Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 33 conversations about:
Boskr
138
Jul 25, 2017
bookmark_border
Not worth IMO. $100 is a lot of money for a stick using off-brand arcade parts. Maybe would be worth it if it included the Pi at $100.
Jul 25, 2017
badcrc
22
Jul 25, 2017
bookmark_border
BoskrI agree to a point. Time is money and some people, like myself, sometimes would rather pay more and have everything together and not have to track stuff down and build a bunch of custom stuff. I usually do my own projects and take an insane amount of time to figure things out, build things, and track down parts, but as time goes on I'm realizing some things aren't worth the effort. For $130 for this kit I got everything together with the pi. I tried to find out as much information as I could (from other sources since there isn't any info here in this thread). I figure the worst that could happen is the controls aren't the greatest and I can swap them out later for the parts that everyone says are dirt cheap and the best quality in the world. I will post here what I think about this kit since the info is seriously lacking. But I'm not an arcadephile, I just spent countless hours playing games on consoles and dumping thousands of quarters into arcade machines when I was a kid. If this works well and I can come home from work and fire up some of my favorite old school games on my tv I'll be happy for this price.
Jul 25, 2017
badcrc
22
Jul 25, 2017
bookmark_border
BoskrAlso I wanted to mention, just browsing for cheap parts I come up with close to $100 for the barebones parts for a kit like this, not including the speakers, joystick board, screws, mats, etc. That's also not counting the time and labor to cut all the pieces out and design it. So as long as the controls aren't junk, I don't think this is a bad deal.
Jul 25, 2017
Boskr
138
Jul 26, 2017
bookmark_border
badcrcKit of joystick parts for $30 https://www.amazon.com/Easyget-Android-Joystick-Controller-Raspberry/dp/B06XDJJBK6/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1501071645&sr=8-10&keywords=arcade+pi+case
A wood case from Etsy for $23.50 https://www.etsy.com/listing/264441384/single-player-arcade-enclosure-kit-for?&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_b-electronics_and_accessories-video_games&utm_custom1=e06f3a9e-6fde-4b19-a84f-57e044561bca&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr5Oh2Pam1QIVETuBCh10nAQ1EAQYAyABEgJ9R_D_BwE
I understand that not everyone has the time to put things together, but that's kinda why the DIY tech section exists. For people who like to DIY. For two purchases I could have better than what comes in this drop, and it's $53.50 USD vs. $100 USD, plus I would get it MUCH sooner.
It doesn't come with speakers, but there's no reason for it to. Pi uses HDMI out, whatever screen you're using should (in most cases) have speakers. It would sound horrible having sound come from the arcade stick in my hands vs. the screen it's being played on. That said, if we want to go the full route of getting everything in the drop, a tiny set of speakers can easily be had for less than 10 dollars.
Jul 26, 2017
badcrc
22
Jul 26, 2017
bookmark_border
BoskrThat wood case is just the unfinished wood. I didn't even realize this was in the diy section. I follow several sections and saw this kit and liked it. I get the diy aspect but this is one thing I wanted mostly complete especially the case because I suck at finishing work. Also I too was wondering about the speakers then realized if I took this somewhere to hook up to a pc monitor that would be handy. Again I can't argue about cost. It all depends what time is worth and what you want to dedicate it too.
Jul 26, 2017
TipsyMacScotchslurpen
379
Aug 25, 2017
bookmark_border
BoskrI agree with both sides, honestly... I built an "assistive" device for myself using an Arduino Leonardo to emulate a USB keyboard, but using an original Sanwa JLF joystick and several Sanwa 30mm arcade buttons (I have a left radial nerve injury, so I can't use my left hand to play the keyboard half of a mouse+KB input style for 3D FPS games... using this "keyboard" I can finally play again, using an MMORPG mouse to handle 9 more keyboard keys).
My first version used a bunch of arcade parts from Adafruit and Sparkfun, but the "Sanwa-STYLE" joystick didn't handle corners properly (the upper-right corner wouldn't always register "right" in the corner) and the buttons were stiff. When I bought a real Sanwa JLF joystick it was like night and day. I ended up getting a bunch of real Japanese arcade parts and customized the colors of everything, and now I can play my FPS games again. It just emphasized to me the importance of quality parts when you really want to be able to play hardcore... if a button or joystick direction doesn't register when you expect it to, you just can't compete. If you're gaming, you want to be able to win, so get the good parts.
On the other hand, if you're just a casual gamer and the joystick not always registering isn't going to be noticed, it's worth the money to save the time and effort. I, personally, always feel like the effort is worth it when I learn to do something new, but not everyone has the time to do that.
Aug 25, 2017
badcrc
22
Aug 26, 2017
bookmark_border
TipsyMacScotchslurpenYa that's assuming this kit has this issue. None of us know yet and I couldn't find much info. I will be posting a review of all my findings and if one part is defective massdrop will hear about it.
Aug 26, 2017
I_love_stuff
33
Aug 27, 2017
bookmark_border
TipsyMacScotchslurpenThe joystick that comes with this kit and possibly yours is a zippy. It is horrible. Mine is defective.
Aug 27, 2017
TipsyMacScotchslurpen
379
Aug 28, 2017
bookmark_border
I_love_stuffThe one I got wasn't a Zippy, but I have definitely dealt with them before, and they are pretty hit-or-miss... and the hits are only "functional," not great. A makerspace I used to hang around put together a few RPi MAME joysticks like this one, though they used laser-cut 1/8" (around that, anyway) Baltic birch plywood for the enclosure. Generally these Chinese knockoffs of Japanese brand arcade joysticks are just fine as long as you are using them in a two- or four-way configuration, but as soon as you add diagonals to the mix you end up with fighting game attack combos that don't work and player movement that isn't perfect.
For only a couple of dollars extra (this is talking straight single-purchase retail pricing... it may make a big difference if you are ordering a large quantity), you can get a joystick that was built for the Arcade industry and plays so much better that you're amazed you hadn't notice how bad the Chinese joysticks/buttons actually are. The Japanese buttons have smoother actions and the switches they use have lighter springs (but even with the light springs they "unpress" quickly and without getting hung up... you can really tap super-fast and have every button press register).
Now, I will disclaim all of this by saying that this is only my personal experience. I haven't tried every single Chinese joystick and button on the market (nor have I tried all the Japanese models). Generally, if you give the Chinese company the same specs and money as their non-Chinese counterpart companies, they will produce a product that is virtually identical. Who knows? Maybe Sanwa has some of their products produced in some Chinese factory under strict supervision for more money. That said, I have never had bad luck ordering Sanwa or Seimitsu branded arcade products, so I will continue buying what I can from them. I would also make the assumption that brands I haven't yet tried (like Hori Hayabusa or Suzo Happ, among many others) probably produce products that are of similar high quality. I just won't be buying anything that is "Sanwa-style" ever again unless I can confirm it is made by one of the other brands I trust (they all make compatible replacements for each others' products from time to time).
Aug 28, 2017
badcrc
22
Aug 28, 2017
bookmark_border
BoskrThat doesn't look like a name brand joystick kit, have you tried it? Looks like a chinese one just like zippy but I don't know. They are sending me a new joystick for this massdrop kit but it will probably just like the one I have so i will probably buy a better one.
Aug 28, 2017
View Full Discussion