Question About Dreamcast/Saturn Compatible Arcade Sticks

[pierrot]

Ok, now I see. So you already have the DC stick, then? If that's the case, then, my personal preference is the the HSS-0136, but in terms of durability, the Hori might be better. I find that they're both good, but when I want to use an arcade stick on the Saturn, I reach for the one that makes me feel like I'm playing an astro city cab.

$90 sounds a little crazy to me, but I won't tell you how to spend your money, if you think it would be worth it to you. If you're looking at that price point for the 0136, maybe you just want to get the best with this happy monstrosity: HSS-0130. They do not come cheap, but they're fabulous if you find one that works with your budget. Unlikely you'd find a better one for the Saturn or Dreamcast.

Edit: Also, that DC Fighting Stick is exactly an HSS-0136 if you open it up, pull the Saturn controller input out of it, and find a good way to remove the stickers.

[Fuzzy_Cthulhu]

I've been thinking of getting an X-Arcade one- one stick, multiple adapters for multiple consoles. If anyone's used one, I'd love to hear some feedback before I take the plunge.

[Ben]

I've been thinking of getting an X-Arcade one- one stick, multiple adapters for multiple consoles. If anyone's used one, I'd love to hear some feedback before I take the plunge.

I should say that I don't own one, but I have a friend with one that I've used a lot playing MAME arcade games. My opinion is that they're great, if you prefer the us style stick (as in not the more rounded off, Japanese one). to the one I just bought for my Saturn: The advantage to the X-Arcade is of course that it's compatible with so many consoles (and you can get one with a track ball), but for me the Japanese style stick is a deal breaker.

[pierrot]

^I think you made a good choice. If money isn't an issue, you should be really happy with that HSS-0130. It's light-years better than the HSS-0136 or Hori Fighting Stick SS.

[CRTGAMER]

I've been thinking of getting an X-Arcade one- one stick, multiple adapters for multiple consoles. If anyone's used one, I'd love to hear some feedback before I take the plunge.

I should say that I don't own one, but I have a friend with one that I've used a lot playing MAME arcade games. My opinion is that they're great, if you prefer the us style stick (as in not the more rounded off, Japanese one).

The advantage to the X-Arcade is of course that it's compatible with so many consoles (and you can get one with a track ball), but for me the Japanese style stick is a deal breaker.

There is a PS1 controller adaptor for most other consoles and the PC. This is why it is the right Arcade Stick to invest in and saving on space.

As for the older Ball Stick design of the "Blaze/Astro" you pictured, it actually is the earlier Arcade design seen on US cabs including Robotron, Defender and other panels from that era. The Bat Handle took over in most of the Arcade Fighting games.

[skate323k137]

Agree with Spyke, just get a PSX controller adapter. The supposed lag some claim is moot, electrical feed is a lot quicker then your hand. This gives you a huge range of PS1/PS2 Arcade sticks, some at a decent price.

Solid advice, I used to do this myself. However, with some shmups (especially fast striker) I definitely notice the lag when using a PSX or Saturn pad on the Dreamcast via an adaptor. For most things it's not a big deal, we're talking maybe a frame or two.

Since the PSX / Saturn pads do require some logic to decode on the fly, there is some lag. It's different when you use something like a neo geo controller that uses common ground wiring, those can be adapted with no lag. My sticks are wired to DB15 connectors, and I pad hack controllers to something resembling the neo geo pinout so I can use the same sticks on most of my systems.

For dreamcast I'd go with an agetec stick, and saturn the nice japanese virtua stick (hss-0136) is nice if you're lucky enough to find one in good shape for a good price. Otherwise the fighting stick SS is acceptable, especially if you replace the buttons with sanwa buttons. I actually "gutted" one of my agetecs when it died and put a saturn PCB in there in place of the dreamcast PCB. That's still probably my favorite saturn stick aside from ones I built myself.

[Ben]

Agree with Spyke, just get a PSX controller adapter. The supposed lag some claim is moot, electrical feed is a lot quicker then your hand. This gives you a huge range of PS1/PS2 Arcade sticks, some at a decent price.

Solid advice, I used to do this myself. However, with some shmups (especially fast striker) I definitely notice the lag when using a PSX or Saturn pad on the Dreamcast via an adaptor. For most things it's not a big deal, we're talking maybe a frame or two.

While this thread is still going, I just thought I'd mention that Ascii made a really nice Saturn style controller (that feels just like one in your hand) for the Dreamcast, for anyone who wants to play with a Saturn controller and not worry about an adapter. They can be had on ebay fairly cheap, I have two of them that I bought when the Dreamcast came out and they have yet to break so I think they're well worth the money.

EDIT: Here's a picture, for anyone interested in one:

[Ben]

I've been thinking of getting an X-Arcade one- one stick, multiple adapters for multiple consoles. If anyone's used one, I'd love to hear some feedback before I take the plunge.

I should say that I don't own one, but I have a friend with one that I've used a lot playing MAME arcade games. My opinion is that they're great, if you prefer the us style stick (as in not the more rounded off, Japanese one).

The advantage to the X-Arcade is of course that it's compatible with so many consoles (and you can get one with a track ball), but for me the Japanese style stick is a deal breaker.

There is a PS1 controller adaptor for most other consoles and the PC. This is why it is the right Arcade Stick to invest in and saving on space.

As for the older Ball Stick design of the "Blaze/Astro" you pictured, it actually is the earlier Arcade design seen on US cabs including Robotron, Defender and other panels from that era. The Bat Handle took over in most of the Arcade Fighting games.

Thanks for the info, to be honest I haven't played a fighter in an arcade in well over 10 years now, so I wasn't aware that style was the norm. It's just my personal preference for that stick, and I primarily play 32 bit and older games these days (except for my Dreamcast) so the pc/current gen compatibility doesn't concern me. I am not a big fan of emulators nor do I plan on buying this next gen of consoles either unless Nintendo really ramps up the quality titles for the Wii U (plus I sold my PS3 after Sony's Other OS debacle), and I also have a basement I use for a gaming/hangout room, so space isn't really an issue. I'm just saying it was the best choice in my case, not everyone's.

[Spyke]

Solid advice, I used to do this myself. However, with some shmups (especially fast striker) I definitely notice the lag when using a PSX or Saturn pad on the Dreamcast via an adaptor. For most things it's not a big deal, we're talking maybe a frame or two.

Interesting. I'll keep an eye out for that as I've got Fast Striker incoming soon...

Ant