I just got a Hori Real Arcade Pro Stick

[xghostsniperx]

Well, technically it is the one that came with the Tekken 5 Ultimate Bundle. It's the exact same one, but just has Tekken artwork on it. For $19.99 at Gamestop I had to pick it up.

Anyways, this is my second arcade stick. I've never done any stick modding of any kind, and honestly, I don't plan to. I just want to use this thing for shmups on PS2, Dreamcast, and Saturn.

I've found a PS2 to Dreamcast converter, but not a PS2 to Saturn converter. First of all, if I use a controller converter, does it make the responsitivity of the controller lag a bit? I remember my friend and I hooking up a PS2 controller to an Xbox to play Street Fighter Anniversary and the controls were about a half second too slow. So, will it lag a bit?

And second, where the hell do I find a PS2 to Saturn converter?

[Damocles]

The amount of lag when using a converter depends entirely on the converter. Some introduce lag, some don't. Hell, some introduce lag on some sticks/pads but not others.

[EOJ]

Well, technically it is the one that came with the Tekken 5 Ultimate Bundle. It's the exact same one, but just has Tekken artwork on it. For $19.99 at Gamestop I had to pick it up.

Actually, this is not a Hori Real Arcade Pro stick, though many people confuse it for one. It has a Hori stick and Hori buttons. The buttons are soldered on the PCB. A real arcade pro has a Sanwa stick and Hori buttons with quick disconnects (making modding a snap), as well as rapid fire switches for each button. Here is a great thread at Shoryuken outlining all the HRAPs and which converters work without lag:

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=95713

[Gakidou]

And second, where the hell do I find a PS2 to Saturn converter?

http://www.tototek.com/ has one. It says "Availability: Pre-Order" but apparently they had them in stock when I ordered a couple of weeks ago, since it came about a week after I made the payment. Haven't noticed any lag either.

[xghostsniperx]

Alright, I ordered a Dreamcast converter and I'll find a Saturn converter some other time.

Anyways, do you guys reccomend modding this? I know it has a square gate in it which is supposedly good for 2D fighters and shmups. The buttons feel solid enough for me, I don't see a reason to replace them.

Is there any advantage to an octogonal or circular gate over a square gate for the joystick?

[Gakidou]

Alright, I ordered a Dreamcast converter and I'll find a Saturn converter some other time.

Just to clarify my previous post: they do have the Saturn converters in stock, despite it saying otherwise on the page. Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough in my previous post (my english is a bit rusty). What I meant to say was that it said "Availability: Pre-Order" when I ordered too, even though they apparently had them in stock (or could easily get hold of them anyway) since I got it about a week later.

[KBZ]

cool, I I'll order a couple of those psx-->saturn adapters then. Sure there's no lag issues?

[bigbadboaz]

I use the Tototek converters as well - not just for Saturn but for SNES, Genesis, PCE... - and have found no lag. I think they're a great product aside from the fact the button mapping can be a bit wonky for joysticks (they're designed with the Dual Shock configuration in mind).

To the OP, if you're happy with the stick, don't worry about modding it. The Hori sticks are good quality on their own and if you haven't tried an actual HRAP to know the difference, you're probably fine. The mod is a bit tricky if you're new to this sort of thing, as well.

Of course, if/when you do get some hands-on with actual Japanese arcade parts, you may itch to upgrade...

[KBZ]

kinda wonky on the button layout eh? Most games should have button configs so it's probably not a big deal as long as you have save files.

[bigbadboaz]

What happens is the converters tend to map the "primary" buttons to square, X, and circle. For example, those three PSX buttons are A, B, and C for the Genesis. Makes sense on the Dual Shock layout, right? Well, on an HRAP square is directly ABOVE X. So for many systems you get an L-shaped layout instead of a straight row. A lot of games aren't flexible enough with the config to allow you to use anything other than those three buttons, and for games that need three buttons not having them in a row can be REALLY annoying.

[Savory]

Is it possible to rewire the pins in the converter to follow the stick's button layout? Obviously that'd no longer be good for a psx pad, but I'd only use a converter for the stick anyway.

[KBZ]

If you have the buttons wired to a barrier strip inside the stick, you could simply use that to switch things around when needed.

[bigbadboaz]

Savory - I would love to do that, but the converters look like they're using some kind of custom chip instead of simple wiring. If it can be done, it's way beyond my expertise.

Buzzo - definitely, but for as often as I like to pop in a different game for an hour here or there, I'm not going to open up my HRAP and rewire every time. I just use the converters where they're useful and try not to get too annoyed at the games that don't remap well. Eventually I will want to go to a DB15/project box setup with my own mapping, but for now it's just nice the converters are lag-free and work where they do.

[eretsua]

If you have the buttons wired to a barrier strip inside the stick, you could simply use that to switch things around when needed.

what is a barrier strip and how do you make it? any info would be greatly appreciated!

~eretsua.