Is this such a radical idea?

[subzero23]

Not that I'd probably put this on my arcade but...instead of using a joystick, use 4 buttons? It seems on my keyboard everything is ultra precise.... seems like the logic would follow using pushbuttons

[paigeoliver]

A few very early games were like that.

It is basically unusable for most games though.

[teef two]

I would not have thought the precision with using buttons rather than a joystick would improve. They both involve pressing a micro-switch. I'd find it nigh on impossible to play a joystick game by that method.

[TOK]

I would not have thought the precision with using buttons rather than a joystick would improve. They both involve pressing a micro-switch. I'd find it nigh on impossible to play a joystick game by that method.

I wouldn't like the buttons only arrangement, but I think it works very well for some games based on what I found playable using the arrow keys on the PC keyboard.
I found 4 way games like Donkey Kong, Pac Man and Frogger didn't suffer at all from using keys. In fact, I think I did better at Donkey Kong, because I often seem to get hung up trying to climb the ladders, even with my T-Sticks in 4 way mode.

Where I think the button layout would be horrible is in games that use a lot of rapid movements or lots of diagonals. Robotron comes to mind as an example of a game that is a blast with sticks, but that I would hate to play with buttons.

[paigeoliver]

Speed up pac is much harder with buttons.

[subzero23]

I think key layouts like that work better for street fighter/tekken/mortal kombat games than joysticks do

[TalkingOctopus]

I think key layouts like that work better for street fighter/tekken/mortal kombat games than joysticks do

It is much easier to do circular movements in fighters (half circle, back quarter circle ect...) with a joystick.  I don't think that substituting a joy w/ buttons has any redeeming values.

[subzero23]

ya but doing dragon punches and diagonal-ending moves is a ---smurfette--- on a joystick