Where to Get a Good Analog Stick?

[heemid]

I want something similar to the quasicade analog stick. I plan on wiring it through an xbox controller (stick too small), just need a stick. Thanks.

[specfire]

I haven't tried it yet as I don't have an AKI or APAC but I have very high hopes for this MIDI keyboard style joystick:

[horseboy]

I bought that exact model just to try it with this. I was totally shocked when I got it because it is ridiculously tiny. Another big problem is that it doesn't have any kind of auto centering mechanism. You could probably add one, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet. I haven't really had any time to try anything with this thing yet, though.

[heemid]

It looks cool, but it does look small. I went yesterday and checked out a quasicade2, now I really want an analog stick, theirs did seem a little loose.

[zenmasterbooty]

any way to use these and add your own head?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SONY-PSP-REPAIR-PARTS-JOYSTICK-ANALOG-STICKS-G55_W0QQitemZ8289721224QQcategoryZ111815QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[zenmasterbooty]

here we go....

joystick 2 auto centers

http://www.phidgetsusa.com/cat/viewsubcategory.asp?category=5000&subcategory=5220

[specfire]

Zenmasterboy, great link for http://www.phidgetsusa.com
Joystick #1 appears to be the EXACT same one that Bent-tronics sells (and that I bought) but it is $2.50 cheaper!  The only difference is the handle.  The quality on this joystick appears to be very high.

As for the size and non-centering features, I really like that combination.  It feels great and can be easily manipulated with two fingers.  I bet Star Wars will play really well but I bet Sinistar will suck ( I need to buy an AKI and try it out to know for sure.)

As for joystick #2, if you thought joystick #1 was small, #2 is downright minuscule; too small for two finger use.

w.r.t. the console(PS2) analogue joysticks, I think that they are fairly low resolution and you would still be stuck finding a way to interface them.  At least with a standard 2-pot stick, any interface board will work (such as the AKI.)

spec

[psychopanda]

Ok, probably a stupid question but here goes...

What do you want an analog stick for? To play console games like Xbox or Nin64?

 

-puzzled 'panda

[heemid]

Yeah, for N64 mainly. Majoras Mask is too hard with a digital stick.

[psychopanda]

Ah, thanks. Would a 49-way joystick be a good substitute for an analog stick?

[bossyman15]

Ah, thanks. Would a 49-way joystick be a good substitute for an analog stick?

i would like to know too... and also does 49 way have circle motion like p360?

[horseboy]

Ah, thanks. Would a 49-way joystick be a good substitute for an analog stick?

i would like to know too... and also does 49 way have circle motion like p360?

Some people had said that it makes an ok analog stick in emulators, but it only has 3 levels of sensitivity in each direction. Also I have never heard of anyone hacking one into a console controller or anything, so I think that you could only use it in emulators.

[Kremmit]

Ah, thanks. Would a 49-way joystick be a good substitute for an analog stick?

i would like to know too... and also does 49 way have circle motion like p360?

Some people had said that it makes an ok analog stick in emulators, but it only has 3 levels of sensitivity in each direction. Also I have never heard of anyone hacking one into a console controller or anything, so I think that you could only use it in emulators.

Yes, it has circular motion.  No corners. 

It's a decent analog replacement for *some* games, in others it just doesn't cut it.  It depends on how the game makes use of the analog joy in the first place.  Games like Star Wars and Afterburner, that use the analog joy to aim, a 49-way won't do so well, because there are spots on the screen you just can't aim at.  Games like Road Runner and I-Robot, that use the analog for speed control, work fine.

You will be limited to software that runs on a PC- no consoles, or arcade PCBs that weren't meant for a 49-way.

[bossyman15]

Oh really?! Thanks for the reply! One more question tho.

Will 49 way work with my new favorite game... Food fight?

[Kremmit]

Should work pretty well on Food Fight.  I've only played a real one for a few minutes, so I don't have much to compare to, but if I remember right, the analog stick controls both how fast the chef runs, and what direction he runs & throws food.  Three levels of speed control are probably enough, as it wasn't a very fast game in the first place.  I don't remember how fine the aiming control was, so I dunno if the resolution on the 49-way is up to that part or not.  It'll certainly play better than an 8-way, though.

[psychopanda]

Ah, I didn't realize that analog joysticks use pots instead of microswitches. Now it makes sense to me why they are so hard to emulate, without the proper hardware. Instead of an "on/off" state they use a variable state (potentiometer) to determine how far the joystick has moved, which can translate to different things in the game. Anyways, the following page explains it alot better than I do. Sorry for the tangent guys, just thought this might be helpful to others.

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1503311