Arcade controls for the XBox

[dema]

I've posted this in the console section as well, but I wasn't getting the traffic I needed to have the question answered. I think it's a creative solution to the whole analog control question, but I want to see if I'm correct in this assumption.

I was wondering if anyone knew if progress was being made on hacking an XBox analog stick on the standard controller? Could a hack be used with a 49-way joystick? The more I try playing games on the XBox with only the directional pad (and realizing how many games can't be played with that control), the more I realize for the XBox to be a top notch arcade program it needs to have an analog control.

My wife just asked me why I couldn't just physically mount the XBox controller into the arcade control panel and use that to preserve the analog controls. While that idea in itself isn't feasible, it did bring up a good point. Couldn't I make a set-up where I preserve as much of the original controller as possible? Would I be able to physically mount the PCB board into a control panel (or inside a control box which I then mount into the control panel), swap out the thumbstick with a joystick head (just the top and the shaft) or bore a hole into the center of the thumbstick and crazy glue the joystick into the hole, and then map the digital direction pad and the buttons to the CP in the standard MAME cabinet manner? This way I could distance the buttons and joysticks properly, with only the primary thumbstick being right above the PCB board in the control panel. I know that the left and right triggers wouldn't be analog, but that's not as important to me as getting the joystick analog.

I was wondering if this was a viable alternative solution to having a digital Xbox hack or nothing.

[dommer]

If you mounted an elongated stick to the actual analog thumbpad of the xbox controller, I'd imagine you'd quickly break it due to the extra leverage you'd generate.  There is somebody working on a 49 way to pc joystick adapter I remember reading about recently, and he's almost to the point of a saleable product if I remember correctly, but I dont know the status.  About an xbox controller, I dont know of anyone working on anything.

Sorry for the lack of info, but I just wanted to give you a bump, because I'd like to see something along these lines, as an XBOX would be a sweet arcade conversion, but like you said, so many games are just not playable without analog.  Another problem is that a modern console controller is more flexible than the traditional layout of an arcade.  You can easily work with 6 buttons, 2 analog triggers, and 2 analog controllers with an Xbox controller.  Try putting that level of control into a panel, and I cant think of a way to make it doable.

[dema]

Thanks for the response. I wasn't sure if it would work but I was hopeful. I am planning on making one of my rotating control panels an Xbox panel, so I was hoping to have a solution. I'm sure I'll figure something out eventually.

[AndyWarne]

We have an X-Box adaptor in production which will convert a PS/2 connection from an I-PAC into X-Box protocol and emulate the analog or digital sticks. (The analog will be simulate being pushed fully across)
There will be some early uncased versions of this available in 2-3 weeks, cased ones later.
Andy@ultimarc.com

[dema]

We have an X-Box adaptor in production which will convert a PS/2 connection from an I-PAC into X-Box protocol and emulate the analog or digital sticks. (The analog will be simulate being pushed fully across)
There will be some early uncased versions of this available in 2-3 weeks, cased ones later.
Andy@ultimarc.com

I have been talking with Andy about his new product, and it sounds like an awesome solution for us XBox enthusiasts. He's come up with some great features as well. I'll definitely be picking up a couple of these for my Xbox arcade.