Routing on thinner plywood

[Nakune]

I'm planning on building an arcade stick for the 360, but have come across a question regarding the materials I was planning on using. I was going to use 1/4" plywood for the top panel, but am concerned about mounting the joystick. I have read that the stick should be mounted about 1/4" below the surface, and this brings me to the question of whether or not routing is necessary, or whether I should just get a thicker piece of plywood. I was planning on the overall depth of the box to be about 2 1/8", so I should have some room if need be. This is my first project with little woodworking experience, so a dumbed down answer would be nice 

[Chadwick]

With mats that thin I would just bottom mount and skip routing.

[ChadTower]

How wide is the panel?  If that panel has any width at all 1/4" ply might flex in a rough game.

[massive88]

Ideal mounting for Sanwa sticks is 3/8" below the surface. 

Dont route out anything, 1/4" ply + 1/8" plexi is perfect.

If you are worried about flexing, put in a stiffener bar or additional supports, or both like I did on my first stick:

8 Supports instead of the more traditional 4 corner supports:


Glued bar to center of the panel for additional stiffness: