What is your platform? I mainly have arcade sticks for PS2 and use PS2-USB converter for PC. Usually every HORI stick will be great - at least for a casual gamer. I have around 20 sticks from low to high end. But like them all 😁

why don't you make your own ? get something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/381901443912 and put them in a case. Sure they are not original arcade sticks/buttons but they are still way better than the crappy sticks on ebay

Yes, I would recommend Hori. Mad Catz is another option.

kixs wrote:

What is your platform? I mainly have arcade sticks for PS2 and use PS2-USB converter for PC. Usually every HORI stick will be great - at least for a casual gamer. I have around 20 sticks from low to high end. But like them all 😁

PC. USB. Windows XP. Thanks, by the way. But turn out Hori is among the most expensive arcade sticks on ebay. 🤣 It's like buying a Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog for my first stick!

keropi wrote:

why don't you make your own ? get something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/381901443912 and put them in a case. Sure they are not original arcade sticks/buttons but they are still way better than the crappy sticks on ebay

Oh, I wish I had the time. 🙁

Malik wrote:

Yes, I would recommend Hori. Mad Catz is another option.

Thanks, Malik. Well, although Mad Catz is also among the most expensive arcade sticks on ebay! 🤣

Well I guess I could buy the cheapest Hori or the cheapest Mad Catz. What do you think about this Mad Catz model? It's cheap, probably entry level, and the 360 degree spinner is very interesting, because I could use it to play games like Crusader: No Regret, or playing 2.75D games like Duke Nukem in DOSBOX. But is it PC compatible? Well at least the seller said so.

Also, what would you guys think about things like this and this?

Yeah, good sticks are expensive.
I second to make one yourself, possibly by using a usb gamepad as donor.
There should be lots of examples floating around on the web.

I personally would make one if I were you or have one made.

I made my own stick with real happ buttons for about 25-30$. Mostly just wiring and drill/cutting holes, not that hard or time consuming. Took me about 2 hours, more then half of witch was spent planning the button layout.

EDIT: will posts pics of mine tonight.

I have to say stick with one of the X-Arcade sticks. They aren't top tier, but good for the price if you're looking for a good, hefty arcade setup that doesn't move about.

I bought one when they were new almost a decade ago, and thought it was an OK investment. I needed a new control panel for my old SNK arcade cabinet as I was turning it into a MAME machine. The original cabinet had been kitted out many times before, and the steel control panel was so cut up, I couldn't make use of it. So I tore the top of the X-Arcade rig off and replaced the bad one with it and some plywood for a nice fit.

I did replace the buttons and sticks after a year with Wico super 8 way sticks and Wick micro switches in the buttons. Mainly because the X-Arcade's stuff just didn't have the real arcade feel. But its original parts aren't bad at all.

Things like the Mayflash work, and will be fine for games like Knights of the Round, Cadash, or Tower of Doom. Heck, they work fine for any arcade games that are not twitch based like fighting games or shooters. If you want to seriously play those games, the you should look at Hori as a starting point if you want the stick to be a reasonable size.

Anything less will end up irritating you, and you'll end up buying a better stick down the road. I use a cheap little Mayflash on my game rig as it's small, and works well with the vast majority vintage games that don't need a great deal of accuracy or fast reactions. But it makes you rage when you try to play something like fighting games, or bullet fest type shooters. It just sucks in response time as well as button ghosting.

Good luck with whatever you get.

keropi wrote:

why don't you make your own ? get something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/381901443912 and put them in a case. Sure they are not original arcade sticks/buttons but they are still way better than the crappy sticks on ebay

Jade Falcon wrote:

I personally would make one if I were you or have one made.

I made my own stick with real happ buttons for about 25-30$. Mostly just wiring and drill/cutting holes, not that hard or time consuming. Took me about 2 hours, more then half of witch was spent planning the button layout.

EDIT: will posts pics of mine tonight.

Okay, does this kit come with instructions? Like, which cable goes to which port, etcetera.

Kodai wrote:

I have to say stick with one of the X-Arcade sticks. They aren't top tier, but good for the price if you're looking for a good, hefty arcade setup that doesn't move about.

I bought one when they were new almost a decade ago, and thought it was an OK investment. I needed a new control panel for my old SNK arcade cabinet as I was turning it into a MAME machine. The original cabinet had been kitted out many times before, and the steel control panel was so cut up, I couldn't make use of it. So I tore the top of the X-Arcade rig off and replaced the bad one with it and some plywood for a nice fit.

You mean like this one? SNK NeoGeo X Arcade stick? Does it work on XP?

I've never seen that stick before, and I'm not sure it's an X-Arcade product. This is a link to the shop of the brand I'm talking about: https://shop.xgaming.com/collections/arcade-j … ll-usb-included

They have always used an HID compliant/programmable USB interface, so it will work with any version of Windows that supports HID devices which is pretty much anything from Windows 98SE, through Windows 10.

When it comes to building or rebuilding arcade controls, I would recommend only buying top shelf parts like Wico, Nintendo, or Happ. The build quality is miles beyond generic, no name junk and it's easy and quick to maintain. Simple contact cleaner and quality paper towels will take care of micro contact switches or leaf switches under personal use for decades. The Noname junk wears out real fast and just doesn't like to clean up well. You'll be replacing those parts every few years with normal usage.

I spent years doing arcade machine repairs, builds, and mods, and can promise you that the money spent on high end parts is money well spent. Cheap parts will piss you off faster than anything when it comes to game controllers.

Kodai wrote:

I've never seen that stick before, and I'm not sure it's an X-Arcade product. This is a link to the shop of the brand I'm talking about: https://shop.xgaming.com/collections/arcade-j … ll-usb-included

They have always used an HID compliant/programmable USB interface, so it will work with any version of Windows that supports HID devices which is pretty much anything from Windows 98SE, through Windows 10.

Ah, I see.

Kodai wrote:

When it comes to building or rebuilding arcade controls, I would recommend only buying top shelf parts like Wico, Nintendo, or Happ. The build quality is miles beyond generic, no name junk and it's easy and quick to maintain. Simple contact cleaner and quality paper towels will take care of micro contact switches or leaf switches under personal use for decades. The Noname junk wears out real fast and just doesn't like to clean up well. You'll be replacing those parts every few years with normal usage.

I spent years doing arcade machine repairs, builds, and mods, and can promise you that the money spent on high end parts is money well spent. Cheap parts will piss you off faster than anything when it comes to game controllers.

Well it seems I'm going a the DIY route anyway, because I remember, I knew a PC case craftsman who does a really good job with acrylic, so I could pay him to make me the box.

I'm thinking of buying the kit recommended by keropi though. It comes with a stick, eight large buttons, two small buttons, the Zero Delay encoder board itself, and the necessary cables.

Now, here are the Zero Delay encoder board schematics I've found on Google.

Stick and USB connectors aside, the Zero Delay encoder board has twelve button connectors and four miscellaneous connectors. The four misc connectors are for AUTO, CLR, TURBO, and MODE. On the other hand, you have eight large buttons and two small buttons in the kit.

So, I figure the eight large buttons goes to the button connectors 1 to 8, leaving button connectors 9 to 12 empty (unused). Now, where the two small buttons should go? Should they connector to AUTO and TURBO, for example, leaving CLR and MODE on? Which configuration are you typically using?

I am pretty sure that the instructions that come with the encoder will tell you what these extra buttons do and you'll decide which are useful to you. I haven't used that board so I can't say for sure what the exact details are, sorry 😐

keropi wrote:

I am pretty sure that the instructions that come with the encoder will tell you what these extra buttons do and you'll decide which are useful to you. I haven't used that board so I can't say for sure what the exact details are, sorry 😐

I see, thanks anyway. The package list doesn't mention instruction though, so I assumed the kit is aimed at experienced arcade DIY builders.

Package Inlcuded:
1x 5pin Joystick
1x Encoder Board
1x USB Cable
1x 5pin Cable for Joystick
1x Gasket
2x 24mm Push Button
8x 30mm Push Button
13 x Wire Cable for Buttons

What buttons are common on arcade machines?

Regarding sticks, there are a lot of overpriced junk out there. Even the so called 'arcade quality' ones are overpriced.

A joystick is mainly composed of 4 main parts:

- Enclosure
- Joystick
- Buttons
- PCB

Arcade quality parts for joysticks and buttons vary across the world. The most popular are:

- Sanwa (Japanese)
- Seimitsu (Japanese)
- Suzo/ Happ (they used to be separate companies, European/ American)
- Fanta (Korean)
- Crown (Korean)

And a few others. Ultimately, it boils down to build quality of parts that drives the price up.

Regarding the buttons and joysticks, the quality of microswitchs or switching technology used makes a significant impact.

And specifically for the joystick, the speed and accuracy of fast directional changes depends hugely on the quality of the pivot and gating system.

For a beginner, have a look at Youtube for cheap looking sticks that can easily be modified with aforementioned arcade quality parts. The feel of a stick ultimately depends on these because they are reproducible with fixed components used.

You can even modify internals of joysticks and buttons/ switches themselves, if desired. Moreover, PCBs can be hacked to be used on a variety of systems.

It's all good fun; enjoy!

There's also a bit of a difference what stick/button combination to use, depending on your game preference. Some work better in shooters and others work better in fighting games.

Well I have contacted the seller, and here's what I got:

========================

Thanks for your E-mail.
For this item, it won't come with assembling instructions, maybe you can just ask some professional person around you for help.
Hope this can help you, any question, feel free to contact.
Best regards

========================

Oh well...

sf78 wrote:

There's also a bit of a difference what stick/button combination to use, depending on your game preference. Some work better in shooters and others work better in fighting games.

Guess so. I just wonder, what is the most common configuration? I guess I'll assign the two small buttons to AUTO (autofire?) and TURBO (not sure what it does). But what is your preference?

I actually found my DIY stick and also the parts list. It was purely made for shooters as the Seimitsu "might" be a bit stiffer and hence more precise. People tend to like Sanwa for fighting games as it's (supposedly) easier to make combos with it. Then again, my only experience with Sanwa stick is my arcade cabinet and it might've seen quite a bit of use. 😀