What do you think about the X arcade stick ?

[Rakae]

I am a long time reader of this forum first time poster.
I am building my first Mame and looking at the X arcade tank stick.

To tell you the truth it is not the wiring that scares me it is the wood working.

The box I am working with is an old crystals castles box.
The control panel on the front is a metal flip down.
(I would restore CC but it has had about 3 other games in it since. The last game bottom of the ninth.
The only thing from CC it has is the Atari logo on the speakers.)

What do you think of the X arcade stick? Also if you got any tips to adding a control panel on this box I would be
super grateful.

[Ginsu Victim]

The switches are some of the loudest out there, and the encoder doesn't always register your input. If you bought a used one off eBay and replaced the guts (everything but the box), or buy one of their blanks cheap, then that's ok.

Retroblast reviews
The 2-player unit
http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/reviews/controller3.html

The joystick itself
http://retroblast.arcadecontrols.com/reviews/joysticks/xgaming.html

[MameMaster!]

As a big fan of XArcade I 100% disagree with his assessment.

They're great sticks and work well. They are perfect for plug play with PC, PS2, XBOX (original), PS1, DREAMCAST etc etc.

The best part is that you can upgrade them with Happ (or similar) parts if you want.

The XArcade parts are louder than happ, but work perfectly. It's really only personal preference.

Lastly, the PCB works great and so do their adaptors.

For the price they a great stick until you have the confidence to build your own, or modify one of theirs.

 

[extendedplayarcade]

I have one of the first generation X-arcade 2 player game controlers.  I use it for my mame games.  I think I have had it over 5 or more years.  I really can't remember how long I have had it.

It was super easy to set up but I have the PS2 so It plugs right into where the keyboard should go. It has a pass through for your existing keyboard.  I don't remember having any problems setting it up but yet again it has been so long since I set it up.

It gets a lot of play from adults to kids.  They beat the crap out of it and I have never had to replace a button or joystick.  

I agree it is rather clicky with buttons and joysticks but that doesn't bother me one bit.  I also bought the track ball as well but that one is on another computer.  I couldn't get them both to work on the same computer at once but I only tried once and really didn't try that hard at all.

The tank stick seems to the best of both worlds for the quick and easy install.  I use them without a cabinet so I really couldn't help ya with your other questions.

I do have stand up arcade cabinet games as well.  I have golden tee 99 and Lethal Enforcers 2 gun fighters (i just recently bought the jamma board of lethal enforcers but haven't tried it out or put in one of those cards that will split the jamma signal but that is the plan.   I also have a world cup soccer pin.  All work so well so I never had to mess with them.  I had a lot more (Adams family pin, Thearter of Magic, Shaq attaq pin, Cue ball wizzard pin, Blue Chip pin, Operation Thunder bolt) but had to sell to pay for Wedding, Baby Shower, Christning, and Etc.  I seriously had to come up with like 14,000 bucks fast so it was my only option.

I guess I am lucky.  I hope this helps.
Brent
www.extendedplayarcade.com

PS I been meaning to do a video review of it but with my new born and another little one on the way I just don't have time.  I actually am a Video Producer for a living and figured it would be good to show clients alternatives to advertising on tv through the web and blah blah blah ya know.

[Turnarcades]

Lame, temperemental encoder (many people report ghosting, despite the maker's denials) and does not integrate well into a cabinet with their cumbersome shape. I say avoid.

Might be ok if you're a casual gamer with no room for a cab, but if you're gonna go the whole hog the overall feel and look will bug you over time.

[Kajoq]

Do yourself a favor and get a stick with either HAPP or Sanwa parts.  The X-Arcades are noticably lower quality than either of those.

[ark_ader]

Lame, temperemental encoder (many people report ghosting, despite the maker's denials) and does not integrate well into a cabinet with their cumbersome shape. I say avoid.

Might be ok if you're a casual gamer with no room for a cab, but if you're gonna go the whole hog the overall feel and look will bug you over time.

Its a good dodgy sales pitch for one of your cabs mate.  If the home arcade business takes a dive, you can always sell second hand motors.

As a big fan of XArcade I 100% disagree with his assessment.

They're great sticks and work well. They are perfect for plug play with PC, PS2, XBOX (original), PS1, DREAMCAST etc etc.

The best part is that you can upgrade them with Happ (or similar) parts if you want.

The XArcade parts are louder than happ, but work perfectly. It's really only personal preference.

Lastly, the PCB works great and so do their adaptors.

For the price they a great stick until you have the confidence to build your own, or modify one of theirs.

 

I agree 100%.   

I love the switches off my X arcade controller.  Its been with me for years and it has only had one minor upgrade.  New cherry microswitches for the buttons that make the whole gaming experience that so much quieter.  The encoder is much better than anything else I have seen on the market, and I had them all hooked up to every console except the Wii.

I cannot fault it for the price and longevity.  I am seriously thinking of removing the panel and replacing it with a more slender top.  I installed case latches on it to keep it from moving around on the base, which works perfectly.

My only gripe is the lack of spinner and trackball, but that will be soon rectified with my button hole trackball (thanks to RayB's Idea) and a basic mouse spinner.  You can replace the joys, but I like the click when I play Robotron. 

But it is up to you.  You cannot go wrong with the X Arcade.

[TOK]

I went through what you're going through. My suggestion is to learn the woodworking. It seems like a large leap at first, but will serve you well. It's probable that you're not going to stop at this machine. 

[Ginsu Victim]

I went through what you're going through. My suggestion is to learn the woodworking. It seems like a large leap at first, but will serve you well. It's probable that you're not going to stop at this machine. 

I hear that. Now that my cab has been finished for a few months, I'm looking for my next project. More than likely a bartop. The process is more fun than the play, oddly enough.

[billpa]

I currently use one for a portable CP although I bought a blank cheap (think I got it on sale for 20 bucks) and put some nice sanwa joys and an IPAC.

I like the panel but I absolutely hate how it looks on cabs. I would just bite the bullet and build one yourself or befriend someone who knows some woodworking and have them build it for you. It will look way better.

[MameMaster!]

funny thing is when I started in this hobby I had no woodworking or PC/wiring skills....that's the best part of this hobby....learning these skills. 

[Rakae]

Well I decided to go with the X arcade stick for now. I got my cab for free so I am under budget. If I can get the X arcade to mount to the front somehow I use that. If I cant I will build a custom CP and use the X arcade on my home consoles. 

If you cant tell I am kind of itching to game. I got everything else setup in the cap and have been playing with the keyboard. (keyboard = low level of fun) 

Also if anyone is in the Columbus, Oh area and want a free monitor and Bottom of the ninth game board just let me know. 

[deadsoulz]

If you don't want to go the woodcutting route yourself, I would at least reccomend buying a panel from mameroom.com  Great Quality stuff.  And no woodworking tools required.

--ds

[wbassett]

I have a TankStick and have been using it in my cab everyday since March with no problems.  I don't have any of the ghosting problems that I hear people talking about.

The sticks are okay but seem like that have a little play in them, but work fine. 

I went this route so I could have something functional while I work on my modular cp design.

[Ginsu Victim]

If you cant tell I am kind of itching to game.

This is the worst mistake you can make. What you want to do is complete your cabinet and make it how you want it. Did you hear that? COMPLETE.

After that, install all the electronics, then the PC last.

If not, you'll never finish it.

Luckily, I was smart and pretty much had mine finished, but there are others around here who got the "itch" and just couldn't wait....and their cabs are still not done.

[studmuff]

I bought the tank stick from x-arcade last year.  I felt it was really good but I wanted more so I bought the classic controller from mameroom. 
Things I liked about the tank stick is that is was plug and play, enough buttons to play games, reasonable cost compared to a custom panel, trackball, and quality of the build. 
The things I didn't like were - no spinner ( which you can add by taking it apart), no 4-way joystick and that I wanted buttons for certain things (coins, exiting games, pause, etc).  The buttons can be assigned via mame though.
If you want to just get going it's a great control panel.  If you have to have a spinner and specific buttons, or a control panel overlay build your own or get a custom one made by mameroom or arcades r fun.

If your afraid of woodworking, you can also buy premade cutout control panels from mameroom and arcaderfun.

Hope this helps.

[TPB]

They're great sticks and work well.

Here, here.

Its a good dodgy sales pitch for one of your cabs mate.  If the home arcade business takes a dive, you can always sell second hand motors.

     ... ark, you're always good for some unconventional points of view ... the best of luck to any Amway salesman who dares try to pull the wool over your eyes !!


Go for the X-Arcade XXL ...

It's the Hummer of X-Arcade's.  A great panel with a cabinet form factor.  It's rock solid at 40 pounds.

It has plenty of spare real estate on the left & right sides, for adding a spinner or two.

It even has hinges on the panel lid, so there's easy access to the internal wiring.

The only thing is, it's a little bit pricey these days, at $229.95.  They were once on sale at $99.95, I purchased two of them at that price, which I plan to customise and use as interchangeable panels.

I'm VERY happy with this panel (both of them !).


http://www.xgaming.com/mame-panel.shtml

[extendedplayarcade]

Playing Mame games with keyboard 

1 flag


Playing with x-arcade controller

six flags.

 

[Ginsu Victim]

Playing Mame games with keyboard 

1 flag


Playing with x-arcade controller

six flags.

 

At least you found it funny....that's one person.

[severdhed]

i love my x-arcade controller, it is the reason i decided to build a mame cabinet in the first place.  the components are a little noisier than happ stuff, but nobody every complains about it.   that being said: i cannot recommend that anyone buy an x-arcade with the intentions of putting it in a cabinet.   when i first started, i attached my x-arcade 2 player stick to my cabinet, it worked, but looked like crap.  after a while, i build my own panel, and installed the x-arcade parts into it.  this looks much better, however there is alot of extra work to be done when using the x-arcade parts.  the encoder is a pain in the butt because instead of nice screw terminals or something, the wires attach with little proprietary plastic connectors, in groups of 5 (4 switches, 1 ground)  you have to use that ground for those 4 switches, or they will not function properly.  on top of this, the wires are very, very short.  i had to extend half of them in order to make them reach all the controls in my 30" wide panel.  this makes it a wiring mess.   i am really regretting doing that now..i wish i would have spent the money and bought other controls and done it right.    i am still planning on doing that in the future....

so if you want a stand alone control panel that works with game consoles, go for it.  If you are building a cabinet, do it the right way and buy separate components.  the woodworking is not hard at all.  i built my panel with nothing but a $20 drill, a borrowed jigsaw, and a dremel.  there are lots of people here to provide advice if you don't know how to do something.   you will be suprised what you are capable of.

[Ginsu Victim]

I built my panel with nothing but a $20 drill, a borrowed jigsaw, and a dremel.

Really? Wow!

Where did you install the buttons? In the dremel? No, the jigsaw?

No wood or metal? Interesting design choice.

[ark_ader]

I built my panel with nothing but a $20 drill, a borrowed jigsaw, and a dremel.

Really? Wow!

Where did you install the buttons? In the dremel? No, the jigsaw?

No wood or metal? Interesting design choice.

Nice gag. 

I did the same on my old CP.  A drill, jig, sander and handsaw.  I have a Dremel, but I have no real patience to use a Dremel.  Now I have a circular saw and a router.  But you have to go basic before you can go advanced in this hobby.  I tried to cut corners and failed.

You would be surprised on how well you can make a good panel or cab with little knowledge of woodworking.  I have branched off and started to make chairs and small furniture, and to go to woodshop classes to learn more.  I want to start making pieces like the pros with different types of wood.

Best thing is:  I still have all my fingers! 

[Rakae]

If you cant tell I am kind of itching to game.

This is the worst mistake you can make. What you want to do is complete your cabinet and make it how you want it. Did you hear that? COMPLETE.

After that, install all the electronics, then the PC last.

If not, you'll never finish it.

Luckily, I was smart and pretty much had mine finished, but there are others around here who got the "itch" and just couldn't wait....and their cabs are still not done.

Very wise words thank you, You must have a will of iron to stay away from the gaming till the cabs done.
I fear my will is not as strong... Dam you Pac Man.   


This community is very encouraging, Looks like I will have to test my might on a CP. I did order the X Arcade stick.
I guess I could use it till a custom CP is done. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to post your information and encouragement is majestic.   

[wbassett]

Rakae that's exactly what I am doing. 

Right now I'm still gathering what I consider the basics for my modular cp and then I'll start building it.  One of the main things for me was my son took two weeks vacation and came up to visit and I wanted to build an arcade cab with him as a father/son project.  I knew if we went the route of buying mdf and making a cab from scratch let alone a cp that we'd never be done before he had to get home for work.

The cab went together in two days, the finishing touches took another day (speakers, cutting the plexi, things like that).  I already had the PC setup so after that it was just a matter of plugging in the TankStick and we were actually playing way before he had to leave!  I introduced him to Defender, Major Havoc and a few other games I loved when I was his age.

He's totally hooked now.  Before he thought consoles ruled and arcades were just cheap graphics and cheesy games.  So when I get my final control panel done I plan on giving him the TankStick!  I know he'll flip out and love it.

It all depends on your mindset and whether you want to wait until you have a cp done before you can start playing some games.  Personally in my opinion for me this was the smart way to go because otherwise I probably would have a decent but slapped together cp right now and this way I can take my time and design it the way I really want it to be the first time around.

Also as I've mentioned in other posts... I started my cab before finding this forum.  Oddly enough I found the main Arcadecontrols.com site but never realized there was a forum too!  So I didn't know half the things I know now, and I am barely scratching the surface of everything there is to learn.  When I bought my TankStick I also went ahead and bought their controller kit too (like I said, because I didn't know any better).  It comes with a wiring harness and since I have it I'll probably use it to wire up some of the buttons that won't be modular panels I swap out... things like start buttons, coin drops and things like that.  For the rest I'll probably end up going with a KeyWiz.

One of the best advice tidbits I've heard on here is when you start making your cp, make a temp panel out of cardboard and see how the layout feels when you use it.  More than likely you'll decide you want to move some things around and this way you didn't waste a piece of mdf.

Another thing I think I'll say is good for us novices as far as getting something like a TankStick is after playing for awhile a person may find out they really don't like an all in one cp with enough buttons to cover every possible game.  For me I found the layout rarely fits the original game layout and that changes the feel of the game a bit... again just my opinion. 

I think the TankStick is an excellent performer and option for someone starting out and wanting to get their feet wet in the arcade building world.

[mcfreak]

I started with a 2 player X-Arcade then once I had the cabinet finished (LuCiD's Plans), I created my own control panel and moved all the controls over.  Then added an X-arcade Trackball (Got for $30) and then added the GGG Spinner and a 4-way Anniversary Stick from Tornado Terry's. I liked that I didn't have to worry about the control panel first and could gradually add on to it.  I couldn't be happier with the setup.

I attached a before and after of the control panel from my cabinet. 

[Rakae]

Rakae that's exactly what I am doing. 

Right now I'm still gathering what I consider the basics for my modular cp and then I'll start building it.  One of the main things for me was my son took two weeks vacation and came up to visit and I wanted to build an arcade cab with him as a father/son project.  I knew if we went the route of buying mdf and making a cab from scratch let alone a cp that we'd never be done before he had to get home for work.

The cab went together in two days, the finishing touches took another day (speakers, cutting the plexi, things like that).  I already had the PC setup so after that it was just a matter of plugging in the TankStick and we were actually playing way before he had to leave!  I introduced him to Defender, Major Havoc and a few other games I loved when I was his age.

He's totally hooked now.  Before he thought consoles ruled and arcades were just cheap graphics and cheesy games.  So when I get my final control panel done I plan on giving him the TankStick!  I know he'll flip out and love it.

It all depends on your mindset and whether you want to wait until you have a cp done before you can start playing some games.  Personally in my opinion for me this was the smart way to go because otherwise I probably would have a decent but slapped together cp right now and this way I can take my time and design it the way I really want it to be the first time around.

Also as I've mentioned in other posts... I started my cab before finding this forum.  Oddly enough I found the main Arcadecontrols.com site but never realized there was a forum too!  So I didn't know half the things I know now, and I am barely scratching the surface of everything there is to learn.  When I bought my TankStick I also went ahead and bought their controller kit too (like I said, because I didn't know any better).  It comes with a wiring harness and since I have it I'll probably use it to wire up some of the buttons that won't be modular panels I swap out... things like start buttons, coin drops and things like that.  For the rest I'll probably end up going with a KeyWiz.

One of the best advice tidbits I've heard on here is when you start making your cp, make a temp panel out of cardboard and see how the layout feels when you use it.  More than likely you'll decide you want to move some things around and this way you didn't waste a piece of mdf.

Another thing I think I'll say is good for us novices as far as getting something like a TankStick is after playing for awhile a person may find out they really don't like an all in one cp with enough buttons to cover every possible game.  For me I found the layout rarely fits the original game layout and that changes the feel of the game a bit... again just my opinion. 

I think the TankStick is an excellent performer and option for someone starting out and wanting to get their feet wet in the arcade building world.

Great story, I love that you got your son into the classics. Your son has a great father. I play a lot of the new games as well but you just can't beat the classics. Part of the reason I am building this cab is there are no good arcades left where I live. We got Dave & Busters and Gameworks but they could careless about the classics. It all sports and shooting games anymore.

The internet has been great for multiplayer but you don't get that face to face competition us geeks once had.
No one complaining about lag, bots or cheating, it was just your score and mine.
 

[Jack Burton]

You should just bite the bullet and build your own.  You will like it much better in the long run,

but if you must buy an X-cade and only worried about woodworking then I recommend you get only the wooden box and put higher quality controls and encoders in it.  Or buy an even better box from somewhere like mameroom.com

[Turnarcades]

Woodworking's not as hard as you think, I'd advise anyone just getting in to this to have a go; you soon get the hang of it. If you mess up a bit of wood it's just a few bucks and you can try again. If you buy a ready-made solution and don't like it or see how simple it really is, you'll be kicking yourself.

Besides, throwing money at your first cab leaves you feeling a bit empty. You've got forever to play it, so make it yourself and you will feel much more rewarded and get a layout you are happier with.

[wbassett]

Turncades other than the cost (but anytime someone opts for premade convience they will pay a bit more) and aside from the fact in my opinion the sticks in the X Arcade premade panels have a touch of a loose feel to me, I think it is a great way for someone that's a bit apprehensive about jumping into a cab and cp to start.  I think ultimately once a person uses it for awhile and especially after reading through threads on here they will end up making their own cp anyway.

It's a bit of a cash outlay, but a person could reuse some of the parts or even sell the TankStick or DualStick so someone else can then get started, and then they too will most likely end up making a custom cp.  I disagree that throwing money at your cab makes you feel empty... to me empty feeling would be jumping in feet first, getting in over your head, and then having an unusable 'box' taking up space for the next year.  At least this way a person that's uncomfortable or unsure what to do can get some enjoyment out of their cab right away!

I help people put together Home Theater projector systems on a budget and a lot of times people start out with what I call a simple OTS neutral gray paint (Off The Shelf) and once they do some research and realize it's not as difficult as they first thought, many of them switch over to a more advance method.  In the meantime though while they are educating themselves about what's out there and becoming more comfortable and confident with their skills they still have something good to use as a screen.  Sometimes though some people decide to stick with the simple method and that's perfectly fine if they are happy with it.

In the end all that matters is someone is up and running and happy right?

[extendedplayarcade]

Another good point to make is if you buy a x-arcade tank stick and then find out your want your own custom control panel. 

You could always ebay.com the x-arcade.  I seen them go for a pretty good penny.

It is like renting it for a bit or something like that.

Brent
www.extendedplayarcade.com

[wbassett]

Another way to look at it is some people could (and have) lost interest in the whole thing because building the cp takes them so long and the cab is just sitting there.  I can see some people losing interest altogether and selling the unfinished cab.  If they were able to jump in and play games then they'd catch the fever and no way would they lose interest!

Here's another one... my wife!  She wasn't too cool on a full size arcade cab at first, but now she's even hooked!  If it was still sitting there while I build my cp (which is taking forever!  Mainly because work got really hectic) I know she'd be on my butt about getting rid of it.  As it is now, she even asked for some controls for her favorite games!

The XArcade cps definitely aren't for everyone, but I wouldn't sell them short either.

[kagaden]

If you don't need the trackball on the tank stick x-arcade, pick up a Hanaho Hotrod instead. They come with better controls (happ) but are for PC's only. X-Arcade borrows their design and pays royalties to Hanaho or something like that on the X-Arcade... Either one is good for a quick cheap arcade fix.

I've owned both the X-Arcade and Hotrod for about 5 and 7 years respectively. I like the Hotrod better, but multi-system support on the X-Arcade is nice. SSF2:THD Remix coming out later this year will put my PS3 converter to the test.

[TPB]

pick up a Hanaho Hotrod instead.

Yes, a good alternative.

But the X-Arcade can be customised.  If you prefer Happ parts, simple, whack them in.

I love the cabinet form factor of the X-Arcade XXL, combined with the wealth of space available on the panel for customisations, such as adding spinners.

At 40 pounds, you can even use the XXL on a table-top (prior to installation within your cabinet !), and its weight will hold it in place ... it won't "slip around" all over the table like lighter versions of the X-Arcade.

If you want to add something like Ultimarc's Mag-Stik, which easily switches between 4 & 8 way operation via a switch below the panel, it can be installed in the XXL, as the hinges on the panel allow easy access to the area underneath.

Another thing ... the XXL has more DEPTH below the panel, which allows the installation of joysticks that require a lot of depth, such as 49-way sticks, or Happ Rotary sticks (whether the Mechanical variety, as used in Ikari warriors, or the Optical variety).  The other X-arcade models don't have sufficient depth to accommodate these joysticks.


http://www.xgaming.com/mame-panel.shtml

[TPB]

There's enough room on the X-Arcade XXL, that you could add a couple of GGG's TT2 spinners (one on either side of the panel), and have them both equipped with the largest (7") steering wheel ... that'd be pretty cool for Super Sprint.  The TT2's steering wheels can easily be removed when not in use.

Options, options ...   

[extendedplayarcade]

Ah Super Sprint.  With spinner and the steering wheel.  Brings back memories.  Now another thing I want to add to my wish list.

Off Road too.    But what about the pedal for the gas though?    That would be a great 4 player mame set up.  Brings me back to days working on Seaside Park Boardwalk.

Brent
www.extendedplayarcade.com

[TalkingHeadsFan]

I purchased an X-Arcade Solo in late May and have had no problems with it so far; works great and feels nice as far as I'm concerned. I do have a question though;

On the X-Gaming website under Arcade Parts it says that the Joysticks and Buttons have been "newly designed". Since when have they re-designed their parts, and does my X-Arcade Solo already have them inside? (Purchased in Late May).

Thanks,

Doug

[wbassett]

I just got done reading I think every review on RetroBlast about eveything imaginable!  They seem pretty fair and call a spade a spade without any type of agenda that I have seen.

With that said...  I'm not so sure why so many give X-Arcade such a bad rap.  RetroBlast said basically the X-Arcade stick is the same as the Happ Super, just a bit noisy but it performed virtually the same, perhaps a tad lighter feeling (which I did mention myself).

The buttons were given a good review and said to be very responsive, which I would agree.  The thing I don't like is they only come in black.

The trackball was also given a good review and once again compared to Happ's.

Granted I realize some people may not like the Happ controls either, if so then I personally would say that too so a newbie doesn't buy pretty much the same thing thinking it's going to be far superior.

I've seen some comments on the encoder.  I can say I have never had even one issue with mine, no ghosting or anything.  As I mentioned before, when I bought my TankStick I went ahead and bought the encoder kit only because I hadn't found this forum yet and it wasn't that much and it came with a wiring harness as well as a very long cable to connect it to your PC.  Looking at the KeyWiz and IPAQ encoders, the X-Arcade encoder does look a little cheap in some ways, but it does work and is very easy to install and configure. 

I'm guessing X-Arcade may get some negative comments because it's not a DIY or BIY setup, but in my opinion it does work well for what it is.  As far as the other premade cps...  actually I don't think any of them look like a real arcade, at least none that I have ever seen. 

What I don't like about it aside from the all black buttons is the button layout is overkill with eight buttons per player and even though the overall design looks good, it doesn't look like something on a real arcade either.  I've actually seen these forsale through Best Buy's website before, so they at one time were targeting casual gamers too and with that in mind, this is also meant to be something a person sits on their coffee table as well.

All in all, it really isn't that bad of a deal, but I can see where it's not everyone's cup of tea.  Where it is a really good deal is when they have a sale.  Right now the X-Arcade Trackball system is on sale for $49.95, and that's not a bad price at all especially when it's a plug and play setup.  Even if someone bought it just to gut it for their cab, it's an excellent deal for a USB trackball and eight buttons (plus a 'cheat' button).

Last thing... if I didn't buy a TankStick I may not be playing my cab right now... or I'd have some Frankenpanel that I'd be tearing apart, and the cab would again be down and unplayable.  That right there is enough to cause some people to lose interest or the wifey to to put her foot down and say enough is enough!  This will at least get a person up and running while they design their 'ultimate' cp.

[Ginsu Victim]

Despite trashing their main products, I've never said a bad word about their trackball. I saw that sale price as well, and have conisidered buying one soon.

[Necro]

I have had an X-Arcade (the original 2 player) for about 4 years or so, and I love it.  Just recently, it started having an issue with two buttons not 'sustaining' (i.e. they only register for a split second when they are released) so I'm going through their Warranty process now to try to get a new PCB/encoder.  They are a bit slow in this regard, but hopefully the entire process will work out and I'll get it working properly.

I would recommend the controller to anyone as follows:
- You haven't made a controller before.
- You don't have space to build your own controller.
- You don't have the time/inclination to build your own controller.

I was living in an apt. when I got mine and really couldn't build a full controller that I would want to there.  Just too much of a mess.

[solderguy1]

Woodworking's great, it's fun to get your hands dirty.

Anyone ever read Tom Sawyer?

"Poor Tom, you gotta paint the fence while we get to go swimmin"
"I reckon a boy don't get to paint a fence that often"
Long pause
"Hey let us do some"
"Can't, don wanna get in trouble"
"Come on, I'll give you a marble"

A hour later, two shiny coats of whitewash on the fence, and pockets stuffed with new treasures, Tom went into the house and said "Auntie, the fence is done, can I go play?"