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New Product: 49-Way USB Interface - The GP-Wiz49 with DRS Technology (TM)

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u_rebelscum:
Just a heads up, Randy: the happs/midway/atari 49-way grid is a little different spaced than the older williams 49-way.  They're pretty close distance-wise, but as Xiaou2 has said, the feel is very different (call it feel-distance, or muscle-distance).  Your grids set up for the different modes based on the happs 49-way will probably be fine, but it might not match as well as with the happs 49-way.  That's why you're testing, right? ;)  I'd like to hear the results.

For anyone who cares, sounds like an alternative way to connect 49-way joysticks is through the wiz's buttons.  Why?  How about to compare movement (with analog+) 49-way direct input with the GP-Wiz49 analog modes.  Or if you're weird (like some of us are ;) ), how about use official mame and ctrlr file your own grid maps for 49->8-way, 49->4way, ect convertions.  Note that mame has a limited number of AND's and OR's per game direction, so you probably won't be able to match GP-Wiz49's grids exactly.  Again, you have to be a little wacko to do that if you actually have the GP-Wiz49, but it is an option if you have GP-Wiz, or one GP-Wiz49 and two 49-ways (and don't mind only one will be "analog").

My personal view on hardware vs software (vs OS driverware): [shrug]    GP-Wiz49 and SJC 49-way to analog interfaces are great.  I just have a misgiving about the possibility of stuff being lost in translation (49-way 8 pins -> USB analog ("raw", "Progressive", "linear", "exponential") -> mame internal analog -> gamedriver 49-way 8 pins).  Not saying that stuff is anyways lost, just that it can be in these three games in mame.  And until a driver is written to do the raw 8 pin to 2 axis analog translations, the hardware interfaces are way more versatile in all other cases.

I'll have to see how the GP-Wiz49 compairs in action.  That will have to wait until ... (when is this coming out, Randy?).

Keep the great hardware rolling, Randy! 

spidermonkey:
Just in case anyone needs replacement spiders for their Sinistar or Arch Rival sticks...http://www.wizzesworkshop.com/cart/product.asp?intProdID=20

Flinkly:
randy...aren't you selling them already?  but you'll also be updating them alot within the next couple weeks, right?  so you could buy one now, like alot of people are saying they will, but there might be some significant changes in function soon, if ever, right? 

i'm just asking for clarity, i'm waiting till all tweaking is complete to get mine.  ;D

RandyT:

--- Quote from: u_rebelscum on March 02, 2005, 12:11:45 am ---Just a heads up, Randy: the happs/midway/atari 49-way grid is a little different spaced than the older williams 49-way.  They're pretty close distance-wise, but as Xiaou2 has said, the feel is very different (call it feel-distance, or muscle-distance).  Your grids set up for the different modes based on the happs 49-way will probably be fine, but it might not match as well as with the happs 49-way.  That's why you're testing, right? ;)  I'd like to hear the results.

--- End quote ---

Thanks for the heads up, but it was unnecessary :).  That's the thing I keep trying to get some folks here to understand is that the pretty  grid designs don't  dictate the "feel" of the stick, but rather the hardware mechanisms themselves.  As you expected, this is exactly why I need to test the Williams thoroughly.  One of a number of scenarios await me there.  It could work just like the Midway version, but "feel" different .  It could  be just different enough to require special set of definitions just for it (also not a big deal, but time consuming).  Or worst case, the electronic restriction might not work well at all based on the characteristics of the hardware.  I'll just have to wait until  I have one in my hands (any day now) to get a better idea as to where that stands.


--- Quote ---For anyone who cares, sounds like an alternative way to connect 49-way joysticks is through the wiz's buttons.  Why?  How about to compare movement (with analog+) 49-way direct input with the GP-Wiz49 analog modes.  Or if you're weird (like some of us are ;) ), how about use official mame and ctrlr file your own grid maps for 49->8-way, 49->4way, ect convertions.  Note that mame has a limited number of AND's and OR's per game direction, so you probably won't be able to match GP-Wiz49's grids exactly.  Again, you have to be a little wacko to do that if you actually have the GP-Wiz49, but it is an option if you have GP-Wiz, or one GP-Wiz49 and two 49-ways (and don't mind only one will be "analog").

--- End quote ---

That's a great point.


--- Quote ---My personal view on hardware vs software (vs OS driverware): [shrug]    GP-Wiz49 and SJC 49-way to analog interfaces are great.  I just have a misgiving about the possibility of stuff being lost in translation (49-way 8 pins -> USB analog ("raw", "Progressive", "linear", "exponential") -> mame internal analog -> gamedriver 49-way 8 pins).  Not saying that stuff is anyways lost, just that it can be in these three games in mame.  And until a driver is written to do the raw 8 pin to 2 axis analog translations, the hardware interfaces are way more versatile in all other cases.

--- End quote ---

Actually, the hardware removes one level of translation.  But I think what you may be questioning is whether the Raw and Progressive output is the "correct" output for the software to translate from.  The two 49-way datasets should pretty much  cover the future possibilities, but interestingly enough, both of them are seen as three  separate levels of force by the software.  So Progressive mode really only helps on true analog applications and may also provide some "future-proofing" for revised translations.


--- Quote ---I'll have to see how the GP-Wiz49 compairs in action.  That will have to wait until ... (when is this coming out, Randy?).
Keep the great hardware rolling, Randy! 

--- End quote ---

Thanks for the support.  SirP made me change some stuff (Hehe) so I'm putting the lid on that this evening.  As for ETA, it depends on whether the Williams support is needed.  If not, the pre-release version will be available starting Thursday.  Hopefully I'll have a Williams in my hands for testing over the weekend (thanks again, Kremmit!) and the fully dual-compatible version may be ready as early as Monday or Tuesday of next week.


I also want to take  a minute to thank NoOne=NBA=, 1UP,  and the others that "get it" and have helped to keep this thread "on-track".  This would have been more crazy than it already is without your help.

RandyT

RandyT:

--- Quote from: Flinkly on March 02, 2005, 12:37:03 am ---randy...aren't you selling them already?  but you'll also be updating them alot within the next couple weeks, right?  so you could buy one now, like alot of people are saying they will, but there might be some significant changes in function soon, if ever, right? 

i'm just asking for clarity, i'm waiting till all tweaking is complete to get mine.  ;D

--- End quote ---

See the last post.  None of them have shipped yet.  If you own a HAPP/MIDWAY/ATARI version, updated code for the Williams won't matter, but as you have the other variety, it's going to be a little bit before it's ready.

RandyT

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