tips on universal joysticks

[_JMFR]

Ive recently come across an old jamma cab, and decided to turn it into a multi arcade. Ive decided to use 4/8 way joysticks. My question is what kind are the most user friendly? it would be nice to change them without pulling the control panel out everytime

[severdhed]

there are a ton of topics on this subject...the search feature can be your friend....

there are only a few options if you want a stick that can be switched from the top of the panel...


the magstik plus, from ultimarc
the omnistick prodigy from groovygamegear

there is also the u360 stick from ultimarc that does not physically restrict movement, but it software mappable on a per game basis. 

[Ginsu Victim]

Your answer can be found here:

[Charles4400]

Your answer can be found here:

Respones like this are completely useless, why even bother to respond ?

To help out the op, like severdhed mentioned the magstick plus and omnistick are the only ones I know of as well that allow switching from the top.

I have a magstik plus and it's a good joystick, my only complaint is that the throw is very short...but since options are very limited to top swichable joysticks, and if you definately want one, I would recommend the magstik plus.

People also like the u360 but I like the feel of a restictor plate and the restrictors of those can't be changed from the top which is the main reason I didn't get them..

Hope tis helps....

[daywane]

Your answer can be found here:

Respones like this are completely useless, why even bother to respond ?

True, but how he put the serch .gif in and it works is COOL
I wonderd how that was done. Now I quoted you I see now how it was done

[CheffoJeffo]

Respones like this are completely useless, why even bother to respond ?

To say that suggesting someone search is completely useless is kinda like saying that the search feature is useless ... next you'll be saying that the wiki is useless. 

The FAQ, Search and Wiki may not answer all of his questions, but there is good information to be found beyond the answers that will be provided here because relatively few folks have much interest in responding to each fresh joystick thread.

 

[Ginsu Victim]

Your answer can be found here:

Respones like this are completely useless, why even bother to respond ?

Because this ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- is discussed CONSTANTLY and there are a million ---smurfin---' threads dealing with the same ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow---, not to mention the WIKI, as pointed out above.

[Charles4400]

I know that type of thread has been discussed multiple times, but if a new one arises and it bothers you why not simply not reply, not read, or not have anything to do with it... rather than just a one liner saying "do a search".

I mean everyone starts out learning this stuff somewhere and this is a great forum for both beginers and veterans alike so why not help out instead of basically saying 'this has been talked about many times so find out for yourself!"... what's the point in that other than shunning newcomers?

I think a response like severdhed is 100% more helpful as it answers the op's question AND lets the op know that there is tons more info from previous threads...SOOOO much better than a simple ...'use the search'.

Heck, "use the search" could be a response for 90% of the threads here don't you think ?And it would quickly become a pretty quite forum if that were the case....

I'm not saying to not use the search, or the wiki, or to try and figure it out yourself....

Just saying if your going to take the time to respond at all why not help out the op while your at it....it helps beginners and makes for a much friendlier atmosphere....

Maybe I feel this way because I still feel like a beginner  and it wasn't that long ago that I was (and still am!) asking questions left and right hoping someone could shed some light on some confusion I have to get the cab running the way I want.....

I got my first cab built and running (woohoo!  ) thanks to much helpful advice from members of this board, and although my know how and experience isn't enough to answer many questions on this board, I'll try to help if I can...especially to the new guy I once was! 

 

[Paul Olson]

This is supposed to be a discussion forum. The only thing being discussed in this thread is using search or the wiki instead of discussing the topic. Severedhed's reply was just as complete as the wiki (except for the t-stick+) and directed the OP to search for more information. I have spent countless hours searching here over the years, and it most often leads to outdated information. Unfortunately, there hasn't been anything new on these sticks in quite a while. I think that we need new discussions of old topics once in a while. The old timers probably haven't even thought about these in a while; let the newer people give out the information and move on to another thread. It is OK to discuss things here. There are way more useless "do a search" posts here than there are repeated posts about 4/8 way joysticks.

I used to have a T-stick+ 4 or 5 years ago. It is a very nice joystick and the 4/8 way switch works great. It has a really short throw though. I couldn't get used to it, so I sold my sticks. Some people love them; it just depends on what you are used to. If you want the most versatility, look at the u360s. They can be set to nearly anything, but there is no physical restriction. Again, it depends on how much you care about the feel of the stick.

[Ginsu Victim]

I know that type of thread has been discussed multiple times, but if a new one arises and it bothers you why not simply not reply, not read, or not have anything to do with it... rather than just a one liner saying "do a search".

The point is we have so many discussions here on this very subject that a simple search would've netted all of the information needed (ordered by date, with the most recent stuff first). I found the right sticks for me just by searching and reading opinions. It's not that hard.

severdhed just wrapped up his own thread about pretty much the same topic, so of course he had an answer.

If you want something to search, search for how many times I've behaved like this in other threads. You'll find that I answer to the best of my ability, sometimes going out of my way to make a graphic or video to help.

THIS thread, however, has been done (to death). There is no universal solution. The U360 is about as close as one can get and I highly recommend it.

[CheffoJeffo]

There are way more useless "do a search" posts here than there are repeated posts about 4/8 way joysticks.

Wanna bet ?  

FWIW, I agree about setting a friendlier tone and occasionally revisiting old topics. Things do change -- witness the emergence of mapping for 49-way and analog sticks (of which, only the U360 has been mentioned so far). Since I mention them, perhaps I should provide some links to pertinent info:

How necessary is a 49 way joystick?
Midway 49 way vs. U360's vs. p360
MAME Analog Joystick Map Editor

At the same time, I believe that the more specific questions that usually result from preliminary research generate better discussion (see the threads above), mostly because folks tend to skip threads with the commonly repeating open-ended topics (the only reason I'm still posting in it is because I am in work-avoidance mode).

As far as the old timers not thinking about things like this in a while, lots of them have projects on the go all the time and have more experience with various pieces of equipment. Unfortunately, many will skip threads like this, which is too bad because they often think of things that the newer folks might not, like "Is the multi arcade going to be PC-based ?" or "What kind of games do you want to play ?".

IMPO, the most important thing about deciding what kinds of controls you want is to determine what range of games you want to support and what games are most important to you. If the stick you choose doesn't perform well with your favourite game, then that will suck far more than being told to do a search by some random arcade freak on the innertubes.

And, as always, if you find outdated information in the wiki, please update it. If you don't want to do the updating, then head over to the Wiki Discussion board and point it out so that somebody else can take care of it.

 

[Ginsu Victim]

FWIW, I agree about setting a friendlier tone

Guess I should've put a little next to the Search image, since I wasn't trying to be a dick until I got treated like one.

[CheffoJeffo]

FWIW, I agree about setting a friendlier tone

Guess I should've put a little next to the Search image, since I wasn't trying to be a dick until I got treated like one.

It's something that we all end up being guilty of now and again ... some of us more than others, although I haven't dropped a nasty wikibomb(tm) in a while. 

[_JMFR]

wow...this thread took a turn for the worse! haha

but thanks everyone for the advice.

as for my opinion on the heat. As a noob to the arcade world, i gotta say that a few recommendations are better for me. you can take what others suggest and base your search on that. its nice to know what the users like, and what they dont

[CheffoJeffo]

All that and you didn't answer my questions ? 

I will presume this is a MAME-based project, in which case the links I listed may be useful as they all deal with some form of digital restriction or mapping. If you are going to go with some other flavour of multi-game, then you would likely want to ignore those options.

But, really, I was absolutely serious about what games you want to play.

Fighter players can be rather particular, for example, about hitting combinations.

Do you really need the physical restriction ? Are you a Pac-hound ? Big Q-Bert fan ? Robotron maniac ? Gotta have your Sinistar fix ?

[daywane]

Do you really need the physical restriction ? Are you a Pac-hound ? Big Q-Bert fan ? Robotron maniac ? Gotta have your Sinistar fix ?

yes, yes, yes 
kidding aside.
I was new once.
not a expert yet. still do not mind answering these kind of posts.
kind of like em since this type of question I can answer with 100% confidence I did some help.
let us novice folk answer these questions.
still the search icon was cool as heck!

[CheffoJeffo]

Do you really need the physical restriction ? Are you a Pac-hound ? Big Q-Bert fan ? Robotron maniac ? Gotta have your Sinistar fix ?

yes, yes, yes 

Then you need a long-handled 8-way Wico with above-panel-switching to physically-restricted 4-way and the whole thing needs to be able to rotate 45 degrees. 

It'll probably suck for fighters and won't help much for Sinistar, but if someone would build these, I would buy some!

 

[_JMFR]

All that and you didn't answer my questions ? 

I will presume this is a MAME-based project, in which case the links I listed may be useful as they all deal with some form of digital restriction or mapping. If you are going to go with some other flavour of multi-game, then you would likely want to ignore those options.

But, really, I was absolutely serious about what games you want to play.

Fighter players can be rather particular, for example, about hitting combinations.

Do you really need the physical restriction ? Are you a Pac-hound ? Big Q-Bert fan ? Robotron maniac ? Gotta have your Sinistar fix ?

It building a muti arcade...jamma style.

it's gonna be a 60-1 classic, AND a Williams collection.

i dont plan on building a MAME style for awhile. I'm kinna old school

[Paul Olson]

It building a muti arcade...jamma style.

it's gonna be a 60-1 classic, AND a Williams collection.

i dont plan on building a MAME style for awhile. I'm kinna old school

I just find this kinda funny. The 60 in 1 boards run MAME; how is that old school? 

[_JMFR]

It building a muti arcade...jamma style.

it's gonna be a 60-1 classic, AND a Williams collection.

i dont plan on building a MAME style for awhile. I'm kinna old school

I just find this kinda funny. The 60 in 1 boards run MAME; how is that old school? 

I geuss i was mistaken.

im not to knowledgeable about mame, but i thought mame to be run off computers..not a jamma harness

[CheffoJeffo]

The 48-in-1 and 60-in-1 are older versions of MAME running on ARM processors on nifty little JAMMA boards, so, in a way, it is old school.

Since the interface is JAMMA, the germaine issue for your joysticks is that the U360 and other options with digital restriction aren't an option. FWIW, I used to run my 48-in-1 with a Wico 4-way leaf stick with the switches tweaked to allow 8-way functionality if you really hit the corners. Then I got a 60-in-1 and ended up playing 2-way and 4-way games on the 48-in-1 (with a Wico 4-way) and 2-way, 8-way and trackball games on the 60-in-1 (Wico 8-way).

However, of more immediate concern is the fact that the games on the 60-in-1 are vertically-oriented while the games on the traditional MultiWilliams are horizontal (exception for Sinistar on jrok's new SYSFPGA boards), so you are going to require two cabinets or a rotating monitor. The controls for a MultiWilliams can be somewhat problematic on a "normal" CP, so I would go with two cabinets and use the traditional control panel for the MultiWilliams.

FWIW, I like your choices and those cabs get more play in my house than my MAME cab ever has -- and jrok'snew board is way better than playing in MAME.

 

[Paul Olson]

CheffoJeffo - In what way is it better than MAME? Better emulation?

[_JMFR]

thanks for the advice cheffo. i wasnt aware that the williams collection required horizontal monitor placement. i have another cab with a horizontal monitor.

[CheffoJeffo]

thanks for the advice cheffo. i wasnt aware that the williams collection required vertical monitor placement. i have another cab with a vertical monitor.

Williams games are horizontal (except for Sinistar), it's the 60-in-1 that is vertical.

[_JMFR]

thanks for the advice cheffo. i wasnt aware that the williams collection required vertical monitor placement. i have another cab with a vertical monitor.

Williams games are horizontal (except for Sinistar), it's the 60-in-1 that is vertical.

^ typo

i typed that in a hurry!