n64 custom arcade stick

[neggie1]

i have a n64 arcade shark controller and i was wondering about getting a custom made arcade stick controller that not only work with n64 but could have the same button layout as the arcade shark as well with a much better joystick. does anyone know any info on how to go about getting this done?

[Howard_Casto]

Well you'd have to hack a N64 controller it's as simple as that.  You'd also probably end up running into issues with the analog stick, I believe it's optical or some such nonsense.

But the better question would be why?  Afaik there are ZERO arcade style games on the n64 with the exception of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and KI Gold.  99% of your n64 games are 3d games, which play badly with an arcade stick and that's assuming you got one of those new fangled analog arcade sticks, because n64 games are IMPOSSIBLE to play with digital controls.  On top of that the n64 controller has a very unique layout, what with the c-buttons and the z-trigger.  Even looking at your gamepad there, the button layout after you've "flattened" everything out is a mess.  I can only imagine how hard it would be to span your fingers across those buttons after you use giant arcade pushbuttons instead of tiny gamepad ones. 

If you really want to do this there are tons of n64 hacking tutorials around the net, but I would seriously reconsider it.   

[neggie1]

ya i know the 64 doesn't rally have many game to be used but in my case its the only way i can play , after a resent accident i was left with limited hand function. so with that said because of the button layout and the more simplistic controls of the n64 compared to newer modern systems im able to play with ease. so does anyone know how to do this or maybe if someone owns the controller they could give me some tips on preserving the joystick? 

[Eldritch1969]

Hi,
I own one of these arcade shark controllers. The N64 has not got many games with which to use it, anyway, it's a decent stick. I have not tried to open it because I haven't felt the need to mod it/ thought it was possible to do so.
To preserve it is the same as for any piece of hardware I suppose. I have been using it heavily for a few years now, and it has not failed in any way.
Problem is you won't find any other stick like it for the N64. Perhaps you can find a stick for another console, and an adapter for the N64. But the button layout will be different altogether.
Same opinion as Howard_Casto, I would not recommend hacking it.
Cheers

[Le Chuck]

I say give it a shot.  There is no reason not to hack a regular N64 controller and just build your panel to look like the shark, only with bigger buttons.  If you're living with limited mobility then you're not really worried about losing functionality from the current controller so much as making limited gains with a new one.  I'd look into some of the smaller seimitsu buttons available to minimize spacing issues.  As for the analogue sticks you may do better using the stock unit with some sort of adapter to give you better control like this.  Some folks just remove the thumbstick and screw in a post to make a mini joystick and that may work better for you as well. 

There are services that specialize in making joysticks for those with limited mobility but they tend to charge a ridiculous amount (IMO).  Best of luck. 

[hypernova]

Well you'd have to hack a N64 controller it's as simple as that.  You'd also probably end up running into issues with the analog stick, I believe it's optical or some such nonsense.

But the better question would be why?  Afaik there are ZERO arcade style games on the n64 with the exception of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and KI Gold.

If it was just those two games, you could just connect the controls to the d-pad, and leave the difficulty of the analog stick out of it.  But yeah, other games would be iffy.  I'm sure there's at least a few others that would work well with arcade style controls, assuming they don't require the stick.

[Malenko]

Afaik there are ZERO arcade style games on the n64 with the exception of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and KI Gold.

Clay Fighter 63 1/3rd & Sculpters Cut
Dr.Mario 64
Midway Collection
Namco Museum
NBA Hangtime
Rampage
Rampage 2
Space Invaders


Not many, but still more than 2

[marioxb]

Afaik there are ZERO arcade style games on the n64 with the exception of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and KI Gold.

Clay Fighter 63 1/3rd & Sculpters Cut
Dr.Mario 64
Midway Collection
Namco Museum
NBA Hangtime
Rampage
Rampage 2
Space Invaders


Not many, but still more than 2

MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero
Mischief Makers
Pokemon Puzzle League
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Donkey Kong Arcade (in DK64)
Goemon's Great Adventure


and there may be a few more..  .. yeah I want to put an N64 in an arcade cab.

[nitz]

Mortal Kombat 4
Mace: The Dark Age
Bio Freaks
War Gods
NFL Blitz series

All of them arcade ports, and you need a pretty beefy PC to play them in Mame, so the N64 versions are a nice compromise. And if we're allowed to count racers:

Cruisin USA
Cruisin World
Cruisin Exotica
San Francisco Rush
Off Road Challenge

So yeah, there are a few more than two.

[Howard_Casto]

Mortal Kombat 4
Mace: The Dark Age
Bio Freaks
War Gods
NFL Blitz series

All of them arcade ports, and you need a pretty beefy PC to play them in Mame, so the N64 versions are a nice compromise. And if we're allowed to count racers:

Cruisin USA
Cruisin World
Cruisin Exotica
San Francisco Rush
Off Road Challenge

So yeah, there are a few more than two.

Most of these games you just mentioned require an analog joystick to play properly, so thanks for playing, but no, you didn't up the total any with that list. 

[Howard_Casto]

ya i know the 64 doesn't rally have many game to be used but in my case its the only way i can play , after a resent accident i was left with limited hand function. so with that said because of the button layout and the more simplistic controls of the n64 compared to newer modern systems im able to play with ease. so does anyone know how to do this or maybe if someone owns the controller they could give me some tips on preserving the joystick?

Well first off that is the first legitimate excuse I've ever heard for using arcade controls on a console, so I apologize if my response offended you.  That's being said, next time tell us that, it helps us to give a better answer.

But.... do you mean to use this to play n64 games only or games on any system?  Because the way you are responding here it sounds like you are wanting to use it for all games on maybe a pc setup or something.  Because you are going to run into another issue if you are wanting to use it on other games, notably the lack of a second analog stick.  The button layout isn't any more simplistic than a modern gamepad either. 

This can be done, but it's going to take a lot more thought than you think and we are going to need more info.  The layout, like I said before, is the biggest concern.  Most games require you to press multiple buttons at once....  even though some modern fight sticks use two rows of 4 buttons, the 4th is used as a "all at once" button so you never use all 4 at once nor do you have to do complicated things like press the 1st button on the bottom row and the 4th on the top, which would be a bit of a stretch.  With a bad console layout though, you might actually have the situation if your layout is bad.  The shark gets away with a potentially bad layout because the buttons are so small, scaled up it's going to be an issue. 

There are analog arcade sticks, ultimarc sells some, but I'm not sure if it will be a benefit to you.... they are so large. 

[nitz]

Most of these games you just mentioned require an analog joystick to play properly, so thanks for playing, but no, you didn't up the total any with that list. 

What was your total again?

Afaik there are ZERO arcade style games on the n64 with the exception of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and KI Gold.

Right, it was two. And although it's been awhile, I'm pretty sure MK4 and War Gods did not use analog controls, so that brings the total to four + some stuff that others have mentioned + I'm not so sure that Bio Freaks or Mace used analog controls either.

Although you did mention that most N64 games would be impossible to play with digital controls (which is pretty accurate) it certainly does not make the statement "there are ZERO arcade style games on the n64 with the exception of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and KI Gold" true.

It's silly to argue about because "There are more than 2 arcade style games on the N64" is not an opinion we all have that you don't share - it's a fact that you won't acknowledge because you don't like admitting you were wrong. I don't care, just find it funny and couldn't resist responding.

 

[Howard_Casto]

Most of these games you just mentioned require an analog joystick to play properly, so thanks for playing, but no, you didn't up the total any with that list. 

What was your total again?

Afaik there are ZERO arcade style games on the n64 with the exception of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and KI Gold.

Right, it was two. And although it's been awhile, I'm pretty sure MK4 and War Gods did not use analog controls, so that brings the total to four + some stuff that others have mentioned + I'm not so sure that Bio Freaks or Mace used analog controls either.

Although you did mention that most N64 games would be impossible to play with digital controls (which is pretty accurate) it certainly does not make the statement "there are ZERO arcade style games on the n64 with the exception of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and KI Gold" true.

It's silly to argue about because "There are more than 2 arcade style games on the N64" is not an opinion we all have that you don't share - it's a fact that you won't acknowledge because you don't like admitting you were wrong. I don't care, just find it funny and couldn't resist responding.

 

If we are playing the "who is more wrong" game then your slew of games that flat out won't play on a digital stick is just as wrong as my list of two games that excluded maybe 3 or 4 games that were worth playing.  Again, thanks for playing the "let's tear apart every generalization that Howard makes because he obviously has no feelings so I can be a total jerk towards him" game but again....

[nitz]

*Sigh*

OK. I'm not usually one to thread crap or get into arguments on the internet. But I'm being called a jerk here so I'm gonna respond to that. After this, I will not post in this thread again unless it's on topic.

First I extend my apologies to neggie1. You're new here and there's a bit of bickering in your first thread. We're not normally like this. Really.  This is a great froum and a great group. Don't let this scare you off.

thanks for playing the "let's tear apart every generalization that Howard makes because he obviously has no feelings so I can be a total jerk towards him" game

Yeah, I know my post came off a bit jerky. And so did, "Thanks for playing, but you're wrong." It essentially comes off as, "Nice try, but I'm smarter than you." I would have let it go except that you are always talking to people like that, and this time you are so hilariously, demonstratably 100% wrong that I couldn't resist calling you on it. Your assertion was far too absurd to be taken seriously enough to hurt my feelings, but it is kind of annoying.

If we are playing the "who is more wrong" game then your slew of games that flat out won't play on a digital stick is just as wrong as my list of two games that excluded maybe 3 or 4 games that were worth playing. 

Oh good grief. You can't possibly think I was wrong here. The "No analog games" is an arbitrary restriction that you came up with - why shouldn't analog games be included? There are many arcade games that used analog controls. You may as well have said "Games with cars in them don't count" or "Games made by Midway don't count". Heck, I would have actually been fine with it if you had come back with, "I don't count analog games" but instead you come back with one of your classic "I am smarter than you, so there" posts. If you need to make yourself feel better about your mistake by pretending I'm wrong too, then...whatever man. Your problem I guess.

FWIW Howard, I know you're a smart dude. I actually make a point of reading your posts because they are often informative, helpful, and well-written. I really enjoy it when you start talking about Nintendo (as a company) because most people disagree with you, but I find myself nodding in agreement. I've appreciated times when you've responded to questions I've had. But when you make a mistake and someone corrects it, you just can't seem to accept that someone knew something you didn't. Your ability to be rational and objective goes out the window - you just want to be right no matter what.

If people give you a hard time sometimes, it's because it's annoying when they make a point and you throw a non-sensical argument at them in a slightly condescending way. In the adult world, 99% of people cannot be bothered to pick on you for no reason. If you feel like people are picking on you a lot, it is almost certainly because of something you're doing.

If you feel you need to respond to this, start an off-topic thread or send me a PM. I'll ignore further posts on this subject in this thread because I don't want to crap on it anymore.

FTR, as frustrating as it is to get into a debate with you, I don't really feel animosity toward you and will still look forward to your posts when they are intelligent and informative.

Cheers

 

[Malenko]

I think the disconnect is some people were listing arcade style games that can be used with just the D-pad, others were just listing arcade style games. Lets fight nice kids =)

[neggie1]

Wow I had no idea when I asked this question over 5 years ago that it was going to be that big of a deal I think everyone miss read what I meant I don't want to play arcade games on the 64 I want to play every game on the 64 my fear is that the joystick will eventually wear out and I will have to buy another arcade shark controller but throughout time that will be a lot more difficult as the controllers will be more difficult to find. What I was asking of everybody is was there a way that the joystick could be replaced maybe with a original 64 controller joystick if so I would like to know who or where to get in touch with to get that done for a customized controller using the arcade shark controller. Some of y'all are nothing but a bunch of jerk know-it-alls so quick to throw your own opinion out without even taking consideration that some people don't have much of a choice. I appreciate everybody's input though and please if anybody knows any more about this comment reply so that I can get in touch

[Titchgamer]

Wow I had no idea when I asked this question over 5 years ago that it was going to be that big of a deal I think everyone miss read what I meant I don't want to play arcade games on the 64 I want to play every game on the 64 my fear is that the joystick will eventually wear out and I will have to buy another arcade shark controller but throughout time that will be a lot more difficult as the controllers will be more difficult to find. What I was asking of everybody is was there a way that the joystick could be replaced maybe with a original 64 controller joystick if so I would like to know who or where to get in touch with to get that done for a customized controller using the arcade shark controller. Some of y'all are nothing but a bunch of jerk know-it-alls so quick to throw your own opinion out without even taking consideration that some people don't have much of a choice. I appreciate everybody's input though and please if anybody knows any more about this comment reply so that I can get in touch

Holy thread resurrection batman!!

Before I was around this but I would echo what Howard said, N64 games only play well with N64 controllers the design of them does not play well with anything else.

And to be fair the original controllers have issues.

My advice to you would be buy some of the new retro fighter joypads that are made for the 64 with Analogue sticks.

[neggie1]

The only issue I have with the retro fighter controller is that they're still a controller and they have the trigger buttons like the L R and z button, because of my disability I'm unable use them that's why the arcade shark works so well all the buttons are laid out together. Also I would like to add I'm a big fan of the 64 this is why I am asking about this. With this arcade shark I'm able to play all my favorites like smash Bros Mario kart etc. I appreciate your response holy Batman indeed lol

[retrometro]

The only issue I have with the retro fighter controller is that they're still a controller and they have the trigger buttons like the L R and z button, because of my disability I'm unable use them that's why the arcade shark works so well all the buttons are laid out together. Also I would like to add I'm a big fan of the 64 this is why I am asking about this. With this arcade shark I'm able to play all my favorites like smash Bros Mario kart etc. I appreciate your response holy Batman indeed lol

I'd recently gotten one of these but am afraid I don't have the ball/stick.

is it possible for you to measure the threaded diameter so I can try to make one?  Thanks!