Multi System Arcade Stick?

[DKTheArcadeRat]

OK, so recently i have decided to start shopping for some fighting games and to buy the Metal Slug games, and an arcade stick. Question is, is there an affordable one for Multiple consoles, one that works for Xbox and PS2 would be great. Thanks in advance.

Dave

[Joker T]

Well the only one that comes to mind is the X-Arcade sticks which have universal adaptors for other systems. Problem is they aren't exactly cheap.

[Kid Ice]

The Pelican Arcade stick is pretty nice for the price, if you can find the one that works on all three systems.

[pacmanhat]

I have 2 of the Pelican ones and they're fantastic. They go for $50 new each, but I can't say I know how easy they are to come by these days.

[roushimsx]

I can't find the PS2-only Pelican arcade stick and I've heard some horror stories of the Universal Pelican Arcade Stick having wacky problems with PS2s (dorking up the controller ports / not working with slim PS2s / killing the rumble function / etc).

Probably going to get a universal for my Gamecube and Xbox, but man...I need a good stick for my PS2 already and I can't find the PS2-only Pelican stick anywhere :(

[Arcade Antics]

Don't settle for anything less than an X-Arcade. Plays on PS1, PS2, GC, DC, XBox and PC. They're only $130 right now on the official site, plus you get a free adapter for one console AND free shipping. Can't beat that. :)

[pacmanhat]

Don't settle for anything less than an X-Arcade. Plays on PS1, PS2, GC, DC, XBox and PC. They're only $130 right now on the official site, plus you get a free adapter for one console AND free shipping. Can't beat that. :)

This looks pretty kick ass...but am I to believe that I would need to buy EVERY adapter separately in order to get complete compatibility? If so, it suddenly becomes a LOT more expensive.

Also, is there any chance they'd somehow find a way to make one of these compatible with a 360 (with a new adapter or whatnot)?

[diskoboy]

Don't settle for anything less than an X-Arcade. Plays on PS1, PS2, GC, DC, XBox and PC. They're only $130 right now on the official site, plus you get a free adapter for one console AND free shipping. Can't beat that. :)

This looks pretty kick ass...but am I to believe that I would need to buy EVERY adapter separately in order to get complete compatibility? If so, it suddenly becomes a LOT more expensive.

Also, is there any chance they'd somehow find a way to make one of these compatible with a 360 (with a new adapter or whatnot)?

The X-Arcade sticks are USB, right? They should be able to hook up to the 360 out of the box. But like the ipod support, they'll have to release a driver.

I almost guarantee they'll be 360 compatible, shortly. Don't quote me on that, though... But you'd think with all the support XBLA alione is getting - that would be a great controller! Especially since the 360 controller sucks for Robotron and Smash TV.

The firing controllers aren't, what you'd call, 'accurate'.

[keiblerfan69]

I can't find the PS2-only Pelican arcade stick and I've heard some horror stories of the Universal Pelican Arcade Stick having wacky problems with PS2s (dorking up the controller ports / not working with slim PS2s / killing the rumble function / etc).

Probably going to get a universal for my Gamecube and Xbox, but man...I need a good stick for my PS2 already and I can't find the PS2-only Pelican stick anywhere :(

I guess thats why my controller port stopped working.

How about this one:

http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=82&products_id=6135&

[roushimsx]

How about this one:

http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=82&products_id=6135&

I've given that one a little bit of thought but I really do need to check out some more reviews on it. The X-Arcade seems like a really nice solution, but it seems like it just might be a little..."much". I wish they had a single stick version ... :(

...well either that or I wish I could convince more people that they need to come over and play 2 player Gigawing and ESPGaluda with me.

[XYXZYZ]

Fortunately there are many different ways you can go. Since PS2 is the more popular console, there are more joysticks available for PS2 exclusively. I highly reccomend a PS2>Xbox adapter. They're faily common and not too expensive.

Most stick jockeys will reccomend only the best; custom sticks with Happs or Sanwa hardware, Horii arcade sticks, MAS joysticks (With Happs parts) and stuff like that, and most of these reccomendations are in the $80-100.00+ range. But this kind of hardware is for die-hard pros, who demand the highest quality.

But for you and me, there are many affordable arcade joysticks that are great for everyday gaming. Here's a picture of a big mess of joysticks, I'll talk about the PS2/Xbox ones.



http://videogamecollectors.com/albums/XYXZYZ-s-gaming-setup/joysticks.jpg

One of my favoritest joysticks EVAR is the ASCIIware Playstation arcade stick. (The two grey ones on the bottom-left) They're really durable, I've played the hell out of them since the mid 90s and they're still working perfectly. The joysticks themselves are microswitch style with a small round actuator, it's a rather soft, lightwieght stick with a reasonably short throw. It may feel a little weak, but it's held up to all of the punishment I've given it over the last 10 years. The buttons are nice, with a good ergonomic layout and they're pretty comfortable. Another good thing about it are all the bells and whistles, it has variable speed autofire for all buttons, and automatic mode for each button as well. It also has slow-mo if you're into that. I use this joystick for general gaming, mostly platformers and whatever else doesn't fit into the major catagories. I highly reccomend it for games like Metal Slug. I personally do not use this joystick for fighting games or shooters; I don't like that "weak" feeling in the joystick itself for fighting games, it just throws off my mojo. (But it really is durable!) For those, I just need a little heavier hardware. And for shooters, I'll use it if I have to but I really prefer a softer, carbon-dot style switch with a really short throw. (My favorite shooter stick is the Eclipse stick for the Sega Saturn) You can find an ASCII Playstation arcade joystick for about $20.00US.

Another decent (And cheap) one is the Pelican Arcade Stick, it's the little black and yellow one in the top-right corner. They come in three flavors- PS2, Xbox, and PS2/Xbox/GC. It's got a kind of wonky shape, but it's fairly comfortable and it's another good "general purpose" joystick. The area below the buttons is kind of a bump shape, so your palm rests on it while your fingers curve down toward the buttons. This is rather comfortable sometimes, but other times it just feels weird. It does have some of the functions of the standard Xbox controller, it's got a left-analog stick simulator (The "mode" button) and different button input levels based on how hard you press the buttons. It also has a motor if you're into the vibration thing. It really isn't that bad for fighting games although I don't like it because of it's light weight, and awkward feel. I don't find it terribly useful for shooters because the joystick is rather clunky and the throw is a little too wide for me. It's about $10-20.00US

Next, we have the Pellican Real Arcade. (The big black one on the top-left) This unit is big and heavy which I usually like but in this case it's the joystick's major flaw. The hardware is good- they're cheap chinese parts, but they are pretty sturdy. My problem is they're uncomfortable. The button layout is too wide, the joystick is rather far a way from the buttons which makes it feel awkward to me. The stick itself is an American "bat" style arcade stick, it's pretty heavy and uses microswitches with a round actuator (A square actuator is better for fighting games, it "rolls" better and glides over those diagonals easier.) and has a pretty hard spring. I find it very uncomfortable; my shoulder and forearm start hurting after awhile with this one, the joystick has too much weight for my wrist, but some people may prefer it this way. This one also comes in PS2, Xbox and PS2/Xbox/GC flavors. They cost about $40-50.00US.

The white joystick in the second row there is Nakiworld's wireless "Ultimate Fighting Stick", it's compatible wth Xbox and PS2, and it isn't terribly useful for anything. The buttons are far spaced far apart, and have a tall, convex shape to them that makes them very awkward, too much distance for my hand to get around. It also takes a bit of force to get the button down far enough to contact the switch. The joystick itself has a weird, mooshy kind of spring to it, and the throw is a little too wide to be terribly useful for fighting games and certainly not for shooters. The only reason I'm keeping this one is because it's the only joystick I've ever seen that features both analog sticks, and their "click" buttons. They look like little trackball deals on the bottom. It was about $40.00US

The black one just to the left of the "Ultimate Fighting Stick" is the InterAct Shadowblade; it's got a sleek design, with a good, heavy base and a cool rubber sportscar-shifter thingy at the base of the stick. The stick even has a button on top of it, like a flight stick! Apart from looking cool, the Shadowblade is one of the worst video game controllers ever made. The buttons are gigantic, spaced really far apart and it's way too much distance for your hand to get around. And when you do press a button, it takes too much force to contact the switch. And the joystick is a microswitch type with a small round actuator, with a throw so wide it's completely useless for any video game; you really have to force that thing as far as it will go to get a switch to contact. This joystick does make a cool decoration, though. I forgot what it costs but any ammount of money is too much.

Finally we have the Nubytech Street Fighter 15th anniversary joysticks, seen in the middle of the top row. (I have custom overlays (http://videogamecollectors.com/gallery/XYXZYZ-s-gaming-setup/CvSstick) on mine, they usually have one of those Udon comics murals on them) They're really good for fighting games. The joystick is a Bao-Lian, sort of a Chinese Happs knockoff. It's microswitch based with a round actuator, (But that's really not a problem)it's reasonably soft with a really nice throw. Not too short, not too wide. The buttons are sort of tall and convex, kind of like the buttons on the Ultimate Fighting Stick but they're far more responsive and springy than those. Many of the die-hard fighters don't like this joystick compared to their Happs and Sanwas, but I find it to be nice and comfotable, and I can play a good game of Street Fighter with it. It's compatible with Xbox and PS2, and is supposed to retail for $60.00US, but last time I saw one at Gamestop it was about $80.00. Right now, you can get two of these for the price of one at Nubytech's own auction on eBay for $80.00 shipped. If you can spare that kind of money I highly reccomend it.

So all in all, I'd say get the SF anniversary sticks if you're going to play lots of fighting games and can spare that kind of cash, but if you need a good all purpose joystick for a low price you can't go wrong getting the $20.00 ASCII Playstation arcade stick with a PS2>Xbox adapter.

I can't comment on the X-Arcade because I don't want one, mostly on account of that awkward button placed just below the first row of buttons. I hate that!


Hope this helped.

[ManciGames]

<snip>

Gat-damn, that was a lot of info. :)

Well, I don't have that kind of write up, but I will tell you that I just picked up the Street Fighter Anniversary Stick (compatible with PS2 and XBOX) a few days ago, and it kicks all kinds of ass.

It feels like someone cut out a piece of an arcade machine and sold it for home use. Very responsive and has a solid feel to it. You can't beat it... It's about $50 if you can still find it an an EB or something like that. WELL worth the cash.

Here's a pic:

http://tinyurl.com/q9b4w

[ManciGames]

Another decent (And cheap) one is the Pelican Arcade Stick, it's the little black and yellow one in the top-right corner.

I have to add that I bought this Pelican stick prior to getting the SF Aniv. stick. It lasted all of one day before it started sticking and not registering inputs. Luckily, I was able to return it and apply the cash toward the SF stick.

Now, maybe I got a bad one, but like XYXZYZ noted, it's made of some pretty cheap parts, and I was not surprised when it gave up the ghost after only an hour of KOF Neowave and an hour of SF Anniversary.

[XYXZYZ]

Now, maybe I got a bad one, but like XYXZYZ noted, it's made of some pretty cheap parts, and I was not surprised when it gave up the ghost after only an hour of KOF Neowave and an hour of SF Anniversary.

Oh, I don't doubt it. Actually mine is scrap too, I opened it up and tried to close the distance betwen the actuator and the switch, to get a tighter throw for shooters. (It's a carbon dot switch) The base is really funky, and I ended up breaking the stick right off it's little seat-thing.

But for the couple of years I had it, it was pretty good to me. But I guess it'd still be hard to reccomend to anyone.