How good is this PC Engine joystick?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

My question is this, how good/reliable is this particular 3rd-party PC Engine joystick that goes by the name of "Micomsoft XE-1 Pro HE Joystick"?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micomsoft-XE-1- ... 1c4678b2e1

And what are your initial impression of it if you do own/play it?

I do have one of those Hori Fighting Stick PC that has a six button layout + all metal body constructed shell for utmost durability. Is built like tank compared to the later released Hori Fighting Sticks for the PSX & SS.

The build of this Hori Fighting Stick SFC is very similiar to it's PCE counterpart: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HORI-Fighting-S ... 9521&rt=nc

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Ed Oscuro]

If it's like the ST2 (and it looks basically identical), it's fine, but plastic, and definitely not going to take the beating that a metal stick would, though I doubt that anybody is going to for $220+ over for a stick only to demolish it. It should hold up fine to normal use. Not sure if the stick is easily replaceable with standard types - I recall the mounting being a bit odd, but maybe that's not right - and the swivel mechanism for the buttons is a nice feature, but a bit hard to get to move. The only thing likely to go wrong with this is singing buttons due to dried out lube, but a bit of new grease will fix that.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Thanks for your impressions on the ST2 version, Ed. Yeah, that $220+ is too rich for my tastes. I do see that it has four extra PCE controller ports on the right side of the joystick which is another novel & elegant feature without the need to use an external PCE Tap for multi-player sessions.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[kamiboy]

I have the PRO HE for my PC Engine. It is a great stick, but I am no authority on the matter. It does not weigh very much and the frame is plastic. Also, it is quite compact. I love it.

[Kyle]

If you're not feeling the $220 I'd get a ToToTEK PS2 to PCE converter and a Namco Arcade stick. It's what I use.

http://www.tototek.com/store/index.php? ... ucts_id=51
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namco_Arcade_Stick

[kamiboy]

Oh, and ~20000¥ is way too much. I got mine for about 2-4000¥ if I recall correctly.

[plasticxo]

This is a very good stick. I love the rotating button placement and the 4-way / 8-way restriction set up, features I've never seen on any other stick.

The stick is precise and makes a nice microswitch noise, the buttons (concave) are alright, but not to compete with Sanwa buttons though.

The autofire is great, with leds pulsating (in an horizontal row) as the analogic autofire speed is set with a slider. It's kind of flashy but I find it awesome
It functions as a multitap too.

It's a bit small though to my liking, and could be a bit heavier.
It's made of plastic, but some kind of thick, sturdy plastic.

I play with it, but considering the price, maybe I should put it back in its box