I plan on buying a PS2 stick. After reading through the various joystick threads, I'm pretty sure I'm going with either:
1.) Hori Real Arcade Pro
2.) Custom built stick
I've never used any sticks with Sanwa or Seimitsu parts, just my stick with a Happ Competition stick and concave Happ buttons (R.I.P. ) . Well, I've also used my Dreamcast Arcade Stick, but I don't like the feel of it (the Happ stick feels tighter and more responsive, and the buttons are too squishy).
In any case, because this would be a big purchase, I'd like to get some opinions first. For those who have used both Happ and Sanwa sticks, which do you prefer and why? Keep in mind that I don't play fighters, so I'm not interested in how easy it is to pull off quarter-circles or anything like that.
Also, could somebody explain the pros and cons of going with an octogonal restrictor plate versus a square one?
And I wouldn't go as far as to say that price isn't an issue, but quality is really my main concern here.
Afaik, the octagonal restrictor plate is better suited for fighters, while for shmups a rectagonal one is better.
Just today I compared different versions of the HRAP, and was quite surprised, because they differed substantially. One was an old model, which is supposed to have a Sanwa stick with Hori buttons. The other one was "Sanwa modded", as I was told, and I found that surprising because I wouldn´t have assumed it makes sense to "Sanwa mod" a stick which already is fitted with Sanwa parts. However, this modded stick was a lot more precise than the other one. Whether this is due to some modification, or different model series by Sanwa, I don´t have a clue, but coming home I found out I won a Naomi panel from ebay for cheap, so a HRAP purchase is off the table for me, at least for a while.
If you like Happ sticks better, I´d consider the Neo Geo joystick remake released for the Playstation. Sanwa is somehow similar to your Dreamcast joystick, although much better, but completely different from Happ. I happen to like both systems, for different aspects. Happ gives better precision, which is good when I´m playing for a short while, fully concentrated, and want best results. Sanwa is more comfortable to play a long time, playing with a Happ for more than half an hour tires my hands quickly. The Neo Geo stick is a very good compromise between the two, with the only downside being the buttons.
If you´re sure you want a joystick only for the Playstation, just buying whatever you choose is fine, but if you want to use other systems as well, its much more cost efficient to have one joystick with Neo Geo output (can be anything, every joystick can be modded to output Neo Geo signal format) which is best because it´s uncompressed, and then build or buy converters for each console. It´s more work than buying, say, Playstation -> System X converters because the Playstation format is so popular, but doing that means your signal is converted 2 times, once inside the joystick to Playstation signal, and afterwards to the other console format, and this hurts precision - very slightly, but still. You said you are going for quality, and in that case it´s worth the extra effort.
Have you used a Japanese-style stick before? They're pretty different from American sticks. It will probably take a bit to get used to it. However, they are better, and no that's not just my opinion!
If you decide on a Sanwa stick, you should get one with a square gate since you're not interested in fighters. Octagonal gates are mostly for fighting game players that are used to Happ sticks and don't want to take the time to learn how to do a qcf motion with a square restrictor. For shmups, the square gate is great because it helps you find the corners.
The Hori Real Arcade Pro is probably by far the cheapest way to get a Sanwa stick. Might want to think about swapping out the Hori buttons for Sanwas as well.
i didnt like sanwas at first, but i got used to it pretty quick (didnt have too much of a choice after getting an astro city). i built a few happ sticks before, and otherwise grew up using them, so i had a preference for those. after using sanwas extensively, i think the main reason i wouldnt go back to a happ is the amount of resistance. its just easier to move around quicker with a sanwa, and little tap movements are easier (unless you dont have a light touch at all i guess). otherwise stuff like double play/1 handed play is easier cause the stick is lighter...although i doubt that matters to you.
and the buttons, i still like clicky happ buttons, but i like the sanwas that came with my blast city panel. not sure how the feel of them compares to the cheaper ones though (heard theyre supposed to be more rugged/last longer, not sure about any other differences). most of my boards have autofire, so that makes things easier...i mainly like clicky buttons for rapid tapping, just the more tactile feel of a switch is nice. sanwa makes buttons with clicky switches too if thats an option for you...but no clue if they actually feel like happ buttons.
one last thing on buttons, which hrap stick are you looking into? the original has a different layout from the special editions (and uses hori buttons instead of sanwa/seimitsu? i heard it just used the cheaper sanwa buttons). the special edition layout is the same as the standard sega arcade panel layout, hori one is uh, angled more counterclockwise i guess. just look at pics to see the difference.
not sure on the square/octagonal thing myself, ive been too cheap to buy the guides. i sorta want them if it makes it easier to lock into up/down/left/right, i sometimes push off into a corner on accident. not a huge deal or anything though.
Octagonal gates are mostly for fighting game players that are used to Happ sticks and don't want to take the time to learn how to do a qcf motion with a square restrictor.
what about japanese players that have never used a happ stick?
) . Well, I've also used my Dreamcast Arcade Stick, but I don't like the feel of it (the Happ stick feels tighter and more responsive, and the buttons are too squishy).
