Question to those of you who use Joysticks....

[dave4shmups]

Lately I really think that a good joystick would allow me a LOT more freedom of movement with certain shmups that I own-namely Raiden DX, and Dragon Saber. So, the PS2 Neo Geo joystick that's coming out this spring is looking increasingly attractive to me.

But I have space concerns, so I wanted to ask those of you who own and use joysticks-where do you usually place the thing when you're playing? While the Neo Geo PS2 stick looks really nice, it also looks like it would take up a considerable amount of room.

[Thunder Force]

Yeah, space is always an issue, as is cluttering up your apartment with joysticks. You can get away with holding it in your lap for casual play, but it's unplayable like that for serious use and needs to be set near the screen on a flat heavy surface like the arcade cabs have them... Especially if you're an "intense" user while playing, and put a lot of force onto the stick, you need to stop it moving around at all or you might as well just use a joypad. I've actually used a temporary non-marking gumlike adhesive on the bottom of joysticks in the past, to make them stay on surfaces, etc. If you own more than one kind of joystick you can't really mount any permanently in front of your screen, because you keep swapping between them. Universal converter/adapters are a way around this but some of them introduce lag.

[Kiel]

I have 5 neo sticks in my closet, that keeps them outta the way.

[raiden]

I´ve always had selfmade customized furniture since I moved out from my parents. For consoles, I used to have a cupboard where all consoles stood in line, with an additional board mounted slightly below and before them to put controllers on. Some years ago, I bought an antique treasure chest on a flea market, since then all unused controllers and electronic spare parts go there.
And accidentally, just today I built a new cupboard in the form of an arcade cab, with a protruding board reserved for the joystick. It´s not yet as stable as I want it, but trying out the new play feeling, I´m very happy I did that. Had to adjust the chair to sit higher, with a straight back, and now I find it´s much easier to concentrate that way. I used to sit so comfortable I could have slept that way, but the comfort kept me from focussing as well.

[Ex_Mosquito]

I rest mine on my lap. The thing is with jap sticks is that it takes very little effort/movement to make the connection, also with my arm resting on the base of the stick with only slight wrist and finger/thumb movements i find the stick never moves. Theres no need to go all fancy with tables etc.. With jap style sticks anyway.

[Brian]

I have a little foot stool thing that I put the stick up on. It is just slightly above me when I sit on the floor. It is hardwood and the sticks I have are generally heavy enough that they don't slide on the stool.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

My Hori RAP (yes, I feel the need to mention it all the time) plays great on my lap. It's huuuugggeeee, so there's plenty of space for my hands.

BTW, a 'stick won't make you play better. You'll be dying so much it's going to be depressing until you get used to it, but then, you'll notice you'll only play as good as your skill at that game is. Now, you may be asking yourself "Why the hell buy a stick?". Easy. It feels waaaayyyy cooler to play arcade games with a 'stick than with a pad.

[Ghegs]

BTW, a 'stick won't make you play better. You'll be dying so much it's going to be depressing until you get used to it, but then, you'll notice you'll only play as good as your skill at that game is.

I've now spent few days with my new love, the Namco Arcade Stick, and I'm honestly surprised my "getting used to it" -phase was quite short. My first few games with it were mostly finding a comfortable button set-up and a good grip, now I've already made good progress on the games I'm currently playing. I do feel the stick has decreased my reaction time some.

At first I kept the stick in my lap while playing, today I moved the table in front of me and placed it there; works much better, only my right wrist starts hurting a bit after a while since it's at an odd angle. I'll probably try to find a stool that's a tad higher than the table so I can play with maximum comfort.

[Blue Lander]

After a few tries with a joystick, I found myself doing better with it than a joypad. Personally, I use a Real Arcade Stick, but with Happs buttons and a Sanwa joystick. It fits well on my lap, but I prefer putting it on a stable surface. It doesn't take much effort to move a japanese stick, but putting the stick on a flat surface simulates the arcade experience.

[vek]

one of my housemates just moved out, and she left me a little trolley which is just the right height for me to put an arcade stick on whilst sitting on my chair, no more playing with it on my lap or on the floor