Is an X-Arcade stick worth it?

[Tupin]

I've been looking for a good joystick on several different systems, and I could just use adapters with this one. I do play a lot of fighters and shooters, so I know I would get use out of it, but what other genres work well on it? FPSes? Obviously they would need the dual stick setup. What is everybody's experience with their X-Arcades?

And are there adapters for older systems like the NES?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I love my X-Arcade tank stick.

New models come with USB connectors (in addition to standard PS-2 keyboard and mouse plugs) and you can buy adapters for X-Box, 360, Gamecube, Dreamcast, PS2, PS3, Wii ...

http://www.xgaming.com/store/categor...cade-adapters/

but I've never seen anything for any system predating those, though, based on the serial connectors that the x-arcade uses for the plug-in adapters, you could probably wire an adapter up for something as simple as an NES if you're good with that and you won't need to worry about damaging the stick if it doesn't work.

PCs read the trackball as a mouse, with the pinball buttons on the side as the mouse buttons, and the rest of the buttons and sticks read as keyboard keys. (You'll need to disable stickykeys on Windows to use it).

While I can't say whether or not it would be good for an FPS (I doubt it, but with the mouse ball it might be possible to tweak the sensitivity to work with something like Quake) I do know it's perfect for classic games and modern fighters. I have a few console emulators (GENS and NESTOPIA) on the cabinet that work great, and I've played plenty of shooters on MAME with it. I have no problems with it whatsoever, and if I ever do, they come with a lifetime guarantee.

Here's my setup, I've got the whole X-Arcade cabinet modeled after the classic "Killer Instinct" cab. The stick itself is modular and it pops out if I ever need to take it somewhere.

[wberdan]

I've owned mine for several years now.. I don't think it is that great.
The joystick is 8 way, and set to 8 way factory.
In these settings the joystick doesn't work with 4 way games ideally..
I found that I would have to force the joystick in position at time for those games.
In the 8 way games it still did not feel exactly right.
You can switch the joystick to 4 way by taking off the bottom plate, but this takes a bit of time, and it isn't very helpful.
It was a while ago that I had it in 4 way position, but I do remember that it did not work right, even in something simple like Pac-Man.
I'm really picky though, and I don't know anything better- but if you can try this thing before hand- I would say do try that.
It isn't perfect, but my only complaints are about the joystick.. it might be possible to swap that out for a better one if you don't like it.. I don't know.

willie

[j_factor]

Longshot question, but anyone know if the X Arcade trackball can be used to accurately control Crystal Castles in either Atari Anniversary or Atari Anthology?

[Tupin]

Are the joysticks swappable? I may want to try out the standard bat joysticks they come with or maybe change them out for some Japanese ball topped ones.

I've been looking around, and some of the really hardcore joystick users say the quality is bad and recommend a Hori. Really, I don't have my mind set on anything, I just want a good joystick that could potentially be used on several systems.

[wberdan]

RE: crystal castles.. i couldn't get it to work like the arcade machine in mame- so I would guess that.. it will be all over the map.

I'm sure you can prob swap those joysticks out- they are prob universal mounting?
Just guessing...
If not, you could also drill a couple holes in that particle board.

[kedawa]

Japanese sticks are designed for mounting in metal panels, not wooden ones like the x-arcade, so it would be a lot of work.
You can get balltops for american style sticks, but I think they're a bit of a niche item.

[Lerxstnj]

I love my 2 player X-Arcade stick. Bought it before the tank-stick was out.
As far as FPSs, I actually completed the single player campaign of Unreal Tournament on mine. That's the only FPS I have on the PC. Not the ideal controller for that game, but it did work. Online multi-player I would have got my ass whooped. Good thing the game is short, because I was standing the entire time.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I've been looking around, and some of the really hardcore joystick users say the quality is bad and recommend a Hori. Really, I don't have my mind set on anything, I just want a good joystick that could potentially be used on several systems.

If you're either looking for a hardcore fighting game joystick, or seeking the advice of hardcore/tournament level fighting game players, you're going to get that kind of advice almost 100% of the time. Nothing beats Japanese Hori/Sanwa hardware for fighting games, and anything that's not Hori/Sanwa hardware isn't worth owning.

If you're looking for something like that, this probably isn't the right setup for you.

You can open up the X-Arcade and replace the sticks with something appropriately sized, the wires are all set up with quick-release ends, but I've been inside mine, and I'll warn you, they're not wired for the customizer, so don't expect neatly bundled cords.

RE: crystal castles.. i couldn't get it to work like the arcade machine in mame- so I would guess that.. it will be all over the map.

I'm sure you can prob swap those joysticks out- they are prob universal mounting?
Just guessing...
If not, you could also drill a couple holes in that particle board.

On default settings it's a bit of a mess, but like most things in MAME, if you spend a good (and frequently long trial-and-error) amount of time adjusting settings you can get the desired results.

I enjoy me some Crystal Castles, and I've found that you can get Crystal Castles pretty close to arcade-level sensitivty in MAME by tweaking the sensitivity settings. This is also the case with Marble Madness.

And where Crystal Castles is concerned, if you're not running actual arcade hardware ... I've played them all, I don't think that there is a home version, emulation or otherwise that can replicate that experieince 100%. Obviously anything that controls with a joystick, analog or mouse doesn't have a 1:1 parity, and where trackball controller versions are concerned, I think you just need to spend some time with the sensitivity settings in MAME to get the best home version you can get.

[CDiablo]

I love my solo stick and may end up getting another for my (once I buy one and have spare money)home arcade. The action on the stick is great and you can easily replaced all buttons and the joystick if you feel the need as the stick is made to be modded.

[Black_Tiger]

I bought the original 2 stick model for my Mame cabinet years ago and played through 100's of games and love it. I own several "real" arcades and the X-Arcade feels perfectly fine to me.

[JeremyXgaming]

I've been looking for a good joystick on several different systems, and I could just use adapters with this one. I do play a lot of fighters and shooters, so I know I would get use out of it, but what other genres work well on it? FPSes? Obviously they would need the dual stick setup. What is everybody's experience with their X-Arcades?

And are there adapters for older systems like the NES?

The X-Arcade works with nearly any games, but works best for fighters, sports and arcade style games. You wouldn't use a steering wheel to play a fighting game, similarly the X-Arcade would not be the ideal way to play an FPS. But it will work with the new DualStick Mode found in the 2in1 and 5in1 adapters.

While we don't make adapters for older systems like the NES, SNES and Genesis, most people are playing those games emulated on their PC or newer game consoles. The X-Arcade is definitely ideal for emulators.

[Yoder]

I have a dual and a single X-arcade and I really like them. I swapped out the 8-way for a Happ Super or a Happ Competition (can't remember) on one of them and it was plug-n-play. But, yes, you'll have issues with ANY 8-way stick in a 4-way game. Donkey Kong and Pac-man are rough with 8-way sticks...that's just the way it is.

What I like about X-arcade is that they continue supporting the sticks with new adapters, USB technology, etc. And it has a lifetime warranty (although I never had to use it).

They're not the ideal fighter stick necessarily, but for a general purpose arcade stick for emulation and casual fighting, they're awesome. I've used mine for MAME more than anything and it's right at home there...