Website:
http://www.x-arcade.com/two-player.shtmlPrice Paid: $129.95 (Christmas Gift)
Received: Dec. 2005
A quick review of my X-Arcade from the view of a BYOAC newb. For those that are interested/thinking about it.
Enclosure: Overall, the X-Arcade is built solid. Its fairly heavy (on the order of 15-20lbs at least) and made of fairly thick wood overlayed with a black textured laminate, as is shown in the pictures. The overall construction is great and there really aren't any complaints.
Control Layout: For one player games, the setup is great. The joysticks aren't too far apart to make two-joy games uncomfortable to play, and far enough apart that they don't get in the way if using only one control side. The button spacing is good, and the 8 button layout works well when playing Neo-Geo games. It's setup perfectly for one player. For two players, the controls are a bit tight, but manageable. When two big guys are playing, they will not be sitting directly in front of the controller, instead off at a bit of an angle. I played with another guy and we had no problems playing even when sitting on the sofa with the controller on a table in front of us. Also, there is some 'free space' in the controller if one wanted to add a spinner or something, though I'm sure that would void your warranty.
Actual Controls:
Buttons: As mentioned in other places, the buttons make a noticeable ping noise. If this would drive you crazy, then maybe it isn't for you but no one has ever made mention of it when trying it out and I'm the only one that noticed. Overall, the buttons feel absolutely fine to me, but I've yet to try others (I have Happ/Cherry Switch buttons that I'm going to be trying soon and will update after I do).
Joysticks: There are some issues with the sticks. I'm not sure if this is common for all sticks, since these are the only ones I've played on, but the diagonals are REALLY easy to hit. While playing 8-way games and higher, it's not as big of a deal, but if playing a game that uses a 4-way, things are really touchy and VERY hard to play. After 10-15 minutes of playing, you get used to it and can accomodate for it, but (never used one but I'm assuming) a 4-way joystick with restrictors would be 100x better then these. There's also some flash around the joystick handle itself that annoys me but there's really no way to remove it without marring the handles finish in other places.
Overall: As a 'starter' desktop controller, or for those without the skill/time/space for a cab or larger controls, the X-arcade works well enough for the price. If you have the workshop space, tools, and skill, building your own however may bring you to close to the same price and you would could get better joysticks then what the X-arcade has for a similar price. This would, however involve your time, etc., so it really gets into a gray area on whats cheaper, whats better, etc. and depends on your style. Because of the 30-day return policy, I would say try it out if you want and return it if you really dont like it. As a stop gap controller for those of us in small apartments or lacking in the skill to build something, the controller works great and is a lot of fun.
One thing is that the guarantee can't be overstated (esp. for newcomers to BYOAC'ing). I realized last night when playing some games with the aformentioned other 'big guy' that some people aren't as light/gentle with controls as I am. I've never moved the X-arcade when playing...he was REGULARLY moving it. By the end of the night he caught on that he was kind of being a bit...wild...but I realized that I didnt need to worry as much since everything is guaranteed and if something breaks X-arcade will replace it. A nice little bonus for a good controller.
I'm going to update this review as I try out other controls and build new things...so...some of the above feelings may change.
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Topic: Review: X-Arcade Dual Joystick (Read 4836 times)
