Hi folks, I've been getting back into shmups recently and since my Saturn is back from the dead I've been hammering Radient Silvergun. I've also been playing Ikaruga (DC) and dodonpachi (PC Emu - MAME). I'd like to draw on the collective wisdom here and ask what would be the best multi-system arcade stick to purchase? Is there one with a universal adapter of sorts? There seems to be a lot of sticks out in the wild at the moment but I'm having trouble finding one at a reasonable price that would cater to multiple systems. Anyone have any suggestions? Or am I looking at buying a stick for each platform as my only viable option?
Arcade sticks can be expensive, it all depends on what quality you're looking for although generally something that's cheap is cheap for a reason. The Qanba Q4RAF is an excelent high end arcade stick that works with all PS3, 360 and PC, it also has the start button on the arcade stick face next to the buttons for those who want an authentic feel or need easy access to the start button for some particular reason in a game. I've used many different arcade sticks and I'll admit the Qanba isn't my favourite, I own a Q4RAF and a Madcatz TES stick and personally I prefer the Madcatz, but the Qanba is a dual stick right out of the box and is built to equally high standards. If you don't want to buy multiple sticks and don't want to go through the hassle of modding a 360 stick to work on the PS3, then the Qanba is an excellent choice. I believe Madcatz 360 arcade sticks will work on any PC so if you need something cheaper and you aren't bothered about the PS3 then that will be a route to explore, but don't quote me on that one as I haven't tried it for my self.
I have been thinking of selling my arcade stick if your interested pm me. I haven't made my final decision yet but if am offered the right price might not be able to say no. I have been thinking of getting the PS4 to fill my secondary console gap to the Wii U (XBOX ONE is miles off the mark for me at the mo - apart from the new KI but that may change in time) Ultimately I think its the best you can get for arcade sticks as when I bought it. I wanted the arcade feel so I looked for a custom arcade stick on eBay and found it. I think I spent just over £100 English pounds, as that include the wireless modding as had to buy a 360 pad too and solder it in (with a friend of mine who helped!) Anyway the arcade stick has "ALL" Midway arcade components (the likes of buttons n click sound joystick you would find on Killer Instinct) it also currently has Killer Instinct artwork. Looks pretty nifty This is a great all-rounder stick as you can play all emulators with it and anything worth playing with an arcade stick is available through emulators like the descent MAME hook your PC up to a big TV sit back on your couch wireless like and whack it on your lap! I have also used it on my Saturn emulator for radiant silver-gun which runs perfectly on it
Can't go wrong with a HORI stick. I own the Dead or Alive 5 release of it, but it's a wired arcade stick and works fine with MotionJoy.
Something to look into: http://www.focusattack.com/toodles-cthulhu-multi-console-pcb/ Only requires soldering an ethernet cable to the board. Everything else is plug and play. You can then just have a bunch of RJ45 to [insert compatible console here] cables and seamlessly switch between consoles with the same stick.
Thanks for the replies guys! much appreciated Thanks for the info, I'll be looking to run PC, Dreamcast, Saturn, PSX & PS2 mainly with this stick. I don't reckon I'll be going 'cheap' as it'll probably fall apart quickly if I did. Will definitely take those points into consideration though. I haven't got any cash at the moment so I'm only shopping at this point and it always pays to do your research when making a purchase like this I find. I'm definitely liking the stick you posted though not so much the livery (was never a big KI fan myself). Also when last I ran Radient Silvergun on SSF I found the emulation to be far from perfect, it was somewhat choppy - playable yes - but choppy and not a patch on the real thing. Have they updated or something? The only videos I can find online reflect this slow and slightly choppy gameplay - no where near 60fps. EDIT: does look a little better than I remember it, though still choppy... I've tried it in MAME and that version (apart from the first minute of the game) runs at 60fps and perfectly as far as I could see. As I'm visiting the folks I'd like to be able to take that game with me if possible in Saturn form on my laptop. If you can get it going properly then let me know what emu and settings you're using, I've got a pretty decent Core i5 laptop it should run on. I've hears the name HORI a LOT when arcade sticks were mentioned, will have a look at that brand to see what they offer, though as I stated before I'm looking for a wide system exposure - maybe a mod would be in order if they're specialised. Ether way thanks. This is interesting! So I'd bascially buy a broken Saturn pad for instance and hack off the connector then solder it to that PCB and connect my arcade stick to the USB port on there? This looks like the solution I need in that case! Gives me a better choice of sticks I think. Have you used one of these before?
Heya; well my PC is i2 quad core about 5 years old with 8 GIG of ram 64-bit(it cost me £800 at the time from PC specialist) I installed Windows 7 on it personally, and it does not run choppy. SSF settings are default I think, don't remember having to tinker much. I only use the emulator for 3 games. Sega rally, RS as you know and panzer dragoon. I use magic disc to run the iso, I ripped the game disc personally from my JAP Saturn games, I just like playing them in HD with what ever controller I fancy at the time, like my wireless N64 pad mod or snes pad or the arcade stick you have seen. I would love to play BUG but its still not right as far as I know (lots of black backgrounds last I played it.)
Holy shit balls! Just downloaded version Beta 12 and it works flawlessly out of the box, just popped my disc into the PC drive clicked the emu and away it went. That's progress! I like how the author has gone for a warts and all approach to the emulation as well, looks identical to the Saturn - well a bit too clean/blocky - but yeah. Also looks like it runs a little too well, the slowdown is gone as far as I can see, and I must say I didn't mind a little slowdown here and there... That's a big shock anyway...Wonder what else works now... It's a shame I can't get my save games off the real console so I can take them with me. [/off topic]
Close. This should answer the questions for you. Click on the spoiler tag to begin the tutorial: http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/100475?threads/r.100475/ More info: http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/46572?threads/t.46572/ And yes, I have one sitting literally right behind me at the moment. It's going into a T5 Hori stick that's getting full Sanwa. You can also just order the cables if you don't wanna build them. They're like $12/ea. They have the PS1/PS2, Dreamcast, Gamecube and PC/PS3 (USB) ones for sale at Focus Attack and www.gdlk.co. The rest will need to be made.
Thanks for the links! much appreciated as always. Seems complicated but I'm sure after a little research it won't be that bad.
