4-way handheld joystick recommendation

[Calrissian]

I'm interested in moving my emulator time from consoles to MAME.  I have a simple fighting stick that I enjoy for most 8-way games I'm interested in playing, but haven't found it or other controllers I use satisfactory for the 4-way 80's classics (Pac-Man family, Donkey Kong, etc.).  I'm interested in a 4-way controller solution that I can use for these games.  Any recommendations?

I've looked at some of the cheaper fight sticks with an idea of swapping out the stick itself (I looked at Mayflash's fight stick, and if so would appreciate recommendations on 4-way sticks to swap in) and I've looked at X-Arcade's option with a 4-way setting, but I have no experience with any of these in terms of quality.  $100 is pushing my limit, and I'd be happy to find a decent solution that's cheaper.  I'm not really looking for super-competitive play, just casual play that functions well enough for friends and family.  The 8-way option has proven to be less than satisfactory.

Thanks for any advice!

[eds1275]

I'm sure you can build one for less than 50. Or, alternatively, if there's space in your existing fight stick box you can add another joystick and wire it up in parallel with the one already in there. A third option is getting a switching joystick, and replace the one in your fight stick with that so you can play both 4 and 8 way games by rotating the joystick.

[Generic Eric]

Mayfair?  Is that an online retailer?

Do you have a link?


Anyway.  You should look at this  and maybe even this

Who would have thought picking out a joystick could be so difficult.

All I want is a joystick that will be pretty decent (not perfect) on a fighting game and galaga, dk, dig dug, etc. WITHOUT having to switch the restrictor.  Surely there has to be something that the general consensus agrees on that matches the above criteria.

There are many sites to purchase a stick from.

http://www.focusattack.com/
groovygamegear.com
ultimarc.com
paradisearcadeshop.com
arcadeemulator.net

List of members that sell stuffs you might be interested in.

Ultimarc (BYOAC member AndyWarne)
Paradise Arcade (BYOAC member armi0024),
arcadeemulator (BYOAC member divemaster127 - who also carries a lot of Happs and Ultimarc wares)

While I haven't personally done business with Haruman, I'm sure he has the means to build you a box if you want something fancier than what I suggested above.
http://shop.harumancustoms.com/  He is BYOAC member Haruman

You need an encoder too.  You can those at the links listed above or from Kadevice.com

[Calrissian]

My apologies.  It was Mayflash, not Mayfair.  I corrected it in the original post.  Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Mayflash-Universal-Arcade-Fighting-Playstation-3/dp/B0015PHMFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426611257&sr=8-1&keywords=mayflash+fight+stick

These are some very helpful links.  I'll take a look at them in greater detail this evening.  I had stumbled on Ultimarc and was intrigued with their Mag-Stick Plus as an option to replace the joystick on my fight stick. If their switching capability worked, that would probably solve my problem.  I'll check out the other links as well.

Thanks to both of you.  Very helpful ideas.

[Generic Eric]

My apologies.  It was Mayflash, not Mayfair.  I corrected it in the original post.  Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Mayflash-Universal-Arcade-Fighting-Playstation-3/dp/B0015PHMFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426611257&sr=8-1&keywords=mayflash+fight+stick

These are some very helpful links.  I'll take a look at them in greater detail this evening.  I had stumbled on Ultimarc and was intrigued with their Mag-Stick Plus as an option to replace the joystick on my fight stick. If their switching capability worked, that would probably solve my problem.  I'll check out the other links as well.

Thanks to both of you.  Very helpful ideas.

You may consider purchasing a 4 way restrictor from one of the vendors such as groovygamegear.com  to put on your new stick. 

Or build your own fight stick.  Best of luck.

[Calrissian]

So my head is spinning a bit with the options that are out there.  I looked at some videos of modding the fight stick I have (the Injustice Gods Among Us fight stick), and I'm a little concerned about whether a 4-way switchable (Ultimarc's Mag-Stick plus) would fit.  Apparently, the metal plate for the fight stick is non-standard, and swapping it out can be tricky (don't want to ruin the plastic shell).  It seems like more people have just swapped out the stick for a ball top without replacing the entire joystick.  If I picked up a cheap second fight stick, like that Mayflash I linked to, I could get a 4-way stick and not worry about it being switchable, but replacing the stick in that one seems even trickier.  I may have to spend enough in additional parts for that Mayflash solution that it would be better to pursue the X-Arcade option (which apparently can be setup for either 4-way or 8-way).

I appreciate any experience anyone can share.  I'll have to research and think about the best approach.

Thanks!

[Slippyblade]

X-Arcade is not really a 4/8 way stick.  It's an 8 way stick where you can flip the actuator over so it removes the possibility of hitting diagonals.  What this means is that if you move the stick to where it would normally click a diagonal, it will instead hit a dead zone.  In my mind that is every bit as annoying as the diagonals.  Honestly, just get a Zippyy stick (dirt cheap, like $9) that has a physical restrictor.  So very much better.

[Generic Eric]

lemme find this link...user bfauska has a link in his signature for a fight stick


Check out that zippy and check out the bfauska link.

[Calrissian]

Thanks for all the ideas.  That's very helpful to know about the X-Arcade.  I hadn't picked up on that in the reading I had done.

Is it possible to put a 4-way restrictor plate on either the X-Arcade or on my current fight stick? If it does, that seems to be the simplest way to go.  Building my own controller is probably a bit more time and money than I want to put in to this yet (maybe later).

Thanks for everyone's advice.  Wish I had the space to build a full cabinet!

[Slippyblade]

Is it possible to put a 4-way restrictor plate on either the X-Arcade...

Without modifying the X-Arcade stick, I don't think so.  As far as your existing stick goes, we'd need to see it.  Pics!

[Calrissian]

Is it possible to put a 4-way restrictor plate on either the X-Arcade...

Without modifying the X-Arcade stick, I don't think so.  As far as your existing stick goes, we'd need to see it.  Pics!

Here's a link to someone that did a detailed breakdown of the stick and did an amazing job of modding it, with incredibly detailed pics (starts about 10 messages down on page 4).  His analysis suggested to me that swapping a stick on it might not work without a higher level of modding skill than I have (which is none).

I may be able to pick up an additional Injustice stick for about $40, so if swapping in a dedicated 4-way stick was possible, that would be a method that would fit my budget.  Right now, the X-arcade solo is around 100, so budget wise, it'd be tough to put much more into a different stick if I spent that much on the controller.

Thanks for kicking these ideas around with me!

[bfauska]

Here's a link to someone that did a detailed breakdown of the stick and did an amazing job of modding it, with incredibly detailed pics (starts about 10 messages down on page 4).  His analysis suggested to me that swapping a stick on it might not work without a higher level of modding skill than I have (which is none).

I may be able to pick up an additional Injustice stick for about $40, so if swapping in a dedicated 4-way stick was possible, that would be a method that would fit my budget.  Right now, the X-arcade solo is around 100, so budget wise, it'd be tough to put much more into a different stick if I spent that much on the controller.

Thanks for kicking these ideas around with me!

Looks like you forgot the link, but if my google-fo is any good I suspect this is where you were pointing us.
http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/comment/8091923/#Comment_8091923
I dont know much about various sticks and their mounting holes but it doesn't look impossible to swap a different stick in there.

I also think it's worth pointing out that for potentially less than the $100 you mentioned for a x-arcade you could get the parts and build a higher quality 4-way only or even switching fight stick.

[Calrissian]

yes that was the link.  Sorry!

[mgb]

I'm not sure if I completely understood your original post but I kinda took from it that you're looking to keep your existing 8 way fight stick and then buy another cheaper fight stick to modify for 4-way?

If that's the case, why not just buy a cheap fight stick and change out the joystick itself to a Sanwa JLF with the restrictor turned for 4-way (diamond pattern).

I know most people mod their fight sticks with the smaller Asian type mounting plates such as the JLF and the Seimitsu and Zippyys.

If you're looking at having a best of both worlds fight stick with both 4 and 8 way switch ability than maybe as said above you can use a Zippyy and just set the restrictor for what's needed at the time.
If the fight stick has a removable bottom, maybe you can leave it off for easy access to the restrictor.

I remember reading something around here once where someone used rare earth magnets on their restrictor plate rather than the screws. If you did something like that, you can play fighters and what not with the restrictor removed and then slap it on when needed for 4-way

[Calrissian]

I'm not sure if I completely understood your original post but I kinda took from it that you're looking to keep your existing 8 way fight stick and then buy another cheaper fight stick to modify for 4-way?

If that's the case, why not just buy a cheap fight stick and change out the joystick itself to a Sanwa JLF with the restrictor turned for 4-way (diamond pattern).

I know most people mod their fight sticks with the smaller Asian type mounting plates such as the JLF and the Seimitsu and Zippyys.

If you're looking at having a best of both worlds fight stick with both 4 and 8 way switch ability than maybe as said above you can use a Zippyy and just set the restrictor for what's needed at the time.
If the fight stick has a removable bottom, maybe you can leave it off for easy access to the restrictor.

I remember reading something around here once where someone used rare earth magnets on their restrictor plate rather than the screws. If you did something like that, you can play fighters and what not with the restrictor removed and then slap it on when needed for 4-way

I'm not locked into either solution.  I'm educating myself on the options right now, just learning what I have available to me.  I have this stick, and I like it fine for the gaming that I do in 8-way, but it's not great for 4-way games.  I'm open to modding the stick to make it dual function, or picking up another cheap stick that either runs in 4-way (or dual) or could be modded to a 4-way.  As I've looked at modding the fight sticks I can get for cheaper, I'm running into the differences in the plates for these different stocks and the challenges of drilling holes in plastics for incompetents like me.  Looking at something like the X-arcade, which seems to have a nicer build, this discussion has let me know that their product doesn't quite do what I want (since the 4-way play is not restricted), and so it would need additional modding.

For the stick I have, if it could be modded to add a stick that would work well in both 8 and 4, I'm open to that.  Your magnet idea intrigues, as the options for switching from the top are pretty limited.

I'm not sure yet where I'll wind up on this.  You guys are very helpful in educating me on the options, though, and I appreciate it greatly.

[mgb]

What fight stick do you currently have?
Can you post some pics of it inside and out

[Calrissian]

What fight stick do you currently have?
Can you post some pics of it inside and out

It's the Injustice: Gods Among Us Battle Edition fight stick.  bfauska provided a helpful link a few messages up that I referenced and forgot to include.  In that link, someone has provided extensive pictures and the narrative of their modification of the stick.  The challenges I see in the mod are the metal plate, which doesn't appear to be standard (if there is such a thing in this), and the fact that the stick has LED lights, so keeping the lights working requires some work.  There are several mods on Youtube where people swapped in a ball for the stick with no problem, but that link is the only example I've found of someone completely swapping out the stick, and doing it required a "Frankenstein" mod, keeping some of the pieces from the current and mixing in some of what he was wanting to wind up with.

For me, if I modded this stick, I would want it to be capable of both 4-way and 8-way, since I play a variety of games.  If I purchased an inexpensive second stick (which is why I referenced that cheap Mayflash stick), then I wouldn't mind putting in a dedicated 4-way stick in that stick and being done.