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I already pre-ordered this and found out I won't get it until March 15th. That's what I get for shopping at EB Games.
Nice review, Jamez. If I can manage to find one of these in a store someplace, I will make a point to get it :D
Jamez Pikover? Is that really supposd to be "James" with a z at the end? WELCOME, TOOL, TO DESTRUCTOID.
Yeah, a friend at work pre-ordered that thing DAY ONE from EB and he's told he wont get it till late march.
I'm still jealous I won't get one though. . . . .
I'm still jealous I won't get one though. . . . .
"Sanwa Denshi, the renowned Japanese company that makes the best joysticks in town. Chances are they made the joysticks and buttons for the arcades you remember playing back when arcades were easy to find."
Except that the joysticks I played on in US arcades were teardrop shaped, this one is ball shaped. the US standard also had concave buttons, not convex. In fact, this is the exact opposite of the arcade experience many had on Street Fighter 2 since these are Japanese parts and not the US standard we actually grew up with.
Whatever makes that $150 sound like its worth it.
Except that the joysticks I played on in US arcades were teardrop shaped, this one is ball shaped. the US standard also had concave buttons, not convex. In fact, this is the exact opposite of the arcade experience many had on Street Fighter 2 since these are Japanese parts and not the US standard we actually grew up with.
Whatever makes that $150 sound like its worth it.
I would pick this sucker up in a second if it had dual system capabilities. But alas, I need something an all in one for 360 and PS3 :(
You heard me right here MadCatz, make it compatible with both of them and you have me sold!
You heard me right here MadCatz, make it compatible with both of them and you have me sold!
"Chances are they made the joysticks and buttons for the arcades you remember playing back when arcades were easy to find. "
Maybe if you grew up in Japan. D:
Just joshing. Long story short, do want, but can't have. Even if I got the money I doubt they'd still be in production since last I checked, these are really limited edition.
Maybe if you grew up in Japan. D:
Just joshing. Long story short, do want, but can't have. Even if I got the money I doubt they'd still be in production since last I checked, these are really limited edition.
I think there's something in one of the consoles licensing agreements that states you can't make a 360 controller that works on PS3.
I'm probably wrong, but honestly that's one of 2 reasons I think are the only reasons you don't see sticks like this in dual platform configs. The other reason being MadCatz thinking, "why sell one overpriced stick when you can sell two."
I'm probably wrong, but honestly that's one of 2 reasons I think are the only reasons you don't see sticks like this in dual platform configs. The other reason being MadCatz thinking, "why sell one overpriced stick when you can sell two."
(oops didn't mean to say it's overpriced, it actually looks like the stick is almost worth every penny, but I'm wondering if I can get by with the FightStick? What's missing from the FightStick that the TE has?)
It looks awesome, but the Hori Stick is 100 quid cheaper, and easier to find. Is this one hugely better, or would I be set with the Hori?
I want the stick but can't buy it in Canada and now it seems I won't be able to get the SFIV controllers. Why does amazon.com carry them but not amazon.ca, and why can't amazon.com ship them in Canada? Meh, I just want a D-Pad that is functional or a good arcade stick.
Yeah in the uk every store has got wise to the fact that there is a much greater demand than supply so there really taking the piss with what they are charging.
Still I do want it.
Still I do want it.
@ Shipley
That is an excellent observation that I had completely overlooked until I read that. Good point.
That is an excellent observation that I had completely overlooked until I read that. Good point.
WRONG! I am sorry, but it was a big mistake to say that Sanwa "probably made the joysticks you played with back when arcades were easy to find." Sanwas have not started showing up in US arcades until VERY recently (as in, the last 3 years or so). The joysticks we had when we were kids were made by two companies: Happ, and IL, who essentially made the same stick but sold it in different regions with slight variations.
The IL Competition stick was, and IMO still is the best arcade joystick on the market. Most Street Fighter 2 machines shipped with Happ Ultimate joysticks, but those were pretty crappy, and smart Arcade operators would swap them out for either a Happ or IL Competition stick (IL's version is slightly better). These sticks are often known as "U-Sticks" (for USA or European Union), because they were designed for the western market by western companies, whereas Sanwas are "J-Sticks" for the Japanese market.
It's important to note that these joysticks feel almost NOTHING like Sanwa joysticks, which is why I have no interest in any of Mad Catz' stick offerings. Happ / IL's sticks are noticeably stiffer than their Japanese counterparts, because htey have a thicker spring. Also, they have a longer throw, since the switches are on the bottom of the stick instead of sandwiched in the middle. Also, a standard U-Stick uses a baseball bat style handle, while most J-sticks have the ball-shaped "lolipop top" handles. Most importantly though, they are more DURABLE. If you play rough, then you are probably going to be much happier with Happ parts than Sanwas (no pun intended).
So to set the record straight, if you were playing arcade games any time in the last 10 years, you were almost definitely using Happ parts (unless you were in Europe, in which case it was probably IL). If you were a REALLY old school gamer though (80s, early 90s), you've probably had experience with the now obsolete Wico joysticks (I won't get into those, but I'll sum up by saying that many people like them for their smooth movement, but their lack of precision makes them crap for fighters). Anyone who knows the American arcade scene ought to know that "Joystick" and "Happ" are nearly synonymous.
The IL Competition stick was, and IMO still is the best arcade joystick on the market. Most Street Fighter 2 machines shipped with Happ Ultimate joysticks, but those were pretty crappy, and smart Arcade operators would swap them out for either a Happ or IL Competition stick (IL's version is slightly better). These sticks are often known as "U-Sticks" (for USA or European Union), because they were designed for the western market by western companies, whereas Sanwas are "J-Sticks" for the Japanese market.
It's important to note that these joysticks feel almost NOTHING like Sanwa joysticks, which is why I have no interest in any of Mad Catz' stick offerings. Happ / IL's sticks are noticeably stiffer than their Japanese counterparts, because htey have a thicker spring. Also, they have a longer throw, since the switches are on the bottom of the stick instead of sandwiched in the middle. Also, a standard U-Stick uses a baseball bat style handle, while most J-sticks have the ball-shaped "lolipop top" handles. Most importantly though, they are more DURABLE. If you play rough, then you are probably going to be much happier with Happ parts than Sanwas (no pun intended).
So to set the record straight, if you were playing arcade games any time in the last 10 years, you were almost definitely using Happ parts (unless you were in Europe, in which case it was probably IL). If you were a REALLY old school gamer though (80s, early 90s), you've probably had experience with the now obsolete Wico joysticks (I won't get into those, but I'll sum up by saying that many people like them for their smooth movement, but their lack of precision makes them crap for fighters). Anyone who knows the American arcade scene ought to know that "Joystick" and "Happ" are nearly synonymous.
Also, you incorrectly stated that "any joystick will fit in the socket." That's unfortunately, not true, because if it was then I would have been first in line to buy one. The darned thing just isn't tall enough for a Happ or IL joystick to fit in, because clearly it never occured to Mad Catz that American arcade fans might want to use American-style parts. In theory, it might be possible to mount a Happ / IL stick to the case by removing the mounting bracket, but that would take a lot of work and some VERY serious power tools. Also, the base would have to be modified to accept Happ buttons, which is also unfortunate since I prefer them over Sanwas as well.
Mad Catz clearly bent over backwards to make this the best stick on the market-- if you're a J-stick fan. Unfortunately, for the rest of us who grew up playing with Happ in the arcades and refuse to switch camps, we're still either stuck waiting or shelling out big bucks for custom sticks. Nubytech made Street Fighter Anniversay stick that used a U-stick, but unfortunately it was just a cheap chinese knockoff, and to get the real deal you had to open the thing up and swap in the good parts (and besides that, the sick is out of production now anyway). There's simply no-where to go for us U-stick fans right now except costly customs, I'm afraid.
Mad Catz clearly bent over backwards to make this the best stick on the market-- if you're a J-stick fan. Unfortunately, for the rest of us who grew up playing with Happ in the arcades and refuse to switch camps, we're still either stuck waiting or shelling out big bucks for custom sticks. Nubytech made Street Fighter Anniversay stick that used a U-stick, but unfortunately it was just a cheap chinese knockoff, and to get the real deal you had to open the thing up and swap in the good parts (and besides that, the sick is out of production now anyway). There's simply no-where to go for us U-stick fans right now except costly customs, I'm afraid.
I'm a big fan of Street Fighter, but god damn. People take this shit SRSLY with the sticks. Timstuff, relax, dude.
I think it's good to see that there are some real tech experts out there to help those of us who care. Personally, I'm not a stick afficiando, but it's nice to see what some of the differences are.
I just wish you could still be interested in getting these sticks somehow. I feel this crushing sense that, because I only got interested in getting one of these sticks recently, I'll never get a chance to buy one.
I just wish you could still be interested in getting these sticks somehow. I feel this crushing sense that, because I only got interested in getting one of these sticks recently, I'll never get a chance to buy one.
From what I've heard, they are putting out a second batch in late March or April.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Just curious, does anyone know a place where I can see how to mod my PS3 version of this stick to work on a 360? I don't need it to work on both but I couldn't find a 360 version of the stick so I bought it for PS3.
Thanks in advanced,
--Calcos
Thanks in advanced,
--Calcos
Are ther any U-Stick style controllers that can be bought for the 360? any at all, anywhere, post any urls if there are. thanks.
I thought there were a few. Not too sure though. Sorry I'm more of a j-stick kind of guy but if you check the for sale section of SRK there's always sticks being sold there. I just don't know if they have any american style 360 sticks on there. You could always have one made though.
If you want a U-Stick arcade stick, your best bet would be either Arcade-In-A-Box or MAS sticks. They are custom so they will cost you (MAS Sticks are sold through resellers starting at about $100, whereas AIABs start at about $150), but they are considered to be a very solid investment.
http://www.aiabstore.com/main.sc;jsessionid=E8D61AD993E94C7F0F79C70AE8DB068B.qscstrfrnt01
http://www.massystems.com/ProStick.html
Beyond that, you can always hunt down the services of certain Shoryuken.com message board members to make you one, but depending on the job it could run you upwards of $200 depending on how fancy a stick you want to commission. Arcade in a box and MAS are definitely a good place to start though.
http://www.aiabstore.com/main.sc;jsessionid=E8D61AD993E94C7F0F79C70AE8DB068B.qscstrfrnt01
http://www.massystems.com/ProStick.html
Beyond that, you can always hunt down the services of certain Shoryuken.com message board members to make you one, but depending on the job it could run you upwards of $200 depending on how fancy a stick you want to commission. Arcade in a box and MAS are definitely a good place to start though.
i have the TE stick but the wire gets in the way especially if your couch and Xbox is 15 feet away! And also its pretty crazy when people trip over the wire too.. has happened numerous times already... i went with one of the wireless custom made sticks. highly highly recommend it! it was the mooglex wireless 360 stick... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-BqxCefMhE
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