best way to play tron on pc - is there a joystick & spinner unit?

[dmaul3300]

I have the mame emulation & want to play TRON (one of my all time favorite games) and was wondering what people use for the spinner. to play tron the correct way you really need a spinner.

i have searched this website and have seen the Heavy Duty 8-Way Trigger Joystick being mentioned as being about as close to the actual joystick you can get but really havent heard anyone mentioning spinners. I also see where they are selling the replacement handles for $45 from specialtyplastic. i assume these are replacements for cabinet joysticks.

do they make a joystick/spinner combo for the pc that can be used for tron? if so where can i get one. something like this http://www.homearcadesystems.com/spinner%20&%20joystick.htm 

eventually i am going to get a mame cabinet that will have a tron like handle and spinner unit BUT i would like something to tide me over. I just moved into a new house and have some other bills/expenses i need to get in order before i start my mame cabinet.

im sorry if this is in the wrong area. i wasnt sure where to post this. I must say i am impressed with the amount of good information in this forum. it is neat to see some of the machines and things people have done.

[whynotpizza]

The following is an excellent combination:

Heavy Duty 8-Way Trigger Joystick
http://www.happcontrols.com/joysticks/50997000.htm

Apache Controls Push/Pull Blachhawk Spinner
http://www.apachecontrols.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1

Both controls are top-notch and work for a variety of other games as well!

   David

[NoOne=NBA=]

You're not going to be happy with any stock 8-way, including the Happ mentioned above.
The lightcycle stage is completely unplayable with one.
If you get into the diagonal area at all, you will start zig-zagging, and crash.

A cheaper alternative to the Happ 8-way is to find a Discs of Tron or Xenophobe stick on ebay, and then couple that with the 4-way restrictor that Encryptor is selling in this thread in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum.
That will make the stick very playable.


For the spinner you have several options.

First, you can build your own from parts, and use a mouse hack to interface it.
I built one awhile back that used a roller for a screen door as the bearing.
The outer part screwed to the wood, and I put a piece of all-thread through it with a knob on one end, and an encoder wheel on the other.

The second option is to find a used arcade spinner on ebay, and interface that with either a mouse hack or one of the optical interfaces available from the suppliers on the board here.
Ultimarc and Groovy Game Gear both have interfaces available, and both are top notch.

The third option is to buy a complete aftermarket spinner on either ebay, or directly from the manufacturer.
Blackhawk was mentioned above, and is the best choice if push/pull ability is needed.
If you don't need the push/pull, check out Groovy Game Gear's Turbo Twist 2.
It's less expensive than the Blackhawk, but has almost no footprint under the CP.