Cheapo arcade controller -- any good?

[Stormwatch]

Saw this on DealExtreme...

Arcade Joystick Controller for PC/PS2

Price: $19.07
Worldwide Free Shipping

- A full range of multi-button control buttons, a good cost-effective
- Metal rocker, sturdiness and durability, increasing the metal plate specially designed, solid and more durable
- Plug and play design with USB cable/PS2 connector, no extra power required (USB1.0/USB 1.1/USB2.0)
- Long cable Length: 2m

The price certainly sounds good, and it looks light enough to rest it on your lap (unlike some "bricks" out there). I was thinking about getting a pair of those.

So, guys... think it's any good? Or is it junk that will stop working in a week, or something like that?

[Damocles]

Considering the price, the buttons and stick are probably horrible. Unless it's an easy mod, which I don't think it is, I would pass.

[Stormwatch]

I suppose you're right, but... know any store that will sell a decent stick at a decent price with free worldwide shipping?

And, gotta love the engrish.

[iatneH]

That looks roughly like a pair of InterAct Pro Shock PS1 sticks I used to own, which I got for $5 each.

They are pieces of crap. Don't be fooled by the picture, I suspect the entire base is about 8 inches wide, and hence the stick and button cannot be modded since they are special made for the casing. Forget about resting it in your lap, it's about the size of an original Xbox controller and you can hold it in your hands, even.

If you're looking for a decent stick..... do shops in Brazil sell SFIV controllers? Though I have heard prices for electronics are ridiculously high there...

[Stormwatch]

Yes, things are hella expensive here. And it's hard to get imports... shipping is a bitch, sure, but the tariffs are downright infuriating. You end up paying twice as much as the original price for anything, it's despairing. Usually, to get anything at a decent price, you have to ask a friend or relative who's going abroad.

[Casey120]

That's not a Joystick but a Sex Toy .
Read the second sentence of the manual

[Stormwatch]

Okay, how about this one, for around $50, shipping included...?

[Udderdude]

Wrestle Joystick

Edit: Oh lawd, this "Review" .. http://www.berlinkauf.com/PS-PS-PC-235046.html

You will feel like playing wrestle game with the street machine with this joystick

Fantastic

And the stick art .. of all the characters, Rufus? Don't they realize how despised he is?

Parts are probably crap, too.

[speedlolita]

You can get SF4 SE for less than that.

Rubbish too, but look better.

[Stormwatch]

Okay, guys... I have a friend in Japan who could bring me something cool next time she comes around. So... what are the good arcade controllers, how much do they cost, where to buy them in Japan? Full tutorial plz! I really want a good stick, and can't pay too much.

But I better explain what I'm looking for...

I really don't want something bulky and heavy. I am not going to put it on a desk. I want something light and slim, to rest on my legs. I want something durable, but I am not going to slam the damn thing, so the buttons and stick better be sensitive. It'd be a positive point if it is compatible with USB and Playstation 2. And, very important -- NO, I AM NOT GOING TO MOD IT.

See, an example of a controller designed JUST RIGHT for my taste: Sega's 'Arcade Power Stick' for the Genesis: very solid, quite small, not too heavy, and comfortably shaped.

[iatneH]

Aiyaiyai..... That look like the buttons (and quite possibly the stick) use rubber plungers. I just threw 3 of my plunger joysticks in the garbage last week. They're pretty bad, but if I had known, I probably could have sent the PS1 stick your way for cost of shipping. Too late now.

Unfortunately I have to say from experience that making the jump from pads to sticks isn't something you can go partway with any good results. A decent stick should have proper switches in the buttons and stick, and those also tend to be big and bulky and expensive (though this last one seems to be changing).

The only thing I can think of that might come a bit closer to your requirement is probably the original/re-issue/variant NeoGeo stick. It's the smallest/lightest stick I've owned that isn't utter crap. The lack of buttons on the original might be a problem though, so you might need to track down the PS2 version or whatnot. That in itself is going to be a problem since I'm under the impression it's rather rare and pricey - you can get a HRAP or similar stick for less than what that goes for.

[StarCreator]

That's totally a classic Hori knockoff (they used that style case up to the Soulcalibur II PS2 stick, I believe), and probably the closest thing to a decent stick that this thread has seen. But for $50, I'd go for the real thing - Hori EX2 sticks are about the same price range.

Honestly, if you're not into heavy modding, the best sticks you can get that are on the inexpensive side are the MadCatz SE sticks (SF4 on the PS3/360 side, Tatsunoko on the Wii side). They're smaller than the TEs but not so small that you sacrifice the ability to use genuine arcade parts. They're also a lot more durable out of the box than the bottom of the barrel EX2, and replacing faulty hardware is as simple as turning a screwdriver.

If you -are- modding, the Mayflash universal stick is a pretty good modding platform. There are guides on modding the Mayflash stick a few pages back on this forum.

[Stormwatch]

iatneH:
Okay, if you say so. I shouldn't ask my friend to hunt down obscure stuff, she's not even into games. Then, what are my options for: widely available in Japan, quality, not too heavy, and not insanely expensive? The HRAP certainly looks good, but give me more options to ask my friend to look for. I'm quite the noob in this regard, you see.

By the way, I may be getting a PS2 (nephew wants to swap for my spare Dreamcast), so I suppose it should be a PS2 controller and an USB adapter. Unless there is a good hybrid one?

StarCreator:
Mind you, that's $50 because it includes shipping. And I'm not really interested in that anymore, the seller takes Paypal only. By the way, it seems there are some issues with the Mad Catz SE, what do you think about it?

[StarCreator]

The MatCatz SE problems are very well documented, and at this point it's been long enough that some work has probably been done to the production end to help mitigate the issue. From what I've seen, the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom stick (same formfactor as the SE) actually has completely redesigned parts that more closely emulate Sanwa internals. No idea if or when these improved parts will hit the SE fightsticks, though I'd assume it's a given for Super SF4 branded products whenever those come out.

All this is irrelevant to me since I'd swap all the parts out for Seimitsu parts anyway. =p

If you're after PS2 support, it's probably best to get a native PS2 controller then get an adapter to convert it to PC/PS3. SRK should have all the info you need on PS3 converters. 360 converters are a little more tricky since you need a wired controller plugged into it as well. The thread for that should be right in the first page of this forum. And again, if you don't mind doing a little modding, the Mayflash's PCB supports PS2/PS3/PC natively.

[Stormwatch]

So, what's a good PS2 stick you could suggest me?

[StarCreator]

The Mayflash would do in a pinch, but at this point, you may be better off stalking the Trading forum since a few sticks come and go there every so often. PS2 sticks aren't really commercially made anymore.

[Stormwatch]

Looked for a Mayflash, found at Play-Asia, but their shipping rates... FFFFFFF --



I'm again tempted to go for the Wrestle Joystick; this guy (in portuguese) compared a bunch of sticks, and said:

Overall, those who bought this controller (to mod it or not) found it satisfactory. Despite being produced by an unknown company, its stock parts are relatively good. Out of the box, it's not a competition controller, but a good pick for casuals.

On the other hand, he said the Mayflash's parts are not good...

[doctorx0079]

If you can find Valgar, I have a custom stick he made and it's works well. Sanwa stick and buttons, and autofire on the Square button.

[StarCreator]

... ow. I don't think I've ever seen shipping rates quite that ridiculous.

If you can really get that Wrestle stick for $50 shipped, that's probably the best value you're going to get. Shipping pretty much kills everything else =/

[Stormwatch]

Okay, look at the Wrestle, and check how R1/R2/L1/L2 are arranged. Compare to the cheapo one on the top. Does that make any sense?

[iatneH]

Nice shipping pic, I had a good laugh. I would seriously pick that 4th option every time too if I had it.

Anyway, that really sucks. At this point I would also say go for the Wres-tle joystick, but about that button arrangement, it might be tricky to rearrange. I suspect the buttons are not quick-connects, but rather soldered through a board, so if you want to switch anything around, you'll have to get in there with a knife.

But on the other hand, shooters tend not to use the shoulder buttons, and fighting games should have configurable button mappings, so it might work for you out-of-the-box somehow.

[StarCreator]

Might be a bit early, but I'd really like a follow-up on this. Did you order the stick, and are you going to post photos of the inside?

[Stormwatch]

Found a more local dealer that sells those. Around $37 + $10 shipping. Ordered. Shipped. Should arrive this or next week.

[Shion]

I was wondering if anyone actually worked with stick the OP linked. I'm not thinking of modding it, but I want to use the PCB for a custom stick. I want my stick to have PS2 and PC support, so this would be perfect. Does anyone know if this PCB is easy to work with, or am I better of hacking a regular PSX pad for the job?

[iatneH]

I was wondering if anyone actually worked with stick the OP linked. I'm not thinking of modding it, but I want to use the PCB for a custom stick. I want my stick to have PS2 and PC support, so this would be perfect. Does anyone know if this PCB is easy to work with, or am I better of hacking a regular PSX pad for the job?

I've padhacked that one, or at least a very similar one, but it was for PS1 only (i.e. not DualShock2-compatible, so it wouldn't work with Star Soldier etc, nor with PS2->GameCube adapters).
It will work fine, but expect the PCB to be larger than a standard controller. Also, it takes more work getting at the PCB, since there's a lot of disassembly involved and the buttons also need to be desoldered. But at the end of the day, you can also take advantage of the autofire and other features.

[StarCreator]

IMO, if you're after a PCB that has both PS2 and PC support out of the box, you should pick up the Mayflash stick. The main PCB comes out after 4 little screws, and is like the size of two sticks of gum.

[Shion]

Alright, thanks guys. Mayflash would be ideal, but a bit too expensive to optain here in Europe, so I may just settle for a PSX pad. Getting an MC-Cthulhu would actually be cheaper than a Mayflash. I can always get a converter for PC use I guess.

[Stormwatch]

Phew. It has arrived at last.

Impressions:
- the stick is quite short, and the sphere is small.
- travel area is square, not round.
- it's light enough to rest on your legs
- strange: MAME sees the stick as buttons, not directions.
- works fine on the Playstation, as far as I can see.
- art is lousy
- the buttons are huge and flat, which is bad (I'd prefer smaller and concave)
- the buttons are rather sensitive, which is good.

Overall, it is quite decent for its price. Of course, if you can afford something better, full of Hori or Sanwa parts or whatever, go for it. I still intend to. But, for a low-cost controller, it's fine. Yes, it's chinese junk, but it's good chinese junk.

[Ed Oscuro]

- it's light enough to rest on your legs

But how do you balance it on pencils?

I am having trouble envisioning a controller so heavy it cuts off the circulation. Some unnecessarily heavy shit like an X-Arcade, sure.

Yes, it's chinese junk, but it's good chinese junk.

Yes, a junk is a fine sailing experience indeed. ^_~

[StarCreator]

It sounds pretty much what you'd expect from cheaper Hori sticks of old, since from the photos it looks pretty much like what they used to produce up to mid-PS2 era, down to the flat Seimitsu-wannabe buttons (which I do prefer over the more conventional convex style, by the way - and concave is unheard of as far as Japanese style parts go). Hori definitely did a much better job with their low-end products before putting out absolute crap like the EX2, and I'm thankful the older style has more imitators than what they're doing now.

You mention the square restrictor as if it were a surprise - this too is standard for Japanese style parts. IMO, having anything else is just putting yourself at a disadvantage if you happen to end up in Japanese game centers where all the restrictors will probably be square.

I'd still like to see photos under the hood, if it is feasible.