Joystick Recommendations

[Toadie]

I'm putting together a two player control panel and I was considering the Ultri 360.  The searches I did weren't really difinitive so I'm asking...

Thoughts on two dedicated 8 ways and a dedicated 4 way?

I was going to put the 4 way in the center and I noticed that some of them appear to be switchable on the fly but I don't know enough about them to make a good decision.  Is it worth it to have a switchable and can they do it on the fly based on game?  For example if I go from Mortal Kombat to Donkey Kong?

[Jeromebechaz]

im about to start on my 2 player CP, and im going with the "Mag-Stik Plus" from Ultimarc
i have heard really good reviews.
http://www.ultimarc.com/controls.html

[severdhed]

I have used a few different joysticks over the years, including:

x-arcade
Wico 8 way leaf switch
Happ competition
Sanwa JLW
Ultrastick 360


out of all of these, i like the feel of the Sanwa JLW sticks.  These are very versatile sticks, the square restrictor feels nice for 8 way games, and when you rotate it, it is an amazing 4way stick.  It is a little difficult to rotate on the fly, so i use one as a dedicated 4way.  although, those Ultimarc Servostiks look just like a JLW and would handle the transition between 4 and 8 way mode.  I plan on getting one of those as soon as I have some extra cash.

 The really nice thing about the JLW, is that with the corners on the restrictor, it works very well for qbert, which is not something alot of other joyticks are good at.   

the happ competitions are also very nice, although no 4way mode.

the x-arcade sticks are ok, not great, but not bad either

the wico sticks suck. they require too much force to move, my arms got tired playing with them.

the u360s are really awesome and super versatile...however the throw is a bit long and they feel a little mushy, even with the stiffer springs.

[Toadie]

Hmm that's really interesting feedback.  I also did some searches and found the data to be really old.  I might have to look at the JLW.

[shponglefan]

Can't speak for 4 ways (yet) as I'm starting to test out various models.

But for 8-ways, it depends on which games you play most.  Sanwa JLF's I've found great for fighters, but average for everything else.  Seimitsu LS-32s are medicore for fights, but really good for shmups, beat-em-ups and side-scrollers.  I've also used HAPP Super's and they are a decent low-cost stick for general use.

I have a 360 but have yet to use it for arcade games... probably should do that one of these days.  But just trying it out by hand, it has a somewhat different feel given the lack of physical switches.

[Dawgz Rule]

It really depends on what you like to play.  I mostly play shmups and the mag-stik plus is a great stick for that.    On occasion I like to play some fighters too and don't seem to have issues but it may not be the ideal stick for that purpose.    I will also add that with a few exceptions, I find it easy to use as a 4-way without even switching it to 4-way mode. 

[Moriya]

Reviews can only tell you so much.

Personally, I like the Seimitsu LS-32.

I used it in my custom made cthulhu mc stick.

As for it not being good for fighters, that is more of a personal preference.
I use it for all types of games from Blaz Blue, to Touhou, Rusty Hearts, and NES emu to name a few.

If you have the option, like a local arcade shop, try them out and see which is most comfortable for you.

[Vigo]

Joystick taste is so darn subjective. What some people love about a joystick, others hate. I have had cheap chinese joysticks that I liked better than nice ultimarcs before.

For classics, I am gonna be the purist and sit on my evil throne of purism (and skulls n' stuff) and say that you can't beat a wico leaf joystick. Of course you can't get them anymore, unless you get NOS or go with used. I still love the wico leaf stick. I've been meaning to try the GGG leaf-pro to see if it compares, but haven't had the funds. If anyone has insight on leaf-pro vs a wico, I'd love to hear it.

For newer games, and fighters, I love my JLF, it is amazingly light and floaty. Real elegant. It really isn't ideal for the classics. Most people here will go with a JLW above the JLF though. It is a much more well rounded all purpose stick.

A lot of people love the mag stick, but it is a little too stiff for my taste. I think that is a European style thing. One the flip side, I think I would love the servostick, but haven't tried it yet. It can be set to automatically adjust  A lot of people love the 360 as well. I have never heard of anybody hating the 360, but I have heard of people being a bit underwhelmed.

I was going to put the 4 way in the center and I noticed that some of them appear to be switchable on the fly but I don't know enough about them to make a good decision.  Is it worth it to have a switchable and can they do it on the fly based on game?  For example if I go from Mortal Kombat to Donkey Kong?

For manual adjusting, Ultimarc has the mag stick/ mag stick plus is manual switching. Mag stick has a lever in the underneath you switch, but the plus you can just do it by lifting and rotating the stick. GGG has the omni stick/ omni prodigy which has a lever. The reg omni is underneath, the progidy is on the top of the control panel. My opinion is that it is totally not worth getting an underneath adjustable these days.

For auto adjusting, the 360 and servo stick from ultimarc are the ones I am familiar with. The servo stick will adjust a physical restrictor plate that will adjust based on game. The 360 is only a software restriction, and you can set different "maps" that will tell the joystick how to act based on game. The 360 is a analog joystick, so you can also use it for analog games as well.

In my opinion, if you are not particular about the EXACT 4-way joystick you want, then don't add an extra joystick to you panel. It just makes for more clutter and more confusion when playing with friends. If you find a switchable you think you would like, go for it.

[Jeromebechaz]

im buying the mag stick plus because apparently it is good, but i love that you can switch it from 4 to an 8 way joystick from the top of the panel

[Toadie]

If I may ask a stupid question... what is "switching"?  So I see the 4 / 8 way joysticks and I see that they all do switching somehow.  Walk me through this...

You have two joysticks and you're playing a fighter game.  Now I feel like Pacman...  How does it work?

1.  Flick some switch on top of the control panel?
2.  Lift the control panel and flick a switch underneath?
3.  Let the software do it for me?

I ask because I must have looked at 40 joysticks now and the 360 appears to have software mappings?  Others seem to have a physical switch, and others you turn on the fly?

I'm not against having two joysticks at all, in fact I think I would prefer it but I don't want switching to be a pain.

[mgb]

Different sticks have different ways of switching.

u360:
     analog stick that you can create software mapping. there is a lot of info here on the site and on Ultimarcs site about it.

Sanwa JLW:
     A great versatile stick. It has a square restrictor and you can loosen the screws and rotate it to a diamond for 4-way. its not really for on the fly switching but take a look at the Omni2 from GGG which takes a JLW knockoff and modifys the restrictor by flipping it and adding nylon washers and a little nub for reaching under and rotating it on the fly.
  I have this Omni2 plate on my player 2 Sanwa Jlw and it works well for me.

Mag stik plus:
    uses a magnet rather than a spring for centering. It has the same basic restictor as the Sanwa Jlw but the plus means you can switch on the fly by pulling up on the stick and rotating it. The main complaint on this stick seems to be that the nut tends to loosen on the stick and the switching gets messed up, but I've never tried one.

Servo stik:
      bassically like a Sanwa Jlw with a square restrictor and a servo that automatically rotates the restrictor  for 4-way or 8-way. Seems like a cool stick.

Sanwa JLF:
   not typically used for 4-way but you can pop the retrictor out and put it as a diamond, but diagonals can still be hit in this mode.

Happ Supers and Competitions:
       Strictly 8 way.  These sticks claim to be 4 or 8 way but really they're not. you can turn over the actuator and it won't hit the diagonals but its not true 4-way restriction because it gives dead zones.

I'm sure I left out some info but I'm tired

I'm not a fan of the double 8-way sticks plus dedicated 4-way. On my CP, I have 2 Sanwa JLWs. The left stick has a round gate and I love it for 8-way and the right stick is a JLW with the square restrictor modified like the Omni2 for easy enough switching between 4 and 8 way.

[mgb]

oh yeah and then you have the seimitsu sticks and the zippyys
   both use a plate that is held on with 2 screws and moved over for 4, 8 or 2 way. Also not really an on the fly change but I've seen somewhere on here where someone made a quick change method on these using rare earth magnets.

I recently used zippyys in a customers machine and I didn't care for them. They felt sloppy to me.

[PL1]

Happ Supers and Competitions:
       Strictly 8 way.  These sticks claim to be 4 or 8 way but really they're not. you can turn over the actuator and it won't hit the diagonals but its not true 4-way restriction because it gives dead zones.

The Competition is 8-way only with a square actuator.



The Super has an hourglass-shaped actuator that you can reverse to switch between the larger 8-way side and the smaller 4-way side, but it's not designed for on-the-fly switching.



You may need to do a little tuning(bending) on the switch arms if you have large dead zones, but IMHO a small dead zone is better than having problems when a 4-way game sees a momentary diagonal.

If you're referring to a lack of physical 4-way restriction on the Super, GGG has the "SUPER 4-way™ Precision True Restrictor" here that does that quite nicely. (Just remember to have the actuator set to "8-way" when using it.  )




Scott

[mgb]

Yeah. I meant Happ Supers and ultimates.

[PL1]

Yeah. I meant Happ Supers and ultimates.

Still dissing the Supers?  

I have no idea why -- my experience with them has been great.

Not that I recommend them, but to change the "Ultimate" from 4- to 8-way you change the actuator.




Scott

[idsane]

I am going through the joystick dilemma right now myself. I do believe you have to try a few to really know. Thankfully most are fairly cheap. I have tried the comp, super, ultamark 360, ultamark mag stick plus ( I have for sale if you want), true leaf pro, and twisted quarter custom. Right now I like the super and the twisted quarter for my 8 way (not sure which I like better now) and nothing beats a dedicated 4 way (true leaf). The mag stick was nice (4 way better than 8 way) but not as nice as separates if you have the space. I was going to put a trackball in the middle but glad I put a 4 way since it will get more use. I still have on my list to try the tornado terry custom, the zippy, and the led paradise stick.

[mgb]

Yeah. I meant Happ Supers and ultimates.

Still dissing the Supers?  

I have no idea why -- my experience with them has been great.

Not that I recommend them, but to change the "Ultimate" from 4- to 8-way you change the actuator.




Scott

Oh no no no. I'm trying to diss supers.
I know the 4 or 8 way is set by flipping the actuator. I'm just saying its not exactly an on the fly thing.
 I had comps on an older cp and I liked them for 8 way too.

[mgb]

Oops sorry for the double post.
Phone acting up