Need personal opinions on best 8 way joystick

[majoly]

My arcade project started last year. I emulate NES/SNES/MAME etc.

When I made the controls, I choose the MagStick (4/8 way switchable from the bottom)

In 4 direction the joystick is perfect. In 8 way its terrible. Cant really play any games in 8 way with that kind of joystick, selecting a game through Hyperspin is hard because i have trouble hitting the up or down only in 8 way. And on top of that, switching from 4 to 8 way is annoying since I have to lift my control panel to gain access to the switch.

I want to replace my 2 joystick with something else but before i buy anything i would like to get opinions.

My criterias are

Very good 4 and 8 way controls
Easy way to switch mode (physically or soft)
I do not mind the "click" noise of switches on the joystick
No price limit I want to know all my options

Thanks in advance!

[haynor666]

Ultimarc U360 can be programmed for 4/8 way as well as analog 2 way etc. It can even work as mouse. Base is from JLW joystick and in my opinion not the best one for smooth analog movement but for standard 8/4 way is ok.

[DeLuSioNal29]

Technology has changed over the years.  The Magstick (IMHO) is outdated.

Have you considered getting a Servo Stick for the left joystick and an 8-way JLF for the right side?  Most 4-way games only use 1 joystick for both players (they take turns).

http://ultimarc.com/servostik.html

DeL

[harveybirdman]

First choice, build a separate machine for the four way classics

2nd Choice, go with a Omni2 or Sanwa JLW


However no one is going to agree with the best 8-way stick is..  It's kind of one of those use what you like things.

[JDFan]

Have to agree with Harvey --- since you said no price limit the best option is a second machine with the 8 way sticks of your choice - and make the current machine only 4 way games (since you say the sticks you have are perfect in 4-way mode) - or move the current sticks to a new machine for the 4-way games ( if the current button layout does not fit a 4 way only layout.)

You are never going to find a stick that is the best in both 4-way and 8-way as too many compromises have to be made to get the sticks to work as both. 

[CheffoJeffo]

You left out the criterion that is most important ... what kind of games do you want to play?

Include specific favourites. The best sticks for, say, Robotron will be crap for fighters.

[majoly]

Ok giving more details.

My arcade is emulating NES/SNES/N64/Most Sega systems/PSX/PS2/MAME/Wii

I want to use the joystick and buttons for everything excluding N64/PSX/PS2/WII.

The main concern i have right now is lets say I play Mario Bros 3 on the SNES, if its in 4 or 8 way doesnt really mathers it will work fine for the most part of the time but if I switch to Zelda Link to the past, 8 direction with MagStick sucks badly. Cant go up only without going Top/Left or Top/Right

So basically what i want is either a joystick that doesnt suck on 8 way and switcheable if necessary but easy to do(not having to remove my control panel for example)

[acvieluf]

In 4 direction the joystick is perfect. In 8 way its terrible. Cant really play any games in 8 way with that kind of joystick...

This frightens me.  I'm all excited to get my CP wired up with my mag-stik plus-es.  But 8-way sucks?  Any mods for this?

[monkeybomb]

I tried to figure something out myself and gave up. I got a vertical bartop with a 4 way stick.  The money, space and time commitment to add it weren't that significant and I've enjoyed the 4-way games more than I ever did on a full size unit with an 8-way stick.

I've tried most of the 8-way sticks and my favorite is the happ super.  I like the fluid circular motion more than the corners of the competition sticks for fighters.  They are great for Robotron too.   

[popsicle]

In 4 direction the joystick is perfect. In 8 way its terrible. Cant really play any games in 8 way with that kind of joystick...

This frightens me.  I'm all excited to get my CP wired up with my mag-stik plus-es.  But 8-way sucks?  Any mods for this?

I have Mag+ sticks in my vertical cocktail cab, and find the 8-way mode quite functional, especially with vertical shooters. Fighter type games are a little unwieldy, but beat-em-ups and most other 8-way games where a constant direction is pressed works well as far as I'm concerned.  Don't get me wrong, the Happ Competitions in my upright are better for 8-way, but the flexibility the Mag+ gives and its tight 4-way mode (switchable from the top - just pull and twist) makes me happy I got them.

[acvieluf]

In 4 direction the joystick is perfect. In 8 way its terrible. Cant really play any games in 8 way with that kind of joystick...

This frightens me.  I'm all excited to get my CP wired up with my mag-stik plus-es.  But 8-way sucks?  Any mods for this?

I have Mag+ sticks in my vertical cocktail cab, and find the 8-way mode quite functional, especially with vertical shooters. Fighter type games are a little unwieldy, but beat-em-ups and most other 8-way games where a constant direction is pressed works well as far as I'm concerned.  Don't get me wrong, the Happ Competitions in my upright are better for 8-way, but the flexibility the Mag+ gives and its tight 4-way mode (switchable from the top - just pull and twist) makes me happy I got them.

I have been using them more and more, and I really like them! Very usable for 8 way stuff! I LOVE the short throws, too!

Sent from my Atari 2600

[DK1105]

I have a mag stick on my current CP I like it for most games but for fighters isn't never been the best.  I'm thinking about ordering a few roundhouse sticks from groovygear for a dedicated fighting game CP or a twin stick CP.