Arcade Stick for SHMUP

[Jforce]

Hi people, I'd like to buy an Arcade Stick for shmups, but I don't know which is the best for this type of gaming because I've never played with Arcade Sticks and saw them in real before. Thank you.

[Edmond Dantes]

It's all a matter of preference. In fact some shmuppers prefer to play with a D-Pad.

As for what's most "arcade authentic" that'll depend on where you grew up. If I remember correctly, Japanese arcades tended to use Sanwa or Seimitsu parts (or clones thereof), while American arcades used parts made by Happ (now called Suzo-Happ). If you never played in an arcade growing up though, then it really doesn't matter.

Also people who get serious about arcade sticks usually wind up building their own, or buying custom parts for an existing one.

[Patashu]

It's all a matter of preference. In fact some shmuppers prefer to play with a D-Pad.

Some shmuppers prefer to play with a keyboard. You can play with anything as long as it's responsive.

[mastermx]

Hi people, I'd like to buy an Arcade Stick for shmups, but I don't know which is the best for this type of gaming because I've never played with Arcade Sticks and saw them in real before. Thank you.

What system do you plan to play on? And how much are you looking to spend?

[Shatterhand]

I personally prefer playing shmups with a dpad, while I prefer an arcade stick for fighting games.

[Some-Mist]

you're probably going to get the most bang for your buck with qanba sticks. this is assuming you will not be able to custom make your own stick.

but if you're playing on an xbox 360, hori real arcade pro es-xe sticks are highly sought after. they're pretty baller stock.


keep in mind... you're probably going to have to relearn how to play shmups with a stick if you're used to playing with another control method. it took me a few months to get back in my same rhythm.

[Jforce]

It's all a matter of preference. In fact some shmuppers prefer to play with a D-Pad.

As for what's most "arcade authentic" that'll depend on where you grew up. If I remember correctly, Japanese arcades tended to use Sanwa or Seimitsu parts (or clones thereof), while American arcades used parts made by Happ (now called Suzo-Happ). If you never played in an arcade growing up though, then it really doesn't matter.

Also people who get serious about arcade sticks usually wind up building their own, or buying custom parts for an existing one.

I grew up in Belarus and I've never seen Arcade's in my country. I know about Sanwa and Happ, first of all I thought about X-Arcade controller because it's cheap but I heard that HAPP sticks have bad quality.

[Jforce]

Hi people, I'd like to buy an Arcade Stick for shmups, but I don't know which is the best for this type of gaming because I've never played with Arcade Sticks and saw them in real before. Thank you.

What system do you plan to play on? And how much are you looking to spend?

I have a PC only so I can play with emulators only, but maybe I'll bought xbox 360 in future because there are a lot of good shmups on that.

[Jforce]

you're probably going to get the most bang for your buck with qanba sticks. this is assuming you will not be able to custom make your own stick.

but if you're playing on an xbox 360, hori real arcade pro es-xe sticks are highly sought after. they're pretty baller stock.


keep in mind... you're probably going to have to relearn how to play shmups with a stick if you're used to playing with another control method. it took me a few months to get back in my same rhythm.

I'm playing with Dualshock 4 (D-PAD or Analog Stick) or with keyboard some times and the most important for me is input lag because some times it's too big. I don't know because of what this problem, maybe emulator or maybe controller.

[Jforce]

Does anyone know about a difference between 4-way, 8-way and 49-way(optical?) sticks? Which is the best for shmups?

[chempop]

8 way is basically required because you need: up, down, left, right, and all the diagonals = 8 directions total.

Now as far as "gates", many people use stock square gates, but octagonal gate are becoming more popular (because they are great).

[Ixmucane2]

The 49-way stick was halfway between a plain digital joystick and the "analog" sticks that became popular in much later consoles. It distinguished 7 ranges along each of two axes, for a total of 49 possible positions.
Used in Sinistar, Blaster and a few (much later) Gauntlet sequels and sports games.
Output can be converted to the regular joystick standard (e.g. http://www.seanriddle.com/49way.html) with a choice of mappings.

I've never used one, so I can't say how it feels on the mechanical side or how useful custom remapping to 4 or 8 ways can be; it's definitely important to play the games that used it in the proper way.

[Jforce]

I saw an Industrial Stick on crane remote control at work, can I use it for gaming?

And what is the construction difference between 4- and 8-way sticks, I thought that additional 4-ways this is when you're mechanically clicking on 2 buttons at the same time, for example Up+Left = Upper Left Corner.

Maybe 49-way it's the best for gaming, but I've found the one from HAPP only and it's very expensive (about 100USD).

[shmuppyLove]

There might be some confusion between 4-way and 8-way sticks.

I believe a "true" 4-way joystick would only allow up, down, left and right input, with no diagonals. Obviously this is not what you want for the majority of modern games.

The standard for arcade joysticks is to have 4 switches, one for each of the cardinal directions, and a restrictor that allows two switches to be engaged in order to create the diagonals (normally square, octagonal or circular).

As an example, on a standard Sanwa JLF joystick, there are 4 switches, and the restrictor is in the "square" orientation, which allows you to move the stick into the corners to engage two switches at once. If you rotate the restrictor 45° to the "diamond" orientation, the movement of the stick is restricted and you can only engage one of the switches at a time.

So I think the only difference between a "4-way" and "8-way" joystick is down to the restrictor, which can often be easily changed. And at any rate, you need diagonals for shmups. I guess there are some ye olde classic games that might freak out if you input diagonals and require a 4-way restrictor. Pac-Man possibly?

[mastermx]

I would go for sanwa or seimitsu parts, they have a reasonable price.

What stick you should get all depends on how much you are willing to spend. If you only want to use it on pc, then you have a lot of choice. Most ps3 and 360 sticks work on pc. I would personally recommend a qanba, or TE Stick.

A friend brought a cheap bad stick and modded it with sanwa parts and is pretty solid; there's a lot of customization that you can do if you wanna buy cheap.

[Astraea FGA Mk. I]

You should get a XBOX 360 arcade stick. It is USB and works on a windows based PC without any drivers or configuration, it is plug and play. If you get a 360 at some point you're set for that too.
I would buy a Hori Real Arcade Pro with Sanwa or Seimitsu parts. From what I can see on Amazon most if not all of the Hori sticks with real arcade parts come with Sanwa.
While most shmup players prefer Seimitsu, Sanwa parts are quite good also.

Perhaps look into the HRAP VX series sticks, I have a HRAP VX-SA and it is excellent, the case is very well designed with the overlay extending over the sides giving it handles, an angled edge on the front to rest your wrists comfortably, it has a storage compartment for the cable and is based on the Taito Vewlix arcade machine panel.

These sticks are fairly easy to mod, making switching the Sanwa parts for Seimitsu not that difficult, but it is unnecessary.

[cuttingagent]

Any stock fightstick works just fine for me. Square gate was really weird til I got used to it, so was the balltop (rarely ever seen in American arcades). You definitely need an 8-way, 4way is OK for some games but you'd never actually wanna buy one for your home because an 8-way is fine for those games two. You absolutely do not want to be looking at a 49-way unless you're a diehard arcade freak who absolutely must play Sinistar, specifically Sinistar, at home.

I have a stock Qanba Q4RAF which works on PS3/360 and PC. For compatibility alone I couldn't recommend anything else over it. Costs 150 new, I got it used. Build quality and parts are all good but I feel like I'd like some clickier buttons.

[Some-Mist]

you're probably going to get the most bang for your buck with qanba sticks. this is assuming you will not be able to custom make your own stick.

but if you're playing on an xbox 360, hori real arcade pro es-xe sticks are highly sought after. they're pretty baller stock.


keep in mind... you're probably going to have to relearn how to play shmups with a stick if you're used to playing with another control method. it took me a few months to get back in my same rhythm.

I'm playing with Dualshock 4 (D-PAD or Analog Stick) or with keyboard some times and the most important for me is input lag because some times it's too big. I don't know because of what this problem, maybe emulator or maybe controller.

probably a combination of things causing lag (monitor, emulation software, etc..) and I wouldn't place the blame solely on the controller.

I have a stock Qanba Q4RAF which works on PS3/360 and PC. For compatibility alone I couldn't recommend anything else over it. Costs 150 new, I got it used. Build quality and parts are all good but I feel like I'd like some clickier buttons.

I don't even own one but this is exactly why I suggested Qanba. I wish I knew before buying a handful of sticks, but for stock compatibility alone PS3/360/PC is a sick deal. And most if not all of them are stock sanwa parts.

[Jforce]

Slow down guys . So which is the best choice for shmups or my Dualshock 4 is enough for gaming because the only thing why I'd like to buy Arcade stick because it's the best way to play in my opinion? Anyway I don't feel discomfort with my DS4 but is there any chance to measure input lag for my joystick?

[sojtrash]

Might want to hold off buying a stick until Evo 2014 on July 11. They normally stream ads for discount codes off sticks.

Don't know about pro shmuppers, but fighting games pros use sticks where as much as 30k can be on the line. Shouldn't have to worry about lag. I think using adapters is a problem though (like using a 360 converter to hook up a PS3 controller).

[Jforce]

Might want to hold off buying a stick until Evo 2014 on July 11. They normally stream ads for discount codes off sticks.

Don't know about pro shmuppers, but fighting games pros use sticks where as much as 30k can be on the line. Shouldn't have to worry about lag. I think using adapters is a problem though (like using a 360 converter to hook up a PS3 controller).

But I'm using DS4 directly with BT or Cable connection.

And as I understood a lot of shmuppers don't use sticks.

[Some-Mist]

Slow down guys . So which is the best choice for shmups or my Dualshock 4 is enough for gaming because the only thing why I'd like to buy Arcade stick because it's the best way to play in my opinion? Anyway I don't feel discomfort with my DS4 but is there any chance to measure input lag for my joystick?

it's not the best way.. it's just another preference.

I like using all my fingers on the buttons and my entire hand for movement instead of using my just thumbs (tho if you can remap the controls for whatever game you're playing you can definitely choose some pretty intuitive control schemes using the triggers. If you're used to one control method, you will basically have to relearn playing the entire genre if you switch to another. It might not be worth the hassle.

[amdiggywhut]

I'd argue that using a stick is the most fun method for playing arcade games. If you're skilled with another control method and need to convert, it could be a pain, otherwise its certainly worth looking into imo.

[mastermx]

I find that learning the different control methods is fun itself. I've used and am good with pad, stick, keyboard, and even analogue thumbstick. I like being versatile. That being said, I've always found stick to be the most fun, but then again, it's all subjective. There are perks to all these methods.

[sojtrash]

But I'm using DS4 directly with BT or Cable connection.

And as I understood a lot of shmuppers don't use sticks.

I'm not super technologie, but a wireless connection will have lag, i think BT too even if it's imperceptible. also the type of television you have can matter, some monitors have display lag.

fighting game tournaments will not allow wireless controllers. i think DS4 is wireless even if the cable is attached, but you'll have to ask a ps4 guy to confirm that one, i'm still poverty on PS3/360

if you feel comfortable with DS4, I'd just stick with it, unless you can notice input lag getting you killed, I noticed it for PS3 pinball games...it was pissing me off

[Shatterhand]

I find that learning the different control methods is fun itself. I've used and am good with pad, stick, keyboard, and even analogue thumbstick. I like being versatile. That being said, I've always found stick to be the most fun, but then again, it's all subjective. There are perks to all these methods.

what about this:

http://revistapushstart.com/wp-content/ ... inal_2.jpg
?


I personally can play with nearly anything too, but I clearly play better with a good dpad.

[Krooze L-Roy]

One bit of advice if you decide to go for it: learn your stick with a new game, that way you're improving on the stick as you improve at the game. Playing a familiar game sub-optimally will be discouraging.

[hien]

I personally prefer playing shmups with a dpad, while I prefer an arcade stick for fighting games.

Same goes for me, though I got to admit that I really suck badly at Shoot'em Ups. I wonder though, if for some shmups an arcade stick might have similar benefits, as it has for fighters. There is certainly stuff I never even tried to implement into my gameplay when I was still playing fighting games with a pad, because it seemed to be too much of a chore.

[Cata]

I got a Qanba Q4 stick a couple weeks ago and I'm loving it!

[sojtrash]

caught this on a fg thread on neogaf, thought it might be of interest




So I guess even sticks have input lag