What is the best quality PS1/PS2 arcade stick?

[justjustin]

Hi everyone. I have a PS1-to-USB device I use for emulation purposes. Do any of you know of, or own a really good-quality PS1 or PS2 arcade-style controller (for fighting games, perhaps)? My only criterion: No mushy buttons that depress a whole half inch into the controller when you press 'em!

So, any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Justin

[vysethebold]

My favorite sticks by far that I've talked about several times are the Universal Pelican Real Arcade Sticks. They have connectivity with XB, PSX, PS2, and GC. They have an American-style construction consisting of a wooden base, bat-style joystick, a circle range of movement, and firm clicky concave buttons. They also have a really handy feature that is a "Mode" button that switches the joystick's control from D-pad to analogue stick. If you have an XB, it even has the memory/comset slot on the side. Finally, it even has a one-player man symbol on the start button for fan service. I really like these sticks. They are well-built, I can use them with other platforms than they were originally intended (PC, DC, Wii) through converters, and I've gotten my money out of them. I think the key to buying arcade sticks is longterm functionality because the good ones usually cost over $40. You want to get the most use out of them as possible. If you can find these, get them! They are out of print so it could be tough. Here is an article I found: www.gamingworldx.com/features/PelicanRealArcadeJoystickReview.shtml

If you cannot find them here is an alternative that is very good that is still in print. They are X-Arcade Sticks. They are very well built and you can get a converter for any system except for XB360 and PS3 which they are currently working on. Here is their site: www.x-arcade.com/index.shtml

[justjustin]

Ah man... that Pelican-brand arcade stick is badass, to say the least. That's exactly what I was visualizing as I was typing my first post.... two rows, consisting of 4 buttons each... and that arcade stick... is an actual stick, not one of those goofy stubby bulbs. I must obtain one!!!

Sadly, that X-Arcade is a little pricey for me...

[Shinigami]

Hori PS2 stick is always on back order :/
www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-m-49-en-70-5w3.html

[michiyoyoshiku]

Get an Xarcade they work on like everything

[vysethebold]

Yeah, the Pelican ones seem to be going for around the same price on Ebay as the X-Arcade on their home site. Right now you are going to have a hard time getting a good one for any less than $80 because most companies don't make sticks for PS2 anymore in the US. The Hori one is well constructed but be warned that it is a Japanese-style stick. This means very sensitive clickless convex buttons, a ball-style joystick, a square movement range, and a metal base. This is exactly the opposite style of what I prefer on an arcade stick but I don't know what you want. I have the XB360 DOA Hori Arcade Stick made from the same stuff so I can vouch for its good construction, but I prefer the American-style sticks. One good thing about retail arcade sticks, though, is that most are extremely easy to modify. So I could feasibly buy the right kind of stick and buttons for my Hori Stick and replace them to fit my needs. You could probably do it as well without too much extra money and you could learn a great deal of the inside workings of a joystick in the process. The style of the stick is important when looking for one because you want to get the stick best suited for what you like because of the cost. It depends on personal preference whether Japanese or American style is better so don't let anyone but yourself dictate which is better.

[jameseightbitstar]

I recommend a Pelican Real Arcade as well, BUT get the PS2-only version, NOT the universal. The Universal can actually damage your PS2.

I have two Universals and one PS2-speciifc. I wouldn't mind getting rid of the Universals.

[vysethebold]

How does it damage your PS2?

[ahnslaught]

I have one of the lesser Hori HRAP models - the Soul Calibur 3 stick, and it meets my needs pretty well as far as sticks go. It's much larger than you think, though, so if space is a concern, these suckers really aren't for you (not to mention kind of a pain in terms of shipping costs). However, they are really solidly built, and I have no problem with them whatsoever.

That said, if you don't like square gates, lollipop sticks, or Japanese buttons, well...

[jameseightbitstar]

vysethebold said:

How does it damage your PS2?

The PCB (that's circuit board of the controller) draws power from the part of your PS2 that powers the dual shock rumble feature. Overdrawing can cause this part to short out.

Besides no more wobbly controllers, this shorting can also prevent many accessories from working on the PS2--a friend of mine keeps trying to get his Multitap to work on my old PS2, and it won't. We think the fried bit is the cause. Naturally, this means the Universal Real Arcade doesn't work either (though the PS2-only version does).

[vysethebold]

Interesting, that's probably explains why my PS2 rumble no longer works and I can't use my sticks on it..... dammit...Oh well, at least the sticks work on all of my other systems flawlessly. Is there any way to fix the rumble feature?

[kal]

Aside from replacing the PS2..you'd have to replace the part inside that's fried/shorted.

[justjustin]

Oh hey, thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm actually not too picky, as I have only been in an arcade maybe 5 times in my entire life, and do not often use arcade controls.... Just as long as the buttons have a nice click and the stick doesn't get stuck... anything, as long as it's better than my Super Advantage SNES arcade stick (made by asciiware i think).

Too bad, because on eBay, someone replaced the buttons in their PS2 Pelican Real Arcade stick with Happs (I think it's called) parts. I went to bid on it 30 seconds before it ended but then the god damned wireless internet of mine got stuck.... and someone else got it for 41 bucks...... very disappointing to say the least.

Well... I'll be in Tokyo in a few weeks, hopefully I'll find a good-quality arcade stick there (among other things of course)!

[vysethebold]

Kal, thank you. I'm now going to open my system and look at it for a good long time and then hit my head with a sledgehammer......hahahaha....seriously, I was asking for some info that was a little more specific than that advice. Also, I wanted everyone to know that I'm going to try my hand at making my own sticks. I want to see how good I can make my own configuration. Best of all, I can make it for any system I want. If it turns out well I'll post pics of it.

PS. Justin, I PM'ed you so check it out when you get a chance.

[munchy]

I have an X-Arcade stick, but I swear it's cursed. It worked fine on my Xbox for a while, but the Serial port got loosened, so I had to replace it. I swear I've spent 90 bucks on the thing and it still doesn't work.

Assholes.