To me, X-arcades are trash compared to a quality custom stick. So even if they are similar in price you still don’t compare the two.
I see, so customs are basically the holy grail of joysticks…Sorry to ask a newbie questions, but right now i’m on information overload; with so many choices… I tried reading the sticky, but there’s like Hori, Mad Catz, other brands so I’m just trying to figure out what to do… I don’t mean to thread jack, so please comments on X-Arcade Mods
Yeah, there is no real reason to go with X-Arcade these days. Before, it was all about being compatible with everything, they had that and other people didn’t. But since now most arcade controllers use USB and are PC compatable, it’s not really all that big of a deal. At least not big enough of a deal to use this laggy controller filled with knock-off parts.
Exactly.
I bought it back in the days cause I used to play ALPHA, JOJO, SF3 and MVC on my DC. Soulcaliber on my cube and Guilty Gear on my ps2 so it was the way to go for me. But since now most fighters are on XBOX360 and PS3 only one stick is more then enough.
So yhea going for an x-arcade is not the way to go right now. If you want an easy and cheap solution. Buy the madcatz SF stick (the regular edition) it’s not that expensive and it gets the job done.
I can’t wait till my parts get here…another 2 weeks (guess I’ll keep unlocking stuff while i wait)
Not even that, X-Arcades are just the lowest common denominator of joysticks. The most vital parts of a sticks performance come from the quality of the joysticks, buttons and PCB. And those three things are very poor on X-Arcade units.
X-arcade is fine for playing MAME/GGPO games on PC, but as many have mentioned when it comes to consoles, this is where it FAILS big time due to poor PCB and laggy adapters they provide. The cabinet is made of MDF and its fairly well built, the button and joystick placements are based on traditional **American **Arcade layout and so many people who played on **Japanese ** layout do not like them (I like the straight button placements since it replicates **American **Arcade machines).
I would NOT recommend people to get an X-arcade machine if they want to use it for **ANY CONSOLE **playing, but if you ALREADY OWNED one or can acquire an used one for cheap (<$50) then it is a good starting cabinet to mod for console usage (replace buttons/joystick and most important the PCB) since Happ arcade parts are cheaper than any Japanese parts and they work just as well.
Just my 2 cents.
PS: I love my customized X-arcade machine. It is a GOOD table top arcade stick. It plays just as well as any customized stick only difference is that it said X-arcade on the outside. Since I used both PSX and 360 PCBs, I can use on DC, PS1/2/3, GC, Xbox, 360 and PC (using lagless adapters), so I kept the X-arcade’s universal system theme but much better executed than stock version.
Ooh I see… So if you can afford it, custom joystick is a good way to go. But if you have existing joystick and want to improve it, then there’s mods and parts that you can add to improve the joystick. Thanks guys, I guess now is time to look for a custom joystick builder!
Just an FYI, the X-Arcade does NOT lag on the PC. It may with adapters (I don’t really have a lag testing app for Dreamcast) but it has the exact same response time as my USB keyboard. Also, your computer recognizes it as a keyboard so it works just fine with nullDC (DC and Naomi versions) without having to worry about using joy2key.
I have had my X-arcade for a number of years, and yes, as others have stated, it’s pretty gank. I’m not a fan of American layouts or sticks so it’s not really for me, even after modding it with iL/comps.
But it is a good base and a fun little thing to practice modding on. It’s also nice to have a stick that allows for two people.
I’m undecided on whether I’m going to bother adding a couple of JLWs. While I may get a more preferable stick, the button layout still gives me aggro. The only reason I’d contemplate doing it is I ordered a TE stick from LizardLick and that looks like it will come sometime next decade, so I need a half decent stick to play with in the meantime.
Update!
Well I just thought I would give you guys a little update and tell you how the project is coming along.
1- Never ask a guy in a store to cut a plexiglass with an odd shape and weird hole placement. It took him an hour to get it right and even then some sides of the plexi are not like they should be 
it s a shame really. Maybe I’ll find a way to smooth out the edges…
2-Removing the buttons from an X-Arcade board is a bitch there is glue everywhere…it makes it really hard to take stuff appart not to mention there is’nt enough room in the controller itself…lucky for me the Cthulhu board is pretty small so when i get it I should be able to find a spot for it inside the controller.
3- I’m still beeing patient for my parts from Lizardlick, in the mean time i try to unlock colors in SF4 (i usually quit after 2 survival as it gets really repetitive)
Here is a picture of the stick so far :
I have already bought the happ parts and a used x-aracde to mod… just waiting for the toodles board to arrive
-joe
Well I modded the X-Arcade because I already have one but I would not buy one to modify it. The buttons on an X-Arcade are a little too far from each other and since you can’t drill new holes…there is nothing you can do about it.
Nice mode for the x-arcade which make me want to do mine since a few local asking for tournament and I can’t bring my coffee table to their place even if it is on wheels.
If it was me doing your mod. I would have drill new holes. Reason is because you will put the new flexi on top and it can hold your button no problem. The buttons are too wide apart
I will mod my dual stick x-arcade this week and post up pictures. Well I will replace the top completely with new top planning 12x36 in since costco does print size that big :). I have no problem with the PCB while playing SF4 with PS3 adapter (ebay $10 each) since I already have the PS2 adapter longtime ago. (don’t want to sell out more money here)
I already order a two set of buttons and Euro IL joysticks from lizardlick sine Feb 17 and they are not here yet lol and they are happ parts. let see how it goes. I just hate the square gate from jap stick plus the distance are too wide too.
Question how did you get the store guy to cut the hole and shape of the flexiglass for you ? lol
Hey Faux, is your X-Arcade setup 1 side Xbox 360 the other PS.
I’m considering this route since know one actually plays with me, except online.
Yeap, my X-arcade mod is exactly as you stated. I have the older “non-tank” stick version, so for 2 players, it was uncomfortable for both players because the panel is not WIDE enough. So I just mod it so its for 1 player comfort but can be used on multiple system since it was relatively easy to mod this case.
I had the 2 player x-arcade as well, much too close together. I ended up selling it, ordered an AIAB, and picked up a HRAP3 to hold me over until it arrives.
It was never laggy on the PC, and fine on the xbox, but the thing that bothered me most was that the screws holding the joystick in place would always come loose, had to pop open the bottom and retighten them constantly.
Out of curiosity, what did you guys end up doing about the wire holder in the back of the X-Arcade? I wanan get a toodles board with an A/B usb cable and just rewire with a better PCB but I can’t get the stock cable out for the life of me. Did you all just take a screwdriver and just pry the thing open or what? Thanks for any info.
Just a few questions for people who’ve modded x-arcade dual sticks:
What is the best route to replace the top? graphic with plexi over the stick top, or refinish/cut a piece of wood?
In a perfect world i’d like to replace the top panel with some nice wood with a decent grain, but since my x arcade isn’t here yet, I’m just wondering how hard it is to actually REMOVE the panel. If it is difficult, and someone’s done it, could you share your technique?
Mainly, after replacing the buttons and sticks, i just don’t want to have such an ugly stick, and also if i could remove the excess from the top panel, the size reduction would be nice.
Why even buy an x-arcade only to completely overhaul it?
When i bought it, i assumed that “xbox adapter” on the website would work with the 360 (maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was labeled “works with every system”) until i did some more snooping around and realized the problems with m$, lag, ect.
So seeing as i’m going to gut EVERYTHING, i’d rather not have x-arcade’s name on the top of it, not to mention how ugly it is.
All in all, it was a stupid purchase. But on the plus side, it did open me up to the world of custom pads, and will be a decent warm up to my goal of making a wireless sanwa stick.
In hindsight, even after all the lipstick I’m going to have to put on this pig, it was better than my initial idea of getting a te fight stick off amazon.
Edit: It appears that the only good thing about the x arcade is the 30 day money back. So once it arrives, i will be sending it back and getting to work on my customs.