8 way Happ Joystick....whats the difference?

[thehammer12]

I read a few things here on the boards about other joysticks, but I prefer to go with Happ because there literally a mile away from where I live and I dont really want to wait for them to come in so I rather pick them up in person and play asap.....(can you blame me haha).

I noticed they have two different 8 way joysticks.....Ultimate and Competition. Is there a major difference?

Ultimate:
http://na.suzohapp.com/all_catalogs/joysticks/50-7608-100

Competition:
http://na.suzohapp.com/all_catalogs/joysticks/50-6070-100



or do you recommend I move away from Happ joysticks completely?

[BadMouth]

From what I've read on these boards, the Ultimate is crap and the Competition is a decent all-arounder.
Just repeating what I've read.  I don't know what the real differences are.

I'm sure someone who has used them both will weigh in if you're not already on your way to the store. 

[thehammer12]

No I did not get them yet haha, what about happ pushbuttons.....good idea or no?

[Locke141]

I have the Competitions. I like them

[RandyT]

As BadMouth stated, avoid the "Ultimate".  They were my first mistake so many years ago when building my panel, and I've never forgotten it.  Sloppy 8-way actuation and abysmal for 4-way games.  The Competitions are a much better all around stick, and I used them quite happily for years until I replaced them with 49-ways.

[BadMouth]

No I did not get them yet haha, what about happ pushbuttons.....good idea or no?

They'll be fine.  They've been the standard for decades (although they did change from cherry brand to e-switch brand switches).

The differences among "standard" buttons among different vendors is mostly in the switches.
Some offer quieter switches with less activation pressure.
If the plunger bottoms out when you hit the button (how most people play), you're still going to have that sound anyway and probably aren't going to notice that slightly less pressure was required.


That said, I've been in the hobby for a few years and enjoy tweaking stuff to make it exactly how I want it.
You have to start somewhere so you can learn what you like and don't like.
You can always add different switches later.

[DGP]

HAPP Comps are great for all the old school 4 way stuff and decent for 8 way fighters and what not but if you are a serious fight game player those quarter/half circles (diagonals) are not as easy as some of the other sticks.

The Comps are built like tanks as well, probably the most durable stick out there.

Jason

[paigeoliver]

I have always preferred happ supers myself. They are what all the Capcom games were actually shipping with back during the Final Fight/Streetfighter 2 era.

[VoltaTom]

I picked up the competition joysticks myself after reading these reviews:

Ultimate
http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/reviews/joysticks/happultimate.html

Competition
http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/reviews/joysticks/happcompetition.html

More reviews
http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/hardware.html

[brad808]

I have always preferred happ supers myself. They are what all the Capcom games were actually shipping with back during the Final Fight/Streetfighter 2 era.

This is my opinion as well. Supers are better than competition joys. Competition joys feel clunky with that huge square actuator.

Sent from my Nexus 4

[Cynicaster]

I’ve used all three (Competition, Ultimate, Super) on my cabinet in the last 2 years.  Granted, my experience with the Ultimate and Super should have an asterisk next to it because they were set up for dedicated 4-way duties only.  I have 8-way Competitions installed in player-1 and -2 positions.  My general thoughts:

[NOTE: I like to play a little bit of everything—in particular shoot-em-ups, beat-em-ups, and maze games (hence the 4-way)—so good “general purpose” performance is essential for me.] 

Competitions – I just love this joystick.  Admittedly I haven’t tried some of the more popular (and more expensive) alternatives (Sanwa, etc.) but thus far I’ve seen no need to because this stick works great and the price is right.  Unless you’ve got some other standard stick that you’re “used to” and are looking to replicate that feel exactly, I just don’t see how you could go wrong with the Competition.   

Ultimates – my first 4-way, chosen without researching.  It’s worth noting that I used it and abused it until it got creaky—so it’s not as if it was unusable—but I wouldn’t recommend it because it’s pretty sloppy. 

Supers – replaced the Ultimate for 4-way duties.  Honestly, I didn’t care much for it at first—as I found it just as sloppy as the Ultimate—but then I installed the 4-way restrictor from Groovygamegear (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=310) which made a night and day difference in the feel and usability. 

[thehammer12]

Whats another good joystick?

Is Supers made my happ also?

[Cynicaster]

Is Supers made my happ also?

Yes.

[redbeard30]

I recently got a pair of IL comps and love them!

[WindDrake]

I've got Happ Rotaries in my 2-Player cab, and they are actually pretty nice, comparable to the IL Eurostick (superior version of the Competition) but notchier feeling. I've got IL Eurostick's in my 4-Player cab, fantastic stuff.

Ultimates suck. Anybody that's played an original Mortal Kombat cab knows that. Blah!

[Hockeyboy]

Okay, I'm not trying to de-rail the thread but for those that claim the Happ Competition and Supers are fine for general use and built sturdy...what about bottom-mounting them to 3/4" of control panel material? I used a test piece of material, drilled holes for the joystick shaft and mounted them using threaded inserts and there's only about 1/4" under the bat-top -- will that be enough to use them? I can't top-mount them because I'm using ~ 1/4" of birch panel plywood, 1/2" of MDF, and a 1/16" piece of plexi on top of it all, making a sandwich that equals 3/4" of material.

Thoughts? Or should I ditch these and get some of the joysticks that use the extra-long shafts?

[brad808]

That's fine they were meant to be bottom mounted on 3/4 panels.

Sent from my Nexus 4

[thehammer12]

Okay, I'm not trying to de-rail the thread but for those that claim the Happ Competition and Supers are fine for general use and built sturdy...what about bottom-mounting them to 3/4" of control panel material? I used a test piece of material, drilled holes for the joystick shaft and mounted them using threaded inserts and there's only about 1/4" under the bat-top -- will that be enough to use them? I can't top-mount them because I'm using ~ 1/4" of birch panel plywood, 1/2" of MDF, and a 1/16" piece of plexi on top of it all, making a sandwich that equals 3/4" of material.

Thoughts? Or should I ditch these and get some of the joysticks that use the extra-long shafts?

Thread jacker.....haha jk.

I think I will go with the comp joysticks and see if I like those for future projects.

[RandyT]

Okay, I'm not trying to de-rail the thread but for those that claim the Happ Competition and Supers are fine for general use and built sturdy...what about bottom-mounting them to 3/4" of control panel material? I used a test piece of material, drilled holes for the joystick shaft and mounted them using threaded inserts and there's only about 1/4" under the bat-top -- will that be enough to use them? I can't top-mount them because I'm using ~ 1/4" of birch panel plywood, 1/2" of MDF, and a 1/16" piece of plexi on top of it all, making a sandwich that equals 3/4" of material.

Thoughts? Or should I ditch these and get some of the joysticks that use the extra-long shafts?

"Extra long" usually equates to "extra sloppy" control, without changing other aspects of the stick design.  The longer the shaft, the further the top of that shaft must move to actuate the switches.  Shorter is usually better in this regard. 

The HAPP sticks are very often mounted below 3/4" panels and are fine for height.  If you want them longer, you will be better served by pocketing the underside area where the joystick mounts, than using a longer shaft.

[Hockeyboy]

@thehammer12 - ya caught me!! 

@RandyT - I thought I had read similar conclusions on this forum before, but I'm just wondering. Thanks for clearing that up. I couldn't do much of a pocket - maybe 1/8" total and that wouldn't give me a lot. I guess I'll just have to finish and see how things turn out. Thanks though!