Q&A about Joystick Building, Parts, and Purchasing

[Wokker]

(I hope this is the right thread)

 

My HRAP 3 just died and im looking for a new stick that I can use on PS3 and PC. I don't want another HRAP 3(cuz I didn't like that the cable wasn't protected).

 

So im looking for a similar, if not better stick than the HRAP 3 that has support for PS3 and PC, and also has a "cable box"(A compartment where you can put the cable).

[SuzakuRainmaker]

Is it bad I've been dying for this thread to get bumped for about a week just to share this?

 

 

My baby's done, y'all. Madcatz SE base, Seimitsu stick and buttons, FA Nippon balltop, artwork's my design (and yes I realize the cutting isn't perfect, did the best I could though), and the token is from an arcade in Gatlinburg, TN that I used to hold the Tekken 5 Time Attack record on (for at least two years, don't know if anyone beat me, or if they even still have the machine anymore since I haven't been back there since 2010). I used laminated cardstock printed at Staples for the artwork, and have it held down with double sided scotch tape. The tape also helped when one of the button plugs came off the wire when I accidentally pulled a tad too hard on one of em. I damn near had a heart attack at that.

 

But yeah, what y'all think? I've got detail shots in the attachments if anyone's interested.

[Tigre]

So im looking for a similar, if not better stick than the HRAP 3 that has support for PS3 and PC, and also has a "cable box"(A compartment where you can put the cable).

You're going to get 100 different answers from 100 different people about this, this is a very subjective thing. As far as I'm concerned every stick that Hori has made since the HRAP3 has poor design outside of the Fighting Edge (and I only like the case, I'm not a fan of the Hori parts in it). My honest answer is that you need to pick the stick that you like, If you have access to offline play, ask around about other peoples sticks, if you don't you can only really go off images and reviews. Generally speaking almost every new PS3 stick works with PC too.

 

I would kill for an HRAP2/3 with a cable compartment.

[rweezy]

Hello! I am new to fighting games and started playing Blazblue recently. I am thinking of purchasing http://stores.horiusa.com/playstation-3-real-arcade-pro-v3-sa-kai/ or http://stores.horiusa.com/ps3-real-arcade-pro-n3-sa/ I have seen that the buttons and joystick specifications are the same and I was wondering if I could get some personal experience opinions about both sticks. Also I was wondering whether to buy off the horiusa website or amazon, I am very new to this scene, so I feel like amazon might be selling "fake" ones as stupid as that sounds. I have prime though so it would come quicker than the actual website I am assuming. Thank you :D

[Airk]

Amazon should be fine; No worries there.  I've bought Hori products from them before.

 

As for the differences, I think it really just comes down to button layout, and while people have preferences, that preference is -usually- just "Whatever I'm used to" so it doesn't make that much difference, IMHO.

[Tigre]

You shouldn't have any problems ordering from Amazon.

The biggest two differences between the HRAP V3 and the NRAP N3 are the button layouts (the N3 has a more curved layout) and the cable compartment on the V3 can be a huge pain at times. The Kai fixed the other major issue with the original V3 (the top panel art rubbing off)

[rweezy]

Would you guys recommend hori over eightarc, madcatz, etc? This ismy first stick, so I want to make the right choice. Thank you.

[Tigre]

I personally like the Madcatz range of sticks better, but I'll be honest it all comes down to personal preference. Madcatz is the only stick maker who puts out a stick in the size/weight I want (Fightstick VS). If you have a local community that you can meet up with I'd poke around there and ask people if you can check out theirs. If not you're just stuck looking at pictures.

[rweezy]

Cool cool. Also I have been browsing for N3 SA for reviews and I dont see any, but for V3 sa/kai I see so many. WHat's up with the seemingly non-existence of N3-SA? 

[Tigre]

The N3-SA has Soul Calibur and Dead or Alive (and a Gundam EXVS version too I think) floating around, most people I know have the SCV version, so you'll probably find more reviews on the branded versions. Same stick, just different art.

[Justice7541]

Keep in mind that the top-end Eightarc/Madcatz sticks are really big. It may be good for what you're using it for but it's not ideal for carrying around on the subway etc. I have a Madcatz Brawstick (the super ugly Hulk Hogan one, but I think the cases are all the same between Madcatz SE sticks) and a Hori FS3 (the small cheap-looking one) and they lack the build and quality of arcade parts but that is easily remedied and they're super portable. I can just put them into my satchel bag along with all my papers and docs for work with no problems.

I'm also a stick hipster who mains pad and hates the Sanwa joystick (I have a Crown and Seimitsu in my sticks) so you're free to take that however you want. I don't think Sanwa is necessarily any better than any other brand that isn't clearly cheaper (i.e. garbage Mayflash or Madcatz stock parts), although it might be sturdier in the long run.

[Airk]

I prefer Seimitsu parts myself (both stick and buttons) since they offer a little more resistance.

 

The Sanwa JLF used to have the advantage that you could get the Link for it but it looks like they've got them for the LS-32 now as well;  I have one of these for my Madcatz TE, and let me tell you, it's pretty darn nice.

[mr.mortified]

Real talk though, I wouldn't mind carrying my TE in my backpack.  There's a story of someone who was carrying a madcatz TE in his backpack and it saved his life.
He was about to get mugged and the guy tried to shank him and he blocked with his backpack and it hit the metal plate of the TE

[Justice7541]

Maybe he got mugged for the TE. Even thugs know which sticks are worth robbing for.

[Airk]

Real talk though, I wouldn't mind carrying my TE in my backpack.  There's a story of someone who was carrying a madcatz TE in his backpack and it saved his life.

He was about to get mugged and the guy tried to shank him and he blocked with his backpack and it hit the metal plate of the TE

With the implication being, I suppose, that two layers of pretty heavy plastic and the PCB wouldn't stop a shank? :P The real benefit of the TE is that it might still work afterwards. ;P

[rweezy]

http://www.focusattack.com/joystick/sanwa/

 

So why are the 3 joysticks around the same price and the first one is tripled? Also the 3rd one says no plate installed, how much are these plates usually? And are those plates the 4 way or 8 way gate? Is the first joystick more responsive or something?

[Airk]

1st one is expensive because it's a 'silent' model, and those are still kinda experimental.

[blackraen]

http://www.focusattack.com/joystick/sanwa/

 

So why are the 3 joysticks around the same price and the first one is tripled? Also the 3rd one says no plate installed, how much are these plates usually? And are those plates the 4 way or 8 way gate? Is the first joystick more responsive or something?

 

The switches used in the Sanwa JLF-TPRG-8AYT-SK are more expensive due to their "silent" construction.  The lever is also new so Sanwa is marking up for premium on new releases.

 

The plate that is missing on the Sanwa JLF-TP-8Y-SK Joystick (No Plate Installed) is the mounting plate, not the gate (which is at the bottom).  The reason FA offers a no-mounting plate version is that some people do not need/want to order an extra mounting plate as they may have a custom plate or other approach they are taking.  The offering has no effect on performance.

[Tigre]

The markup on the silent JLF isn't that bad, those switches are pretty expensive on their own

[rweezy]

Of the 3 parts that are $2x.xx which is the best?

[Justice7541]

The JLF is the standard and you want the one with the plate unless you happen to have one lying around. It's the same price anyway so it doesn't hurt you to take the extra plate even if you do. The JLW is a .187 fastener connector which means you will need to get the extra 5-pin converter harness if you get that. You'd really only be using it if you wanted the bat top anyway, I don't think the performance is necessarily any better or any worse.

[SinnTek1]

Not really sure if anyone mentioned this in here or not but I recently bought the Qanba Q1 to get back into fighting games.

 

It was 70$ + shipping costs so about 85$ then I got Sanwa 30mm pushbuttons and a seimitsu bat top for about 30$.

 

So for around 115$ I made a 150-200$ stick. It's not much in the saving money department but I mean hey every bit counts and I'm really enjoying how sensitive the buttons are now.

[Justice7541]

How did the Seimitsu fit into the Q1? I was thinking about making one of those but I wasn't sure how the joystick would work out.

[Elochai]

My stick has been giving me extra directional inputs. Like, for example, if I press 9, sometimes it'll register as 98. It's not a big deal but it can be annoying and I'm looking to fix it. How would I go about fixing this?

 

[ShadowEvoker]

Hey there! So I bought the Namco Tekken Hybrid Fightstick back in November and I was wondering if anyone had any comments on the stick itself. I haven't touch the stick much since I didn't bring my console with me to college. I am rather new to fighting games in general and wanted to get into it more. Also, is this stick easy to customize?