The Joystick Thread

[Shelcoof]

I actually got the stick for free... guess I got what I paid for?

So I should get the HRAP3 for PS3? A post on the previous page said that Hori buttons are "mushy" though, and the front page of this thread says that Hori sticks tend to break in a year or two.

I was suggesting the HRAP for the PS2 if you wanted it for that system. PS3 has the SFIV stick which I would recommend. I stated earlier in the post why.

Usually with the HRAP people would replace the buttons with Sanwa or the other brand.

Its not hard to mod thats why, same with SFIV stick too.

I've never owned a HRAP but at the time I was shopping for a pair of sticks for my PS2 the HRAP always came up in discussions and I figured it was the best pair of sticks I could get for my PS2.

[superclack]

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it. I'll look into getting an SFIV stick. Edit: bought it, I'm anxious to see how it works... after finals.

[Shelcoof]

wow that was quick where did you pick it up? Over here they are at all the EB stores in my city. Very easy to find.

[sum1]

Anyone noticed the difference between HRAP3A and the TE? I found the HRAP3SA better to use since the stick and buttons feel smoother and require less force to move/click (much more useful when you want your time specific combos). Even though both sticks use the exact same components, why do they feel drastically different?

[Shelcoof]

Anyone know how good Hori Push Buttons are compared to Sanwa? I just bought me an Arcana Hearts 2 Joystick off Ebay for the PS2. Broke down and finally bought one cuz I really needed a good stick for the PS2. Luckily for me I found one for 135$shipped NEW so that's a pretty good deal if you ask me. Anyways I have an SFIV with modded Sanwa Buttons and Stick. Is the Hori Push-button any good? If they're good I might as well keep them they way they are. Really too lazy to mod everything along with spending extra money on more parts.

[Zerite]

They are certainly usable. Any seimetsu or sanwa buttons would be more responsive, but its certainly not necessary to replace them. They'll degrade faster also, but if that starts to bother you, you can just replace them then.

[Shelcoof]

hey Zerite Great to hear because I really didn't want to spend anymore money on the Sticks. I'd have to go through that whole ordering process and waiting. Too much work lol. Though I really hated the SFIV stock Buttons. Those were absolutely horrible, they stick and you have to push them slightly harder to make them register. Hori buttons are a lot better than the stock SFIV buttons right? (assuming you've used the SFIV stock buttons on the SE stick)

[BANGER]

Anyone noticed the difference between HRAP3A and the TE?

I found the HRAP3SA better to use since the stick and buttons feel smoother and require less force to move/click (much more useful when you want your time specific combos).

Even though both sticks use the exact same components, why do they feel drastically different?

I dunno, in my experience, TE stock buttons need some "breaking in" before they start feeling the same as aftermarkets.

It was true for both mine and a friend's TE.

[sum1]

@Shelcoof: In my experience I really recommend getting the Sanwa buttons. My first PS3 stick was the BB HRAP. The buttons did not feel that good after using a friend's TE, so after that I decided to get the HRAP3SA. You might say that it was a better idea if I moded the HRAP BB. I read online that the buttons are soldered in a confusing way making modding hard and risky. @BANGER: How long does it take to start changing? My friend has his TE for 3 months now I believe and they still feel the same (mind you he does not use them regularly).

[Shelcoof]

@Shelcoof: In my experience I really recommend getting the Sanwa buttons. My first PS3 stick was the BB HRAP. The buttons did not feel that good after using a friend's TE, so after that I decided to get the HRAP3SA.

You might say that it was a better idea if I moded the HRAP BB. I read online that the buttons are soldered in a confusing way making modding hard and risky.

@BANGER: How long does it take to start changing? My friend has his TE for 3 months now I believe and they still feel the same (mind you he does not use them regularly).

another reason why I'm hesitant to mod my Arcana Hearts 2 Stick is due to the buttons being soldered on. I don't have the stick yet but I've read that it has soldered buttons.

Would be a breeze just to have quick disconnect buttons.

[BANGER]

@BANGER: How long does it take to start changing? My friend has his TE for 3 months now I believe and they still feel the same (mind you he does not use them regularly).

Two weeks of play did it for me. Same thing for my friend's TE.

Also, soldering isn't too hard. But if you change parts frequently, then it'll start being a PITA. You can convert them into quick disconnects though. Look around online for parts.

[Shelcoof]

Two weeks of play did it for me. Same thing for my friend's TE.

Also, soldering isn't too hard. But if you change parts frequently, then it'll start being a PITA. You can convert them into quick disconnects though. Look around online for parts.

Actually I have spare parts for quick disconnects somewhere. I forgot I had them.

I had a project in mind but never got around to finishing it, guess I can use those parts after all.

[SkKiZzbE]

Hey im new to using arcade stick and was wondering if there was a good way to press the buttons for blazblue. I use taokaka and i have abc on top and d on bottom. I put thumb on d and index on a, middle on b, ring on c... I was wondering if there was a better way or do i just need to practice cuz wenever i play, my ring finger kinda freezes up on me and i press buttons slower... So am i using it right n just need more practice? Cuz my ring finger always feels slower!! Or is there a better way ? Thx

[Rabbit360]

It just takes practice to loosen up your fingers. Sort of like learning the piano or classical guitar, but not as hard.

[Krochos]

Being the fact I'm a cheap bastard, would is the best affordable ps2 stick? I'm thinking between $30-$60 and if its easily modded even better.

[bucklemyshoe]

^^^there is no cheap worthwhile stick in that price range.

[Rabbit360]

Hori EX2 might last you a couple months before the buttons start to fail. Not easy to mod: no quick disconnects and replacing the joystick can be a real pain in the ass.

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox360-Fighting-Stick-EX-Xbox-360/dp/B000V02P6Q

They are decent enough introductory arcade sticks, but you will want to upgrade after a while, assuming you are still interested in FG's.

edit: nvm, i didn't notice you wanted one for ps2.

[BANGER]

Hori EX2 might last you a couple months before the buttons start to fail. Not easy to mod: no quick disconnects and replacing the joystick can be a real pain in the ass.

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox360-Fighting-Stick-EX-Xbox-360/dp/B000V02P6Q

They are decent enough introductory arcade sticks, but you will want to upgrade after a while, assuming you are still interested in FG's.

But he said he wanted a PS2 stick. Aren't EX2s just for 360?

Hey im new to using arcade stick and was wondering if there was a good way to press the buttons for blazblue. I use taokaka and i have abc on top and d on bottom. I put thumb on d and index on a, middle on b, ring on c... I was wondering if there was a better way or do i just need to practice cuz wenever i play, my ring finger kinda freezes up on me and i press buttons slower... So am i using it right n just need more practice? Cuz my ring finger always feels slower!! Or is there a better way ? Thx

Just play a lot and you'll develop a habit that suits you eventually.

[Aftermath1349]

Hey quick question. I've only gotten serious about fighting games over the last six months or so and have been using the analog stick on my 360 pad (hey it's infinitely more precise than that dpad) but I have the money to finally get a stick now. I have never played a fighting game in an arcade so I have zero knowledge on the subject. I'm looking at two sticks right now and would like the advice of people who know a thing or two about sticks to help me choose. The sticks are the madcatz SFIV TE and the HRAP EXSE. My question is which of those would be better for a total noob who needs to learn how to play with a stick? As well as which requires less modding for when I need to get it ready for tournament play? I should mention that I'm retarded when it comes to wiring so getting one that is put together well would be helpful.

[EdgeKun]

My question is which of those would be better for a total noob who needs to learn how to play with a stick? As well as which requires less modding for when I need to get it ready for tournament play? I should mention that I'm retarded when it comes to wiring so getting one that is put together well would be helpful.

There are two noteworthy differences between these two sticks. The first is that the Mad Catz TE is Common Ground, the EX SE is not. This means that in the event you want to mod the stick to work on multiple consoles (PS3/360/PS2/whatever) you're not going to be able to do that on the EX SE. At least not without scrapping it's native PCB entirely and throwing in a brand new one. So if you want one stick for multiple consoles (ie you can be sure your stick will be good for however they're playing a game at tournaments), the TE will be a must over the EX SE.

Aside from that (so if dual modding isn't a concern) I'd say go with whichever is cheapest. :P The TE uses Sanwa parts the EX SE uses Seimitsu. There is truly no "one is better than the other" answer, because it all comes down to preference. Both however have grade A parts, and that's really what matters.

So if Dual Modding, get the TE. Otherwise, flip a coin or buy the cheapest one. Either way, you win.

[Aftermath1349]

Thank you very much, your answer sealed the deal on the madcatz for me. I play on a 360 but will have to compete in Final Round on a PS3 so the TE is def. the way to go. When I do get around to modding it for multiple consoles what do I need and what's the difficulty in actually setting it up?

[Celcius]

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=184787

Well actually, the link is for SE but it should give a somewhat rough idea. IIRC, it should be pretty much the same.

[EdgeKun]

As much as I hate to refer over there Shoryuken's Tech Talk sub-forum has a wealth of information regarding joystick modding, especially dual modding. (Pretty much the only part of SRK that I frequent) The actual dual-mod process essentially involves taking a PCB (printed circuit board) out of a controller, then wiring up your buttons between both PCBs. (So, you'd be wiring up each button to both the 360 PCB and the PS3 PCB). This way whenever you press a button, both PCBs receive the input and send out commands to their console. Whichever console is plugged in at the time is the one that receives the input. =) (You just never EVER want to plug both console cords in at the same time) What you'll definitely be wanting is a Cthulhu PCB designed by Toodles (an SRK member). For all purposes it's a PS3 PCB, but he designed it knowing that people were using it for dual modding and the like. Because of this the PCB has very nice, clear, and labelled solder points. Oh yeah. I hope you can solder, or can learn how. That's required for dual-modding. Anyway, that's just a summary of it. I can't stress enough, go to Tech Talk and read up. There are lots of tutorials there with pictures / labels / instructions, so you won't really be going it alone. =) EDIT - Blech. In the time I took to write down an overly complex answer, Celcius beat me to an actual link. =P And yes, that guide works just fine for TEs. The SE and TE PCB are damn near identical.

[Aftermath1349]

Thank you both very much. Wait so that PCB just happens to be called Cthulhu? This was meant to happen for me haha. I don't know how to solder but I'm sure I can learn or find someone that does know how.

[BANGER]

In addition to Sanwa and Seimitsu differences, Sanwa buttons are often used for fighters, whereas Seimitsus for shmups. Sanwas are extremely sensitive, while Seimitsu require more pressure. Sanwas are snap-in, while Seimitsu's are hand-screwed in from the inside. Clear Seimitsus look nice, especially for custom art.