Newbie help - Joystick recommendations??

[megashock5]

Hi, starting to plan my first cab. I'm wanting two player controls plus 1 trackball and 1 spinner.

I was thinking of two 360 or 48-way sticks plus 1 4/8 way switchable stick for older stuff.

I'm going to be running mostly 80's stuff, maybe some into 90's but nothing really that new.

What would everyone recommend for sticks. Do I need the extra 4/8 way stick for classics? What are good all-around sticks for the main ones - 48-way or 360s?

thanks in advance, any help is appreciated!!

[Sylentwulf]

I really don't get the point of the 48 or 360 sticks myself, ESPECIALLY if you only plan on going into the early 90's. Get 2 Super 8 Happ sticks, and an ultimate 4 happ stick. All around goodness.

[Buddabing]

I really don't get the point of the 48 or 360 sticks myself, ESPECIALLY if you only plan on going into the early 90's. Get 2 Super 8 Happ sticks, and an ultimate 4 happ stick. All around goodness.

The point of the 360s is to avoid the clickety-click sound of the microswitches. Early leaf switch joysticks were much quieter, and would appeal more to someone runnning early 80s stuff.

Instead of three sticks, how about just two Ultimarc T-sticks? They can be switched from 4 to 8 way on the fly.

[megashock5]

Thanks for the replies!

How limiting will the 4/8 way Ultimarcs be as far as later games? Meaning, if I upgrade the computer in a few years to play more recent games, will I have to upgrade the sticks too?

I guess what I'm trying to ask is how recent you can get with the T-sticks. Into stuff like Captain America/TMNT? How about Mortal Kombat, Killer Instict and fighters like that? Stuff more recent than that I have on consoles.

[pointdablame]

All fighting games and the like used 8way sticks to begin with.  I'd say some absurd percentage of games (90-95%) originally used 4 or 8 way joysticks for controls.  The 49 way and P360's would work for those games technically, but its actually more than what the original had.

If you want to avoid clicking, the P360 would do that, but they aren't really going to give you many more games you are able to play, save for a limited number.

[megashock5]

^ Awesome avatar, btw

Okay, I just want to make sure I understand correctly...

The 8 way sticks will play *pretty much* all of the games, but you may get some clicking.

The 360s won't click, but it's harder to play some games with them.

I'm sure I'm simplifying it, but it that the gist of it?

[megashock5]

Okay, new info..

just saw the thread about the Happs P360s being on sale for $24.99 instead of $45.99, which is a big difference.

Since that makes them about the same price as the Ultimarc T-Sticks, would people still recommend the T-sticks?

I'm not really ready to order just yet, and I have someone who wants to trade controls for my Galaga 3 board and marquee - but I want to decide what is best for me so I can start planning the CPO.

Thanks again for all the great advice

[sTyLeS]

I am actually quite pleased with the Happ Competition 8-ways. It's the feel that I remember from many of the fighter games I used to play. As for the clicking, once I'm playing I don't really hear it...it's mostly muffled inside the control panel. But you may "feel" it slightly.

There haven't been any MAME games that are fully functional yet that used 360's are there?

[megashock5]

OK, so you guys had me pretty much decided on the Ultimarc T-Sticks.

Then I find another thread where everyone is talking up this OmniStick by Prodigy. I checked it out and there's an actual switch on the top plate that switches it from 4 to 8 way, plus it isn't supposed to click as much. It is, however, 10 bucks more per stick than the T-Sticks.

Anyone have any experience with these OmniSticks? They were getting pretty heavy praise in the thread I saw (started as KeyWhiz vs. iPac... btw any opinions on that?)

Thanks again for being so helpful guys, this place is the best.

[JAZ]

Why does everyone hate the clicking? I love it!!!!!!!!

[JAZ]

Why does everyone hate the clicking? I love it!!!!!!!!

[NoOne=NBA=]

Stick FUNCTION
The P-360 sticks are functionally the same as any other 8-way.
The difference between them and the other 8-ways is that they use optics to sense the stick movement, rather than switches.

The 49-way sticks are similar in operation to the P-360, in that they use optics to detect stick movement.
The difference between them and the P-360 is that they also detect DISTANCE that the stick is moved in a direction.
This makes them functionally the same as an analog stick.

For TRUE 4-way games, there really isn't any substitute for a TRUE 4-way restricted stick.

My personal preferences
Wico 8-way leafswitch sticks for games that require you to move the stick in circles.
T-stiks for games that require precise movement in 8 distinct directions.
Wico 4-way leafswitch sticks for 4-way games.

Other Sticks
I haven't used the Prodigy sticks yet, but would assume that their quality is as good as the rest of Groovy's products.

The Happ sticks I've used (Supers/Comps/Ultimates) don't feel as good to me as ALL the other sticks out there.
They are alot sloppier and springier than the other sticks.
This results in you having to move them farther when playing, and makes them twang back and forth (hitting switches back and forth as well) when you release them suddenly from full throw.

My Recommendation
Based on what I have heard you say, I would suggest going with the T-stiks.
The P-360's can't be changed from 4-way to 8-way easily, which would be a big sell point to me if I could only have two sticks.

The only hesitation I would have about the T-stiks is that they tend to hang in the corners when you are trying to do circles with the stick.
If games like that are going to be the "big" ones you play, you might want to consider Wico 8-ways, or the P-360's.

If you do go with the Wico's or P-360's, you'd probably want to add a dedicated 4-way as a third stick though.
You CAN play 4-way games with an 8-way stick, but you get dead spots in the corners where your player will either continue in the direction he was going, or just stop dead, depending on what game you are playing.