OMG I hate the buttons it so much.
sorry to bump an old thread, but i thought itd be better than creating a new one.
Does anyone have a comparison of the T5 custom Real arcade pro vs the regular hori RAP? i know the button layout is a little different, but what about the parts?
Also, anyone know what parts are used in the hori fighting stick 2? can the parts be swapped out for sanwa ones?
One more question: do any of these Hori sticks have lag when used with a ps2->usb converter? i use a super joybox right now, and with official dualshock controllers theres no lag at all. I’ve heard that the T5 stick that comes with T5 in a bundle is a fake RAP in a RAP case, and has lag, but i dont know about any of these sticks.
Thanks a lot, i’ve been debating for a while now which stick to buy, and if its really worth it for me to spend 100+ including shipping on a stick.
might as well review my sticks sincei ts been bumped.
i’d give my red stick a good 70/100. p360 didn’t work properly, and i think american buttons a a bit poo.
i’d give my blue stick 90/100 since it plays perfectly and doesn’t move, but i could improve the box design by making it out of the ordinary but keeping the size!
ASCII STICK FT
-Pushbuttons (60/100): The weakest point of this stick. Buttons get mushy after awhile. Probably a good candidate to mod with sanwa or seimitsu.
-Joystick (90/100): Comes with a transparent shaft cover, an octagonal restrictor plate and is the only consumer grade joystick I know that uses optical sensors. Very smooth and quiet.
-Body (85/100): Nice ergonomic design. It has a mid size case which is slightly bigger than the Namco Hori but smaller than the agetecs.
-Overall (89/100): One of Asciis better sticks. Too bad this was never released outside Japan.
NAMCO ARCADE STICK
-Pushbuttons (87/100): They feel a bit flat but are otherwise responsive.
-Joystick (83/100): Has a relatively heavier spring pressure that makes it feel a bit too tight or stiff.
-Body (95/100): I like the size and minimalist design of the angled and low bodied case a lot. Very sturdy and has a nice weight.
-Overall (89/100): Arguably the most solid and robust consumer grade stick ever built. Excellent for 2d based fighters.
DREAMCAST “AGETEC” ARCADE STICK
-Pushbuttons (87/100): Great convex type buttons that are light and easy to press. I also like the size, being slightly smaller than Hori, Sanwa or Seimitsu.
-Joystick (87/100): Has a slightly longer throw than Sanwa or Hori. The spring pressure feels just right.
-Body (87/10): Feels a bit hollow but I like the industrial look and wide flat surface which gives you plenty of space. Has enough weight to give it a sturdy feel.
-Overall (89/100): Another great stick for 2d based fighting games. Durable and comparable in quality to the Namco Hori.
SOUL CALIBUR II
-Pushbuttons (86/100): The six buttons work great and are quite similar to the Namco being flat.
-Joystick (85/100): Smooth with light springs.
-Body (82/100): Nice streamline design thats not too light. Also has nice artwork.
-Overall (83/100): I prefer this over the Namco or Agetecs for use with vf4 evo. However, its not a very good stick for 2d fighters IMHO. Some may complain about the distance between the joystick and buttons being spaced very close to each other. But thats just how they are in VF4 arcade machines. Overall, one of the better sticks you can buy under $50.
Namco PS1 Yellow Stick: Simple, solid, and relative to its time, 90/100.
Ascii PS1 Grey Stick: Wastes too much space on all those rapid-fire buttons, clicky stick is the noisiest I’ve ever encountered, convex buttons are lame. But it works fine and will last until the end of time, so 80/100.
NES Advantage: God I miss playing Double Dragon games with that thing. It’s a shame Nintendo doesn’t make a joystick anymore. The Advantage worked perfectly, and people are still using original ones from the 1980s that work without a hitch. Relative to the time, 99/100.
hahaa what a pic, I had that too. Flawless execution for SF2:SCE and Weaponlord on Genny. hahaa (100/100 - but if I used it today I may realize the stick undeservedly gained legendary status via nostalgia)
also had DC Agetec/GreenGoblin (stock). Worked fine for me considering the beating it took. Loved buttons, joystck too loose but once I got used to it I loved the feel (Jap). Layout was easy on the hand placement. Eventually notice that joystick would stick/miss the switches entirely on quick QC motions and would increasingly stick in a position out of nuetral (activating temper tantrum). (70/100?-in its prime)
*If anyone wants to modd this for me please pm me with a price
Old XBox RedOctane (modded):
favorite designed box ive ever played on (love that textured bottom); wish I had another box like it (any for sale?). The stock parts were worthless. Swapped the stick with a Ultimarc J-Stik (thanks to spiffyshoes for advice on the modjob). I installed Happ comp buttons which are cool but I do like the larger area of the sanwas better (sensitivity is not an issue to me). I love the straight across button layout here because the angled layout tricks me into turning sideways and fucking up my n/s/e/w reference on the stick. The stick is real tight and I love this. Dashing, instant air dashing, parrying, are all a breeze on this (i should qualify this statement by saying this was the first time i’ve used the higher end stick parts). i hate that j-stick tho. I think im having problems hitting the diagonals (DQC motions are so inconsistent it ruins my game), and I cant switch an octagonal restrictor in there. I guess I could try to mod the existing plate itself but id probably fuck it up. Im about to just glue something to that shaft that hit the little levers that activate the switches to make it hit the diagonals easier. I think im going to try that right now- no that wont work because the shaft turns - shit. What if I just wrap duct tape around that bottom shaft part to make it thicker? any ideas? Or maybe ill just order a HAPP comp from the real bob roberts. I think i’ll do both. as is this modded stick gets a 50/100 -its killing me.
I still favor the jap design and bit the bullet and ordered a custom sanwa joint (oct. gate) from Dreadedfist. hopefully ill post a positive review in 2-3 weeks.
yes; im a joystick newb
peace
Let’s see… man, there has been so many. I’ll do the more recent.
-
Hori Soul Calibur stick (Japanese model) 8/10. Worked good, nice small size. worked well with adapters for other systems. Hated the button layout and graphics.
-
Red octane stick(s). I had the new model and also last years. 2/10. Both broke within weeks. This years model was even worse. Did not work well with adapters. Used generic parts.
-
Hori RAP. Nice stick. I can only give it a 6/10. The used a new pcb that did not work well with my adapters. i wound out gutting it and soldering it to a psx pcb instead.
-
Darkside stick. It’s a really good stick. Works great.
-
QCF stick. Well shoot, I built this myself. Basically took what I liked and didn’t like from all my previous sticks and made my own. Made the case too. So it’s my fav. Perfect for me. http://www.quartercircleforward.com/images/sticks/karin-sanwa.jpg
those qcf sticks look pretty good, how much you charge for the full sanwa model?
Oh thanks. I’m asking between 150-160 for an all Sanwa stick depending on artwork/colors/etc. And 125-135 for the Sanwa stick w/ Happ buttons depending on artwork/colors/etc.
bump
i wonder why this thread died.
it’s great help for anyone who wants to buy a stock stick.
X-Arcade Dual:
The stock stick and buttons are not terrible, but I replaced them with a HAPP Super stick and convex buttons, much better. I don’t recommend for two player as others have said, too cramped. The case is well done and very comfortable to use, with a nice slope to it. I don’t use this stick that much anymore, as I have others that I like to use now. I still find it hard to hit diagonals with this, but I still like it for SF/KOF type games. The best use for this stick, I think, is for single player games that use two joysticks, e.g. Crazy Climber, Robotron, Karate Champ (on the PC via MAME). SCORE: 6/10 (unmodded), 7/10 (modded), (9/10 for single player dual joystick games).
Nuby SC2 Universal Stick:
I only bought this stick because it was $20 on sale, but it is indeed a piece of cr@p. I challenge you to do any type of QCF, HCF type moves with it reliably. If you can, you’re a better man than me. This stick sucks for fighting games, but since you can use it in analog mode, it’s great for Top Spin tennis on the XBox (might be good for other similar games). Can be used on PS2/XBox/GCN. SCORE: 2/10 (9/10 for Top Spin tennis on the XBox).
SF Anniversary Stick:
Stock stick and buttons are terrible. Replaced with HAPP competition stick and convex buttons, much better. The stick has a good feel, supports PS2/XBox with XBox voice over Live supported. The downside for me is the case. The thing is too damn big (tall), and has no angled slope, not comfortable at all. It definitely can’t be used on your lap, which is how I like it. The only way to use this monstrosity is to have it on a desk or table, and be standing over it. SCORE: 2/10 (case), 4/10 (unmodded), 7/10 (modded).
Naki Ultimate Fighting Stick:
Stock stick and buttons blow hard, unusable. Replaced with Sanwa JLF-TP-8Y and Sanwa snap-in buttons, much, much better. The stick is wireless and works on PS2/XBox and supports voice over Live. The wireless is nice, but it is flakey, and sometimes it has trouble getting the connection to the receiver. Usually after it connects, it works just fine. The case is comfortable with an angled slope to it, and can be used on your lap perfectly. Downsides are the stick doesn’t work with adapters for PC/DC/etc., and also you can’t use two of these sticks simultaneously (only one of the sticks will connect and work). SCORE: 2/10 (unmodded), 8/10 (modded).
Tekken 5 Anniversay Stick:
Stock stick and buttons are actually pretty good. cON modded this nicely for me with Sanwa stick and buttons, even better. It still has the stock PCB in it (which doesn’t seem to work with adapters for the XBox/GCN, USB adapters for the PC work fine). The case is sturdy, yet comfortable, and can be used sitting in your lap, or on a desktop. This is one of my favorite sticks, I just wish I could use it with adapters for other systems. SCORE: 7/10 (unmodded), 8/10 (modded).
DOA4 Stick:
Stock stick is not bad, but the buttons suck and are hard to press. The case is small, light, and comfortable, and works well on your lap. I replaced the stick with a Sanwa, and it was better. I failed at replacing the buttons, fried the PCB 
This stick is the only choice right now for the XBox 360, so that’s why I bought it (unless you can hack a pad). It’s not a bad stick, but the buttons do suck, and are a must to replace. People say that you can use it on the PC with special drivers installed, but I heard there are problems with the triggers registering or something, I never tried. SCORE: 6/10 (stick unmodded), 4/10 (buttons unmodded), 8/10 (stick modded).
I tend to like American HAPP style sticks for games that do a lot of QCF/HCF type moves and 2D games, and then the Sanwa style sticks for 3D games and games that require a lot of diagonals. I am starting to get used to doing QCF type moves with the Sanwa’s though, maybe an Octagonal gate would help?
Jim
**a stick from stick.pe.kr **
as far as i can tell, these sticks are real arcade-grade Korean parts. i don’t know much about Korean parts, but i like the stick very much. the buttons, however, don’t look like anything i’ve seen at the Korean arcade. they’re not bad, though. easy to press and responsive.
the case is pretty large and there’s no angle, so it’s extremely difficult to use on a lap. it’s annoying that the case wasn’t very well designed / done. there are small nail-holes on the surface, and you can’t open it without prying the box open. there are no screws. the surface sheet makes it look hot, but on closer inspection, it looks like it was done on a rush.
Good stick, ok buttons. 7/10
VF4e stick: Red
The stick is just like the one in the US T5 sticks, which means it?s pretty good. The buttons are better than Hori?s usual stuff, which surprises me. The casing is very nice. I bought one for modding (I don?t really play VF), but it looks like it?s going to be difficult (no holes on the metal plate.)
If i played VF, I?d probably give this a 7. I don?t, so it gets a 3. :l
SFAC stick mod it-- 90-100
pelican mod it-------85-100
HRAP------------------95-100
hori T5----------------90-100