X-Arcade: l337?

Games
1

I was wondering if anyone on this forum has purchased and used the X-Arcade dual joystick set.

I’ve been eyeing it for a while after finding out it was dreamcast compatible. Ideally, I want to play it with fighting games like Street Fighter Alpha and Third Strike to take my skills to the next level. Also the purchase makes a lot more sense to me after finding that the actual arcade sticks for the dc run about 55.00 to 72.00 dollars on ebay for the finer sticks.

you can check out their stuff of www.x-arcade.com

One thing though:

  1. If you haven’t played on one I don’t want to hear your reaction to it, after reading the console wars that go on here I am aware opinion is far too often used as a substitute for experience.
2

Preemtively asking for people here not to express their uneducated opinion is like asking flies not to swarm fresh feces.

I’ll start by saying it completely sucks.

Never touched it, though.

3

Well I think its the best thing since sliced bread and I highly reccomend it.

4

I owned one for about a year, and I didn’t really care for it. It all depends on how picky you are, and how you plan on using it. The unit is large and bulky, using it on a coffee table might be fine, or sitting on the floor i suppose would work, but trying to use it on your lap is just not comfortable. Ditto for using it on a desk, the height of the unit forces your arms up too high.

I didn’t really care for the parts (the stick and buttons), they are very low quality. Of course since then I’ve gone on to mod my own joysticks and replace them with Sanwa parts, so your milage may vary.

I would recommend picking up one of the agetec dreamcast arcade sticks, the original namco black and yellow ps1 arcade sticks, or a Hori Real Arcade Pro 2. For the ps1/ps2 sticks, you can pick up a ps2 to dreamcast adapter for 10-15 bucks.

5

You really can’t go wrong with the Agetecs or the old Namco Yellows.

Personally I used to have a pair of MAS sticks with Hori Competitions which while good were too bulky for me. I finally settled on a Namco Yellow and have enjoyed it for the last several years.

6

There’s always the option to build your own. It’s not nearly as hard as it might initially seem.

7

I’ve had a dual X-Arcade for several years. My original reason for purchasing it, was that I missed the sportsgame feel from the old Arcarde Pro sticks on the Amiga. The X-Arcade is even better. It’s damn near indestructable, very responsive and the buttons feels like a “real” arcade machine, awaking some fond memories of mine from the late 70’s :). The X-Arcade works very well with most PC games. Especially with Arcade classics on MAME. All games that are controllable with the keyboard works though.

I have tried several things (including linked X-Arcade emulators) to get it working properly with PS/2 two player games. I have yet to succeed in that. This annoys me a great deal, as one of the very reasons for getting the X-Arcade was to play two-player FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer, or what else soccer game is the flavour of the month… It’s just not a PS/2 stick, I’m affraid.

One other thing: There’s a distinct “Whoa!” factor, when you show it to your friends. I have yet to leave one unimpressed… ;-)

8

I don’t think the sticks are very suitable for fighting games. I prefer the Japanese “popsickle” style sticks. They simply feel more natural and gives you a greater degree of control over the stick. In my experience. I suppose it’s a bit of a taste issue, but then again I’ve never, ever seen any real hardcore fighter types use club sticks. There must be a reason for that.

You could simply get rid of the club sticks and buy some proper Sanwa sticks to replace them. Or buy a custom made one with all the plugs you’ll ever need. The sky’s the limit! Personally, I’m in love with the Hori Real Arcade Pro. It’s the size of the Titanic: HORI Real Arcade Pro Stick for PlayStation 2 - Bitcoin & Lightning accepted