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Cheaper alternative than XARCADE?

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Turnarcades:


--- Quote from: severdhed on July 17, 2009, 08:47:37 am ---there was just another thread on this subject like 3 days ago...

arcade controls are not cheap...x-arcade is towards the bottom of the price range.  sticks and buttons aren't that expensive, but trackballs are.  you could always get a few sticks and buttons and do a gamepad hack if you are good at soldering and save some money that way, but if you want a trackball, you will need to spend the money

--- End quote ---

Never liked the X-Arcade and these points are true my friend.

In the UK you're looking at £30-£50 for the interface, £10-£40 for a joystick and £2 per button (all good quality of course.) It's amazing how many time-wasters aproach us and say "I've got £300 to spend on a new arcade machine" or "What joystick can you do me for £50?" and they have to be told the way of the world.

Falkentyne:

If you get a hotrod, you're going to have to mod it, unless you only want to use it in MAME.

First, the hotrod is ps/2 only.  Not all motherboards come with PS/2 ports now (a lot still do though).
This is going to be an issue as time goes on.

Second, Hotrod uses Happ "Super" style joysticks with the leaf (lever?) switches instead of microswitches (I think xarcade uses those by default too tho u can request a change); you will definitely want to get rid of those Supers and get some IL Euro comp joysticks in there (the exact same thing Happ sold years ago as Competitions, before fubaring them by making their own).
(correction: you can just buy these: http://www.amusementdistributors.com/parts/CAT_Switch.html ) to swap the lever switches for cherries.  This still isn't as good as a real Euro IL stick, though).

Third: I don't think the hotrod is programmable, so you will need an encoder if the alt/shift/control/space keys give you problems in a non MAME game.  But a USB "game controller" aware encoder is expensive because you will need two of them--one for each stick, so something like a Chutulu (or however you spell it) will cost like $70.

But if it's MAME only, swap out the joysticks, and make sure you're happy with PS/2 and you're fine.
I'm just not a heavy fan of the default key configuration.

u_rebelscum:


--- Quote from: Falkentyne on July 19, 2009, 04:21:22 pm ---Second, Hotrod uses Happ "Super" style joysticks with the leaf (lever?) switches instead of microswitches
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Err, the super uses levered microswitches.  It's still a microswitch.


--- Quote ---...But if it's MAME only, swap out the joysticks, and make sure you're happy with PS/2 and you're fine.
--- End quote ---

Note to OP, joystick preferences vary for person to people.  I prefer supers over competitions, so wouldn't want to swap 'em out.  So don't think everyone should change the joysticks.  From what I hear, people who play fighters usually lean toward the competitions, while us shmup people lean supers (when comparing just the two).


--- Quote ---I'm just not a heavy fan of the default key configuration.
--- End quote ---

Agree, just as you said, if it's only mame, works fine.

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