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T-Stiks: The Good and the Bad
NoOne=NBA=:
I finally got my T-stiks Plusses installed yesterday, and did some preliminary testing of the sticks and the new quiet switches.
The sticks I have to do direct comparisons against are Competitions and Supers.
Movement Force/Twanging
The T-stik requires more force than either of those to move, but have the benefit of not "twanging" when you slap them in one direction and let go.
The Comps are really bad about that.
They will go back and forth several times when you do that, which can mess up a game really quickly.
The T-stik stops dead when released, which I really like.
Stick Travel/Precision
The T-stik also feels much more precise, and has much less stick travel than the other two.
This seems to help greatly on games such as Crazy Climber, where precision is more important than smoothness.
Quiet Switches
The quiet switches are about 1/2 as quiet as the stock switches (I estimated this based on rocking the sticks around in a quiet room), and quieter than the comps and supers.
They require less pressure to actuate than the stock switches, but more than the comps and supers.
The down-side to them is that they make the stick feel less precise than the stock switches.
NOTE: I think I will ultimately go back to the stock switches after I get done testing everything because the noise doesn't really bother me as much as the lack of tactile feel.
4/8 Way Switching
The switching on these works exactly as advertised, and gives a very positive (although stiff) feel in 4-way mode.
I did notice that the quiet switches may need adjustment to achieve true 4-way mode, as one of the switches I installed still allowed 8-way operation in one corner until I tweaked it.
Overall Impressions
These sticks are built for abuse.
They have a very substantial feel, when compared to the other sticks I own.
They seem to fit very well on games requiring precision; but don't work as well for me as the Comps on games requiring fluid, circular-type movements.
I would highly recommend these for anyone who wants a good looking, precise stick, that will switch from 4 to 8-way easily.
This is the market that they are targeted to, and they fill that niche well.
I don't personally play fighters; but, based on my initial testing on games requiring similar type movements, I don't think this stick is ideal for that type of game.
I am fortunate enough to have built a modular system that will allow me to tailor the sticks used to each game, so I do have the option of switching to Comps for games where they perform better.
If I were forced to use only one, of the three styles I own, it would definitely be these though.
Hope this helps the still undecided here.
jdjuggler:
Great information, thanks.
I'm mostly looking into these for their 4-way operation. As I'm using p360 for my main sticks.
Do you know if the Slikstik stainless steel handles will work on the t-stik plus?
Thanks.
Tiger-Heli:
--- Quote from: jdjuggler on March 31, 2004, 10:36:12 am ---Great information, thanks.
I'm mostly looking into these for their 4-way operation. As I'm using p360 for my main sticks.
Do you know if the Slikstik stainless steel handles will work on the t-stik plus?
Thanks.
--- End quote ---
Maybe I'm missing the obvious, but if you have P360's for the main sticks, why wouldn't you look at a less expensive stick like the Omni-Stik from www.groovygamegear.com, or a Seimitsu, or the Ms.Pac/Galaga stick from www.therealbobroberts.com, rather than a switchable stick like the T-Stik if you will never need it in 8-way mode?
DrewKaree:
A question on the quiet switches; how much were they, and do you think they met their purpose?
If someone wanted quietness AND "feel" or accuracy, are those switches an acceptable compromise, would you recommend another avenue, or would you advise to select which is more important (sound or feel) and choose accordingly?
p.s.
is this something that could be resolved with liberal amounts of duct tape or epoxy? ;) ;D
GGKoul:
--- Quote from: jdjuggler on March 31, 2004, 10:36:12 am ---Do you know if the Slikstik stainless steel handles will work on the t-stik plus?
Thanks.
--- End quote ---
I've asked this question to the Slikstik boys and none of the stainless steel handles will fit the T-Slik. But they are planning on releasing a them in the future.
-GGKoul