Leaf Switch or Micro Switch Joystick

[dmish82]

Sorry for all the questions but do you guys prefer the Leaf Switch or Micro Switch joysticks? i've heard pros & cons of both but i'm still not sure which i'd like to go with. Thanks for your input.

Dave

[Goz]

I prefer the WICO leaf joysticks over microswitch joys. The leafs can require a little tweaking, but if you are old school early 80's etc. These might be a bit more nostalgic as they make no audible clicking sound and I just like the feel of the WICO's (throw / reach).

It is all preference of the individual as I have some friends who swear by using microswitch joys

-Goz

[dmish82]

Do you remember if games like X-men, the Simpsons, and Ninja Turtles 2 used leaf or micro?

[Goz]

I want to say from memory they are leaf, but I am not 100% sure.

TMNT made in 89 and XMEN made in 92, they are likely leaf.


Sorry,

-Goz

[pointdablame]

My Xmen cab has a red and purple ball top that APPEAR to be original, and they are both microswitch joys.  

However, I can't be positive they are original since my other 2 joys on there are black Happ bat style joys, so all 4 might have been replaced.

[mahuti]

Whether it's original feel or not, I prefer microswitch joys, particularly the Ultimarc t-stik plus.

I have some original wicos and i'm not thrilled with the feel. I guess I don't like much of a throw in general, and that includes microswitch sticks with long throw.

[NoOne=NBA=]

My preferences are game dependent.

For games that require wide sweeping movements of the joystick I prefer Wicos to anything else.
(Especially those where you don't want to feel the corners of the stick).

For games that require precise movements in given directions, or require you to switch directions 180 degrees alot, I prefer my T-stiks.
The throw is shorter, and you can feel the corners on them, so you KNOW you are hitting a diagonal.

[telengard]

Sorry for all the questions but do you guys prefer the Leaf Switch or Micro Switch joysticks? i've heard pros & cons of both but i'm still not sure which i'd like to go with. Thanks for your input.

Dave

I like the older games more (the ones I grew up with) so I'm partial to the leafs.  They have a great feel and don't make much noise.  I guess that the newer games are all microswitch.

[paigeoliver]

A good best of both worlds type joystick is to find the Wico style microswitch joysticks. I have been using them a lot lately. They are not the easiest stick to find though, not as common as the leaf ones.

[spidermonkey]

Ninja turtles used microswitch sticks while Simpsons used both. The early Simpsons cabs used Wico 8-way balltop leafswitch joys. The laters cabs shipped with Wico 8-way balltop microswitch joys which feel VERY similar to the earlier leafswitch versions because both sticks use the same rubber grommet/bushing for tension. Most microswitch sticks like Happ,Sanwa ect.. use a spring for tension which doesn't provide the old school spongy feel of the classic Wicos. The Wico sticks made today now use springs too but the early Wico microswitch sticks were basically the same model as the leafswitch versions and they just swapped out the lower switchplate with one that accepts microswitches and also switched to a square actuator. Although they made some slight changes most of the important parts of the original stick were still used and as a result they felt almost the same as the leafswitch models. I like both sticks very much and I wish that Wico never caved in to the masses and went the way of the spring. Probably was a cost issue as a spring surely was much cheaper to manufacture then the rubber grommets. I have various newer style microswitch sticks laying around in boxes and thats exactly where they'll stay unless I make a cab for a friend or something. I'll never use them on a cab for myself because I grew up on early model Wico sticks. Theres always exceptions but it seems like most older gamers like leafswitch sticks while gamers around 25 and younger seem to like microswitch based joysticks. It all depend on what game era you grew up in.

[dmish82]

Thanks a lot guys. You've really helped me a lot.

Dave

[paigeoliver]

Note, there is ALSO a spring based version of the classic Wico joystick. These are too soft out of the box, but if you buy the strong "Happ" springs from Bob Roberts and put them in there, they end up feeling pretty darn good.

[leafblade]

 Do the Wico 8 way leaf (NOS)  joysticks from QuarterArcade use rubber grommets or springs for tension?


Thanks

[spiffyshoes]

The ones sold from QuarterArcade use Gromits.  As an alternative to leaf switches or microswitches you could try buying a P360 optical adapter for the leaf switch joysticks off of ebay.  It gives you the the silence of the leafswitches and the higher accuracy and less hassle of the Microswitches.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=13718&item=6135604745&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

[Stingray]

It's realy just a personal preference. I like them both myself, but some games "feel" better with one or the other.

-S