How much space between P1 and P2 controls?

[kelemvor]

I'm laying out my CP and am just lookif for information on how much space everyone leaves between the controls.  Mainly if you measure from the right most button for P1 to the Joystick for P2, how much space is there.  ANd does it feel too crowded.

I don't want to put something together and then end up rubbing against whoever I'm playing with all the time.  But I don't want to have the buttons too far to the outside of the CP either.

Any input would be great.

Thanks.

[Jimbo]

On my cab I'm trying to decide the same thing... although its a bit easier for me as I have a big trackball that I want to place between the controls.  You could always angle the controls slightly to give each player a bit more room if you're struggling for space on the cp itself.

[leapinlew]

I'm laying out my CP and am just lookif for information on how much space everyone leaves between the controls.  Mainly if you measure from the right most button for P1 to the Joystick for P2, how much space is there.  ANd does it feel too crowded.

I don't want to put something together and then end up rubbing against whoever I'm playing with all the time.  But I don't want to have the buttons too far to the outside of the CP either.

Any input would be great.

Thanks.

When I build a CP - I make it at least 22"-24" wide for a 2 player street fighter layout. At that width, the joystick and buttons are all the way on the edge. It leaves a little room in the center, but it's needed for 2 adults to comfortably play a fighting game.

[Jdurg]

I'm having the same tough choices.  I've put together a mock-up of my control panel out of cardboard and like the dimensions of it.  I then went out and bought a 2'x4' sheet of Poplar Cabinet Grade plywood for the panel.  (I actually got it in 0.75" thickness since I can't see 0.5" thick plywood being strong enough after routing out the top part for the joysticks).

Anyway, I too am now facing a tough choice about controller spacing.  I could make my control panel wider and allow for four players, or should I make it a bit narrower and just focus on two players?  ARRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

[kelemvor]

I finally brought my wife downstairs into the shop yesterday and said "Stand here".  We just kind of pretended we were playing and it seemed OK.  Don't have any pics with me but I'll post something when I get home if I remember.

[Jdurg]

I finally brought my wife downstairs into the shop yesterday and said "Stand here".  We just kind of pretended we were playing and it seemed OK.  Don't have any pics with me but I'll post something when I get home if I remember.

The wife or the CP?   

[solderguy1]

And remember to check for dual-joystick stuff like Robotron too.

[u_rebelscum]

Some people like more space than others.  I've seen 36" wide panels for two players with the joysticks near the edges, as well as wider.

Me, I grew up with 24" 2 player CPs, and enjoy it (as long as the guy next to me doesn't stand with his feet farther apart than his shoulders; damn "cowboys").  IMO, those 36" panels put the players too far off center (unless it's a showcase cab), whatever rocks people's boats.

A lot of it is personal tastes, but some things to think about: type of cab (showcase lets you go wider), size of cab (smaller ==> smaller CP), size of monitor (small ==> smaller CP), distance to monitor (closer ==> smaller CP), number of buttons (more ==> bigger CP), one player two stick (tank) games or not (yes ==> sticks ~ 14"-19" apart), size of yourself & your friends (bigger ==> wider CPs), and size of your "personal space".

[BORIStheBLADE]

I went to a local arcade and checked out all the dimesions of the fighter cabinets. I was worried about mine being too small my CP on my cab was 28x9".

I would say go check out some arcades and get some numbers and adjust accordingly.

[lanman31337]

Everyone knows the proper way to stand is with one foot forward and one foot back, like you're racing  

[Kajoq]

I went with a 32" wide CP on my cab, and would stick to that size If I were to build another.  You're not banging elbows with p2 if you're standing.  I got some stools recently and both players can sit comfortably on the stools as well.

[LeedsFan]

That "Widowmaker" control panel looks neat... I like it.

I like to incorporate a trackball in between the Player buttons on a two player panel... but then that in itself brings another question someone else touched upon. What about dual joystick games like Robotron and Smash TV? I don't like to have the sticks spaced too far apart. So it's a case of getting a nice balance of space for two people and comfort for those types of games mentioned.

You could of course have each player with two joysticks each.... but that just racks up more expense. And for me that also means unmatched sticks if I'm already using 2x U360s. I'm not getting 4 of them!

From all the the two player panels I've seen the X-Arcade (one without trackball) seems to have the closest set of controls. I've heard people say that it can get cramped on that unit, and just looking at it I'm not surprised.