NeoGAF Arcade Stick Thread

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ExMachina said:
Looking good! Emilia Clarke is awesome as Dany and all, but the Targaryen crest is a much better fit for stick art, IMO.

Thanks! I'm much happier with this one, and it wouldn't look nearly this good if it wasn't for help from this thread. <3
 
That Razer stick looks so customiser friendly, i'm surprised they're even putting buttons and a stick in there... may as well just have the cables and a bunch of holes to cut down on price!
 
Working on this stick a little bit.
I'm not trying to customize it to much since I like where I have everything now.
Aside from the red bezel, that needs to get changed to white.

The worse thing is I think my PCB is going bad, because my LT and RT buttons will die from time to time (though unplugging and replugging seems to fix it for a while)

Looks like i'll have to send it into Madcatz but will they take it in for repairs after I changed the artwork? I only payed 19.99 for the stick so I won't mine paying for repairs if the price is fair.

310751_2428165109348_1408173653_2857378_2084491918_n.jpg
 
I'm going to stick with Mad Catz sticks. They've done everything but fail me, there's no reason to switch from something that's not broken to something that could be broken.
 
Nabs said:
Could it be the buttons?

Thats what i thought.
But looking into the issue a lot of it ends up relating to the PCB.

Next time it happens i'll open up the stick and plug the cords to one of the other buttons and see.
 
I messed around with it a bit more and it isn't the buttons (wish it was though).
It's the PCB since sometimes besides LT and RT not working the entire controller will like "freeze" and keep doing the ;last input I did (Guide button and even the headphone jack stop working). Unplugging it from the 360 and plugging it back it fixes the problem but it's only a temporary fix.

I'll be calling Madcatz on monday to see if I can send it in for repairs.
 
Me too. Occurred very shortly after purchase, sadly. :( I swapped the LB and RT wiring inside and just dealt with it. Annoying thing is that my Guide Button seems to be dying now also.

In better stick news, I modded my actuator with insulation tape a few days ago, increasing its radius by a whole millimetre (thereby obviously reducing the travel of the stick before leaving the dead zone and inputting a click). The difference in feel up top is weeeeird. There's very, very little throw at all - the gate appears right after you enter engagement. I think I like it! My half-circles especially feel way more consistent. Plus I seem to actually be able to kara-karakusa with Makoto now. :o
 
notworksafe said:
Seems Razer is getting into the stick business.
http://shoryuken.com/2011/09/14/razer-arcade-sticks-for-xbox-360-press-release/

pM1Z5.jpg


This line gives me hope:


Seems they are taking signups and recommendations for beta testers here: http://www.razerzone.com/bredtofight

I'm a bit wary of it, but to be honest I had an extremely low opinion of MCZ before they started doing the SF4 sticks as well.

Dear stick manufacturers,

Is it too much to ask for a stick/ button layout, where the distance betweeen the stick and inner buttons isn't so close? Please make this gap larger by utilising the vast ocean of space available to the left of the stick. I hate it when my fingers collide, and this layout is auto-fail.

Regards,
j^aws
 
j^aws said:
Dear stick manufacturers,

Is it too much to ask for a stick/ button layout, where the distance betweeen the stick and inner buttons isn't so close? Please make this gap larger by utilising the vast ocean of space available to the left of the stick. I hate it when my fingers collide, and this layout is auto-fail.

Regards,
j^aws
You could always make or commission a custom.
 
j^aws said:
Dear stick manufacturers,

Is it too much to ask for a stick/ button layout, where the distance betweeen the stick and inner buttons isn't so close? Please make this gap larger by utilising the vast ocean of space available to the left of the stick. I hate it when my fingers collide, and this layout is auto-fail.

Regards,
j^aws
It's a sight variation on the layout used by the likes of Astro City and Vewlix and most people have no problem with it. Putting a big space between the stick and buttons would change the ergonomics dramatically from what most are accustomed to, so it's probably best left to custom builders.
 
j^aws said:
Dear stick manufacturers,

Is it too much to ask for a stick/ button layout, where the distance betweeen the stick and inner buttons isn't so close? Please make this gap larger by utilising the vast ocean of space available to the left of the stick. I hate it when my fingers collide, and this layout is auto-fail.

Regards,
j^aws
I had the same issue with mass manufactured sticks as well. Your best best is to get a custom made. That's what I had to do.
 
_dementia said:
You could always make or commission a custom.

I've got a bunch of modded, exotic sticks that I'm more than happy with. Whenever a new stick is announced, they all seem to have this cramped layout. They, also, waste a colossal amount of space to the left side of the stick, which makes their designs lamer.


Orayn said:
It's a sight variation on the layout used by the likes of Astro City and Vewlix and most people have no problem with it. Putting a big space between the stick and buttons would change the ergonomics dramatically from what most are accustomed to, so it's probably best left to custom builders.

Yeah, I know these sticks are modeled after Astro Cabs et al (which are compromised for space for two players anyway). And I'm not asking for a "big space"; just an inch or two, more to the left, would suffice (see Hori EX2 layout for Xbox 360, for example,). This small increase is better ergonomically (no chance of fingers colliding), and the dynamics of how one uses the layout barely changes.

notworksafe said:
I had the same issue with mass manufactured sticks as well. Your best best is to get a custom made. That's what I had to do.

I'm more than happy with what I have - as I mentioned above, they don't really need to manufacture them like they do (except to say it's 'Arcade Perfect' or something, which is compromised anyway). Moreover, people that upgrade to custom sticks, tend to have a larger gap too (from my observations).
 
abq said:
I don't think you need to go for a fully custom built stick. Getting a custom metal plate should be enough.

Yep, that too - if you're fond of a particular enclosure or on a budget. Of course, it would be easier if the stock metal plate didn't need changing.
 
Well this sucks. Need some technical advice:

My dual-modded HRAP3 w/ MadCatz pcb won't work with 3sO. From what I can tell, 3sO registers the right-analog stick as legal input, so whenever I play that particular game, my character gets stuck jumping up-left. After debugging the issue using the Windows game controller utility, it turns out my right analog stick is poorly calibrated and is ever so slightly biased towards up and left. I never really noticed since the right analog stick is almost universally ignored in fighting games.

So, question is, do I have any option other than re-wiring the whole thing with a new MadCatz pcb? Is there a way to eliminate the signal coming from the right analog stick completely by breaking connections/tearing it out/etc? Any one with experience here, please help!
 
Momar said:
Well this sucks. Need some technical advice:

My dual-modded HRAP3 w/ MadCatz pcb won't work with 3sO. From what I can tell, 3sO registers the right-analog stick as legal input, so whenever I play that particular game, my character gets stuck jumping up-left. After debugging the issue using the Windows game controller utility, it turns out my right analog stick is poorly calibrated and is ever so slightly biased towards up and left. I never really noticed since the right analog stick is almost universally ignored in fighting games.

So, question is, do I have any option other than re-wiring the whole thing with a new MadCatz pcb? Is there a way to eliminate the signal coming from the right analog stick completely by breaking connections/tearing it out/etc? Any one with experience here, please help!
I don't recall the specific resistance you need, but it's possible to simply desolder it and put a resistor across its old contact points. Ask Shoryuken about that one...
Alternatively, you could take the ghetto route and re-center the right stick while it's hooked up to your PC to make sure it won't drift, then render it stationary with a shot of hot glue.
 
Orayn said:
I don't recall the specific resistance you need, but it's possible to simply desolder it and put a resistor across its old contact points. Ask Shoryuken about that one...
Alternatively, you could take the ghetto route and re-center the right stick while it's hooked up to your PC to make sure it won't drift, then render it stationary with a shot of hot glue.

Thanks for the info, will look into that first solution, hopefully it won't come to the second one! Thankfully, if I have to go the ghetto route, I don't need to eyeball it, I can use jstest to calibrate the axes right to 0.
 
Sup dudes, so I already have a TE and a V3 SA but my friend is selling a regular V3 on the cheap, do you guys think it's worth picking up as another back-up stick? Is it any good?
 
I'm late on this. But I have to say that Razer stick is one fine looking stick.

The MadCatz perform well, but I'm just not a fan of their design aesthetics. Too much busy licensed art on the front, not enough consistency with regards to trim colors (I hate the swapping between white and black for the TE's endcaps, dustcover, buttons, and body). This Razer is much more a style that I can get behind.
 
Conceited said:
Sup dudes, so I already have a TE and a V3 SA but my friend is selling a regular V3 on the cheap, do you guys think it's worth picking up as another back-up stick? Is it any good?

Anyone? I'm meeting up with him tommorow.
 
Conceited said:
Anyone? I'm meeting up with him tommorow.

Well, these so-called sticks are just a bunch of enclosures, with joystick parts and buttons strapped onto them. Do you think you'd like the enclosure and parts, for the sale price? Are you capable of modding them, if you don't like them? If it's cheap, just buy it to experiment with.
 
robot said:
Friend got his SFxTekken stick the other day, thought this was funny:

3f6bab9a.jpg

I wonder if this stick really is going to be 'limited'. Does anyone know how long it took the Femme Fatale SF4 stick to sell out when that was put on sale?
I'm surprised the SFxT sticks are still available as there are only 500pcs each, though I guess I overestimated the demand for arcade sticks. :S
 
Leshita said:
I wonder if this stick really is going to be 'limited'. Does anyone know how long it took the Femme Fatale SF4 stick to sell out when that was put on sale?
I'm surprised the SFxT sticks are still available as there are only 500pcs each, though I guess I overestimated the demand for arcade sticks. :S

It'll be "limited" like the TE was.
 
I preordered mine when it was announced and still hasn't arrived while everyone else got theirs. I got tired of waiting and canceled. Hori is looking good haha!
 
bPod said:
I preordered mine when it was announced and still hasn't arrived while everyone else got theirs. I got tired of waiting and canceled. Hori is looking good haha!
I wish I could've cancelled mine, I received a call last week by the CS and they said that the servers were messed up the day I placed my order because of the hurricane (I'm assuming), so he said they will refund my shipping costs and offered me a 15% off coupon code. I ordered from the Canadian site by the way. My friend got a call too and they said they would e-mail him a followup email with the coupon code but we both never got the email after that.


awwyeahgurrl said:
It'll be "limited" like the TE was.
That's what I was afraid of. :P
Besides the post on here by MarkMan, I never recall seeing on the Madcatz site that it was limited to 1000. Though MarkMan is official enough for me. :P
 
B1gg_Randall said:
Can I use a USB converter on my PS3 TE stick so I can use it on my Xbox 360??
Yes, but the converters are on the expensive side. Redoing the PCB yourself would save you money, whether you used a gutted Xbox 360 controller and MC Cthulhu or bought an Akishop or Paewang dual system PCB.
 
Orayn said:
Yes, but the converters are on the expensive side. Redoing the PCB yourself would save you money, whether you used a gutted Xbox 360 controller and MC Cthulhu or bought an Akishop or Paewang dual system PCB.
Alright I gotcha..So which way is easier.
 
B1gg_Randall said:
Alright I gotcha..So which way is easier.
Teh Hardkorez Mode: MC Cthulhu + 360 controller PCB. You need to extract the PCB on a common ground Xbox 360 controller solder all of its buttons to a wiring harness, then plug that into the MC Cthulhu. From there, you connect your buttons and joystick to the MC Cthulhu and you're set. Bonus: MC Cthulhu can be used on a variety of systems with the proper cables.

Path of least resistance Mode: Paewang Revolution PCB. $55 before shipping, requires you to solder in your buttons' cables directly, but it's got a decent reputation as a "gray market" 360 compatible board and it is pretty easy to acquire.

"When the hell will it be in stock?" Mode: Akihabara Shop PCB. PC/PS3/360 compatibility, no-solder connections for stick and buttons. Priced similar to the Paewang, but it's been backordered for a long time.
 
B1gg_Randall said:
Thanks alot Orayn...I gotta find someone local to do this...
Focus Attack also sells a no-solder PS3/360 board that would be very easy to install yourself, but it's frequently out of stock as well.
 
A few days ago, I got to try the Cross Tekken stick.

It's what I expected, all sanwa parts, which were responsive as always, and the same turbo panel and cord storage features as the regular TEs.

The best part the the bottom of the front panel that declines (is slanted, whatever), which was very comfortable.

Only things I didn't like were the quality of the plastic used and the color used (real kiddy fisher price "My First Arcade Stick") and I felt that the stick as a whole was not heavy enough.

But this comes from someone that uses a VSHG all the time so...
 
BOTEC said:
[...]

http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/img/gmw/docs/478/676/html/ggl57.jpg.html

Looks kinda fugly. Are they planning on making this a commercial product, or is it just a showpiece for their buttons/sticks/balltops?

[...]

ggl58.jpg


It maybe fugly, but it still has a better button layout than the Razer and Madcatz models, simply because it has a wider gap between the inner buttons and joystick. And the 6 vs 8 button argument can be fixed with - drum rolls - 7 buttons.

If it's going to be a commercial stick, then stick with this layout, but ditch the rest of the mess.
 
j^aws said:
ggl58.jpg


It maybe fugly, but it still has a better button layout than the Razer and Madcatz models, simply because it has a wider gap between the inner buttons and joystick. And the 6 vs 8 button argument can be fixed with - drum rolls - 7 buttons.

If it's going to be a commercial stick, then stick with this layout, but ditch the rest of the mess.
7 buttons? Now that's just plain wrong. :P

I fail to see how the distance between the stick and buttons is an issue, as I've never had my fingers collide while playing even hectic stuff like DOA. (How big are your hands/fingers?)

But, while we're airing pet peeves about stick designs: Start/Select buttons need to be on the face, not around the side of the case.
 
BOTEC said:
7 buttons? Now that's just plain wrong. :P

I can play on 6 or 8, but prefer 6. A good compromise would be 7, where the top row consisting of 4 buttons (for people that like to use their pinky for 4 button fighters and shooters) wouldn't be so intrusive when using 6 buttons.

BOTEC said:
I fail to see how the distance between the stick and buttons is an issue, as I've never had my fingers collide while playing even hectic stuff like DOA. (How big are your hands/fingers?)

It's quite simple: A square gate has a longer diagonal throw (all things being equal); I flick between a Wine Glass grip and a conventional grip (I do this subconsciously for the fastest motion); and my fingers are probably longer than average.

All these factors combined, will have some of my fingers from my left hand collide with my index finger (from my right hand). And this is more than annoying.

BOTEC said:
But, while we're airing pet peeves about stick designs: Start/Select buttons need to be on the face, not around the side of the case.

I don't mind where they are - so long as I don't accidentally press them. If I had a choice, I would have one of those buttons, from that group, close by. I would make that button programmable, so it could be a Select, Start or one of the missing 8th buttons (if it's a 7 button layout).
 
quick question if I know where to acquire a street fighter 4 tournament edition stick for 80 bucks should i jump on it ? is there any difference for the better on the ssf4 te sticks? are the street fighter 4 te sticks the same just older artwork ? are the artworks easy to change on this older version? this is for ps3 any help would be great. anything to look for when looking over this stick . i have no real knowledge of what to look out for .

thanks
 
beastmaster said:
quick question if I know where to acquire a street fighter 4 tournament edition stick for 80 bucks should i jump on it ? is there any difference for the better on the ssf4 te sticks? are the street fighter 4 te sticks the same just older artwork ? are the artworks easy to change on this older version? this is for ps3 any help would be great. anything to look for when looking over this stick . i have no real knowledge of what to look out for .

thanks


If its a TE it wont be different really buy buy buy. Changing artwork isnt difficult
 
j^aws said:
ggl58.jpg


It maybe fugly, but it still has a better button layout than the Razer and Madcatz models, simply because it has a wider gap between the inner buttons and joystick. And the 6 vs 8 button argument can be fixed with - drum rolls - 7 buttons.

If it's going to be a commercial stick, then stick with this layout, but ditch the rest of the mess.

What buttons are those? Are they lit?
 
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