Welcome to the thread where we talk about arcade sticks and other various arcade controllers. Feel free to ask any questions, discuss modding, or share any cool projects that are going on. I've gone ahead and slapped together an OP with some information for the major brands that are out there for people who may be approaching this from a newer perspective. Links to more resources are at the bottom. I focus on arcade sticks since those are the common and most popular, but feel free to discuss any type of controller built with arcade games in mind.
Major Brands for full sticks:
Madcatz
Although they really aren't around supporting their sticks anymore, I feel like they should be mentioned since they were the kings of the PS360 era and there are tons of their sticks still floating around today. Madcatz branded sticks tend to come with pretty nice cases, Sanwa parts, and VLX layouts. They are about as standard as you can get for a nicer joystick. Unfortunately, their PCB quality varies from generation to generation. The last sticks they made, the TE2+ and TE-S+, are known to have their PCBs fail, as are some of the sticks made during the Fight Stick Pro era. The original TE and TE-S models fair better, Still, most of these things floating around out there are on the older end now, so always look for a good deal or be prepared to replace some things.
Hori
Hori has been around making fighsticks since the dark ages, and they are still offering a pretty wide selection of various sticks across the board. The HRAP line tends to start a bit cheaper with lighter, plastic cases, with Hori offering larger, heavier builds that are around the $200 premium price range. The range of options on offer are pretty nice, and the quality of their higher end sticks are pretty steady. Hori does use their own line of Hayabusa parts in all of their sticks these days. The Hayabusa parts are well made, but they have a distinct feel that may alienate players used to Sanwa/Seimitsu parts. Their lower end sticks(the minis, under $100) are very cheap without realistic ways to upgrade them. Personally would avoid those.
Qanba
Qanba is a Chinese company that's also been around for a bit. The Obsidian is their current flagship in the premium price range which checks a lot of the standard boxes of Sanwa parts, VLX layout, solid case, etc. They offer quite a few cheaper sticks, which have varying degrees of quality, They make for good starting points for mods, but almost always have knock off parts or cheap PCBs. The Drone in particular has a pretty good price point for an entry level stick with knock off parts, but with a format that is very easy to upgrade to other Japanese parts. The older Q4s/Eightarcs out there are also pretty solid.
Razer
Razer really just has the one stick out there, but it's a pretty popular one. The Panthera has a very nice case that's easy to mod, comes with Sanwa parts, VLX layout, and so on. Very nice feature set and quality for the $200 price bracket. Only caveat is the connector they use for the detachable cord is nonstandard, so if that breaks it can be a pain to deal with, The Panthera Evo is very much the same stick in a different form factor. As far as the old 360 model goes(Atrox), let me just say I've never seen one that isn't broken in some way.
Part Manufacturers
Sanwa Denshi: The most common type of Japanese buttons to find in home arcade controllers. They make really one kind of stick, the JLF, and one kind of button, the OBSF, along with silent variants. Parts tend to be made for general use across different games, with the JLF being one of the most moddable sticks on the market. Very good quality, not expensive.
Seimitsu: The second most common brand of Japanese parts you will find. Make many different kinds of joysticks with specialty games in mind. Shmup fans tend to heavily prefer their range of joysticks. Were more common on older Japanese style cabinets, so people after that feel also gravitate towards them. Make a few different types of buttons, most notably clear screw ins which are popular for art mods. Similar quality to Sanwa parts, similar price range, different feel..
Hori: Have their own line of parts they can be bought separately or ships on their sticks. Derivative of Sanwa but with some nice quality upgrades here and there and a distinct feel all their own. Similar price to the other 2 major Japanese brands. Matte finish on buttons tends to wear off over time though.
Korean Parts: In general, Korean parts are becoming more popular. Korean joysticks have bat top handles built directly into the shaft, tend to have no gate, and use a grommet tension system. What that means on a basic level is they are somewhat similar to older American style joysticks, but are much higher quality and less unwieldy. Crown/Samducksa is the largest brand catering to the home stick market. Note: Traditional Korean joysticks will NOT FIT in a Japanese style stick. However, Crown/Samducksa now offer modified Korean sticks that will fit. Check before you buy!
Happ/IL: If you are looking for the classic American style parts. They won't fit into anything that adheres to Japanese standards without a ton of modifications. Quality has varied over the years, and in truth I don't know much about what's going on with them these days.
Other Brands to Consider:
Brook: Popular for making multi-console PCBs and converters with low latency.
Etokki: Korean stick maker, make some high quality joysticks
Jasenscustoms: Mod and case maker, known for Panzer cases and EZMod PCB replacements.
Victrix: Made an absurdly expensive and overpriced premium stick.
Gamerfinger: Make Japanese style Cherry MX based buttons.
(I'll add more later)
Store links:
Arcade Shock
Focus Attack
Paradise Arcade Shop
Jasen's Customs - Fight Sticks, Arcade Panels, and FGC Tech
etokki
AllFightSticks
Your One Stop Shop For Arcade Parts And Components
Feel free to suggest more shops you use in the thread, I'll check them out and add them up.
Other Resources:
slagcoin
Tech Talk
Teyah.net
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