Button requirements for arcade cabinet to play ps2 games

[bruiserh89]

Hi all

I'm new to all this but learning slowly. I am building a cabinet for mame arcade games, snes, sega master system, ps2 and others and I'm looking at my button requirements for a two player setup. I know for mame to play street fighter 2 I'll need 8 player buttons, 1 and two player, two coin buttons meaning the two joystick 20 button usb kits should do the trick, like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Arcade-Sanwa-Control-Panel-LED-Illuminated-Kit-2-Joysticks-20-Buttons-USB-MAME-/331626730684?hash=item4d367e54bc:g:WfIAAOSwMmBVytiJ

However will this be sufficient for ps2 games? The 8 buttons would cover triangle, square etc and the 4 top buttons but not the L3 and R3 buttons on the mini joysticks (not sure what those joysticks are called).

Anyway, any guidance with this would be great.

[Ginsu Victim]

6 per player will suffice (Street Fighter does not use eight)

[bruiserh89]

Thanks for the response Ginsu!

So I'm well covered for SF2 if I get the 8 action button for each player kit. Do you know whether that will be ok for PS2? or would I just need to look at games that didn't depend on the L3 and R3 buttons?

I notice the ready made X arcade controller systems also need a Ps2 adaptor to play those games. I don't want to go that way though as I've heard those units use pretty crappy joystick and buttons.

[Token]

Use cordless USB gamepads for your console games. They were not made to be controlled by a joystick and arcade pushbuttons, and you will never find a configuration on your control panel that will work well for PS2.

[BadMouth]

Except for fighting games and a few shmups, console games don't play well on a cab once you get to the generations where the controllers had analog thumbsticks.

6 will do.  8 if you want to future proof it for Steam games and newer consoles.
You can get by with 6 for all the current fighting games. 
The extra 2 only post combos of the other buttons, but who know what will happen down the road.

Personally if any game other than a fighting game has more than 3 buttons, I don't enjoy playing it on the cab.
I have 7 on my cab and like having the extra button as a dedicated "tag" button for games where you can play tag team.
That way I don't have to remember the combo for tagging. 

I find myself playing a lot of Steam games, so I'll probably add the 8th button on the next incarnation.
I'd make the last two black or grey so they feel like they are extra and not part of the core 6.
I also miss the anchored feeling of concave buttons, but think they'd look weird with more than 6.

[bruiserh89]

Thanks badmouth and token. This clears it up for me. I will go for 6 button (since im not interested in newer console emulation) and adaptor for game pads for ps2.

Are there any other consoles that wont transfer to button joystick? Would I have similar issues with other consoles with thumbsticks? N64 and gamecube?

[DarthMarino]

Are there any other consoles that wont transfer to button joystick? Would I have similar issues with other consoles with thumbsticks? N64 and gamecube?

It's more about the individual games than the console.  There are plenty of N64 games that will work perfectly fine with an arcade stick and some buttons.  There are also plenty that won't.

[Token]

Thanks badmouth and token. This clears it up for me. I will go for 6 button (since im not interested in newer console emulation) and adaptor for game pads for ps2.

Are there any other consoles that wont transfer to button joystick? Would I have similar issues with other consoles with thumbsticks? N64 and gamecube?

Anything after SNES/Genesis is going to be tough with arcade controls. Some games will map OK for the N64/PS, but most will be unplayable, or awkward at best. If it works with a Dpad and six or fewer buttons you are OK.

[bruiserh89]

OK sounds like I will need to use gamepads. I am looking at building a two player setup. Is there a PC adaptor that will cover gamecube/N64 (using gamecube gamepads) and ps2 using one usb port? or would I need separate adaptors in different usb ports? Just anything that avoids me having to get into my cabinet and manually change over gamepads.

[rackoon]

I was wondering just like you but decided to put an xbox 360 or one in my cab. And I noticed that the fighting game set ups you would by like a mad catz has 8 buttons. Even slagcoin said it was a good idea but I have no idea why I need those extra two. I figured someone would clue me in eventualy but it hasnt come up.

[paigeoliver]

Thanks badmouth and token. This clears it up for me. I will go for 6 button (since im not interested in newer console emulation) and adaptor for game pads for ps2.

Are there any other consoles that wont transfer to button joystick? Would I have similar issues with other consoles with thumbsticks? N64 and gamecube?

Anything after SNES/Genesis is going to be tough with arcade controls. Some games will map OK for the N64/PS, but most will be unplayable, or awkward at best. If it works with a Dpad and six or fewer buttons you are OK.

The problem actually starts with the SNES. It has shoulder buttons, any game that uses those directionally translates terribly to an arcade panel. That is why the Snes based arcade hardware basically had oversized snes pads popping out of the control panel instead of joysticks.