Can't decide on what joysticks to use, and I really want to get started!

[syph007]

First let me say that this hobby is awesome!  I've been wanting to do a build for more than 2 years now.  I finally have spare money to get started, AND not only girlfriend approval, but girlfriend encouragement!  So it's for sure a go now.  One of the selling points to her was that in her family its a bit of a competition for events to have people come to your house (big family) vs another brother or sister.  With a rec room and a cool Arcade cabinet, more likely we will 'win' and get people to come to our house.  She also of course thinks it will be fun to play.

Anyway, enough rambling.  So far all I have a Happ over/under coin door, and refurbed golden tee trackball.  Next on my list is to obtain joysticks and buttons.  Here is my major major delema... I've been debating for ages the pros and cons of each type of stick, and every single day this week, I've changed my mind.  I need to make a decision soon and order something. Preferably today! Here's where I am.

Option 1
--------
2 8way supers
1 4way reunion

Pros
- Cheapest

Cons
- I HATE clicky joysticks


Option 2
--------
2 P360's
1 4Way reunion

Pros
- Silent main sticks

Cons
- I'm unclear as to whether these really need a diff actuator to be 'perfect'


Option 3
--------
2 U360's

Pros
- Silent main stick
- Additional stick modes
- No longer need a dedicated 4way, and could put say 2 topfires up there instead for tank games

Cons
- Almost $200 for 2 sticks with restrictors, and extra springs
- I'm still not clear on whether I need these extra parts, but don't want to waste shipping


Any advice?  Are the U360s really worth all that money?  I see them being used at 8way's the majority of the time anyway... which makes me thing the p360s are fine.. but then i think.. but supers are so much cheaper.. and maybe I could mod the microswiches and silence them.. then I think.. but then i might as well get the P360's since they are quiet already and its worth the extra, and then I think if its worth extra money to be satisfied, then I should just go for the U360's...

Can you see how I'm torturing myself!  For a new guy to the hobby, the amount of information can be overhelming.. it's really tough to know what to do sometimes.  If anyone can shed some light on the best option for me, I would very very much appreciate it!

Thank you!

[markrvp]

Get RED joysticks.  Red joysticks are the best.  I have red joysticks on many of my arcade cabinets and they are much more fun to play than the the cabinets with the blue joysticks.  I'm not kidding.





























Okay, I'm kidding.

P360s are my favorite joystick.  Even though they are expensive, you will be happy you bought them.  Also, if you are going to play Donkey Kong and/or Pacman, then you definitely want the dedicated 4-way.

[syph007]

The Perfect 360's do sound good to me, are they fine stock, or do they really need some sort of modification to be good?  I read posts about swapping the actuators being needed, and that just muddied the water more for me.

[csa3d]

I have a wood 3/4" control panel, and am bottom mounting mine.  I bought the long shafts for both sticks.. though the short shafts DO feel more like the short pacman joys.  Spring wise, I found that the longer shafts felt very weak and floppy returning to center, so I've sent out for stiff springs.  This seems to be a common trend, but I've also heard of a lot of folks liking the default springs.  It comes down to personal taste.  If you order some and don't like it, then order the springs.  That's sorta the approach I've taken.

-csa

[Kaytrim]

My personal preferance is the Happ Competition sticks over the Supers.  Randy at GroovyGameGear has introduced his leaf style micro switch that is super quiet.  I'd check with Randy to be sure but I believe that you can use his new micro switches in the Happ sticks.

TTFN
Kaytirm

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

anyone have any experience with TornadoTerry's stuff?  I was thinking of maybe getting his switchable 8-to-4 way switchable joystick..

http://www.tornadoterrys.com/surplus.htm   

[javeryh]

I like the U360s mainly because of the on-the-fly map switching.  No one ever has to think about which joystick to use or which mode to be in or whatever - it's all done automatically. 

[NoOne=NBA=]

I'm partial to leafswitch sticks over the P-360's.
There is no functional difference between the two, as they are both 8-way joysticks with round restrictors.

The purpose of the actuator swap on the P-360 is to adjust the sensitivity on it.
You can adjust the sensitivity on a leafswitch stick to get it just the way you want it, without any extra parts.
If you want all directions to immediately activate, you can set it for that.
If you want to push the stick almost to the end of travel before actuation, you can do that.
If you really like Crazy Climber, you can adjust the up/down switches to be really tight, and the left/right ones to be a little sloppy.

That is the most appealing thing to me about the U-360.
You can make those individual adjustments in software, and have them automatically implemented.
That lets you set the up/down sensitivity tight and the left/right loose for Crazy Climber ONLY.
It won't affect the performance on Time Pilot, for example.

[markrvp]

anyone have any experience with TornadoTerry's stuff?  I was thinking of maybe getting his switchable 8-to-4 way switchable joystick..

http://www.tornadoterrys.com/surplus.htm   

tornadoterry is great vendor to buy from - he is an hour away from me.  The joysticks he is selling are the Happ Super base with a custom handle.  You still have to flip the actuator to change from 8-way to 4-way which isn't very convenient.  Most of us have a dedicated 4-way if we play a lot of 4-way games.

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

Could you describe how you would actually switch it from 4 to 8 way?  How much trouble is involved?

See, i would get a dedicated 4 way, but i KNOW that I'll do that, then end up adding ROMs that require 8-way, and I'd kick myself.

I saw on some site, a joystick that is adjustable from the top, by lifting and twisting the handle...


speaking of joysticks, what is the best way to mount it on my control panel?  I've heard people speak of undermounting and top mounting, and they are both equally Greek to me.

[NoOne=NBA=]

Could you describe how you would actually switch it from 4 to 8 way?  How much trouble is involved?

I am assuming you mean how to switch the super from 8-way to 4-way?
That requires changing the actuator on the bottom of the stick, which isn't something you are going to want to do on the fly.

See, i would get a dedicated 4 way, but i KNOW that I'll do that, then end up adding ROMs that require 8-way, and I'd kick myself.

You will want both a 4-way and an 8-way if you want anything remotely authentic.
If you just want to play games, and don't need them to perform at peak efficiency, then you can probably get by with an 8-way only.
Playing 8-way games with a 4-way is even more frustrating than playing 4-way games with an 8-way.

I saw on some site, a joystick that is adjustable from the top, by lifting and twisting the handle...

Check out Ultimarc for that.
Groovy Game Gear sells one that has a lever on top to change modes.

What is the best way to mount it on my control panel?

Securely.




Seriously though, it's a matter of preference.

Most people mount them from beneath the control panel, but there are alot of ways to do even that.
You can mount them from below with screws from below.
You can mount them with carriage bolts all the way through.
You can mount them with T-nuts sunk into the top of the CP.

I'm in the minority, but I prefer a laminated CP.
My usual method is to use a 1/4" top skin over a 3/4" sub-layer, with the stick screwed in from the bottom to a T-nut.
I sink the T-nuts into the 3/4" layer, then laminate the 1/4" layer to it.
This requires aftermarket handles, but lets you have the dustwashers 1/4" under the CP surface, like they were on most dedicated cabinets.
The handles are available at Groovy Game Gear for most sticks.

[syph007]

Thanks for all the input guys... It sounds like the U360's are a go then.  I was on the fence about spending that much money.. but this IS something I want to have around and user for a long time to come.  I tried out Mala and found the configuration loading software.. it appears to be quite straight forward.  I guess I was also hung up on the fact that these aren't actual arcade sticks, granted probably built the same though.

Cheers and many thanks.

[NoOne=NBA=]

The price is the only downside to the U-360.
You may want to limit travel, adjust the springs, etc... to achieve the exact feel you desire, but they are unmatched in versatility.

I don't see any problems with durability, strength, etc... vs. any authentic arcade stick.

[Kangum]

The ultrastick looks  really nice. if you hate clicky that leaves out most joys. i have only ever tried magstick plus and a jstick. magstick feels really crappy to me. some people love it, i dont like the throw on it. its also extremely clicky. i like my jstick. longer throw but its a bit soft. eventually i will ditch both and get 2 sanwa JLF. if folks like them better then the JLW then im all set.

i agree with what was said above about the dedicated 4 way if you plan on pacman or donkey kong. these games play so much better with a joy that has a true restrictor plate. so wichever you decide you will be happier with a true 4 way to go along with it.

[syph007]

Ok, I want to order the U360's, but I have what I'm positive is a stupid new guy question.  I want to get the stiffer springs so I can experiment.. How many springs are actually in one joystick.. is it one or more?  I was about to order then realized I didnt know howe many of the extra spring items I was supposed to add?

I'm sure this must have been obvious to everyone else, but not to me, so I must have missed something.

[Jeff AMN]

I absolutely love my Perfect 360s. They are smooth as silk and responsive as can be. They've been great for pretty much all the games I like to play on MAME. For a great 4-way stick, it doesn't get much better than the Sanwa JLF.

[Donkey_Kong]

Ok, I want to order the U360's, but I have what I'm positive is a stupid new guy question.  I want to get the stiffer springs so I can experiment.. How many springs are actually in one joystick.. is it one or more?  I was about to order then realized I didnt know howe many of the extra spring items I was supposed to add?

I'm sure this must have been obvious to everyone else, but not to me, so I must have missed something.

The stick comes with one spring and it is very "light"(small diameter). You have the option to order additional springs...hard and medium(larger diameter). The medium is what most settle on. The stick uses only one spring at a time.


EDIT: Just checked his order page. Looks like he offers the hard spring as an add on. I'm guessing he has gotten rid of the incredibly light spring, added the medium spring as stock, but continues to offer the hard spring option for $3. Back when I ordered, I ordered every add on offered...restrictors, springs, wire harness. If I had to do it again, I would probably just leave out the hard spring.