n64 analog question?

[BiGjAc]

does anyone know if the analog stick on a n64 control pad can be hacked to work with a happs analog joystick or some other analog joystick??

[u_rebelscum]

Sorry, the n64 analog stick is different from most other sticks.  It uses optical wheels like a trackball/mouse, except you have a limited movement.  This sends out a very different signal than the normal POTs (5k for arcade, usually 100k for PC) or Hall Effect joysticks.  

So you can't just wire a happs analog stick into the n64 controller.  (BTW, POT and HE joysticks are interchangable if you match the resistances).  Playstation, xbox, dreamcast, and (probably, but not sure) gamecube analog sticks, however are either POTs or HE, so an arcade or PC analog stick can be wired into those controllers (again, if the resistance is matched).

[jerryjanis]

I've noticed that playing the n64 emulators using a full-size analog PC joystick is not the same as using the little thumb joystick...  Maybe I just needed to give it time to get used it, or maybe some joysticks would work better than others, but it might take some experimentation before Mario Kart plays like you would expect.  (It would suck to spend the dough on a Happ joystick and find out that it's not right).

I hooked up a PC analog steering wheel for Mario Kart, and now I'm kicking myself that I didn't get 4 steering wheels while they were only $10.00!

[Howard_Casto]

Well this is an issue people fight me on all the time but it is true.  Console games, particularly those that are analog are designed to be played with a tiny thumbstick.  The values given, the amount of movement you need to adjust, speed, ect are all over-exaggerated because you can twirl around that tiny little stick quite easily.  When you try to play the same games on a larger controller it's very hard as they weren't designed for it.  Even if you adjust the sensitivity you'll never get it exactly right because that big honkin flight stick is heavy and your hand has far less control over it.  

The moral of this story is don't go to the hardware store to buy a flat head screw driver to use as a chisel.  Yes, you CAN use the screwdriver as a chisel, but your at the hardware store, so go ahead and get the proper tool while you are there.  If you don't like the controls on your console, don't make an arcade stick for them.  You'll probably be happier spending your cash on a really nice third-party console controller.  

Of course as you said, wheels are another story, since they are a popular console accessory and many racing games are coded with them in mind.