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Arcade upgrades - joystick recommendations please
Benevolance:
I think Randy summed up my joystick needs well. I want something fast and twitchy! Also, Randy, thanks for the feedback on the GPwiz49. There are indeed a lot of additional inputs. I shall put them to good use. As I said previously, I've been really pleased with the interfaces.
When people say the joysticks are 'clicky' do you mean that you can feel the microswitch trigger on the joystick movement? Or do you just hear the clicks when the joystick triggers? Does anyone know how the Omni-sticks feel compared with the Happ competition joysticks and the Sanwa JLW's? Epyx, you've played on both the happ competition and sanwa jlw's right? Is there much difference in the feel?
ubiquityman:
--- Quote from: Benevolance on March 16, 2010, 01:12:54 pm ---I think Randy summed up my joystick needs well. I want something fast and twitchy! Also, Randy, thanks for the feedback on the GPwiz49. There are indeed a lot of additional inputs. I shall put them to good use. As I said previously, I've been really pleased with the interfaces.
When people say the joysticks are 'clicky' do you mean that you can feel the microswitch trigger on the joystick movement? Or do you just hear the clicks when the joystick triggers? Does anyone know how the Omni-sticks feel compared with the Happ competition joysticks and the Sanwa JLW's? Epyx, you've played on both the happ competition and sanwa jlw's right? Is there much difference in the feel?
--- End quote ---
Clicky for me means I can both hear and feel the microswitches. However, after a few seconds, the brain will start to ignore it, even though the clicks can continue to provide useful feedback.
On a 4 player CP, the two players directly in front of the screen don't need the feedback as much.
The two players on the far left and right side (because they are at an angle to the screen) will find the clicks more functional.
The clicks provide ergonomic cues without the player thinking about it.
It helps them adjust their orientation to the joystick (whether they realize it or not).
If you haven't tried it already, try Street Fighter II with a joystick set to an 8-way restrictor plate.
Works pretty good.
Next, try to play pacman on that stick.
It's not very playable IMHO.
That's the weakness of the 8-way joystick. Twitchy yes, but not very compatible with 4-way games.
You could go with 2 joysticks, an 8-way and a 4-way, but that's more CP space (which IMHO comes at quite a premium in aesthetic cost).
That's why a U360 is such a good choice.
With additional switches installed, you get all the twitchyness you need (if you required it).
( No other analog joystick I've seen has the ability to install switches. )
The benefits (with or without switches) are
- compatibility with 8/4/2-way games (for 4 way games you wouldn't use the switch outputs, but rather the U360 analog output).
- saves real-estate because one does not need both a 8-way and a 4-way joystick
- compatible with analog joystick games
- MAME takes care of the mapping in most cases.
The Cons:
- cost (about $40-$50 more than a regular switch based joystick when all is said and done.)
- non-clicky unless you have the switches installed. (installing switches requires the restrictor plate)
FYI, I have both the Happ Comp and Sanwa JLW.
The Happ is a bit sloppy in construction compared to the Sanwa, but in play, the difference is less.
I prefer the JLW, but the Happ is not bad. Also, considering the Happ is about 1/2 the price, it's a worthy note.
Epyx:
--- Quote ---Epyx, you've played on both the happ competition and sanwa jlw's right? Is there much difference in the feel?
--- End quote ---
There is most definitely a difference. It is very subjective of course but here is how I explain the difference...the throw on both the comps and JLWs is similiar...not the difference you get between the Happs Comp (long) and Magstick Plus (short). The feel of those throws is where I experience the biggest difference.
For example, the Competitions have a springy long throw feel..springy on the push and pull back to center. The JLWs have a less springy feel on the push/pull, even though the throw is similar in distance. The engagement with the microswitches (due to the restrictor) seems less forced on the JLWs...its less of a search more of a guided engagement with the microswitch.
To me the JLWs destroy the Magsticks which felt "artificial"...centering/egagement was mechanical and the throw way too short (particularly evident on 8 way games).
So in summary...to me I like the comps still very much but the JLWs give me the nice 4 way with a rotation of the restrictor plate (in fact I will leave player 2 as 4 way for solo play) and I feel give me a better 8 way game precision wise.
I would agree with Ubiquityman on most of his counts as well as we seem to agree on the sticks. His pros/cons are more black and white whereas my comparison are more how I feel subjectively about the sticks.
VanillaGorilla:
I just bought 5 49-ways. Where in the heck can I get an interface? The GP-Wiz 49 has been out of stock forever :-[ :-[ Im surprised to see randy pimping the 49-way, even though no interface is available? What are my options? BTW Randy, my Tron handle is awesome, I modded a Wico 8-way leaf base to mate it to, and it came out great!
Paul Olson:
I haven't used any of the all in one sticks, but here are my thoughts on the ones I have tried:
Magstick +: Way too short of a throw; I hated it. I tried to get used to it for a little while, but it just wasn't happening.
Nintendo 4-way: If you like DK, this stick is an absolute must have. No other stick will feel right. The Wico Leaf is playable though.
Wico Leaf 4-way: The absolute best 4-way stick. Nothing even comes close.
Wico Leaf 8-way: The best all-around 8-way stick. Mine are a little stiffer than I like, but a new grommet will fix it. I have just been too lazy to install it. Amazing difference on the 4-way.
Happ Competition: This is the best stick for fighters. This is what a lot of the fighters used, and it feels right. I haven't found any non-fighting game that I would use these in over the wicos.
Monroe Stick: Another game specific stick like the DK stick. If you like Gyruss, there is no substitute.
Happ Reunion Stick: Hate it. Probably my least favorite of them all. It doesn't feel right for any game. Anyone want to buy one? :)
Happ Super: Nice that they can be either 4 or 8-way, but nothing special otherwise. There are better choices for both.
I have a ton of other sticks that I haven't mounted and tested yet. Pacman, Galaga, Rotaries, 49-ways...that is all I can think of at the moment. A lot of the 4-way and 2-way sticks will be mounted on panels someday, but honestly, the wico 4-way is great for all of the games that use them, just not the best for DK.
I don't know what to do on the 49ways. It seems like I have been waiting for the new version of the GPWiz49 for many years now; not sure how long it has actually been though. I think my 49-ways have been sitting on the shelf for at least 3 years now.