What controller do you use?

[Marc]

Unmodified Qanba Q4 for now.

Any good? Using a MadCatz Soul Calibur V stick which I believe is all Hori parts, but the stick is a touch looser than I'd like, looking for a second stick to go with it.

[trap15]

It's very very good. The stick and the 8 main buttons are all Sanwa. The start button and the top row stuff is all cheapo chinese crap, but you barely use those anyways. Works great on PC X360 and PS3. So yes, very much worth it

[TransatlanticFoe]

Saturn - custom job from a controller PCB w/LS-32 stick and Sanwa buttons
PC - as above, via Saturn to USB converter
Dreamcast - standard official arcade stick
Everything else - standard 1st party gamepads (looking into a JP arcade power stick for the Mega Drive though)

[PAPER/ARTILLERY]

PC and 360 I use a Hori VX-SA with its stock parts (Sanwa JLF stick and Sanwa OBSF buttons I think) the buttons are wonderful but the stick itself isn't great. Been meaning to get around to fitting it with an ls-32 or 56 instead.

[friedrich]

Saturn USB pad for MAME, default controllers for consoles.

I never really tried playing shmups with an arcade stick outside the few times I played one at an arcade, which was ages ago. Once I get a decent shmup setup, I'll probably get a Hori RAP though.

[Sarethums]

ps3 (60gb ps2 comp) hori fighting stick 3. 360 hori ex2, both cheap and my first 2 sticks. i prefer these over a regular pad. on wii classic controller pro. thats pretty much it, at my bros house i use a g25 steering wheel for gt5 and soon to be gt6.

[Leandro]

I use my good and old 6-button Sega Mega Drive pad via lpt1 port adapter on PC... Works great... I have this pad since the mid nineties lol

And the computer nearly as long, I don't doubt.

Yeah, 1999

[majik989s]

I use an American style HAPP P360 and convex buttons for all of the games I used to play in the arcade growing up (now on MAME, PSX, PS2, and XBLA) and a HRAP EX-SE for the newer Cave games and doujins.

I think I prefer American parts for the older games because I feel like I can mash the bajesus out of them.

[Battletoad]

For PC shmups and MAME I use the notebook keyboard, on consoles monstly the original pads. Only exception is Playstation 2 because the D-pad is utterly horrible, there I use a Saturn pad + lagless PS2 converter instead.

Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast pads are awesome for games where you have to move around the screen constantly and fast. For precision dodging I prefer a keyboard though. Haven't really got used to Arcade sticks so far.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Only exception is Playstation 2 because the D-pad is utterly horrible, there I use a Saturn pad + lagless PS2 converter instead.

Where did you get that from and will it work with the original Playstation? The more I can re-use my Saturn stick on other consoles, the better!

[heisenbergman]

If I want to try out playing shmups with an arcade stick and I'm coming from playing them with a Xbox 360 Controller, what arcade stick should I be looking at for starters?

[Hagane]

You should go for a stick with Seimitsu / Sanwa parts. From my experience the SFIV Tournament Edition sticks are very good, and so are Qanbas.

[heisenbergman]

Thanks for the tip. I'm from the Philippines, so I don't have a lot of options if I'm not ordering online, but luckily I found one local seller that carries QanBa sticks. Which of these do you think is the most worth getting?

R=Stick & Price converted to USD R=Qanba Q4 3in1 Red Limited Edition & $204 R=Qanba Q4 3in1 Blue Limited Edition & $204 R=Qanba Q4 3in1 eLivePro RF Limited Edition & $186 R=Qanba Q4 3in1 eLivePro D44BAS Limited Edition & $186 R=Qanba Q4 3in1 eLivePro Kindevu Limited Edition & $186 R=Qanba Q4 3in1 White & $179 R=Qanba Q4 RAF PS3/XBOX360/PC 3in1 Arcade Sanwa FightStick & $174 R=Qanba Q4 3in1 Blue SSF4 AE 6-button Layout & $174 R=Qanba Q3 Empire Arcadia Limited PS3/PC Arcade Sanwa FightStick & $163 R=Qanba Q4 RAF PS3/PC 2in1 Arcade Sanwa FightStick & $151 R=Qanba Q3 RAF Xbox 360/PC Qanba Q3 Series Joystick & $151 R=Qanba Q3 RAF PS3/PC Wireless [Zero Lag] Joystick & $146 R=Qanba Q1 Cut PS3/PC 2in1 Sanwa Edition & $128 R=Qanba Q2 RAF PS3/PC Arcade Sanwa FightStick & $123 R=Qanba Q1 Cut PS3/PC 2in1 Standard & $74 R=Qanba PS3/PC P3GHR Sanwa Stick & $60

[Hagane]

I'd go with "Qanba Q4 RAF PS3/XBOX360/PC 3in1 Arcade Sanwa FightStick" since you can use it for everything. You'll be able to play stuff in your PC or bring it over to a meeting and not worry if they have a 360 or PS3 (that was my problem with my 360 TE stick... most of my friends had PS3 so I couldn't use it). I have no experience with all those limited editions so I can't say if they are worth the extra cash.

[heisenbergman]

Ah I see. What if I'm 99.99% sure that I'll be using it with a PC 99.99% of the time? Can I go with one of those cheaper sticks or would you still recommend that same stick?

Also: Is there a big difference between Q1, Q2, Q3 & Q4?

[Zengeku3]

Keyboards. They are so good that it almost feels like cheating.

Much money have I spent experimenting with alternatives that would work with Xbox 360 (over 500 dollars i think) but I've found nothing that could come close to the massive ownage that is the keyboard.

[Battletoad]

Only exception is Playstation 2 because the D-pad is utterly horrible, there I use a Saturn pad + lagless PS2 converter instead.

Where did you get that from and will it work with the original Playstation? The more I can re-use my Saturn stick on other consoles, the better!

Yes it's supposed to work with PS1 and PS2 even though I only own the latter one.

A friend told me once that most converters probably have slight lag and this site here sells lagless converters:
http://www.keio.dk/converters.html

There are several problems about it though... The Saturn->PSX converter cost me pretty much (over 50 €, but well spent money for my taste) and most importantly they're sold out. The Danish guy who produces them also told me when I ordered that this was the last time he would produce some of these, so I was a bit lucky to get mine.

Well, you never know, but you'll probably have to find another solution.

[Neorebel]

Due to being a Fighting game fan as well, I have arcade sticks for nearly every console. I also use my PS3 ones on the PC...

[To Far Away Times]

I use a PS1 dual shock almost exclusively. I bought two extra ones just to have some back ups lying around. They're fantastic controllers with great build quality and components.

I also have a Street Fighter TE arcade stick which I'll use occasionally.

[Hagane]

Ah I see. What if I'm 99.99% sure that I'll be using it with a PC 99.99% of the time? Can I go with one of those cheaper sticks or would you still recommend that same stick?

Also: Is there a big difference between Q1, Q2, Q3 & Q4?

I'm not sure about differences among the Qs, but from what I've seen the $60 stick listed there doesn't have Sanwa parts, so I'd go for something at least starting from the $123 stick.

[Gingerzilla]

Depends on the System. my current set up is thus

Sega Saturn - Hori Fighting Stick SS
A total heap of shit to be honest. Hard to control and I can't change the stick out either which is total balls. (So this one has to go) Good option if all you have is a controller.

Xbox 360 - Madkatz Street Fighter IV edition Fighting stick
A great stick I love it although from time to time I move it about which I hate. Very responsive.

PS3 - The Vewlix Diamond
The best stick I have I think. Big and feels like an arcade machine.
I should mod the hell out of it to play all my other systems on it but I don't want to screw it up and not have it working. Love this bad boy. Once i get Mame up and running it will get more use as most of my shooters are on Saturn and Xbox360.

I have a Sega Virtua Stick Pro on hold at the moment. But it is so expensive at nearly $200 so i'm not too sure if I should get it as I could buy a candy cab for a little bit more. Does anybody use this stick? I really am looking for a Sega HSS-0136 which looks great and half the price of the Virtua stick although not too sure they are around anymore.

Cheers
G

[Ex_Mosquito]

I used a Sanwa Modded Dreamcast stick for 12 years until I recently upgraded to a Sega Virtua Stick Hi-Grade modded with a wired 360 pad so I can use it for Mame, GGPO and ST on the 360. Parts wise it's identical to my modded DC stick but the extra weight on the High-Grade helps the with stability. The base of the DC stick had a habit of twisting after a few rounds of ST, so the left direction became down-left ;/ It's so flimsy. It's a right pain in the arse to take apart the Hi-Grade and switch to 4-way, though! ;/

[2D•TRON]

Console/PC: I use a hacked QANBA Q3-xs. It's USB wired with a KADE hack so I just update the removable USB stick to what ever platform I'm running and boom most versatile stick. From GameCube, Xbox, ps, and pc. The stock controller works for xbox 360 and PC. Super easy to set up. and modd if further down the line you want to pimp it up. As standard the parts are all sanwa.




MAME: I use an arcade.

[Hibachi]

HRAP with LS-32 and. Seimitsu buttons for PS1 & PS2 and Madcatz fightstick standard with LS-32 and Seimitsu buttons for Xbox 360 and PC.

[Koboldicus]

MadCatz TE with sanwa stick and seimitus buttons

[FRO]

I generally use the standard gamepad for most things, though I trade up to a joystick when I have one if it's a good solid stick. On my Saturn I use the 3D pad for nearly everything, because the only stick I have is the Fighting Stick, which is just okay. For the handful of PC shmups I play, I have a Logitech F310 gamepad I recently picked up that I've been quite happy with.

[Acid_Rain]

I own a qanba q4 with seimitsu parts and I love to play with it…
but all my 1ccs were played on the standard 360 pad

[Softdrink 117]

I own a Qanba Q3 and a heavily modified Agetec stick, which has been refitted with pure Seimitsu parts and a multiconsole PCB. Both are excellent; I use them for different things. The Q3 has Sanwa buttons, so lately I've been favoring it a lot because it's much less stressful on my hands when rapid-tapping buttons for some games (notably Mushihime-sama).

When I'm at not at college, I play on my Blast City cab back at home.

I also have a mechanical keyboard (60/40 layout, Cherry MX Browns) which I use when playing most doujin/PC games. Although I sometimes use a mapping program like XPadder to use a stick instead of the keyboard, I usually find that PC shmups feel a bit more natural on keyboard. I do use my sticks for MAME and other emus, though.

[VHS-porn]

Can't play without a stick. Regular controllers feels terrible and keyboard are even worse, but I might have to try with a mechanical keyboard at some point.
Playing without a stick does sound like a strange idea to me.

[heisenbergman]

I'm surprised by the number of people who use keyboards, tbh.

Tried it again last night just to see if I was not giving it a fair shake and it feels really much inferior to using a gamepad. Which is also why I am intrigued if the difference b/w using a gamepad and an arcade stick is similarly vastly different.