4 - 8 Way adjustable Joystick

[digitalmonkeyman]

I know Iv'e seen it, and I can't find the thread by doing a search.  I'm looking for a joystick that is a 4 and an 8 way, where you can toggle between the two.   Lift and twist is what I believe I saw.

Any help would be appreciated.

[protokatie]

Check out the magstick plus, it has controls for changing the stick plate to be wither 4 way or 8 way on the top.

Ultimarc.com sells em.

[Kremmit]

The other option on the market is the Prodigy from GroovyGameGear.  That one uses a mechanical lever that pokes up through the mounting plate, as opposed to the lift & twist.

[jlfreund]

Does anyone know if magstick plus or prodigy is better for games like Robotron?

I have magstick plus and just with mindless playing, about 90% of the shots and movement comes out diagonal.

I think both have a square restrictor plate which I heard makes hitting horizontal and vertical very hard, so I'm guessing they would be the same. 

Jason

[ArtsNFartsNCrafts]

I have a magstick plus on my cocktail that I'm building, and it does well enough for classic 4-way games, as long as you remember to switch it to 4-way!  It doesn't have much of a throw, but you get used to it.

[shardian]

You can also buy it from Divemaster in the BST forum. He has a thread at the top of the forum.

Now that I've contributed, may I ask what is up with the blatant advertisement footer?

[divemaster127]

hello, I have the magstick plus in stock here in the states. Send a pm for a quote if you need, these are available in red, black or blue
thanks
dm

[digitalmonkeyman]

You can also buy it from Divemaster in the BST forum. He has a thread at the top of the forum.

Now that I've contributed, may I ask what is up with the blatant advertisement footer?

Just trying to support my arcade habit

[Green Giant]

For you owners of the 4 and 8 way sticks, how well does it work in 8-way mode with the square restrictor.  I assume it switches to a diamond shape in 4-way making up-down-left-right easy to hit, but is it harder in square, 8-way, mode?

Also, divemaster, do you carry groovygamegear interface controllers like the gpwiz?

[divemaster127]

Sorry happ, ultimarc items
dm

[Kaytrim]

Does anyone know if magstick plus or prodigy is better for games like Robotron?

I have magstick plus and just with mindless playing, about 90% of the shots and movement comes out diagonal.

I think both have a square restrictor plate which I heard makes hitting horizontal and vertical very hard, so I'm guessing they would be the same. 

Jason

Jason,

Your best bet for Robotron is to get a pair of Happ Competition joysticks.  divemaster sells them too.  I did the switch and never looked back.  My Robotron scores jumped on the first game with them.

TTFN
Kaytrim

[NoOne=NBA=]

I have magstick plus and just with mindless playing, about 90% of the shots and movement comes out diagonal.

The problem here is, what makes a good joystick for one game, does not necessarily make a good stick for another game.
For games like Robotron you really need a leafswitch stick, or a mappable 49-way/analog.
That will let you adjust the amount of shots you get in each direction around the perimeter.
Setting the sticks to actuate that far out makes them less desirable for other games that require tight maneuvering however.

The ideal setup for Robotron is to have the left stick set fairly tight, and the right stick fairly loose.
That will allow you to do back and forth movements quickly, but give an even spray of shots when moved back and forth around the perimeter.
That's how we used to get the ops to set them in the arcades.

[digitalmonkeyman]

What would the recommendation be for just playing the Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Asteroids, and maybe Burger Time?

[Kremmit]

What would the recommendation be for just playing the Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Asteroids, and maybe Burger Time?

Asteroids plays with buttons only, so that one's not relevant when it comes to joysticks.

DK, Pac-Man & Burgertime are all 4-way games, and will play at their very best with a true-4-way stick.  That's a stick with diamond or cloverleaf shaped restrictors.  Next best would be a digitally-restricted stick like a 49-way or a U-360.  Playing on an 8-way like a Competition would be your worst option for those games.  They'll still play, but you won't get as far or score as many points.  As for setting the sensitivity for those games, I like it set pretty tight on 4-way games, but it's a matter of taste.  It's certainly not as crucial as it is on Robotron.


What it sounds like to me, is you're searching for the magic joystick that's the "best" for all of the old classic games.  Everybody, everybody here has been on that search before.  Sadly, there just ain't no such thing.  Different games will each have their own "best" stick.  The stick that's best for Robotron will absolutely not be the best for Donkey Kong, it will in fact be sub-par at best on Donkey Kong.  And you would really, really, really hate using a Donkey Kong stick for Robotron. 
Your options:

1.  Go with the stick that fits the most important of your old favorite games.  Other games will suffer, but you'll get the very best performance on the games you build for.  You can always use a different stick on your *next* cab. 

2.  Make the best compromise you can.  Switchable sticks like the Mag-Stick or Prodigy are one route; 49-way or U-360 would be the other.  You'll get the best all-around gameplay this way, but fewer games will have the "best" stick for them.

3.  Put more than one stick on there.  Adding a dedicated 4-way for the 4-way games can free you up on your 8-way choices.

4.  Do swappable/modular control panels.  You can swap in any stick you like if you go this route, but it'll be more work and more $$.

[kelemvor]

I have a mag stik plus and some j stiks or t stiks or something which are the same thing but without the "Lift and Twist" thing.  There's a lever under the joystick I flip.

My CP is hinged in the front so I just lift it up, reach under, flip the switch, and put it back down.  Only takes a couple seconds and is no big deal for me.

They work fine but I haven't tried many 4-way games yet.

[NoOne=NBA=]

What would the recommendation be for just playing the Donkey Kong, Pac Man, and maybe Burger Time?

My current favorite 4-way is a T-stik, with the RandyT mod done to it.
I don't have time for a proper search at the moment, but basically you unscrew the bottom of the stick, and put some washers, as spacers, where the main screws go.
That allows it to keep the short throw, but significantly reduces the spring pressure to keep you from wearing yourself out fighting it.

I haven't tried the magstiks.
They are supposed to have a lighter action than the T-stik, so they may be great right out of the box.

[Green Giant]

I have a mag stik plus and some j stiks or t stiks or something which are the same thing but without the "Lift and Twist" thing.  There's a lever under the joystick I flip.

My CP is hinged in the front so I just lift it up, reach under, flip the switch, and put it back down.  Only takes a couple seconds and is no big deal for me.

They work fine but I haven't tried many 4-way games yet.

You ever have trouble with the 8-way games on it?  The diamond pattern for 4-way should be ideal, but I am wondering how the feel is on a square restrictor for the 8-way action.