25 August 2019, 14:56 | #1 |
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High quality joystick
Being new to the actual Amiga hardware I'm surprised how many games absolutely demand a joystick! Sensible Soccer back in my DOS days was played exclusively by keyboard and that's how I like it but it seems a joystick is required for the Amiga version.
The problem is: most joysticks on sale seem pretty cheap and weak and that's not my thing. Can anyone recommend me a solid, responsive, sturdy joystick or gamepad that might be ideal for the Amiga? I already ordered a Megadrive gamepad but the D-pad isn't my favorite on there so a proper joystick would be ideal. |
25 August 2019, 15:05 | #2 |
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25 August 2019, 16:32 | #3 |
Warhasneverbeensomuchfun
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Buy a Sanwa stick, a couple of Sanwa Buttons, a wood box and build your own arcade stick.
Nothing beats a Sanwa stick. |
25 August 2019, 16:55 | #4 |
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25 August 2019, 18:09 | #5 | |
Warhasneverbeensomuchfun
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If you don't want to go the dpad route (Which I think it's the easier/cheaper one), I really think the best solution is to get a Sanwa stick. And let me tell you, after you play with a Sanwa one, is hard to go back to anything. They are so *DAMN* good. |
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25 August 2019, 18:57 | #6 |
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Ugh, at the minimum you need a stiffer spring and a larger actuator so that it isn't all wobbly and with an insane dead zone before the switches actuate.. In its stock form it's okay in an arcade cabinet I guess, but not as a tabletop/handheld joystick..
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25 August 2019, 23:08 | #7 | ||
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Quote:
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I've made 3 solutions:
For platformers I've adapted a cheap generic Megadrive gamepad clone, and this works well except for the thumb cross being clumsy. Probably a NES gamepad would be better. Actually I'm going to order one now and replace the wire to see Anything that is not switched, meaning contact, bubbles or conductive rubber will always have a < 100% accuracy, but maybe it's good enough. |
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26 August 2019, 14:26 | #8 | |
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I mean, I bought a dozen Atari joysticks over the years and only ONE was actually in good shape and survived after several hours of use. Heck, since I got my Atari 2600 back in 1989, we went through a whole box of joysticks - games such as Decathlon were absolute murder on them because none used a metal base and all used crappy switches. I already have a Mame arcade cabinet with Sanwa parts and I've used it for pretty much all emulators under the sun and while it's not suited for EVERY game, it should work fine for games such as Sensible Soccer that demand quick controls and little travel. |
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26 August 2019, 18:58 | #9 |
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I was not only talking about second hand joysticks, and I don't agree that they have to be bad, if the seller risks his reputation, such as here, Amibay, or even eBay or Amazon.
Only rubber and bubble buttons get mushy, blade switches and microswitches last a lifetime! OK, so if you're used to Sanwa, you can probably make it work fast for you. They have longer travel than retro joysticks and other arcade joysticks, though (less if you mod them, as mentioned). I built mine on a panel that I have across my knees. It's pretty expensive, I think I paid 110 EUR with a few extra buttons and springs. But there are things like Hori sticks and Sanwa clone kits for 30-40 EUR (minus panel for the latter). These have USB cables, but if you can solder, it's easy to swap that out for a DB9 cable. Again, what stick do you have in mind? I mean if you like Sanwa I think you should go with Sanwa and make it work with Amiga (after all, Street Fighter type cabinets came after Amiga so new or used such joysticks have simply never been manufactured for Amiga). Or bring your Amiga into your MAME cabinet somehow? |
26 August 2019, 19:17 | #10 | |
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But if you can recommend me a solid gamepad or joystick besides those, I'm all ears . I just have a bin full of junk ones and I'm afraid to try anymore. |
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26 August 2019, 19:21 | #11 |
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26 August 2019, 20:35 | #12 | |
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People love their Tac-IIs, grenade sticks, pistol grip sticks, competition pros, etc. I think all of those are not so good [ Show youtube player ] But if you replace the buttons on the Tac-II, it's a very nice stick for some games. Basically when you have to turn fast but exact diagonals are not needed. Hand-held without suction cups tho can make you miss. So my 3 best solutions above are just for me. I ordered an original refurbished NES controller for 28 EUR, I think it will be quite good for platformers if I connect A to up, but if not I have a spare for my NES. And I looked at a refurbished 38 EUR SNES controller from the same store, but decided to try the best new clone for USB I could find, and if it's not perfect I can return it for 4 EUR or have it as a spare for emulators as my XBox 360 controllers, lovely as they are, have the D-pad sort of offset. I also looked at clones for the (S)NES classic minis, but they didn't look better, so. Some joysticks made to replace controllers on consoles at the time looked super iconic and that's good for collecting but from the looks I decided I'd hate playing with them. ------edit ---- I think one has to look to other brands for gamepads because the HoneyBee is very expensive and the Boomerang is no replacement. I have an original Megadrive pad but the X is the wrong angle vs the grip, and you want the buttons in line with your thumb, not have to move your thumb. (It's all right tho if you're happy to jump with up on a gamepad.) For joysticks, I still believe in building or adapting. (I was about to say,) "Because Amiga stores don't have good ones IMO." But - hey - what about this? It will be equal to the Sanwa clone kits mentioned above and as noisy as a fighting stick, but comes with a case and is plug and play! (The case may make visitors don radiation suits but still...) Last edited by Photon; 26 August 2019 at 21:04. |
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26 August 2019, 23:28 | #13 |
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26 August 2019, 23:54 | #14 |
Warhasneverbeensomuchfun
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It really is a matter of personal taste indeed.
I wouldn't change my Sanwa stick for anything else for *any* game that uses digital input. In the other hand, I find the Mega-Drive 6 button pad *perfect* for basically anything and I *hate* the NES Pad (or the SNES pad for that matter). |
27 August 2019, 18:26 | #15 | |
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27 August 2019, 18:30 | #16 |
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They do look good, I'd be interested to see what you think of it :O)
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28 August 2019, 00:04 | #17 |
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There's a company making DB9 joystick kits, how awesome is that? Had no idea about these guys.
Didn't like the big bolts and the screw right next to the joystick tho, looks like your hand would rest on it. Even though the Amigakit has a bright red case, it looked more ergonomic. |
28 August 2019, 00:48 | #18 |
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We have been manufacturing the Arcade Evolution Amiga Joystick since 2010 for Classic Amiga systems. It is a robust design with good quality parts ready to use with your Amiga. |
29 August 2019, 13:47 | #19 | |
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30 August 2019, 03:44 | #20 |
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If you're not opposed to a gamepad style device, Kipper2K's PSX adapter is really good. It supports the extra CD32 buttons and lowlevel.device.
Can rebind buttons like if you wanted to change up or "jump" to a button. Might be able to find new old stock PSX controller and some PS/2 DualShock controllers work. The Analog stick isn't analog but works just fine as a digital stick. The DPad might not be very good but you might find some other of the dozen PSX/PS2 controllers have a DPad you do like. |
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