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GGG buttons, switches review
SammyWI:
I picked up some GroovyGameGear pushbuttons and switches to compare side by side. I'm trying to decide what to use in a general MAME cab.
Background: I started with an Xarcade tankstick thinking it would be 'good enough'. Then I started reading here and you've all corrupted me. ;) The tankstick won't do, I need something better. I started trying out Happ buttons with Cherry microswitches and then moved on to Seimitsu and Sanwa buttons. I ended up building a laptop CP with Sanwa buttons that I'm pretty happy with (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=59359.msg1094548#msg1094548).
So now as I'm planning a full cab, I read about some of RandyT's new buttons and switches that I'm thinking of using. I ordered two of his Arcade Prime buttons, one Electric Ice 2 - ClassX button and three switches: a standard soft touch microswitch, a premium soft touch microswitch and a micro-leaf switch. I mounted them in a test CP to try them out along side each other and some Happ/Cherry's I had in the CP already.
Arcade Prime button + standard soft touch microswitch:
A very noticeable difference from the Happ/Cherrys. Much lighter feel. Much quieter (though still can hear a click). The Arcade Prime buttons are described as having a higher switch activation point than the Happs and I'd say that's true. They have a nice, smooth, quick feel to them. Honestly, my Happ/cherrys seem stiff, clunky and loud in comparison.
Arcade Prime button + premium soft touch microswitch:
Take the above and make it lighter, quicker and pretty much silent. This setup feels absolutely great! Sort of like a Sanwa feel in a Happ shaped package.
Electric Ice 2 - ClassX + micro-leaf switch:
This gets a little more difficult because some of the feel is from the button and some is from the switch.
Button: The ClassX button has an off-white color that is translucent allowing for LED lighting (more on that later). The button itself has a more concave top (a deeper 'dished in' effect) than the Happ. I read somewhere here RandyT saying that this was closer to the buttons used on classic arcade machines. I have to agree with that. I was playing a Ms Pac Man / Galaga cab recently and the old leaf switch buttons used had a similar concave shape. And that concave top feels very good in play - I prefer it over the Happ shape. Note the Arcade Prime buttons are pretty much exactly the same shape as the Happs. The color actually looks a lot better than the white Happs. I was concerned about the look of these when unlit because the white Happs are kind of sterile and unappealing IMO. But the ClassXs look pretty good when unlit. Hard to describe but I'd call it a 'warmer' tone than just the plain white. The button material feels harder than the Arcade Prime buttons and the plunger seems to have a little more play in the housing. This makes the ClassX button have a little less smooth feel and a bit noisier sound than the Arcade Prime button. It's not a big difference, but noticeable.
ClassX + Micro-leaf Switch: The Micro-leaf switch only works in the ClassX buttons. The feel is very light and quick. A little noise can be heard but I think it's mostly the button, not the switch. Close the the feel of the Arcade Prime + Premium Soft Touch Microswitch but not quite as good IMO.
ClassX + premium soft touch microswitch: Very close to the ClassX + Micro-leaf Switch. Almost a toss up, but I like this combo just a bit better. But I like the Arcade Prime + premium soft touch microswitch just a bit better yet - it's slightly smother and quieter to me. These are pretty small differences at this point which makes decision time more difficult.
ClassX - Electric Ice 2 lighting:
I don't have a lighting controller, so I scrounged up a 5VDC wall wart to check out at least the red, blue and green LED lighting. And WOW, does it look great. The translucent material gives the lighting a nice, diffused look. The button glows but doesn't really 'shine' like a flashlight or something. It's a bit washed out under strong overhead lighting (like on my workbench with the florescent lights on). But with a little lower lighting - like an arcade or say 'bar lighting' they look great with nice, deep colors.
So now I'm left with a hard choice for my cab:
Arcade Prime button + premium soft touch microswitch:
+Best feel / sound
+Cheaper price ($2.70)
-Flatter button shape
-No lighting
ClassX + premium soft touch microswitch:
+Lighting / WOW factor
+Nicer concave button shape
-Not quite as nice feel / sound
-More expensive($6.99 with RGB LED) plus 2 x LED-Wiz lighting controllers (2 x $44.95)
Both options will work great for me, I think. I guess this is a good problem to have. ;D
(Edited to correct ClassX price with LED)
LeedsFan:
Nice review... but at the end of the day button choice, like joystick choice, like alloy wheel choice... is purely personal preference. You have done the right thing though in that you've tried various buttons for yourself.
I personally prefer the Sanwa's but that does not mean that I dislike Happ for example. When I put pinball buttons on an older project I deliberately chose Happs because they gave a bit of feel and feedback. Some people like that on their CP too.
SammyWI:
I agree, it's very much a preference thing when it comes to button feel. Hopefully my thoughts above will help someone that's maybe 'on the fence', but there's no reason not to pick up some samples and try them yourself. I'm just glad that someone is making American style buttons / switches that compare favorably to the Japanese products.
Also, I edited the ClassX price in the OP to include the LED module. The more I've been thinking about this and looking at stuff like LedBlinky, the more I want the lightable buttons. So much you can do with them and they really give that WOW factor.
RandyT:
Nice review, but you didn't get to test one of the most sought after options of the CLASSX buttons.... our custom designed True-Leaf Pro switch. Before you decide, you might want to give these a try. They are only compatible with the CLASSX™ pushbuttons.
Also, it's true that the translucent CLASSX style buttons are made of a different, harder material. They need to be, in order for them to have those excellent lighting properties. But for that, they are also much more durable than normal nylon buttons. With any luck, we will have some standard nylon colors in the CLASSX form factor very soon (for folks who want the opaque, more "dead" sounding material and the True-Leaf Pro switch option)
RandyT
wweumina:
Nice post, I was thinking of putting up something similar soon. I've got the microleaf, premium soft touch (both with a standard happ and Arcade Prime) and class-x with tru-leaf all on my panel.
The best three games to test were Galaga, Donkey Kong and Track and Field as they are the ones I'm most comfortable on and test a variety of play types.
First let me say for the form factor of the buttons I do prefer the arcade prime or the happs probably because I'm more used to them. That said, the class-x is perfectly acceptable.
The switches is where it gets really interesting.
Donkey Kong test results:
Premium soft touch: better than a more clicky switch and works fine.
Micro-leaf: slightly faster reaction than the microswitch but not neccessarily better - sometimes I like to just touch the button without neccessarily jumping. The micro-leaf will react with the lightest touch.
Class-x with tru-leaf: Very fast/light reaction with the associated issue above. Also, the form factor of the class-x is probably less comfortable for long sessions but this might just be that I'm used to the happ/prime.
Overall: Preference is probably the soft touch or the micro-leaf. Not much to choose between them.
Galaga:
Preference is either the micro-leaf or Class-x. The reaction time to rapid fire is important to blast those ships.
Track and Field:
No comparison here, the class-x is the winner by far. The micro-leaf is ok, but my speeds are far superior with the light touch on the class-x. The leaf style opens up new play style possibilities that a micro-switch can't match. Even the micro leaf can't keep up. My 100m times have dropped by half a second.
So for recommendations, it depends on the games you are playing and how much you need the really fast speeds. Right now I'm going with the top row of my 6 button layout as micro-leaf with the class-x tru-leaf along the bottom. That way Donkey Kong is button 1 and when I play track and field I run with the 4 and 6 buttons and jump with the 2 button so I get the fast speeds from the class-x and the reaction time of the micro-leaf on the top. I don't really notice the difference in shape of the buttons and rarely play 6 button games anyway. Right now the biggest draw back of the class-x buttons is the white colour so I have a weird white row along the bottom. As Randy just mentioned, new colours will help alot.
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