Ultimarc UltraStik 360 Joystick

[Ginsu Victim]

(take less than few seconds to switch)

Then you don't have it set up well enough. It should be damn near instant.

[Todd H]

Another thumbs up for the U360. I've got two with the stiff spring and circular restrictor and they work beautifully. A big thumbs up from me.

[Chris]

How are the analog or 49 way games with the circular or octagonal restrictors?  In, say, Star Wars or Sinistar, do you have enough control or is the throw just too short when restricted?

[Ginsu Victim]

Sinistar is fine. Star Wars is definitely playable, you just can't reach the corners of the screen, but that never seems to cause a problem.

[Ummon]

Sinistar is fine. Star Wars is definitely playable, you just can't reach the corners of the screen, but that never seems to cause a problem.

I thought with the scaling feature in the U360s, that wasn't an issue.

[Ginsu Victim]

The circular and octagonal restrictors obviously cause this slight issue, though. The shape causes the corners to be just out of reach, but like I said, it's never given me any problems.

[Todd H]

Sinistar is fine. Star Wars is definitely playable, you just can't reach the corners of the screen, but that never seems to cause a problem.

If you don't mind me asking, what are your analog settings for Star Wars?

[Ginsu Victim]

I don't have any, so whatever the default is. I've noticed if I move the stick around a few times, it tends to center properly when I'm ready to start.

[gcbrowni]

It's worth noting that the U360's are gamepads. Mame should have no problem with them however several other emulators have immature, or no, gamepad support and you'll need to rely on joy2key or joytokey and it's ilk for those emulators.

Hrm. In fact, i have a whole list of issues for the u360's. I'll post them in another thread.

[mooro]

I'm not too sure my Ultrastiks are beahving properly in analogue mode.

In Star Wars for example, the "sight" is not centered unless I wiggle the joystick up/down and left/right quickly when on the level select screen (I don't recall having to do this with the yoke on the original machine). I am using the hardened spring with no restrictor, and find playing Star Wars pretty impossible. I notice that full control is acheived with the sticks not at full defelction, and that it is incredibly hard to control the sight, especially when pushing down it seems. It may just be the mechanical feel of the springs, but I always feel my contol is imprecise. And yes, i have selected "no restrictor" in the mapping software.

Out Run i have had to play around with the analogue settings in Mame. I can play it now, but again there seems to be so little mecahnical difference between say hard right and easy right that I am almost having to treat the stick like a digital 8 way, which rather defeats the purpose.

Any tips guys?

On a positive note, the sticks play non-analogue games really well.

[Ginsu Victim]

In Star Wars for example, the "sight" is not centered unless I wiggle the joystick up/down and left/right quickly when on the level select screen (I don't recall having to do this with the yoke on the original machine)

This is just what you have to do to calibrate it, but I agree the game is almost unplayable. (really need the yoke anyway...)

[isucamper]

I get much better control in Star Wars using the Flightstick on my CP than the U360. 

Keep the U360 handy for games like Afterburner 2 and Steel Talons though, they work great as analog throttles in addition to a flightstick. 

[Ummon]

Yup, I wouldn't use it for either of those games. I can't think of any analogue control game I use it for, though there must be one or two....

[Ginsu Victim]

Food Fight, once you calibrate it right.

[isucamper]

Escape from the planet of robot monsters.

[Ummon]

I thought of Food Fight, but I don't really like that game. (Same theme and way better is Williams' SPLAT.) And I don't know as I've noticed much difference between using it and a digital stick. I actually can't imagine why this game was given an analog stick - especially as later on, the ice cream melts so quick, it kinda reminds me of the eventual banality of Leprechaun.

EPRM - right. Not one I've played much, but useful. Actually, probly the best game that comes to mind for the U360 is Sinistar. Then there's I, Robot. Starhawk if they ever get that done right. Could probly use it for 720. Of course, any analog flight stick game, but preferably with a flight stick on it. Well, there's Atari's Road Runner, too....but that game just kinda sucks anyways. (Neat idea, great graphics, dead game play after thirty seconds.)

[Ginsu Victim]

I thought of Food Fight, but I don't really like that game.

As a kid, I enjoyed the Atari 7800 version. The arcade....eh, not so much.