Review your Arcade Stick

Tech Talk
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Cheap Sticks

Hais PS2 with analog butons:4/10
It works. thats about it. Dont waste your money. I’m gonna use it for parts for a custom stick, but even for that it’s too expensive and clunky. Makes more work than need really. I prefer cheap ps1 madcatz controllers for the board.

Top Max: Enforcer:2/10
This thing is a joke. When I got it the actuay stick would stick to the right, not just the switch but the stick itself. Terrible. Had to take it apart and emss with it. No real centering soring that I could find, it moves back to posisiton by the switches themselves. The buttons are hideous and noisy enough to wake a frat boy after mardi gras. Literally. I might use this to make a dreamcast stick with a vmu slot, gonna try anyway.

SF annversary arcade stick:6/10
Decent case and buttons are half way there, but the stick was sticky out of the box and I had to adjust it. The art work is nice and the box is put together ok, but the stick really dissapointed me. I knew the buttons were not happs, but they are not terrible to me, springier than the pelican one I think. But considering u can get a cheap mad catz ps1 controller for 3 bucks, you can build an awesome stick with happs parts for a little less money.

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MAS Systems Street Fighter stick.

My favorite, even though I bought it and didn’t build it. It has a P360 that doesn’t suck and I made sure that they only installed six play buttons. The two parallel lines of competion buttons go red, white, blue, which is as close to the US SFII cabs as I can remember or find pics of. The stick and buttons also have SFII styled 8-way and button labels. Black top with red sides.

It has Playstation and Dreamcast on board and it plays great in those modes. It also has MAS’s PC support on board, but that works horribly. I have their Xbox adaptor, but it’s a game pauser so I try not to use it. I only use this for Street Fighter games on Playstation and Dreamcast, and in those uses it is fabulous. I love that wood smell.

My Soul Calibur stick

Originally a Red Octane stick, I jumped at it when they offered a four button (properly labeled) gray and blue unit. The Happ parts I ordered for it arrived before the unit itself did, RO fucked me over with shipping.

I put a blue Happ competiton stick in to match the graphics and trim, and replaced the four shitty RO play buttons with comps. Start and select are original RO. I felt that the spring tension on the stick was just a little loose for my liking so I relaced the spring with one out of an X-Arcade.

They did a terrible job putting this stick together, the fit and finish are pretty awful, with the blue taping not flush with corners and not even meeting underneath. The clear plastic that displays the graphics and button labels isn’t even cut right and is kinda crammed in there. I went ghetto and re-trimmed the trim with clear tape in some areas, just to keep it from tearing off completely. The overall effect is a unit that looks pretty decent from arms length. maybe two.

Furthermore, the RO PCB and\or or cord was flakey from the get go. Unless I fucked something over with my initial soldering the unit had intermittant periods on non-respose from day one. After a week and one tourey, a coupla wires tore off the PCB completely. I attempted to resolder but it still didn’t work so I shelved it for a while. Eventually I replaced the RO PCB with a PSOne H series PCB, and neatened up the inside a bit. So now the unit plays very well, with the correct button layout (to my knowledge)for Soul Calibur.

In the future I plan the raise the competion stick a bit, since the layer of plastic makes it sit low. I also plan to rewire it completely for use with external PCBs.

X-Arcade Solo

I don’t care how much hate this device has garnered. I like it. I no longer trust it for console use, and I used it for far too long when I did, however my skill at Metal Slug 3 was born on an X-Arcade and that’s sill what I use to play it. Whenever I start hitting the emus hard again, the Solo returns to my desk.

X-Arcade Twin

Not my first stick but my first “serious” stick, or at least the first stick that I was serious with. It sacrificed one spring for my RO mod, and the Happ it recieved in return doesn’t mess well so the left side right motion is sticky. Like my solo, I rendered the serial port imobile with super glue and a sliver of a D&B Power Card, as two previous X-Arcade twins had to go back due to the port flaking out.

I don’t guess I’ll even use this much anymore, as I’m sick of people complaining that our shoulders touched when we play. I have all four adaptors, but I don’t think I’ll be breaking them out again. If it makes anybody feel better about me owning both X-Arcades, I did trick X-Gaming into sending me the Solo for free.

Agetec Dreamcast Stick x2

One of the pair was the first arcade stick that I owned, and I got a hell of a lot of use out of it. The other I bought used, and the stick is noticibly looser.
I love the buttons on these sticks, potentially more than my Happ comps, but the stick in general is quite loose.
Only time I’m apt to break these out anymore is when I convince someone to play Powerstone with me, and that ain’t often.

Assorted Interact and cheap Blaze sticks

There’s no Japanese style Blaze sticks in this group, so what’s to say? They all suck, I bought em before I knew any better.
I do have that Alloy Metal Interact DC stick, and I still say that it looks pretty damn slick.

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Any one get the HRAP with CFJ art how is that stick?

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i got it, its basically the hrap with just cfj art on it. the stick is awesome though, i may in the future put some actual sanwa buttons on it but really happy with it stock for now.

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bump to continue people adding to this.

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P360 Dc/Ps2 MAS Comp buttons.
This was my first stick, and I’ve rarely had any problems with it. The only minor annoyance I had was when I first got my walmart xbox converter and it didn’t work because of the 3d party psx pcb. Recently I picked up a different one and it works great though, with headset support. Doesn’t get much better than this, for american sticks. 10/10

DC Agetec
My second stick, and first time using Japanese set up buttons. I picked it up for $3 and I think that was probably the best deal I’ve ever had working at EB. Never had a problem with it once I got used to the set up. I prefer this over the MAS sometimes because it’s more lappable, so I don’t have to be sitting on the ground while using it. 10/10

Tekken 5 stick x2
I managed to sell both copies of tekken 5 and make a good chunk of money back from them, so these were a good deal as well. So far I’m enjoying them, but they seem a little harder to get used to than the DC Agetec for some reason. It might jsut be that I’m rusty as fuck, or that I never played much 3rd strike or cvs2, but I’m trying to change that :slight_smile: They work great with emulators via usb adapter, and overall I’m happy with them. I was apprehensive when I heard that there wouldn’t be sanwa parts in it, but they’re sufficient for my amount of use. I might just keep the second one boxed for now and sell later, because I don’t know that I’ll need it, but I couldn’t pass up the deal. 9/10

Comp happ stick and comp buttons
I didn’t put this one together yet, because I’m lazy, but I’m sure it will get some use once I do. I’ve got 3/4" “wood” ready for drilling, and I’m probably going for a small box if possible.

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MAS stick
It’s pretty good and it’s helped me get better with playing arcade sticks. At first I thought it was too loose but I got used to it. If you just push it a little, it bobs back and forth lol. But someone told me loose MAS sticks are better.

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I picked up another stick :pleased:

Moded agetec dreamcast stick.

Now with sanwa stick and buttons and dual shock pcb. Stick works like a dream but a bit different than my other sanwa since it is hollow inside and it’s fairly thin. Only problem is that it got scratched up a bit.

Out of 100 I give it a 90 since the scratches.

Also got a tekken 5 stick. Did not get a chance to play on it much since I have a few sanwas but it reminds me of my agetec before mod. Nice heavy stick and very solid. Square gate makes it perfect for ST since I play guile. Out of 100 I give it an 80 since the price is good and the stick is nice. :pleased:

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PS2 Pelican Real Arcade: My very first stick. At first, the stick and buttons seemed kosher. I made it work for me and really liked the circle gate. The button layout was comfy as well. Still, the case was pretty cheap and the buttons started to stick. After playing on my friends Mas, I really noticed the difference in quality. I liked the extra long chord and storage. Easy to mod when I get the chance and money, but the case is really cheap. I’d give it a 55/100

Custom Stick from Tha-Darkside: Happ comp stick and comp concave buttons, 1st party dual shock pcb. My first custom stick and one of Tha-darksides early projects. Solid weight due to the modded RO case. Plexi on top, and SC2 artwork. Artwork a bit pixilated, definitely not Byrdo’s best stuff (it was early). I asked for a FUNKY button layout for SC2 not realizing that the first party pcb would take care of any issues I thought I’d have. Should’ve got convex buttons like he told me. The stick itself works great. Button mapping and type aren’t my cup of tea anymore and I’ll probably mod it and then sell it. Still, 80/100.

Custom Sanwa Stick from Tha-Darkside. Sanwa JLW Bat top, Sanwa 8 button (Pelican Real Arcade layout). Custom octogon gate. Genjiro art on top and left/right sides. This is one of the sticks that tells of the good things to come from Byrdo. 1st party dual shock pcb. I had to get used to the responsiveness of the Sanwa parts for sure. They were reacting faster than I anticipated since the buttons have no dead spot. I’ve since become very fond of square gates, so the octogon gate doesn’t work as well for me anymore. Still, one hell of a stick in a modded RO case again. One of the best looking sticks you’ll see out there. 89/100

Modded SC2 Hori: The stick being too close to the buttons is a small turnoff, but I make it work. Sanwa JLF stick w/square gate and Sanwa buttons work great with 1st party dual shock pcb. It’s my first mod, a bit crude on the inside, but it works. I wouldn’t sell this cuz I’m not ready to stand by my work just yet. Right now, my primary stick till I get my new T5 flash from Byrdo. 80/100

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Bump so we can get some more reviews.

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Topmax Enforcer (DC) – 4/10
Terrible. Stick is too loose and the buttons are too stiff. Almost impossible to accurately do multiple button presses.

X-Arcade Solo – 6.5/10
First stick I actually liked. Sure it has its problems, but it was the the only decent stick I could get a hold of for a long time.

SF Anniversary – 6/10 stock, 8/10 modded
Decent out of the box, but I knew I’d never really like it. So I gutted it as per ArcadeStickMonk’s tutorial. Much, much better. I’m having a difficult time getting used to the competition stick, probably from the two or three years of using the X-Arcade. I can’t parry for jack with it yet, but it’s probably because I’m way out of practice in SF3.

Hori Tekken 5 Limited Edition – 10/10
Oh my dear Lord this is the best stick my hands have been blessed to touch. The corners feel a little weird but I’m having an easy time adjusting. I did a full shinku hadouken parry with it first thing out of the box; something I haven’t been able to do since I quit playing 3rd Strike and Double Impact on Dreamcast three years ago. And I never could do multiple parrys consistently even then! Now on to working my way up from being an “awful” player to a “not so bad” one, lol.

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Hori Fighting Stick SS (now gutted) - Hated this thing. Horrible, loud, clumsy stick, awful RSI-inducing membrane buttons, flimsy and cavernous body that amplifies microswitch noises. Hori has come so far from this.

Neo Geo AES stick (just sold) - Body has nice ergonomics, stick is okay, but the buttons are mushy and inconsistent and make for near-instant RSI with their awkward placement. Sold it with good reason.

Hori Real Arcade Pro - Love it. Big, solid, smooth, awesome. The Sanwa stick is subtle and precise, and while the stock buttons are decent, they’re too inconsistent compared to the Sanwas I’ve just put in.

Virtua Stick (second Saturn model) - Previously my favorite stick, but it’s lost some lustre since I’ve tried Sanwa parts. Very solid, great build quality, extremely competent for its time, parts are responsive and smooth, and excellent disregarding Hori’s current options - though I’ve been spoiled by better components, and it’d be very difficult to customize.

ASCII Genesis stick (now in the trash) - I can’t believe Gamestop (then Babbage’s) sold this to me in good conscience for $30 back then when only half of the buttons worked. Bastards. Mushy stick; sticky, quarrelsome buttons. Avoid.

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Happ-Modded Pelican Universal. 8/10
All comp Mods, pulled the crappy plastic feet, and bonded on anti-skid rubber bottom. I just personally am not the biggest fan of the Americanized-Japanese 8 button layout. I like the Astrocab layout better, but my buddies like the A-J-8 better.

Sanwa-Modded Hori T5. 9/10
I’m different than byrdo in that I like a stick with a gratuitous amount of bulk. this certainly fulfills.
Pulled the stick and buttons, replaced with a Series-H pcb mounted with JB-Weld and screws.

Custom Diamond Plate Steel w/ stainless inserts for stick and buttons. Sanwa. 8/10
More for the coolness-factor than playability since the diamond plate will cause all sorts of havok on your hands. Did this my last week of working in a buddies machine shop as he had a big order to fill and not enough hands so I helped as long as I could play around at the end. I have a lexan top for it when I need to get serious, but I usually leave it out. It’s an astrocab layout, but with plugs since it’s set up for VF4 now. I’ld post pics, but I’m certain now a former roomate has jacked the old camera, and I’m not to big on buying another. Never used the damn thing.

Cherry goodness. In progress.

Currently working on an all Cherry(the wood not the microswitches) 6 button stick. Not sure if I’m gonna go sanwa or happ yet, but probably sanwa as I’m really only playing 3d fighters now. I’m going to make a custom ball top and shaft cover out of cherry as well to get the total feel right. I wanted to do buttons too, but I’m worried about weight/time involved. the box has it’s 3rd coat of stain today, and It’s really looking good, very very dark. Cherry is damn expensive btw.

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[quote=zapatistab]
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.
92/100

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.
98/100

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

Added another stick:

Custom Stick w/Happ Parts.
Custom case from Arcadecab.com. Very nice case, the T-molding gives it a nice touch.
The Stick is a Happ Comp Stick w/Ball Top Stick Shaft.
The Buttons are Happ Comp as well.
I was a little skeptical putting Ball Top Shaft in a Happ Comp Stick. But after the install I was happy with the result. The shaft seems a little long, but it’s very easy to pull off moves. Much easier than the Happ Bat Shaft. The key is holding the stick like a Bat Top. Compared to a RedOctane case with Happ Parts, this stick is much more superior. The buttons are curved and are closer together.

98/100

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green DC AGETEC: I replaced the stick’s microswitch PCB with a new sanwa one from himura games, and wired the buttons and stick to db-25. I’ve always loved the agetec stick’s super slick, shallow buttons (maybe more than real arcade sanwa’s even), the sanwa pcb makes the stick feel pretty much as good as a regular arcade sanwa (which to me is as good as it gets). This is the best portable stick I’ve played on so far.

blue DC ASCII (cvs optical): This stick is the coolest looking portable stick I’ve seen, unfortunately the buttons on it really suck, and after a few years of abuse the spring on the stick got shitty (it seizes up and I ahve to open the stick and poke at it some), this stick will be fun to mod in the future, for right now I’ll prolly just fix the spring.

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Ok ill review the sticks ive owned so far:

Green Goblin (75/100)
Completly stock agetec. Got a lot of use out of it before it started becoming ghetto. I bought it used off ebay so god knows how worn it was before i got it. Still, solid stick in my view. The square gate takes some getting used to but i still think its a great one, love the button size. About to send this one to CoN to put all sanwa parts in it, so ill update when that happens.

Hori Real Arcade Pro (80/100)
To tell the honest truth i think i liked the agetec better. The rap obviously has better parts and more solid construction though so it deserves the better score. Only thing i didnt like about the hrap is it seems to big and tall for what it is. Also i felt the shaft length (omg did i just say that? :xeye: ) was a bit too short to be comfortable for me. Still waiting to get this back from Armadillo with my sanwa buttons and oct gate. Ill update accordingly.

Tha Darkside (99/100)
http://www.byrdo.org/images/Arcade%20Stiks/Darkside2.jpg
First of all just look at this stick. Its fucking beautiful.
Sanwa Flash joystick with semitsu buttons. Small case design makes it extremly comfortable, but still sturdy enough to not worry about. The Sanwa feels like butter , and with no clicky noises either. This stick has let me become a better player, because I can no longer blame the stick for a mistake, its my screwup if something doesnt come out right. Only bad thing i can say about this stick is that darkside did something wacky with the buttons so that fierce punch and Roundhouse are set to x3 punch and kick. So that means if you play A -groove in cvs2 you have to reconfigure your buttons so you can activate your customs. Other than that, perfection.

MAS Supernova with competition stick and convex buttons (85/100)
My first stick. I thought it was great at the time. I have since realized how much i prefer Japanese style sticks to the clunky american ones. Still works fine to this day ( about 2 years later). This is the stick i let my friends play on when we get together. Just feels too big, too heavy and too clumsey. This thing is a bitch to carry around a tourny.

Thats all for now, lets keep em coming guys.

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Sega Genesis 6 Button Stick

Ah yeh, I got fond memories of this thing. I got it way back in 1993 for Christmas w/ Street Fighter 2:Special Championship Edition. Loads of fun! It was a slick stick, I used it for almost every game, even non-fighters. A shame I have no idea where this stick went…disappeared mysteriously several years ago. I’d give it a 90/100!

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Asciiware PS1 light-grey joystick: The joystick itself feels sort of like a really horrid Sanwa imitation but with a bat-top. It has no spring, but the restrictor plate is square and it has Omron switches with metal activation levers; that’s the only thing making the stick return to neutral. Buttons are really stiff and probably can’t be changed, because of a plastic rim around them. Overall, it’s still usable for some, but not me.

  • 60/100

Nyko PS1 black joystick: Totally impractical for today’s fighting games. Buttons are small a really close together, but Ls and Rs are bean-shaped for some reason. A cool thing is that the button stack is on a little circular platform that can be rotated. The joystick is ball-top, but just feels retarded. I’m not even sure if there’re microswitches in it, actually. Tonnes of rapid-fire stuff, and the plastic body is a weird shape. But like I said, pretty much useless for fighting games.

  • 30/100

Custom stick - Happ Competition stick and buttons: I undoubtedly made the body too big… but it’s sturdy and plays great. But honestly, American sticks just feel kind of shitty after building my Sanwa one. Requires a lot of excess movement and it bounces when you let it go, but it can’t be that bad since people love them. Buttons are good, but I don’t like the way the springs vibrate when they’re pressed hard. Buttons are in Versus City layout.

  • 80/100

Custom stick - Sanwa JLF and Happ Comp. buttons: Really damned good. Stick has a short throw and is pretty sensitive, but will take some time to get used to. DPs are easier but supers are just hell at this point. Buttons are good but have the same drawbacks as mentioned before, and are in VC layout again. The MDF body is a little smaller than my other custom, but a more intricate design and Sanwa buttons would up the score. Actually, it’d be virtually perfect if it had those two things.

  • 92/100
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I have built 4 sticks, all based on Red Octane Cases

Stick 1: Enterprise
I had entered into an Enterprise rent-a-car contest, where we had to design a business. Our business was building joysticks. I built this stick all green to match the company colors, and named it the Enterprise. So I have the black red octane case, stripped of the plexiglass (all black base). Black Ultimate Joystick, 6 green competition push buttons, 2 black convex buttons for start/select. Red Octane PCB inside still. For this, I didn’t do any soldering, just crimped some wire to quick disconnects, and daisy chained the ground in the same manner.

I’d have to give this a 70/100, most people hate the ultimate stick inside because it’s too loose. Plus, the Red Octane PCB is wonky at times, and the stick will go into rapid-fire or auto-fire until it’s unplugged and plugged back it.

Stick 2: Patriot
The second stick I built, a little better job wire wise. This time, I also used the black red-octane case, stripped of the plexi. I have a blue competition stick, with 6 Competition buttons going Red (lp + lk), white (mp + mk), blue (fp + fk). The start and select are convex red buttons. The PCB is a generic playstation one controller. This time, for the wiring, I learned to solder and wired it much tighter. I drilled a new hole for the cord to come through, which looks kind of ugly. I am in the process of adding a carrying handle/cord wrap combo to the back of this stick.

I’d give this stick an 80/100, more solid than the first one. This is my main stick that I use.

Stick 3: Patriot Clone
Well, I build this for my friends brother. He had a Real Arcade, and hated it. I modded another Red Octane Case with the Red/White/Blue theme. This one had a Blue Ultimate stick, then Red-White-Blue competition buttons again. The start/Select where white Competition buttons this time. Personally, I prefered the red buttons hovering over the red lp+lk buttons. PCB was a generic PS1 controller. Drilled new hole for the wire coming out of the back. (Side note: While drilling the hole, I accidently put a huge scratch in the black vinyl on the top above the punches. I ended up covering the scratch with a capcom stick I had lying around, so it worked out ok).

Rating: 70/100. Just didn’t seem to look as nice as the patriot itself, plus I prefer playing on a competition stick.

Stick 4: Firey Taki

This was modded of the clearance SC2 Stick from Red Octane. The one with grey vinyl, blue printed plexi, and 4 buttons in the SC2 format. I stripped the plexi of the paint, and made it clear again. I printed up a picture of Taki, big breasts and all, and layed her over a picture of a burning forest. The stick was a red competition stick (one I had extra lying around), with 4 red convex buttons (also lying around : (). Sadly, these are the happ clone buttons, not the happ official ones. Start and select also had the same red buttons. All put together, it had a nice red theme layed over the soft grey background.

Rating: 85/100 for style, 70/100 for playability.

I am planning my next stick, and I want to make it “universal” by mounting the 15 pin connector to the case, and attach an external pcb in a box. I’ve seen it done on this site, and it looks like fun : )

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Nearly finished with my first stick. But I’ll review it anyway.
http://homepage.mac.com/cramlet/joystick

Ryu stick [7/10]

In terms of function, it is a ten. Comp stick & buttons work like a charm. However it shows signs of being an initial attempt. I fully plan on making each stick better than the previous edition… which is why I started with Ryu. He’s hardly my favorite fighter, but he made a good subject for stick #1. So this creation is now my baseline.

The physical construction is solid, but I made plenty of errors. Every panel is hand cut and there is plenty of evidence to prove it. Tolerances were fairly high. The wiring, however, is pretty clean (especially when compared to my dry run result). But it’s obvious I’m not a painter by trade. I really need to get better at that.

The art is very simple. It was fairly easy to compile in Photoshop & I printed it off on my home photo printer (Olympus P400). I added in the Chinese/Japanese characters to both fill space and to tell the story of Ryu. The top left are for a journey of competition & spiritual growth. And under the stick is the power of one.

Soon it will be time to start #2…