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"X-Arcade's sticks are perfect for your MAME machine."
severdhed:
i have an x-arcade 2 player unit that i purchased many years ago, and since removed all of the components and installed them into my own panel. yeah, they may not be top of the line components, and maybe not the choice for arcade purists, but for many people, they are just what the Dr ordered. they are light years beyond most of the "arcade sticks" you can buy for home game consoles, which are usually mostly plastic and cheap feeling, and they also introduce people into this hobby. I bought my x-arcade for use with my dreamcast/ps2/gamecube/xbox. it was mainly used for fighting games like soul calibur for several years. then one day i decided to hook it up to my PC and play MAME on it. after about 2 days of this, i realized that i could have my own full size arcade cabinet, and therefore i built my own panel and used the components from the x-arcade. they are working just fine. i think the sticks feel ok, and so do the buttons. i have played alot of the local arcade games and i can't say that my controls feel any worse than the ones in the arcades. my friend just built his first control panel using happ competition sticks, and happ horizontal pushbuttons, and once again i can't say i prefer one over the other. the only real negative thing i can say about the x-arcade is that the wiring on the encoder can be a pain in the butt if you are transplanting it into your own box. the wires are very short. the lack of color is possibly a negative, but i like black too.
i am going to be building a new panel here probably in the next month or so, (making it a little wider to make more room for my 4way stick and spinner) and i dont' want to mess with the x-arcade wiring again, so I am going to buy an ipac and all new sticks and buttons, so i can get some color. at that point i will put my x-arcade back together and use it for playing Metal Slug anthology on my Wii, and possibly on my one other PC that i do alot of mame testing and stuff on.
my point is, x-arcade makes a great product, it isn't top of the line, but it definately isn't bottom of the line either. it is a great starter panel for anyone thinking of building their own. it is also great for console gaming. (if only they would get an xbox 360 adapter working...). And i believe that it is one of those products that will get more mainstream attention and introduce people to the world of building your own arcade controls.
DeLuSioNal29:
Yeah, I saw that IGN used my video. :-) Pretty darn cool of them, although it would've been nice if they gave me credit somewhere and mentioned my name. Oh well...
Anyway, thought I'd chime in. I originally ordered the Tankstick XXL from X-Arcade when they had the pre-order "special" back in September of 2007 for $99. But since then (it was taking forever to get here) I canceled the order and used the $99 towards building my own 4 player panel. I'm glad I did. Yes, it was a bargain at $99 (especially for the XXL version for full size arcades), but I'm glad I didn't order it, since I'm much happier with my unit that I built myself. It just felt good to know that I built it MYSELF.
A friend of mine who always sweared by X-Arcade, ended up building his own quad panel recently and hasn't looked back at X-Arcade since. He bought the $99 unit too and ended up selling it on e-bay (didn't even open the box). He also sold his other dual unit and two trackballs that he used on his MAME arcade.
So to sum it up, X-Arcade is relatively inexpensive, is a quality product and is a great beginner joystick for those who don't have the time or money to invest to build one on their own. But for serious enthusiasts, it is only a stepping stone to greater glory: building your own.
~ DeLuSioNaL
amadama:
I just picked up a used Tankstick right by my job for $80. I love it! For that money I was not going to build it myself!
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