Which Arcade Joysticks to pick..help

[seank80]

I am looking to buy the joysticks so i can use mame on my laptop and project it to my tv.  I have seen the X arcade and the Hotrod.  I am wondering if i should get the 2 player panel or if i should just get 2 single player joysticks.  I am looking for portabiity but i think if i get two singles I can play from my couch and the other player can also play without having to have it rest on our laps.  I would like to save money and get the hotrod but i am still leaning towards the multiple joysticks.  I have also seen one on ebay, here is a link http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3677&item=8140028444&rd=1  Has anybody bought any of these controllers.  The X arcade is 259 for everything shipped for both.  The ebay one is 225 shipped for everything for both.  The hot rod double is only 99.95 plus shipping.  I am torn here but the main advantage is the two seperate controllers.  Are they too heavy to use on your lap?  Any suggestions would be appreciated thanks.

Sean

[Minwah]

HotRod's are cool, haven't used an X-Arcade...

But I wouldn't say any of them are great for use on your lap, they are more suited to a firm, flat table or similar.  A gamepad is probably better for couch-gaming...

[Vicious]

I'm curious cause you say you don't want to play with it on your lap but want to know later if it would be too heavy for use on your lap.  I would say don't buy one based on the ability to play with it on your lap.  Single or double, playing with an arcade controller on your lap would probably suck.  You need to play with it on a flat surface.

The problem with the joystick in the auction is that it's for PSOne/PS2.  They say you can buy an adapter (that's not listed) but that would just add to the cost.  They do have a USB one for $60 but it's only got 4 buttons.

You might consider building one to your needs.  A USB based double would only cost around 115-120.  Of course, if you don't have the tools or don't feel comfortable then check out the X-Arcade.  Most that have one seem to like it.

[Dekelia]

I have a 2 player XArcade and love it.  I haven't used a hotrod but it looks very similar.

I thought that the price of the two was about the same.  My 2 player xarcade was $150.00 USD.  I thought the Hotrod 2 player was about the same.

As I understand it the primary difference between the two is the the Hotrod uses Happ parts which are probably slightly better than the XArcade parts (though I can't tell much difference) and the XArcade has converter cables that you can buy to make it work with almost any console (and claim they will support all of the new ones as well).

For me, the flexibility that the XArcade had won the day (in fact, I like it so much that I'm using their encoder in the cabnet I'm currently building).

As far as two player vs. single player...

They are both the same size I think and they are a bit close together.  Not terrible but still quite close.  You save a bunch of money getting the two player (for xarcade it is $99.00 for one player, $150 for the two player) and it just seemed easier to me to store one thing rather than two - easier to find shelf space, get out, etc.

I hope that helps.  I've had my XArcade for about a year and love it.  I use it for XBox and MAME.

[Tiger-Heli]

I am looking to buy the joysticks so i can use mame on my laptop and project it to my tv.  I have seen the X arcade and the Hotrod.  I am wondering if i should get the 2 player panel or if i should just get 2 single player joysticks.  I am looking for portabiity but i think if i get two singles I can play from my couch and the other player can also play without having to have it rest on our laps.  I would like to save money and get the hotrod but i am still leaning towards the multiple joysticks.  I have also seen one on ebay, here is a link http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3677&item=8140028444&rd=1  Has anybody bought any of these controllers.  The X arcade is 259 for everything shipped for both.  The ebay one is 225 shipped for everything for both.  The hot rod double is only 99.95 plus shipping.  I am torn here but the main advantage is the two seperate controllers.  Are they too heavy to use on your lap?  Any suggestions would be appreciated thanks.

Sean

Quick summary -

E-bay controller -  Looks a lot like the sticks that Modeverything used to make.  Is definitely a redoctane box with a PS2 gamepad hack inside, which were pretty much their hallmarks.  Two player picture is definitely a SlikStik, so I'm a little suspicious of the entire ad.  If I am guessing right, should work with a PS/2 or other systems (PC, X-box, etc), with adapters.

Hot Rod - Good controller at $99, but not programmable.  Also PC only, not console.

X-Arcade - Decent controller at $169, can be programmed to one of four codesets, and works with consoles or PC.

Single/Dual Controllers - I originally planned two single controllers like you are mentioning, but decided on a dual (HotRod/X-Arcade style) controller for the following reasons -

1)  Cost  and complexity -  No matter how you look at it, two single player controllers will cost more - Not just more wood, but two encoders or gamepad hacks, or if you use a single encoder, extra cables and jacks and ports and terminal blocks, etc.

2)  Convenience -  Initially, it sounds nice to be able to only use the controls you need, but remember many two player games are "Join in any time".  With a HotRod, someone can just hit the credit button and start playing.  With a USB gamepad hack, MAME won't scan the ports after a game starts, so you would have to exit the game and re-start if the second panel wasn't already plugged in.  You can avoid this conflict if you used a single encoder and DB25 connectors, but you still have to deal with someone plugging in another panel while you're in the middle of playing your game.