4/8 way switchable joystick suggestions

[emb]

What is your favorite switchable joystick and why? I have been looking at the UltraStik 360, mag stik plus, J-stik,  and the Servo stik. I am having some difficulty weighing out the pros and cons, especially after looking at http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com.

I would like something that is easily switchable between 4-8 way. I was aiming towards a servo stik although I don't feel like spending $80 bucks on something like that.

I plan on playing mame, 8-bit, & 16-bit consoles, and playstation games on it.

[mytymaus007]

I would just get u360s y bother with 4  way sticks only really necessary for fast hack. Pacman and maybe donkey kong

[mbasile35]

I'd go with the servo stik. I personally haven't used one but auto 4/8 way switching out of the box sounds pretty good to me. But I see your point, $80 is a lot for one stick but there are also a lot of manual switching sticks that can be hacked with servos and gears to get automatic switching for , I'm assuming, is less than $80.

[emb]

I would just get u360s y bother with 4  way sticks only really necessary for fast hack. Pacman and maybe donkey kong

All my wife plays is pacman.

The Jstik is a quarter the cost. I don't mind designing my control panel such that it can easily be opened (if needed)

The mag stick seems pretty cool as you can just lift and twist the joystick, no need to open up the control panel. Unfortunately I have heard some really mixed views on it's feel.

It would be cool if there is a different stick that switched 4/8 way like a mag stik.

Then again, I am not one to base too much judgement. I haven't felt a mag stick myself.

I have also been eyeing the omni2:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=383


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[mytymaus007]

I would just get u360s y bother with 4  way sticks only really necessary for fast hack. Pacman and maybe donkey kong

All my wife plays is pacman.

The Jstik is a quarter the cost. I don't mind designing my control panel such that it can easily be opened (if needed)

The mag stick seems pretty cool as you can just lift and twist the joystick, no need to open up the control panel. Unfortunately I have heard some really mixed views on it's feel.

It would be cool if there is a different stick that switched 4/8 way like a mag stik.

Then again, I am not one to base too much judgement. I haven't felt a mag stick myself.

I have also been eyeing the omni2:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=383


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How big is your control panel that you are using any pics that will help everyone out to help you decide!

[emb]

The control panel size is still TBD. It is for a vertical bartop. I am thinking it will be approximately 14" wide and around 8" deep. The control panel will be made out of metal.


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[emb]

Here is my cab in progress http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=122557


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[millercentral]

I had Mag-Sticks with the "pull and twist" adjustable restrictor in my cocktail, but over time I found them to be problematic -- especially for guests. There is no indicator as to which "mode" the stick is in, and trying to explain to guests to pull up on the stick and twist it is not at all intuitive. As for feel, they are good, not great.

Now I'm in the process of swapping them out for Servo-sticks. The goal is that no one playing a game will ever have to know the joystick adapted itself, it will just always work and be in the right setting by the time the game starts.  I'll post a review once the refresh of my cab is done and I've had some time to play with them.

[Le Chuck]

OMNI2 is my weapon of choice.  I love the action on that stick and being able to simply mod it to auto is a plus.  Out of the box rotation is great but the Ultimarc servo stick's pricetag is kinda high for what you're getting IMO. 

[emb]

OMNI2 is my weapon of choice.  I love the action on that stick and being able to simply mod it to auto is a plus.  Out of the box rotation is great but the Ultimarc servo stick's pricetag is kinda high for what you're getting IMO.

In think your opinion has further ensured my decision. I will order an omni2 soon. Thanks.


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[mgb]

I still love the Sanwa Jlw for 4-way. The Omni2 is basically the same stick (with some cheaper components). I have the restrictor with nub handle from an Omni2 for easy swapping between 4 and 8 way

[Le Chuck]

I still love the Sanwa Jlw for 4-way. The Omni2 is basically the same stick (with some cheaper components). I have the restrictor with nub handle from an Omni2 for easy swapping between 4 and 8 way

I've been meaning to ask you about that, have you played both side by side and what differences do you get?  I've played Jlws before and part of why I lurve the Omni2 is that to my memory they played about identically.  It was a really pleasant surprise when I got the stick but I'm wondering if a component upgrade is in order.

[gkarnik]

If you want to play Q-Bert at all then an analog joystick like the u360 might be the way to go.

[Le Chuck]

If you want to play Q-Bert at all then an analog joystick like the u360 might be the way to go.

Couldn't you just remap the in-game directions to the diagonals on a square restrictor in 8way mode like what is found on the OMNI2?  That would give you basically the exact same setup as what was on the original. 

[Mental]

I've used both the Mag-Stik Plus and J-Stik with servos.

Mag-Stik: I really like the short throw feel of the Mag-Stiks, but you may not like that. Also, what @millercentral said about guests is true. Not many can figure out very easily how to switch them. You have to do it for them.

J-Stik: This is a copy of the discontinued Sanwa JLW with some springs to help you turn the restrictor plate easier. I've created a mod to allow me to use them with RC servos in my cocktail cabs. It works very nicely. I'm sure Andy's new servo-stik is very similar in operation, although he's created a custom restrictor plate, while I modded the existing one. I'm sure his new ones have been well tested though. The J-Stik has a much lighter feel, and longer throw than the Mag-Stiks. I found they took some getting used to.

U-360: I can't comment too much on this, as I've never tried it. It's again a modified J-Stik (JLW), with no restrictor plate. I think that would really take some getting used to. I personally like the feedback you get from the plate.

If at all possible, I think your best bet is to find some people with these installed and try your favorite games on them. Save yourself the expense of ordering something and finding out you don't like it.

Regardless of the stik you choose, you can't go wrong ordering from Andy.

[harveybirdman]

You can Lechuck. That's what I did for Qbert on my setup.

[mgb]

  Mental,
      The j-stik is discontinued but I didn't think the Sanwa Jlw was.

  Gkarnik,
    I'm not sure why you'd want an analog for Qbert its the diagonals you want for that game. Though I suppose analog would work. I think where a u360 helps with that is the mapping.

LeChuck,
   The way I set my panel up is with 2 controllers, the left one being a JLW with a round restrictor so its just for 8-ways and then my right controller has the 4-way, 8-way square restrictor and I basically keep it in 4-way mode. When I need to use it for Robotron or for a 2nd player for a fighter or something, I just switch it to 8-way then.
  I compared the JLW and Omni2 only because I originall had a JLW for the right controller and I wanted an easier way to switch modes but I didn't want pay for a U360 so I got an Omni2. Altogether I'd say its close to the JLW but I took mine apart and the JLW definitley is a little better build quality. When I mounted the Omni2, it was binding up a bit, but this might have been my fault. I took the modified parts from the Omni2 and put them on my JLW and reinstalled it along with the soft switches from the Omni2 and its been great (super quiet too).

I'm probably gonna add a switch and leds to indicate which mode the right stick is in.

[Mental]

      The j-stik is discontinued but I didn't think the Sanwa Jlw was.

J-Stik is still available on the Ultimarc site. I don't think Andy has plans of discontinuing any time soon. Especially since his Servo-Stik and Ultra-360 are both based on it.

The JLW-TM-8 (thin shaft w/ balltop) was discontinued almost three years ago. There are, however, many Chinese knockoffs. The JLW-UM-8 with bat stick, or large balltop are still available.

Anyway, IMO, it's the best stick to mod for servo-switching. Or just go with the Servo-stik from Ultimarc and save yourself the hassle.

[mgb]

Oh, I thought Andy just had the mag stick now.
I truthfully wasn't aware that the JLW was discontinued. I guess there was a lot of them out there.

[AndyWarne]

J-Stik is still available on the Ultimarc site. I don't think Andy has plans of discontinuing any time soon. Especially since his Servo-Stik and Ultra-360 are both based on it.

The JLW-TM-8 (thin shaft w/ balltop) was discontinued almost three years ago. There are, however, many Chinese knockoffs. The JLW-UM-8 with bat stick, or large balltop are still available.

Anyway, IMO, it's the best stick to mod for servo-switching. Or just go with the Servo-stik from Ultimarc and save yourself the hassle.

Yes the J-Stik is very much still available and no plans to discontinue it. Also the Sanwa JLW-TM-8 (real not copy) is not discontinued. We have just ordered a large number of them. The situation might be that they will only supply in bulk though.

[mgb]

Awesome!
  At least the JLW is not gone.
I'm not a fan of the dainty little JLF, though I do have one that I may try to improve and use for a bartop at some point.