Which 4-way Ms. Pac joysticks?

[Scoobie]

Which 4-way joystick feels the best (most authentic) for pacman type games?

Here are 2 links from arcadeshop:

http://www.arcadeshop.com/pics/joystick-h-short-red-textured-handle-4way.jpg

http://www.arcadeshop.com/pics/mspac-joystick-with-mounting-plate.jpg

Happ's website doesn't support linking directly to specific pages.  They sell the Ms. Pac/Galaga 20 yr. reunion stick and a Pacman replacement stick.

Which one should I get for a dedicated 4-way (this will be a third stick on my cp to go along with 2, 8-ways)?

[Grasshopper]

They're the same joystick. It's just that one is fitted with a mounting plate.

The Ms Pacman/Galaga stick is probably the best 4 way for Pacman style games still being manufactured. In fact some people prefer them to the original leaf joysticks.

The only problem is that they're very short and thus difficult to mount in wood.

[Scoobie]

When mounting in a 3/4" MDF cp, do you route out part of the under side on the cp to allow the right amount of shaft on the top?

How much do I route out on the under side of the cp?

How much of the shaft should be exposed on the top of the cp?

[NoOne=NBA=]

There really isn't a GOOD way to bottom mount that stick.

If you are looking for an authentic install of it, the TOP of the extra mounting plate needs to be about 1/16" below the top of your CP; and you'll need to fit another piece of metal to flush the entire assembly up with your CP top.

The mounting bolts should go through the flush metal piece, through the mounting plate, through your CP, and then have nuts on the bottom to hold the entire assembly in place.
The dust washer will ride on the mounting plate as is, to plug the hole between the mounting plate and the flush metal plate.

You might be able to get the stick "almost" high enough by routing from the bottom (IF you don't use the mounting plate, but I don't think it would hold in the long run--especially using MDF.
You'd also still need to rout from the top to accomodate the dustwasher, if you want it to LOOK authentic.
That would weaken the routed area even more.


I personally would (and DID) go with an NOS Wico 4-way.
The seller in that auction is great to work with, and has a bunch of them for $24.99 Buy it Now.
I've bought a couple of those from him; and, while not completely authentic for Pac games, they WERE authentic for many other games.

The ball is bigger on the Wico's, it's not textured, and the shaft is longer.
The good side of that is that it will let you rout, or not rout, to get the stick height you want with them.

[Doc-]

I have both the old WICO leaf 4 way and a Ms Pac Man/Galaga reunion stick on my modular CP (as well as others).

I've tried both side by side and I can't say one is significantly better overall.  However, both of these are in my opinion better than the other 4 way alternatives (I also have a 4 way Ultimate but I would not rate it as high as these two joysticks).

The Wico has something closer to an original "old arcade" feel to it in part due to the leaf switches and nice big ball top.  It also has a longer handle, so it can be bottom mounted on a wood panel.  I would give a slight edge to this joystick for the "authentic" handle and the feel.

The Galaga/Pac man reunion stick is significantly shorter (must be top-mounted either by routing or with a plate), and the ball is much smaller.   It has microswitches instead of leaf switches.  The short throw does help the game performance (you can switch directions faster), but the small ball and microswitches do not have the same overall feel.  I would rate it higher in game performance, but lower in "old time" feel.

Since I'm no Pac-Man wizard, and I'm a bit nostalgic I usually will use the Wico leaf stick when I'm playing.  However, the two are very close in overall performance and it really comes down to personal taste.  I know many others who give the Pac-man/Galaga stick a slight edge.