New nintendo N64 OEM thumbsticks

might be possible with 3d printers. i read there are ones which can print cobalt-chrome instead of plastic.

 

Understood, which is better? Which do you have?
To me, measuring resistance makes more sense. But I was thinking about calibration and such and how that would make gaming better or worse.

Deka

 

I see cheap options from Hong Kong/China these days (eBay, Dealextreme). Are they the N64 OEM clones, or the Gamecube versions? (or both? or maybe a new version?)

 

I pick up OEM controllers at Value Village for about $5 to $7, I only buy the ones with tight sticks. I have enough hoarded to last the rest of my life.

I don't know if this is common practice amognst N64 fiends, but assuming it is, $12 might be a little too much, I mean you'd sell some for sure, but if you're having to buy 100s of them, it might take a very long time.

 

What VV do you go to that they price those controllers so much ? The Unique stores I go to (same owner different name for my area) price any controllers at 2~4$.

Anyway I also would only pay about 5$ for an oem. I feel like it'd be better time/money spent buying one that already has a good stick.

 

My VV and Goodwill price all controllers at $5, unless they're 7th gen.

I could see it being worth $12 for an oem stick but not sure how large of a market there is for them. Probably depends more on how many you end up with

 

The stick does get some wear but the majority of what makes the stick loose and less responsive are the 2 plastic tracks that wear out fast. If we could get some of these made out of some alloy then they could last forever ot till the stick breaks/wears out beyond function.

 

YES! I could have sworn I replied to this. Everyone has been barking up the wrong tree for years saying it's the white plastic part, or the stick.

Making them out of metal would be unnecessarily expensive and heavy, and wouldn't perform as well. And it wouldn't cure the problem. I will eventually be trying to make some decent replacements, but it's quite far down my to-do list!

 

Steel and diamond sticks? Pfft. There's no need to go to such lengths for eternal N64 thumbsticks. Way back in the late 90s, I wore out two of my N64 controllers like this. My da, who was a mechanical engineer, tore the old ones apart to learn how they were designed. When I bought replacements, he opened them up and put lithium grease in the thumbstick well. I still have those controllers, and they still snap back to position like they were new.

 

I remember reading that Nintendo solved the thumbstick issue later in the N64's life and this is exactly what they did. I opened up a thumbstick assembly that I got just before the end of the N64's life and it did indeed have grease inside it.