Dual X-Arcade w/ Trackball pre production prototype

[element51]

I talked to the guys over at X-Arcade and requested a hybrid of a dual xarcade w/ a trackball fitted and they said no problem. They ran a very limited quantity of the prototypes. I have the first one available to the public so I figure I would do a review on it. I must apologize in advance for the pictures my camera is broken.  These were taken from a old digital camera . Here's some pics of mine.


Heres a pic of the side of the controller

As you can see this controller is pretty! It is made of mdf and a poly laminate. Its got a textured feel to the black laminate or veneer. and is fully t- trimmed so it can take some bumps without taking damage to the mdf. The keyboard plugs into the back and the plug from the controller plugs into your PC keyboard slot. This gives you use of keyboard and joystick. Also the  trackball has a cord that plugs into your PC mouse slot and this gives full mouse capability to your trackball. Theres a new feature called tracklock that also works into this configuration.
 

The  trackball is of good quality and was accurate with every game I threw at it including several golf and bowling games. Wow did we have some fun tonight! It worked very well in every game and even selecting the games we wanted to play using a new feature called Tracklock. There is a green lighted button on the top right side of the controller that when pushed on activates the center row of buttons to act as mouse buttons one, two, and three. When pushed in the off position its no longer lit and your buttons go back to normal. Wether on or off the trackball is always one. Another new  feature used is called horizontal disabler. There is a button in the rear of the controller where the cords are and programming button and switches are. Hold this button in and it disables the trackball from steering left or right. This great to cheat or get real straight shots using the trackball. I for one liked this feature but only used it to anger a few friends. I couldn't hold back for long and let the cat out of the bag. This trackball will work for consoles that can use a mouse and only with games that can use a mouse


Lets move on to the dual joysticks. I felt the joysticks and buttons worked and felt great.  It took on every fighting game imaginable no problems hands down. The sticks and buttons were fast and responsive and pre configured using Mame32fx and Mame32plus. The only game I found not configured right was mortal kombats series. No problem though buttons can be reconfigured easily thru Mame.

Pros: Very fast and  responsive
          Works right out of the box with Mame32 plus or fx.2
          Controller works for consoles
           trackball works great and new features
           Tracklock is a must have and horizontal disabler is nice too.
           Is a great stand alone controller.

Cons:  Trackball only works with mouse compatible systems and games
           Config file for some games needs to be fixed.
            Because of pinball buttons and buttons in the back of controller
            makes it a chore to mount on a arcade cabinet.

Whats Included:

-Pre-production X-Arcade Dual/Trackball (no X-Arcade logo or printing on face, no retail packaging)

-12 Atari Games

-6 Midway Classics

-Lifetime Warranty

-$199.95 including shipping

 Extremely limited quantity available, must confirm order by email/phone.

http://www.xgaming.com

Toll Free: 1.866.942.6464

p.s. one more con: expect to have a sore wrist and fingers. Its alot of fun and hard to put down.

Thanks for reading and if anyone has any questions feel free to ask.

[zaphod]

I like the look of it a lot.  Very clean.  Excellent price IMO.

Thanks for the review.

[darthbane2k]

can we have measurements/dimentions to compare it with the existing 2 player x arcade unit? 

[Fat_Trucker]

My single concern. Do you find that you inadvertently hit the P1&P2 buttons during use?.

They look like they could do with being spaced further apart to keep them out of the way and the trackball being dropped about 2 inches toward the front of the unit.

[element51]

My single concern. Do you find that you inadvertently hit the P1&P2 buttons during use?.

They look like they could do with being spaced further apart to keep them out of the way and the trackball being dropped about 2 inches toward the front of the unit.

I agree but I havent them yet. It looks like theres room to move the trackball but there really isnt much.

The trackball is placed to be in line with the center row of buttons wich are mouse buttons when tracklock is on. I find it usefull though when playing games like tron and I need to spin the arm it works good where it is right next to player 1 butons so I can use a two hand control with my thumbs or forefinger to fire.

The widest part of the controller is 28 inches I beleive. Ill get the rest of dimensions up soon. Just been crazy busy.

[element51]

 heres a peek at the pre release manual:   

http://www.xgaming.com/service/ServiceFiles/X-Arcade_Pro_Manual_English.pdf

I found it first lol Maybe the guys at X-arcade will give me  a prize! Who else can spot the funny in this manual?

[jimjim]

heres a peek at the pre release manual:   

http://www.xgaming.com/service/ServiceFiles/X-Arcade_Pro_Manual_English.pdf

I found it first lol Maybe the guys at X-arcade will give me  a prize! Who else can spot the funny in this manual?

Are you refering to the Safety and Comfort part?  I think they were just being glib.  I'm curious if they will sell a diy arcade kit if a person wants to use their encoder in a home made control panel.  I think that would be a good idea for a quick, hot swappable console cabinet.

[Dizzle]

I figure they are, but I thought I'd ask anyway...
Are they using the same joysticks and buttons they used on the older X-Arcade unit?

The review says the buttons and joysticks felt great, but I always hear everyone slamming the unit.  I guess it's just personal preference.

[element51]

heres a peek at the pre release manual:   

http://www.xgaming.com/service/ServiceFiles/X-Arcade_Pro_Manual_English.pdf

I found it first lol Maybe the guys at X-arcade will give me  a prize! Who else can spot the funny in this manual?

Are you refering to the Safety and Comfort part?  I think they were just being glib.  I'm curious if they will sell a diy arcade kit if a person wants to use their encoder in a home made control panel.  I think that would be a good idea for a quick, hot swappable console cabinet.
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Looks like they fixed it lol. It said TANKSHIT instead of TANKSTICK.  They must of looked it over after viewing my post.

I won no prize though lol. Hell ive yet to receive the games thats included with the stick and its been over a month since they told me they were gonna send them.