similar.

Custom flip-top Sanwa Bat-top JLW & Happ joystick
98/100 as this is near perfection. This stick works well as it can change encoders with a swing open and a couple of snaps. The controls are also easy to service and are top quality. Solid heavy oak case doesn’t move.

Stock Pelican Real Arcade:
63/100 stick is a china clone, buttons sometimes stick, nuff said…

Modified RedOctane Happ Competition joystick PSX:
85/100 as it’s a solid stick using Happ competition stick w/ Competition buttons and some custom artwork.

Modified RedOctane Happ P360 joystick PSX:
90/100 as it’s a solid stick using Happ P360 stick w/ Competition buttons and some custom artwork.

“the Big Handicap” tuned stock RedOctane Impact PSX:
50/100 stock RedOctane stick but I tuned all of the components. Joystick is about on par with X-arcade now but the buttons still suck.

tuned RedOctane Arcade Stick:
70/100 Sanwa cloned stick which is tuned from their stock config. Custom artwork applied. (60/100 OG)

Capcom SNES PowerStick:
65/100 Sanwa JLW body joystick in a plastic case and poor quality buttons.

SNES Ascii stick:
45/100 plasticy feel with non-arcade quality parts.

Arcadian SNES Championship Joystick:
69/100 Happ ultimate in a plastic case. Nice idea but too light.

NeoGeo AES joysticks:
65/100 nice low sticks with decent sticks but not arcade quality.

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Korean Sticks from sticknarajin:
91/100 - When i first used a Korean stick, i thought the feeling was very spongy, but after alot of use, i can say that Korean sticks are very accurate, a notch lower than a Sanwa, but BARELY. Advantages over Sanwa sticks - Circular motions are a breeze, and Light Dashing in Tekken is far easier than doing it with a Sanwa stick.

Hori Namco Stick w/ Sanwa parts:
93/100 - Low angled body feels natural along with the button layout. Very fast response.

Custom Sanwa stick encased in a flip top mini MAS style case:
95/100 - Custom stick i built myself. Easy access to interior with the flip of a latch. Sony DS PCB used for best converter compatibility.

Hori Fighting Stick SS modded for PS w/ Sanwa Parts:
90/100 - At first i initially didnt like the design of this stick. (Flat, wide, etc.) But after awhile, it didnt bother me anymore. I would rate it higher but im not too hot about the flat design of it, but it works very well.

Custom Built stick w/ Happ Competition Parts:
75/100 - Works very well, but after using japanese parts for so long, this stick just feels sloppy now. Uses a PS DC PCB for best compatibility, but it still doesnt save it from the low score. Comp buttons are great though.

DC Agetec “Green Goblin” modded w/ Sanwa Parts:
85/100 - Great stick. Sanwa parts make all the difference, but the reason for its low score is the case. Its… I dunno. Feels hollow. I really dont like the way it feels. Modded for use on PS2 and DC.

7

SvC stick: This is actually a great stick, there are a few problems with it though. The button layout is TERRIBLE, it was really stupid of them to design it like this, with the main 4 buttons on the left and the triggers on the right. Makes it a bitch to convert correctly. As b1g said, the angles are a bit weird on the buttons too. One of the few sticks to come with an octagonal gate, and performance wise it’s one of the best stock sticks I’ve used. I’m one of the people that likes this ALOT more than the green goblin. Give it a 85/100

Competition MAS + Convex buttons: My first stick ever, and to be truthful for what it is it’s just about perfect. 100% working after tons of marvel, very comfortable to play on in lap or on a table, quality construction. The only complaint really is that it is big, but thats either good or bad depending on your POV. Also the controller cord is difficult to fit in the DC sometimes. And then of course it really comes down to how much you like comp sticks, after using J-sticks for a bit I really like the entire J feel, so for that reason I give it a 87/100.

Pelican Real Arcade Universal: W/o any modding, this stick feels cheap in the components. The shell is pretty good, and the overall design is pretty good(love that cable cubby) but the default parts just feel like they were bought at a flea market in the bad part of town. The buttons feel muddy and slightly unresponsive, and the stick is plain inaccurate. Considering the price its still not a bad buy if you’re on a low budget and need multiple system support, just realize that its not Real(nice) Arcade, it’s Real(pizza shop) Arcade. 68/100 Modded: Now here’s where it starts getting pretty good, Its similar to the MAS, but not as comfortable 80/100

thats all for now, more when I get my HRAP in like 3 days.

8

Quick question, what’s a good stick that is a relatively small size so I can just put it on my lap and play with it? I’m mainly going to use it for Tekken 5, and am perferring the Japanese style ball sticks (Sawna parts I’m assuming). I’ve looked at most of the sticks you people have mentioned, but I can’t really tell whether it’s worth it or not. Thanks.

9

Depends how much you want to spend.

From what I hear the sc2 HORI stick is nice (but I never used it) it’s around 60 dollars or so. Maybe some one will review it. Than there is the HRAP which will be reviewed when people get there’s. Other than that check out some of the reviews on the sticks :slight_smile:

10

Hori SC2: Solid parts, start and select are out of the way (and recessed, so they’re not in the way of anything else). Square gate and Japanese-style buttons and stick. Seems reliable; I’ve been using mine regularly for a year now, and nothing’s worn out or broken. Only problem with it is that it’s light; I have to play on the floor, and use my feet to brace it. If you can fit it in your lap (it seems like it’d be big for that, but it might be comfortable for some), you wouldn’t have that problem.

11

ASCIIware PSX arcade stick:

Best budget arcade stick for the PS1 and PS2, if you can’t afford those Horis and MASes. If you can find them on a Gamestop, they usually cost 10 bucks or less. They even last long than those Pelican Real Arcade sticks. I had this since Jan. 2003 and it was used and still works. Oh, and get the one Made in Japan and avoid the Made in Thailand ones.

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ps1 ascii stick i give 80/100

capcom power stick snes 65/100

sega dreamcast 90/100

x-fighting 85/100

namco 60/100

sc2 hori stick normal 80/100

sc2 hori stick tuned 95/100

t4 hori stick normal or tuned 85/100

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Silver Flash 100/100

Custom all sanwa stick with optical sanwa flash + octagon gate makes both 2d and 3d games a breeze for me. Custom art and silver pearl paint job also makes this one a real eye catcher. The case is small yet heavy so it doesn’t move around on me at all and overall I prefer this stick over my others because of its portability and versatility. The nice thing is it also has a toggle switch to swap button configs and I can easily swap the gate for a square one. The bottom is also see through for an extra coolness factor.

Pelican Real Arcade Universal 60/100

It gets the job done but the parts are poor quality arcade clones. The joystick is comparable to the x-arcade, both of which seem to be happ super clones just not as good, but my biggest gripe is that the buttons are stiff and will often stick, at least mine did anyway. All my problems with this stick is what eventually got me into building my own.

New Ditty 95/100

Custom art on all 5 sides + Happ p360 with competition buttons. I use this one all the time on 2d games and I almost never miss a move and when I do, I know its by my error so I have no real complaints about this one. I think it plays perfectly but I like to do little “tweaks” here and there to make sure all my sticks play up to their potential anyway.

Soul’z Calibur 100/100 (for soul calibur only)

I swear this is the sickest stick I’ve ever used on soul calibur 2, everything about it is perfect for that game. Sanwa JLW with custom octagon gate + sanwa buttons along with custom art on top, back, and sides. It’s a specialized stick, so it can only really be used for the game it was made for since it lacks the rest of the buttons for other stuff. I know this should knock my rating down quite a bit, but since it’s so superb at soul calibur and because that’s my main game I just feel that it deserves a perfect score since I’ve racked more playing time on this one than any of my other sticks.

DC Agetec 75/100

Nice stick, this is an “as is” rating but with a swapped pcb and sanwa components it’d be even better.

Yellow Namco 80/100

Good stick and pretty durable. The small size makes it a good tournament stick and even though the parts are decent they can be swapped for better.

Xbox Nuby Stick 5/100

Complete crap, steer clear of this thing. The joystick broke after a day of my nephew mashing on it, but the stick was never very responsive to begin with so I just tossed it to the side and let the neighborhood kids have their way with it.

SC2 Hori 70/100

An okay stick, but I hate how close the joystick is to the buttons. The button layout isn’t the best when it comes to other games, but my real complaint is that the parts don’t seem to be very durable and the case is just too light.

Hori Real Arcade Pro 80/100

I have a friend with one of these. The joystick itself is good, being that it is an actual sanwa jlf, the buttons aren’t sanwa but they’re still pretty decent. It’s just that the overall design is just too “clunky”. The thing is big in areas where it doesn’t need to be, as a builder I believe in efficiently using space but this stick, for its size, shouldn’t have the sel/start buttons situated so close to the action buttons. Once again Hori likes having the joystick right next to the buttons instead of using that extra space on the left side and moving it over about 1-2 inches, the joystick is also mounted a little too low. The stick is good, don’t get me wrong, I’m just not fond of the design…at all.

Old Red Octane 30/100

This is the one with the generic white clicky buttons and the long ball top Japanese joystick clone. The case is great for modding into your own personal custom stick. The joystick isn’t accurate and the buttons just feel cheap. I messed around and tweaked the joystick a little but in the end this stick just isn’t very good.

X-Arcade 55/100

Happ cloned parts, and way too expensive. The stick is okay the buttons are okay, but the button layout is pretty odd though. Overall it’s a mediocre stick that should cost half the price, it’s parts are comparable to the ones used in the pelican real arcade sticks.

14

Shadowblade

The casing for the shadowblade is smooth with lots of curves, constructed of plastic and metal, it feels quite nice, but thats just about the only good thing I have to say about the stick.
The throw on the stick is horrible, the cornering in the stick will cause great deals of frustration during gameplay. Simple attacks require exageratiing the motion in corners for diaganols to be registered. The buttons are mooshy due to the preasure sensitivity, which is pointless because most games that use preasure sensitive buttons also use an analog stick. The SB is a bad stick, you are better off with a controller than this piece of junk, save your money.
[25/100]

X-arcade

The wooden box that houses the parts is well built, quite sturdy, it is larger than the shadowblade. The standard parts in the x-arcade aren’t bad but still not that great. The stick is a generic Super stick. The buttons are generic concave buttons. My problem is the amount of lagg that occurs with use on pc and consoles, which is obviously a major problem. Even modded the stick suffers from the problems of lagg.
[55/100] Standard parts
[65/100] Modded with Comp stick and buttons

Pelican Real Arcade Universal

The casing for the PRAU is sturdy and stands up to punishment, the casing is quite large compared to the sb and x-arcade. The standard parts seem cheap and flimsy, the stick itself has problems staying in the neutral position, which can cause the characters to continuously jump, duck etc. Buttons are concave and don’t feel like they will last long. Playability on gc xbox or ps2 without converters is a major bonus. This stick is actually quite good when modded with a happ competition stick and parts.
[50/100] Standard parts
[85/100] Comp stick and buttons

15

Hey THChardcore,

Can you please post a pic of the INSIDE of your modded Dreamcast Agetec joystick. It looks great. I have one also and I wanna mod it with Sanwa parts too and I also wants to change it to a PS2 joystick. Thanks.

Anyone else out there who wants to post pics of a modded Dreamcast Agetec Joystick feel free to do so. If you can posts pics of both the INSIDE and the OUTSIDE.

Questions: 1)Are Sanwa parts, arcade perfect for japanese arcades? I wouldn’t know because I never played on a japanese cabinet. I know Happ parts are USA arcade perfect. 2) How do u put a digital psx pad in a dreamcast agetec?

For me 8 button MAS is the best. 100 out of 100. It has a classic feel. I have about 4 of them and they all rock. 2 of them have 360 and 2 of them have ultimate. 360 is for the latest capcom fighting games and ultimate is for old school games like turbo.

To me X-Arcade Solo just sucks. I like how it looks especially when I put red, white, and blue buttons and red and blue competiton joysticks but I had too many problems with it. I bought 2 Solos and after a couple of months I always had to exchange it because the buttons and joystick wouldn’t work. Just yesterday I went to fry’s where I bought them and finally gave up on them and exchanged it for store credit. Now I’m just gonna buy an x-box with the 200$ I wasted on them. So if you believe me avoid x-arcade at all costs.

16

Here’s my stock:

Custom Stick w/RedOctane case and PCB: Happ Comp stick and Concave buttons. Comp stick plays well and concave buttons give you the same feel as U.S. arcades. Really like the RedOctane case, feels sturdy and is heavy. Good for button mashers and non-button mashers. 95/100

Custom Stick w/RedOctane Case and MadKatz Dreamcast PCB: Happ Comp stick and Convex buttons. Buttons layout is Neo Geo style with the trigger buttons above the C and D buttons. Button plugs were used for the extra non needed holes. Stick is used for Neo Geo/SNK games that were released for the Dremacast, so the button layout works well. Again, RecOctane case heavy and sturdy.
95/100

Modded Neo Geo Hori II: Sanwa Stick and buttons were added. Case is built well and is sturdy for an over the counter stick. Stick is very quick and not recommended for aggressive stick handlers and button mashers. Gamers that are used to U.S. sticks will needs lots of practice to play well with a Sanwa stick.
95/100

Hori Playstation stick: (Older version) Again sturdy for an over the counter stick. Stick is not modded, but plays well. The stick is very similar to the Sanwa stick, but the buttons have an out dated feel, compared to the Hori Real Arcade Pro. Buttons a little stiff for a Japanese stick.
86/100

Final Note: Most gamers will say Japanes sticks are superior. But gamers that are new to the custom stick scene and grew up in U.S. arcades, I would recommed starting off with a U.S. stick. (HAPP)

17

Custom Arcade stick from Tha-Darkside (pimp stick)

Stick just came in today been playing on it for the last three hours. Now I see why people love sanwa parts so much. From the buttons to the stick every thing responds so nicely I can’t even believe it :encore:
Plus I must say that the work that went on to making this stick is insane. The stick is so damn nice words can’t even describe it. It’s perfect and I love the smaller design since I take the stick along with me to school and work.

All I can say is this stick gets a perfect score of a 100. And I just fell in love with sanwa parts :clap:

18

x-arcade: dual stick (modded)
originally it was pretty cheap as you would assume but once i
switched in comp. stick + convex buttons the feel was fine.
nice casing, cabinet feel is good along with arcade parts. my
pc > ps2 adapter that i ordered with it didnt work, so that was
a bust. now it’s used for pc only and it works 99% fine. the lag
(if any) isnt noticable.

7/10 nice casing, had to change sticks and buttons.

dreadedfist: custom sticks
comp. sticks + convex buttons feel fine. casing isnt exactly
beautiful but then again, i asked for two budget sticks. regular
contact paper over wood, nothin’ special. dreamcast sticks and
do their jobs well. at times, if i have the sticks next to each other,
one wont work, but it’s easily fixed by seperating the sticks. not
too big of a deal.

8/10 nothin’ flashy in terms of design, but they work perfect.

hori: fighter stick 2
i honestly dont know much about this stick in terms of the parts.
i dont know if their sanwa or what but to be honest,
they work fine. it’s not authetic japanese parts (at least
not the buttons i played on at MORE in japan) but the stick
is nice. buttons are a little tough for japanese buttons. i
would expect ‘em to be really sensitive and not take much
force to push. they’re sorta’ in between sensative sanwa
buttons and stick happ convex buttons. the button alignment
is nice, too. jab and short are a little lower than strong, forward
which is ideal.

8/10 does the job, feels japanese. design isnt spiffy
but it was $50. cant complain.

19

Just picked up a SC2 stick from Hori for my friend and been playing with it for a few days now. It’s a nice stick and for $58 it’s the best stick I have played with for that price :tup:

It’s a square gate and I am use to Jap sticks so I have no problems with it at all. Also it is just like the DC Acetec stick which I really like.

Very nice stick which I would give a 85 out of a 100.

20

Those PS Arcade were awesome when I first started using them (years ago) About a year ago (4 years after I bought my first one) I saw them on clearance at the PX 75% w/$50 price tag, so I bought every one they had left (which was about 4 or 5 of them and used 2 or 3 of the pcbs to make custom sticks out of. Very easy to work with too.

I’m not going to list my other sticks because I don’t have time to list them all or can’t remember which ones I have.