NeoGAF Arcade Stick Thread

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Has anyone here had any experience dealing with Focus Attack's customer support? I purchased a Sanwa JLF from them since LizardLick was out of stock, but it appears the package somehow got lost in transit -- the only tracking info I can get from USPS is that it arrived at the Philadelphia sort facility on June 30th. I ordered Priority Mail, plus I only live one state away from the sorting facility (NJ), so there's no way it should be taking this long. I haven't had any luck with USPS yet, so is there any chance that the guys at FA would either send me another stick or give me a refund if I explained the situation? I realize this probably isn't their fault directly, but right now it's looking like I'm out $30 and that sucks.
 
I love fighting games like blazblue and tekken, I have been thinking about getting a better fighting stick. I have the Fighting stick 3 here, it's okay, but not really that awesome.

I was thinking about the Hori HRAP V3 SA. Can anyone with some experience or knowledge enlighten me a bit about this?

Is it a good idea to go for this one?
 
The HRAP V3-SA is a colossal upgrade over the Fighting Stick 3. I love mine.

It uses the same parts that are in Blazblue and Tekken arcade cabs too.
 
_dementia said:
The HRAP V3-SA is a colossal upgrade over the Fighting Stick 3. I love mine.

It uses the same parts that are in Blazblue and Tekken arcade cabs too.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it seems like that too, but ... the being so new to the whole arcade stick scene (I love them, but I don't know eneugh about them) and reading so many differend things on the internet, it's kind of confusing.
 
Well, dammit.

Got to Micro Center, TvC stick was $31.99 with 25% off on top of that. So I'm all excited, thinking i'm gonna get a good stick for under $25. With the wii to PC (ps3) adapter, I will have a top quality stick that can be used on wii and ps3 for under $40.

On my way up to the check out, I see the specs.

The cord is 3.3 fucking feet long. 1 meter.
 
Yeah, I forgot about that. It's short because it was meant to plug into a Wii remote.

Isn't the Wii -> PC converter another 6 feet though? Probably still not long enough at 9 feet.
 
USB extension cables are cheap and easy to get, even name-brand ones. Plus they're useful for other tasks as well. Amazon is one good source:

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F3U134-10-Extension-Cable-10-Feet/dp/B00001ZWXA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310414096&sr=8-1

This turns the issue into a non-issue... if the 9 feet of combined cable (with the Mayflash adapter) wasn't enough to begin with. But seriously, 9 feet ought to be enough in the majority of situations.

Also, note this: if you want to use the TvC stick with a computer, and said computer is equipped with Bluetooth, and you have a Wii Remote laying around collecting dust... you can use it wirelessly, too. You'll just need to track down a bit of third-party software. The Mayflash adapter is not required in that situation.
 
Thanks guys, all this info is much appreciated.

I think I'm gonna bite on this one. 9 feet seems like plenty of cord to get me from the couch to my media stand. I have the MK PDP stick, and it has an 11 foot cord. It has plenty of slack, so I think 9 feet will be perf.

Now, the only questions I have left is, does anyone actually use this stick/adapter combo on ps3? Is there any latency issues with the adapter?
 
BiggNife said:
Has anyone here had any experience dealing with Focus Attack's customer support? I purchased a Sanwa JLF from them since LizardLick was out of stock, but it appears the package somehow got lost in transit -- the only tracking info I can get from USPS is that it arrived at the Philadelphia sort facility on June 30th. I ordered Priority Mail, plus I only live one state away from the sorting facility (NJ), so there's no way it should be taking this long. I haven't had any luck with USPS yet, so is there any chance that the guys at FA would either send me another stick or give me a refund if I explained the situation? I realize this probably isn't their fault directly, but right now it's looking like I'm out $30 and that sucks.
Click to expand...

Very good customer support. He was helpful with the issue I had, conscientious, and I received email responses pretty quickly.
 
Apoc87 said:
Now, the only questions I have left is, does anyone actually use this stick/adapter combo on ps3? Is there any latency issues with the adapter?
Click to expand...

I have tried it. The biggest issue I had was with button mapping... you'll have to ignore the button labels on the stick itself, obviously. Also, I recall (can anyone confirm this?) that the L and R buttons (the third column from the left) didn't function. This is okay, though, as long as you just want to use six buttons; five minutes and a screwdriver are all you need to do a bit of rewiring. I switched the third and fourth columns so the leftmost six buttons would work properly. follow FSLink's below advice. Since pretty much all fighting games besides Mortal Kombat have great button remapping options, you'll be all set from there.

I did not notice any latency or other issues.
 
Went ahead and bit the bullet, 25.99 for the TvC stick at Micro. All of you guys' suggestions and advice sold me on it, I thank you all once again.

I'm very new to arcade sticks, and coming from the Mortal Kombat PDP, the buttons and stick feel very mushy and cheap. Like I said, I'm very new to the scene, so maybe SEs are all like this? Can someone shed some light?

What I mean is, on my MK stick, the stick DOES NOT MOVE unless you put a firm amount of pressure on it (may be because it's a bat-top). This ball top, moves even if you touch the stick ever so-slightly with your pinky. Even if I shake the whole unit with both hands, I can see the stick wiggling around, without me even touching it! The commands dont actually REGISTER unless you hear the switches click, I understand this, but the stick just feels flimsy when jiggling it around.

Should I be worried, or are all SEs like this?

I promise, this will be my last QA session.
 
Apoc87 said:
Went ahead and bit the bullet, 25.99 for the TvC stick at Micro. All of you guys' suggestions and advice sold me on it, I thank you all once again.

I'm very new to arcade sticks, and coming from the Mortal Kombat PDP, the buttons and stick feel very mushy and cheap. Like I said, I'm very new to the scene, so maybe SEs are all like this? Can someone shed some light?

What I mean is, on my MK stick, the stick DOES NOT MOVE unless you put a firm amount of pressure on it (may be because it's a bat-top). This ball top, moves even if you touch the stick ever so-slightly with your pinky. Even if I shake the whole unit with both hands, I can see the stick wiggling around, without me even touching it! The commands dont actually REGISTER unless you hear the switches click, I understand this, but the stick just feels flimsy when jiggling it around.

Should I be worried, or are all SEs like this?

I promise, this will be my last QA session.
Click to expand...
All of those things can be chalked up to the style of the parts themselves. The stick is indeed very low resistance, and some people are bothered by the way the shaft rotates. The buttons might feel a little sticky at first, but you'll break them in before too long. After that, there's still a pronounced difference in feel, as Sanwa/Seimitsu style buttons engage 1/3 (or less) of the way down to their maximum displacement, don't make any noise except when they bottom out, and have a strictly linear relationship between force applied and distance depressed, as opposed to having a tactile "bump" like American/European style buttons.

There's good news, though. The joystick's smooth, effortless movement, square gate, and bumpy switches make it very easy to feel which directions you're htting, so you have a lot more feedback when you do things like quarter circles and shoryukens. Likewise, the buttons are very quick to depress, and snap back up extremely quickly, allowing you do pull off neat tricks like drumming your fingers across a row of them to hit links that require precise timing. Overall, there's a lot of weirdness you'll have to overcome if you're used to Western style arcade parts, but there are also fewer things that could theoretically limit you. Just keep practicing and you'll be owning fools in no time!
 
Thanks, brother. Much appreciated.

Still kinda scared of modding sticks, though. Might take a crack at reviving this one if I punish it enough for it to stop working. It's only $25.
 
The TvC stick was the first one I opened and swapped out parts of. It's also the easiest to open and mod of any commercial stick that can use arcade-grade parts.

Even if you don't plan to swap parts now, it'd be worth it to whip out a screwdriver, remove the 6 screws underneath and take a look inside, just to see how simple it really is. The lever? Just a 5-pin plug. The buttons? You'll learn what a QuickDisconnect is, and you'll see how they snap in.

It's educational. You'll enjoy it. =)
 
I just recently pulled the guts outta the 360 SE SF4 stick and put them into the TvC stick because I already have a SE stick. The dude above me is right, once you see what is in it you shouldnt be too intimidated as everything is fairly easy to mod and easy to see what something does on them. Tons of guides too online for modding
 
You have to wiegh the costs of modding a stick btw.

Arcade parts can be over $75, especially here in the UK where there is really only one reseller and a JLF stick costs nearly £30 after postage and VAT. Nevermind the buttons.
 
that and when using a TvC/Brawl stick keep in mind that the stock parts aren't that bad quality. You don't really HAVE to mod it.

Also if you want to change art, I suggest printing unscaled on a regular piece of paper (make sure the printer is good though), laminating it (make sure the lamination job is good), and sticking it on with carpet tape.
 
I have so many problems consistently hitting 2 or 3 buttons simultaneously on Sanwas. I guess my timing for that isn't great. So for fighting games I generally use Seimitsus.

For shmups, though, I like Sanwas, because bombs will go off exactly when I think about using one, lol
 
2mopao9.jpg


My latest custom. Clear Seimitsus, a seimitsu LS56 stick. Those two white buttons are sanwa, but only because i ordered the wrong size seimitsus (stupid 24mm).

This will be the stick I take to EVO :). I love how the art turned out.

Nibelung Valesti!
 
Hi again Arcade Stick GAF!

About a year ago, I got help from you with customizing my SFIV SE stick with Siemitsu sticks and buttons, and I've been very happy with the results. So first of all, thank you for that. But I've gotten that customizin' itch again.

The sticker on my SFIV SE stick has gotten... icky, to use the scientific term. It's not just grime and/or wear damage, the entire sticker is feeling weird. I don't know why it's doing this, apart from the stick being about 2 years old now, but clearly this means that the sticker has to go. Which leads me to an interesting choice: New sticker or paint it? On one hand, a sticker allows for more details, on the other hand paint with a couple of coats of clear paint on top is the more durable solution. Plus it allows me to paint it metallic light blue, one of my favorite colors. But is it a good idea in the first place to paint the plate on my arcade stick?

Then there's the issue with details. I'd like to have the X, O, Triangle, Square, L1, L2, R1, and R2 symbols still visible somehow, but if I spraypaint it, this is going to be tricky. On a sticker, it's easy. Just add it to whatever sticker I'm doing, but on paint it might be a problem. Also, if I'm painting it, it's going to be two-toned. I'd want some kind of pattern around the button and stick. Probably use a bright silver or similar for that.

Anyway this is still in the very early "I've got an idea!" stage, which is why I'm asking here. It's best to get advice before spending more money on the stick.

Also, when tearing this stick down for paint/sticker, is there anything else I should consider when I have it spread all over my table?
 
If you are able to actually paint the metal properly, then I say go that route instead. (I'm a fan of minimalism though) Maybe you could use small cutouts for button labels?


If not, then you can go the kinko's lamilabel method, or the laminated paper + carpet tape method (what I use). Only thing is, its harder to cut out.
 
I'm no painting master, but I know my way around a spraycan and masking tape. The plan basically is to give it a white grounder, then a coat or two of metallic light blue, then do a construction paper inverse of the silver pattern I want and tape that to the plate around the edges, then spray that. Then find a way to add the symbols on top, and finish off with two coats of clear paint. Main concern here, of course, is if that makes it too thick for the buttons to fit right.

It'd be a minimalist design for sure. Since the buttons are standard six white, two black only in Siemitsu cleartops, I'm not going to go fancy. Probably a wider circle than the base around the stick and a rounded bent rectangle around the buttons. Maybe a silver edge around the Home/Turbo controller in the top left. And probably my name in the lower right. Because when I'm done with the next round, this is no Street Fighter IV SE stick anymore. Then it's mine. All that'd be left as stock is the electrics and the frame. Well and the Start/Select buttons. Never saw a reason to swap out those.

I'm actually thinking of getting an extremely fine waterproof pen and a standard hobby shop letter/symbol mask for the symbols, but I'll see if anything like that exists near here. The symbols need to be very fast to glance, since I use this stick for other games that fighting games, so black on silver seems like a good idea.

EDIT: Looking into it, it looks like paint is a no-go. Pity, but there are some random holes around the joystick in the metal plate that if I just painted the metal, would still be there. So if I wanted to paint it, I'd have to fill those out or attach a label over it anyway. So I guess I'm going to have to make something for a label. But since there's no such thing as a Kinkos in Denmark, I need to find out if this Lami-Label exists in any form here. Otherwise I need to get creative. (Then again, a Lami-Label is just a laminated label with a sticky underside, right? The right glue should be able to fake that.)
 
I haven't played a fighting game since Street Fighter 3 on Genesis. Well, I dabbled a little with soul calibre on the xbox, but didn't play it all that much.

When 3rd strike comes out in August, I'd like to buy a fighting stick. However, I'm in Canada and there are not many options. I'd like to keep my outlay to a minimum, with that in mind I've seen this on Amazon.ca:

Hori PS3 Fighting Stick V3

Is this any good, for the price? It seems much more reasonable than the Madcatz Brawl Stick that is 90$.
 
_dementia said:
Assuming that's the replacement for the Fighting Stick 3, that's not very good at all.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Why would that be? Just poor quality parts? Can't count on it lasting a while?

Bear in mind, I played Street Fighter III with a 3 button controller back in the day, so I'm not really expecting the world. Just want something that won't break on me.

Besides, this, is there an entry level fight stick you might recommend? Thanks for the help.
 
I am going to try to custom a Qanba stick soon, still deciding on which art to use.
Currently I am deciding between two SOTC mockups, which one do you guys think I should go for?

quanba1-01.jpg

quanba1-02.jpg
 
uhm anyone has tried the tvc stick on ps3 with the mayflash adapter wii--->usb?
or should i bite on datel arcade stick pro and consider later replacing button and stick to get a trimod?
i'm gonna bite on either, but i'd prefer the second option tbh...
 
witchedwiz said:
uhm anyone has tried the tvc stick on ps3 with the mayflash adapter wii--->usb?
I'd bite if it works :X
Click to expand...
It's been thoroughly confirmed that this works. Just be aware, the cable on the TvC stick is very short, so you might want to drop an extra few bucks on a USB extension.
 
Orayn said:
It's been thoroughly confirmed that this works. Just be aware, the cable on the TvC stick is very short, so you might want to drop an extra few bucks on a USB extension.
Click to expand...
and about the edited message now... which solution sounds better?
 
The Mayflash adapter has its own cord; together, they're about 9 feet long.

oneils said:
I played Street Fighter III with a 3 button controller back in the day
Click to expand...

You're probably thinking of Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition, or Super Street Fighter II. Street Fighter III actually didn't even exist in arcades until 1997...by this point, Genesis game development had ceased.

This stick has higher quality stock parts, and is easily moddable if you'd like genuine arcade-grade parts (or if something breaks):

http://www.amazon.ca/WWE-All-Stars-BrawlStick-PlayStation3/dp/B004M25NNQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1311601706&sr=1-1

However it is more expensive.

I always say that the Hori Fighting Stick line is adequate, but yes, the parts are not as comfortable or sensitive, and eventually, something WILL break. If this happens, the parts are not easily replaceable. So if you then have to replace it, it ultimately is more expensive in the long run.
 
witchedwiz said:
uhm anyone has tried the tvc stick on ps3 with the mayflash adapter wii--->usb?
or should i bite on datel arcade stick pro and consider later replacing button and stick to get a trimod?
i'm gonna bite on either, but i'd prefer the second option tbh...
Click to expand...
upz?
 
witchedwiz said:
and about the edited message now... which solution sounds better?
Click to expand...
If having a tri-mod isn't absolutely necessary, the TvC stick is still the better, and probably cheaper, solution for PC/PS3/Wii. If you really do want 360 compatibility, you can go with the Datel, but replacing the buttons and stick will take more work since it doesn't have the same convenient mounting and quick disconnects as the TvC.
Pick your poison, I guess. The problems aren't insurmountable in either case.
 
oneils said:
I haven't played a fighting game since Street Fighter 3 on Genesis. Well, I dabbled a little with soul calibre on the xbox, but didn't play it all that much.

When 3rd strike comes out in August, I'd like to buy a fighting stick. However, I'm in Canada and there are not many options. I'd like to keep my outlay to a minimum, with that in mind I've seen this on Amazon.ca:

Hori PS3 Fighting Stick V3

Is this any good, for the price? It seems much more reasonable than the Madcatz Brawl Stick that is 90$.
Click to expand...
Street Fighter III has only been released on the Dreamcast, Playstation 2 and Xbox. There is no Genesis Street Fighter III.
 
I want the SD TEKKEN Arcade Stick, of all of them, it looks the most boss and durable.
 
I'm actually in the process of trying to pick out a stick. I play so many fighting games, it's about time I bought a stick.

Right now I'm looking at picking up the Madcatz SFIV TE stick, which Amazon seems to have decent stock of. I played with it a bit at my buddy's place, and really liked the feel. I sort of have my heart set on a HRAP3, but if anyone has any recommendations outside of those two, please feel free to offer suggestions.
 
While the TE has the superior stick, I like the space in between the buttons and the stick in HRAP3, it just feels more comfortable for me, that's why it's my favorite stick :)

Apparently it's pretty easy to mod as well, but I'm not going to get into that yet.
 
thetrin said:
I'm actually in the process of trying to pick out a stick. I play so many fighting games, it's about time I bought a stick.

Right now I'm looking at picking up the Madcatz SFIV TE stick, which Amazon seems to have decent stock of. I played with it a bit at my buddy's place, and really liked the feel. I sort of have my heart set on a HRAP3, but if anyone has any recommendations outside of those two, please feel free to offer suggestions.
Click to expand...
The HRAP V3 SA might also be worth your consideration. It uses all Sanwa parts, but it's got a different button layout than the HRAP 3, and its form factor is more akin to the TE, making it a bit of a hybrid. One potential upside is that they just came out in the last month, so they should be pretty easy to find new. The MSRP is a very reasonable $130 to boot.
 
Orayn said:
The HRAP V3 SA might also be worth your consideration. It uses all Sanwa parts, but it's got a different button layout than the HRAP 3, and its form factor is more akin to the TE, making it a bit of a hybrid. One potential upside is that they just came out in the last month, so they should be pretty easy to find new. The MSRP is a very reasonable $130 to boot.
Click to expand...
I was looking at the V3 SA, but wasn't sure what the big difference was. Amazon has plenty.

Interesting, if you recommend the V3 SA, I might go for that instead.

_dementia said:
Maybe it's one of those bizarre pirate carts
Click to expand...
In which case I have played a TON of Shaq Fu vs. Street Fighter.
 
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