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[Odrion]

I searched around my whole area and managed to come across a Blaze Twin Shock arcade stick...

Pretty nice eh? Not really. The buttons are mushy (they still click but you feel nothing), the stick seems to be on a circle and its... directionally sensitive? (I'll end up accidentally ducking and getting myself killed in Metal Slug) and the 2nd player's left arm will keep smashing the start and select buttons if he doesn't keep them raised.

So hell, I think I'm actually going to mod this thing if possible. It has a great, solid weight to it and having two sticks stuck together is useful. I'll go and replace the stick and buttons with some better more authentic ones and it'll be a blast. But for now it does get the job done.

 

[Eiji]

I use the fabled Namco Stick!

Pic taken from the internets but I have 2 which are boxed and in immaculate condition.

 

[radjago]

I want to build my own drum kit for Rock Band. I want to get a set of practice pads and mount them to a rack and wire trigger pads up to the guts of a 360 controller. Think this is feasible?

 

[meppi]

Well, I finally modded my DreamCast Arcade stick, you know this one:

The thing is, my A and B buttons were nearing the end of their live, so I was looking to order another one of these.
But I started thinking about the possibilities of modding one of these babies with some actual arcade parts like I've seen on several forums.

I also noticed, especially when playing shooters that there always seems to be some kind of lag from the moment when you move the stick, to the moment your ship actually reacts.
So I decided to get a bunch of Sanwa buttons and a stick as well.

Took me a couple of hours since it's the first time I've tried this, and the wiring in a bit messy, I must confess. But in the end everything works and looks nice on the outside, which is the most important part.


I must say, I wasn't expecting such a huge amount of difference.
When playing fighters, I used to have quite a bit of trouble pulling of super moves and the more complicated stuff on a consistant basis, which I found weird since on my Neo I don't have those problems.
After the mod, these problems are all gone. I can pull off super after super without breaking a sweat.
Also when playing shooters, the way the ship moves is just as quick as if I was playing with a regular pad, perhaps even a tad quicker, i don't know.
Gone is the annoying lag that I always thought was due to how the ship feels...

Love the new buttons as well.
Where I had to practically pound the buttons to get a response in the past, I can now put my fingers on them and I hardly have to touch them, yet they instantly react.

If I had known there was such an enormous difference, I would have done this a long time ago...

After I mod my PS2 Virtua Sticks and my Saturn one, I think I'll get another DC stick and besides putting Sanwa parts in there, I think I'll add another X button right next to the A button, especially for SNK games.

 

[Momar]

afaik, the only place you can get HRAP2 is horistore.com or ebay. horistore is WAY cheaper, but you might need to get someone from Japan to help you out.

Well, in that case, any Gaffers want to help a brother out?
And what are we talking in price in USD when you say much cheaper? eBay has some listed for $90USD.

 

[aktham]

Here's what i have now in my apartment. I also have an unopened HRAP3 but i'll mod it later if i ever get free time.

I also have 2 modded HRAP2s, below is one of them and the other is fully white

but they are home and not with me now.

Oh I almost forgot i have this at home too

 

[CPS2]

Well, in that case, any Gaffers want to help a brother out?
And what are we talking in price in USD when you say much cheaper? eBay has some listed for $90USD.

_dementia mentioned earlier that you can also get them from Amazon .

fwiw, buying from Horistore will cost ~$75US + postage.

 

[Lambtron]

I just saw 001's mod of his VSHG that has a switch to make his VSHG compatible with BOTH PS3 and XBOX 360.... :drool:

I came. Fuck. I should do this for Xmas...

 

[Johnkers]

What would somebody recommend for a PS3 (pref one that works with PS2 or even better, 360 but I don't see that happening..) particularly for Tekken but also to a lesser extent, Soul Calibur and Street Fighter 2.

One that's actually available in Australia would be ideal but for some reason I doubt that..

 

[MarkMan]

Not sure what would be available in Austrailia....

Try getting your hands on an HRAP3 (Hori Real Arcade Pro 3) or FS3 (Fighting Stick 3)... Both are good for Tekken... and work for backwards compatible PS2 games...

The PS2 sticks + Pelican converter is another route to go with... But I'm not sure how easy it would be for you to find PS2 sticks in Aus...

 

[Flock]

I use the fabled Namco Stick!

Pic taken from the internets but I have 2 which are boxed and in immaculate condition.

Is this supposed to be a good stick? i have one that i got a few years back still in great condition.

 

[MarkMan]

Is this supposed to be a good stick? i have one that i got a few years back still in great condition.

IMO, it is the best small sized arcade stick that doesn't use authentic arcade parts.

 

[Johnkers]

Not sure what would be available in Austrailia....

Try getting your hands on an HRAP3 (Hori Real Arcade Pro 3) or FS3 (Fighting Stick 3)... Both are good for Tekken... and work for backwards compatible PS2 games...

The PS2 sticks + Pelican converter is another route to go with... But I'm not sure how easy it would be for you to find PS2 sticks in Aus...

Thanks, I'll check them out. I was actually talking more for the PS2 hardware itself, don't care about backward compatibility (40gb incoming =()

 

[MarkMan]

If thats the case... try to locate either a Namco arcade stick or a US Tekken 5 Hori stick...


The following sticks are all the same(case/build) and ony vary by artwork and # of buttons. So if you're interested, these sticks are all good as well.

Tekken 3 - 4 buttons
Tekken 4 - 6 buttons
Tekken Tag - 5 buttons
Soul Calibur II - 6 buttons with L1 and X reversed.

If you can't find those, the last choice I'd go with is the PS Fighting Stick by Hori. But I hate the buttons on those.

 

[Momar]

Alright! So I just nabbed a Tekken 5 10th Anniversary Stick. A friend of mine let me borrow his for a day and I really liked it, so I forked over the cash. Now I just need to nab a Pelican converter and all my fighting game needs wil be fulfilled!

 

[robot]

I just dug out the Dreamcast and hooked it up through VGA, and now want to get a stick to play all them fighters! Any recommendations?

I don't really have the time to mod, and would consider buying a stick from another system with the appropriate adapter. I've seen the DC Arcade stick above, but it's going for a decent price and wasn't sure if it was worth it.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 DC is the best home port of the game.
Soul Calibur is more balanced than its successors. Many people still like it.
Street Fighter III: New Generation and Second Impact are good; Third Strike has better ports elsewhere.
KOF Dream Match 1999 is actually fan-favorite KOF '98 with 3D backgrounds.

If you dig shooters, pick up Mars Matrix, Under Defeat, and Ikaruga. All 3 are compatible with VGA, and the latter two look stunning in 480p.

 

[Doublethink]

Capcom vs SNK 2 is also best on Dreamcast.

 

[JavaMava]

Any Toronto Gaffers know where I can buy an arcade stick for the 360. I just picked up VF5, play on getting SF4 and SCIV when they come out and want a stick to play with. I've been looking for the Hori FV/DOA stick, but the only place I can find em is ebay. Shipping is like $30 since the stores are in the states.

If theres a physical store in Toronto, or a Canadian based online store with reasonable shipping please let me know.

 

[robot]

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 DC is the best home port of the game.
Soul Calibur is more balanced than its successors. Many people still like it.
Street Fighter III: New Generation and Second Impact are good; Third Strike has better ports elsewhere.
KOF Dream Match 1999 is actually fan-favorite KOF '98 with 3D backgrounds.

If you dig shooters, pick up Mars Matrix, Under Defeat, and Ikaruga. All 3 are compatible with VGA, and the latter two look stunning in 480p.

I think my post was confusing - I have all of the good fighters, just need the proper stick. I'll def have to check out those shooters though.

 

[FoxSpirit]

Is it possible to swap the decal in a HRAP? I got one with a fighting Jam theme and now I really wanna switch that with something neutral. :-\

 

[sixteen-bit]

I think my post was confusing - I have all of the good fighters, just need the proper stick. I'll def have to check out those shooters though.

Agetec's Dreamcast stick is great and almost universally praised.

 

[Daigoro]

awesome thread MarkMan.

i loooove arcade sticks. heres my modded Agetec (PS2):

i have one more that ive been meaning forever to mod just for DC. hopefully get around to that this year.

i also have a T4 stick and im planning on buying one of those Hori VF5 sticks that will both hopefully be modded in the near future.

 

[1-D_FTW]

God, I've been waiting for this thread for like FOREVER....my needs are simple. I can tell that most of these sticks are geared towards fighters...which is cool...but I'm really looking for something that is more geared towards old-school arcade games...specifically the kind on XBLA -- stiff with good directional detection, especially in the Up-Down & Left-Right, and not as sensitive to the 45 degree axes...

I bought the Hori DOA4 stick, but was sadly disappointed (for how I wish to use it)...its a fine stick, but its really built for fighters (and I paid a decent price as it was the time many months before VF5 was announced and they were VERY scarce).

There are no commercial ones that I can find, so a custom seems the best way. Can any of you stick aficionados recommend the appropriate parts (and or complete stick) for non-fighter control that can be modded to work with a 360?

tia

Are you talking a lot of games with 4 direction play? Cause I used to find them unplayable on 8-way sticks. A game like Pac-man was an exercise in frustration cause it would constantly register the wrong direction (diagonals screw it up.) Pac-man may be the extreme example, but even Donkey Kong would have me dieing at least once a game cause of a wrong input.

A stick like Ultimarc's 4/8 way switchable on the fly is the way to go for old school. You can mechanically twist it to switch from 4/8 way (and have it mechanically blocked.) Obviously a 4-way and 8-way joystick would be best, but it's a really good solution.

I'm sure there's info on how to mod a 360 controller to use with those parts on the BYOAC forums.

That's DIY, but if you're talking about a number of 4-way old school games, might be something you wanna do yourself.

 

[j^aws]

When I'm not using my favourite pads, this is one of my favourite sticks (got 2 other favs that I might post another day)...

What's special about this is the actual stick itself; it's made from several parts: Shaft/ shaft cover, spring, actuator, chassis and microswitches are tuned for 'twitch' gaming; mainly shmups...

The stick has a very short engagement (deadzone) and throw... no gate; the microswitches/chassis provide a natural square gate. Incidentally, the transparent microswitches above are nearly 20 years old; they were salvaged from an ancient Amiga arcade stick (forget which), and make an awesome 'ping' sound when engaged; and a fast return-to-centre... much better than any stock Sanwa JLF, IMO...

The buttons are stock; just changed one of the colours. I find these fine for button-mashing in shmups etc; they provide more of a 'bouncy' resistance and long term comfort compared to something like Sanwa buttons... but they do feel a bit 'mushy' for fighters...

Too lazy to change any artwork right now; it kinda looks fine as it is...

 

[GeoNeo]

Jaws, you got any pictures of the insides?

 

[j^aws]

Jaws, you got any pictures of the insides?

Didn't take any, but I can post some later. Nothing to see on the wiring front, 'cause it's really ghetto! But the stick chassis and the microswitches/ actuators are the main elements that define this mod; so I'll try to show those...

 

[j^aws]

Okay, some inside shots. Btw, this was the Japanese version of the FightingStick SS (Saturn) that has the metal top and base plate. IIRC, the US version lacks the metal top plate.

I've left the stock PCB's in place as I didn't really have a reason to remove them...

For the actual stick itself: The only stock part is the chassis and the spring (can't be seen the pics). The rest of the parts are from various sources...

The chassis has recesses to accept standard microswitches; but certain microswitches don't fit because of irregular shaped edges; I've tried Omrons and the above ones and they fit fine...

The original microswitches were Omrons (without the actuating levers)... but the above transparent microswitches have these levers. What this means for the above setup is that when secured into place, the levers are already under tension (slightly depressed) from the shaft actuator; just at the right amount to be on a 'hair-trigger', i.e. negligible deadzone and a very short engagement...

The original spring was also stretched to give more resistance. Those transparent microswitches also have more resistance than the stock Omron microswitches... yet only light activation is needed. However, the 'throw' gets stiffer past this point in a non-linear fashion... it doesn't feel like it has a gate, unless you force it to the edges.

Initially I left the original clip-on square gate, but it interfered with registering the diagonals. I removed it; the issue disappeared and there's still a natural square gate from the microswitch edges...

Also, the topside of the stick has this shaft cover that's also a spring. There's negligible tension on this currently but can be altered by adding extra metal washers to alter the 'feel' of the stick...

I really like this stick for shmups.

 

[GeoNeo]

Very nice, Jaws. It is really sad to see the quality of the "Lower end" Hori sticks go to shit the last couple of years. The HRAP is great and all, but Hori made a real name for themselves manufacturing affordable arcade sticks that were really well built.

The PCB are way more messy now (in the DOA stick anyway) and the buttons feel like ultra cheap crap.

 

[akachan ningen]

I made this stick myself about 5 years ago. it's ugly but it's solid. Was finally able to dust it off since KOF XI was released.

 

[guidop]

What would somebody recommend for a PS3 (pref one that works with PS2 or even better, 360 but I don't see that happening..) particularly for Tekken but also to a lesser extent, Soul Calibur and Street Fighter 2.

One that's actually available in Australia would be ideal but for some reason I doubt that..

This is pretty much the only stick in Australia that is readily available


http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/474812e007ab31c6273fc0a87f9c06f7/Product/View/YG2310

 

[Kuran]

I need help, Gaf!

I'd like to buy two sticks for my PlayStation 3, one reason is that I have a lot of great PS2 2D fighters which I can then enjoy, the other reason is that I'd like to get into Virtua Fighter 3.

However I don't plan to take this too seriously, I just want a decent stick that will last me a good while, and it has to be satisfying to use.

I'm doubting two models, the Virtua Stick High Grade (80$) and the Hori Fighting Stick (49.90$)

I'd like to get two eventually, because the plan is to play these games with my girlfriend. (Hi Flo)

Is the Virtua Stick High Grade really worth the extra $?

I'm also concerned about the weight of the stick, because I'd have to import this to Belgium and the customs office is going to probably tax me for it.

 

[MarkMan]

The VSHG is FAR FAR FAR superior to the FS3.

But like you said, if you're not going to take it that seriously and want a decent stick, maybe the FS3 is better for you.

But the VSHG is totally worth it(note it has trouble with Tekken 5: DR if you plan on playing that). Should work great with PS2 2D fighters though with BC.

 

[Kuran]

Thanks for the advice, but why does the stick have problems with Tekken? Because of the button layout?

 

[sixteen-bit]

Thanks for the advice, but why does the stick have problems with Tekken? Because of the button layout?

It can't handle more than 3 simultaneous inputs I hear

 

[Kuran]

Won't that be a problem with other games? I'm planning to play the Fist of the North Star fighting game with it, and many other Capcom and SNK games.

 

[Kuran]

Oh well, bought the Virtua Stick! Can't wait..

 

[JavaMava]

Any Toronto Gaffers know where I can buy an arcade stick for the 360. I just picked up VF5, play on getting SF4 and SCIV when they come out and want a stick to play with. I've been looking for the Hori FV/DOA stick, but the only place I can find em is ebay. Shipping is like $30 since the stores are in the states.

If theres a physical store in Toronto, or a Canadian based online store with reasonable shipping please let me know.

I finally gave up and bought the HORI 360 stick off ebay. Cost me $75 including shipping ($25, ouch).

 

[MarkMan]

From what I know and my experience. The VSHG only has problems with Tekken 5: DR on PS3 and some versions of MAME when you use it on the PC.

Congrats on the new stick !

 

[Lee N]

It can't handle more than 3 simultaneous inputs I hear

That's bull.. having it hooked up to a PC you can easily check for yourself in the control panel for the joystick. It registers inputs for all buttons if you push them at once - you can push them in any combination and it still registers correctly.

 

[Fatalah]

Cool thread. My friend and me had a blast playing Ms. Pacman last night at some bar in Manhattan.

I'd really love to buy an arcade stick so we could play the game at my house. I just don't know how to judge these things.

How would you guys judge this one? It's only 40 bucks...


And then there's this one:

60 bucks. Wow, I'd really like to pay around 30 bucks for one, if that's possible.

 

[MarkMan]

That's bull.. having it hooked up to a PC you can easily check for yourself in the control panel for the joystick. It registers inputs for all buttons if you push them at once - you can push them in any combination and it still registers correctly.

Like we mentioned already this issue is ONLY a problem with Tekken 5: DR. And certain emulators. For everything else it's fine(or so we think).

Try Tekken 5: DR with a VSHG and see how many times you can perform a move out of 10 that has 3 simultaneous inputs.

 

[MarkMan]

For the hot dog lookin mad catz arcade stick, I'd only recc it if you really like that style stick.

The Hori stick is good enough, so if you can wait for it to drop in price just do that or hope for some nice meaty coupons at GameStop/EB or something

 

[Lee N]

Like we mentioned already this issue is ONLY a problem with Tekken 5: DR. And certain emulators. For everything else it's fine(or so we think).

Try Tekken 5: DR with a VSHG and see how many times you can perform a move out of 10 that has 3 simultaneous inputs.

So it's a software issue rather than a hardware issue then.. because the VSHG detects 10+ inputs at the same time no problem at all.

 

[MoxManiac]

Why are the button layouts never straight accross? Seems like it could be annoying for capcom 6 button fighters?

BTW, whats the best PS3 arcade stick option at the moment? I need something that also will work with PS2 games, and a stick well-suited for 2D fighters, since i don't play 3d ones.

 

[MarkMan]

MoxManiac, the VSHG is what you're looking for IMO....

About button layouts. The curved format is going by Japanese arcade control panel standards. Straight across is US style, first seen with Street Fighter. It's all preference though, so work with what you like.

Lee N, well, this discussion has been done to death on SRK tech boards before. Everything works fine for T5DR except the VSHG. However the VSHG has problems with certain emulators AND T5DR. I'm lazy to find the thread but it was agreed on that it had something to do with the VSHG PCB.

What some people have done was swap out the VSHG PCB with a FS3 one and that solved all their problems.

 

[MoxManiac]

MoxManiac, the VSHG is what you're looking for IMO....

About button layouts. The curved format is going by Japanese arcade control panel standards. Straight across is US style, first seen with Street Fighter. It's all preference though, so work with what you like.

Lee N, well, this discussion has been done to death on SRK tech boards before. Everything works fine for T5DR except the VSHG. However the VSHG has problems with certain emulators AND T5DR. I'm lazy to find the thread but it was agreed on that it had something to do with the VSHG PCB.

What some people have done was swap out the VSHG PCB with a FS3 one and that solved all their problems.

Hmm, okay. I'm sure the layout will be fine. What's a good place to find the VSHG?

EDIT: Looking at the stick, the only other concern I have is how close the stick is to the buttons? Is that an issue? Sorry, i'm a noob to japanese sticks.

 

[Lee N]

Why are the button layouts never straight accross?

Because your fingers are not equally long.

Lee N, well, this discussion has been done to death on SRK tech boards before. Everything works fine for T5DR except the VSHG.

It can still be a software issue.. compatibility issues usually are. If it was indeed a hardware issue then it would have problems detecting several inputs at the hardware level - and then you would notice the same problems in all games and software.

I really can't recreate this problem in the windows driver - I just asked a friend to help me push all buttons on the stick simultaneously and they all register flawless, even when tilting the stick at the same time.

 

[MarkMan]

Ah I see what you're doing... The thing is, if you press and hold the buttons down, there is no problem. But hitting them and inputting them on the exact same frame when it is required does not come out 100% of the time (For Emulators and T5DR anyway)... for example. I need to hit square/triangle/x at the same time. It definately works. But if I try to press all three at once on the exact same frame, it (the move I'm trying to do) won't come out. But if I try to get it to register/recognize in the controller setup menu, there is no problem.

This effects gameplay, and it is VERY annoying. The other thing people have tested was moves that require three punches/kicks in various SF games and having a low success rate in pulling off the moves successfully...

---

Hmm, okay. I'm sure the layout will be fine. What's a good place to find the VSHG?

EDIT: Looking at the stick, the only other concern I have is how close the stick is to the buttons? Is that an issue? Sorry, i'm a noob to japanese sticks.

It is something you might have to get used to. I can assure you though that it feels comfortable as long as you don't have hands the size of Shaq or anything like that...

A good place to get the VSHG would be Play-Asia... $79.90 before shipping... I also have a review of the VSHG up there linked on their product information page.

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-zl-49-en-15-virtua+stick-70-1rjw.html

 

[Geezer]

What some people have done was swap out the VSHG PCB with a FS3 one and that solved all their problems.

Will the FS3 PCB work on a PC too?