Has anybody used the X-Arcade joystick with a GameCube?

[mudxorz]

Mainly I'd like to get one to use for Ikaruga but I'm curious about how accurate it is using the GameCube adapter. I have used 3rd party controllers that have had dead zones with the analog stick or sloppy response times.

[SePh1r0tH]

I've never tried the X-arcade but I have one of the Hori Soul Calibur 2 arcade sticks for the ps2 (same one was released on the gamecube).

It's a bit hard to find but it's usually pretty cheap and does the job nicely for shooters.

[shmuppyLove]

Well you wouldn't need to worry about any analog issues -- I would hope the joystick would be mapped to the digital pad?

What kind of adapter are you using and what type of PCB/connector does your X-Arcade stick have?

[trap15]

I've heard X-Arcade is awful, but that's just second-hand info, so I don't know how they actually feel personally.

[jasoncslaughter]

I've heard X-Arcade is awful, but that's just second-hand info, so I don't know how they actually feel personally.

I tried one, and I wasn't a fan. I guess it depends on your personal preference, but you could probably build a better controller for less money.

[Thjodbjorn]

The x-arcade does indeed feel awful. At least in my opinion.

[mudxorz]

Actually I just won the official Hori Soul Calibur 2 controller for GameCube for $38 total but it's going to take a few days to arrive. I'm still curious how this controller compares to an actual arcade machine and also how it compares to the X-Arcade stick. Does anybody know if the Hori GC controller can be modded with Sanwa parts it if it even should be? Thanks

[brokenhalo]

Actually I just won the official Hori Soul Calibur 2 controller for GameCube for $38 total but it's going to take a few days to arrive. I'm still curious how this controller compares to an actual arcade machine and also how it compares to the X-Arcade stick. Does anybody know if the Hori GC controller can be modded with Sanwa parts it if it even should be? Thanks

out of the box it's hori parts, which are inferior to sanwa parts, but still usable for shmups. definitely worthless for fighting games. you can mod the sc2 stick with sanwa or seimitsu parts if you want, but i would of suggested getting a ps2 stick and a gamecube adapter. not much to play on the gamecube and a ps2 pcb based stick would of covered a few more bases with different adapters.

and for the record, x-arcade is terrible, they use knock-off happ parts. genuine happ parts are bad enough, but knock-offs? i'd rather use a steering wheel setup

[mudxorz]

Cool thanks. I'm sort of a nut and only intend on using the gamecube and controller for ikaruga and possibly, with help from a friend, designing a full or half arcade machine setup to house the tate style television, arcade sticks, and the system itself. I was originally going to purchase the X-Arcade dual stick to use with it but after so many mixed reviews I wanted to gain additional knowledge on whats out there. In the mean time I happened to win the ebay auction for the Soul Calibur II Hori brand arcade stick for Gamecube. If the stick is good enough then me and my friend will try to get another one off of ebay in which we can mod/design to be ikaruga specific. So I'm curious on if the Hori stick can be modded with sanwa parts and if so, how much of an improvement they will be over the stock Hori parts in the controller. Any information on this topic is greatly appreciated since I'm the type to crack anything open and solder or redesign in general. Here's the picture of the controller just so everybody is on board:

[moh]

i'd rather use a steering wheel setup

I completely agree with this statement.

[Jeneki]

I picked up an X-Arcade double a while back, for use in convention public game rooms (so if kiddies break it I could test their warranty coverage ). The GC connector also works on a Wii with the GameCube ports.

The stick is a bat top, seems ok but I wouldn't say it's a favorite. Note that it uses slightly thicker carriage bolts than standard HAPP parts, so if you want to swap out the joystick you'll have to replace the bolts as well.

The buttons feel terrible. I have no idea why they went with the concave shape.

The wiring layout is simple to work with. On the bad side, they used different shaped quick-disconnects than other brands, which means you'll need to replace those as well if you swap out the microswitches.

Other than that, it's usable enough. I haven't had any problems with it yet.

It's been a while since I used it, so if you want to know the GC button layout I can check when I get home.

[mudxorz]

Cool thanks for the info. The general consensus overall seems to be that the X-Arcade isn't really that great and not worth the money. I haven't read a single bad review about the Hori Soul Calibur II Fighting Stick which is making me more excited about my recent purchase. The tracking number says it will be in tomorrow so I will def let you all know what I think of it and how it plays with Ikaruga. I will probably have to mod it down the line in one way or another because it's truly a hideous looking stick. Who the hell picked the color scheme on this one? Playability come first of course, then aesthetics. If anybody has more info on on either the X-Arcade or the converter adapters let me know.

[BuckoA51]

I love my X-Arcade but I have had the sticks modded out with Sanwa ones instead and the buttons changed, it's been like that since I bought it so I can't comment on what the stock unit feels like really. I prefer bat-tops to ball tops so I was happy there. The range of adaptors is good though, I have the Gamecube one but I've never actually tried it I don't think.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Or you could go with an PS2 based Hori Real Arcade Pro 2 joystick and use an PSX/PS2 to GCN controller adapter for use on a GC console for that world-class arcade experience (not to mention the cool "on-the-fly" auto-fire switches for all the push buttons as well).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[mudxorz]

Well that was my other question. Can anybody confirm that these adapters that convert one system's controller to another are quality products? Is there a brand in particular that produce converters that do not cause any lag between devices or dead zones with the stick or d-pad? If so can we get some links up in here? Thanks

[brokenhalo]

Im not aware of any gc to xxx adaptors, but theres a bunch of ps2 to gc (and other consoles) adaptors. Maybe if you decide to mod the parts you can swap out the pcb as well if you are looking for more system compatability.

Which consoles would you want compatability with?

Edit: and to answer a bit more of your question, yes there are adapters that are lag free and offer perfect remapping. There are a bunch of different ones for different scenarios (xx to xx). Usually if you are looking at one you can do a google search for "adapter name lagfree" and you'll find someone that has tested that adapter out. The shoryuken.com forums are a pretty good resource for that kind of info as well.

[mudxorz]

Yeah I'd have to look into the lag free adapters sometime soon. My Hori brand stick did arrive and I have to say that although the stick is of high quality and has decent button response it still has a learning curve that wasn't expected. I thought getting an arcade style stick would have a natural feel that would be helpful during gameplay but that isn't the case for me. The controller has decent weight to it and the buttons feel nice and the arcade stick has that nice click to it, but the stick itself has sort of a deadzone that I didn't know about. For instance the movement while using the joystick doesn't respond until it's been pushed about a centimeter in whichever direction. I was expecting the arcade stick to be very sensitive to the touch. When I'm playing with the standard GameCube controller there is instant response with either the thumb stick or the D-pad which is what I'm used to. I went ahead and ordered the Sanwa replacement joystick and buttons on ebay so I will continue with the mod, maybe that will improve the response time. If not I will have a nice item to sell or to keep as a trophy of my ocd

[brokenhalo]

all joysticks are going to have a slight deadzone. it's something that you'll get used to. and the stock parts on that stick are pretty crappy when compared to the real thing. those buttons may feel ok now, but if you get a chance to spend some time with some sanwas, you'll definitely notice the difference in quality.

different sticks have different throw/engage distances, and there are ways to shrink the deadzone down (heatshrink mod being an easy way to go). but having too small of a deadzone can be problematic as well, as it makes it too easy to accidentally engage a diagonal input when going for a cardinal direction.

my advice is to play with that sanwa for a few weeks at least and get comfortable with it. then start thinking about what sort of changes you might want to make.

[Speedkingfox]

I have an x arcade and am very happy with it. I use on ps , dc , 360 ps3 and xbox. Im sure there are better ones out there but i recommend one any day of the week

[mudxorz]

So I completely modded the soul calibur II fighting stick for gamecube and gave it an ikaruga theme with official sanwa parts, works awesome. I just posted it on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111140813938?ss ... 1555.l2649