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anyone have any suggestions for some good alternatives to the xbox 360 controller for 2d games? is there a Ps2 adapter for it so i can use my ps2 stick?

AKUMA wrote:... is there a Ps2 adapter for it so i can use my ps2 stick?

The problem is that Microsoft requires all peripherals to be licensed, so all those shady HK guys are out of luck. I doubt we'll ever see any adapters.

As for sticks, I think all the ones released so far have been the same thing just with different stickers. It's all the Hori Dead or Alive stick. I haven't tried it, so I can't judge, but I never heard anything bad about it, if anything it's probably "good enough."

Personally I'm hoping for Sega to release (a driver for) their Saturn-style USB pad.

There is a PS2 adapter available that also supports keyboard and mouse inputs, but the problem is its rather expensive.

http://www.xcm.cc/XFPS_3.0_Sniper.htm

Last time I checked it was in the $80 range.

As for arcade sticks - the Hori stick is your best option. Its not bad if you aren't wanting to mod it. I believe that X-Arcade is about to come out with a line of Xbox 360 adapters as well.

The other option is to get someone to build a custom stick which can be done by an Xbox 360 controller's PCB. It will end up being a little more expensive, but it is a choice.

Hori also released a Xbox 360 pad in Japan that had a fairly decent d-pad. The controllers a bit uncomfortable though.

I'm hoping that Capcom ends up releasing a six button controller for Street Fighter IV similar to their special anniversary controllers they put out for the PS2/Xbox for the SF Anniversary collection.

RyanDG wrote:...

Hori also released a Xbox 360 pad in Japan that had a fairly decent d-pad. The controllers a bit uncomfortable though.

I'm interested in this...

EDIT: You mean this?
That doesn't look too workable since the d-pad is still out of the way. An easy solution would be to simply swap the left stick and d-pad positioning.

I forgot about that adapter. I think there was some problem with it which is why I never picked it up. Something to do with the button assignment or something.

RyanDG wrote:I'm hoping that Capcom ends up releasing a six button controller for Street Fighter IV similar to their special anniversary controllers they put out for the PS2/Xbox for the SF Anniversary collection.

Amen

lech wrote:

RyanDG wrote:...

Hori also released a Xbox 360 pad in Japan that had a fairly decent d-pad. The controllers a bit uncomfortable though.

I'm interested in this...

EDIT: You mean this?
That doesn't look too workable since the d-pad is still out of the way. An easy solution would be to simply swap the left stick and d-pad positioning.

...

So I went and picked up one of these Hori EX pads, in preparation for Raiden Fighters Aces. I do like it so far, and it works quite a bit better for “arcade-y” functions than the stock 360 pad. The D-pad is in fact great, but like most Hori products, the controller is a great design that falls a bit too short in execution.

For some reason, the pad is extremely heavy, much heavier than the MS 360 wired controller. It's surprising at first, but hasn't so far resulted in any negative effects. My hands haven't gotten tired of holding it yet (it's no Wii-mote...). It looks very awkward, but it is very comfortable to hold. The hand grips are much more angled, which makes reaching the D-pad with your thumb much easier than the MS pad (its primary function). The underside is also custom molded to allow your middle fingers to rest on the body of the pad, instead on the raised grips, it almost “falls” into your grip. The digital inputs, the D-pad and the face buttons are great. Very responsive, and easy to press. I tried it a bit with Trigger Heart Exelica, and Shikigami no Shiro III, with very good results. The D-pad makes dodging bullets very easy, no complaints here.

Hori drops the ball however in the analog department, the sticks and triggers. The sticks are very soft, very easy to move, but they for some reason have a far greater range of motion than the stock MS pad. That means that you now have to move the sticks further to get the same action out of your character. This is a small gripe, and doesn't negatively affect any gameplay, I did quite well in a quick game of Geometry Wars. The shoulder triggers though, are where the pad fails. While the sticks are looser, the triggers, on the other hand, are much, much tighter and have a far, FAR shorter pull on them. That means that you barely have to pull it to get the same affect as a MS pad, but you'll have to use a far greater force to move the trigger. This will completely screw up any muscle memory you have for your games. It took quite a bit of time for me to get the timing down for Lost Odyssey's Ring Targeting system, and even while I could get quite a few “Good” results, “Perfects” were still elusive. I haven't tried it with any racing games, but I'm sure it would be quite a headache if you actually use the analog triggers to apply the breaks and gas (unlike me, where I just pull them all the way anyway and release as needed [read: "tapping"]). Hori essentially turned the analog triggers into (almost) digital buttons. It should work quite well with fighters, I haven't tried it with any, since there isn't too many 2D arcade fighters on the 360 yet (I tried FF Special, but that game had shit controls to begin with, so I can't judge). I'll have to wait for SF II HD Remix.

It is a great arcade pad, but the analog controls are a bit too awkward to use effectively. If you get one you'll still need to keep your stock 360 pad for modern games, while the Hori is great for simple digital arcade games. Now give me more 2D fighters on XBLA.

3/17/08 EDIT: I went back a few days later to play some more Lost Odyssey, and noticed that the right trigger has in fact loosened up through repeated use. The Left trigger is still much stiffer, since I don't have a game that uses it much. So after a bit of wearing-in the triggers become much more usable. I may have to break my PGR3 out of its shrinkwrap grave...

Hori is supposedly working on a new arcade stick for the 360 in Japan. I'm wondering if we are going to be finally getting a Real Arcade pro from them for the console.

RyanDG wrote:Hori is supposedly working on a new arcade stick for the 360 in Japan. I'm wondering if we are going to be finally getting a Real Arcade pro from them for the console.

It's about time, the 360 has been getting more and more killer apps, but it still gets no respect. It may finally have gotten to the point where Japanese companies can't pretend that it doesn't exist and start supporting it.

The PS3 got one for exactly one game, VF5, which is also available on the 360, along with quite a few others.

I think I may be joining you crazy arcade stick using funsters soon. I never liked sticks, and always preferred pads. But I recently got some new hardware, and the whole time I was testing it out with MAME I kept thinking to myself, "man I wish I had a stick." I'd like to keep it as simple (and as economical) for myself as possible, so I'd like to get something for the PC/360. Unfortunately, as we've already outlined in this thread, the only option at the moment is the Hori Fighting Stick EX2/DOA4/VF5 stick. It looks decent, but I'd love to have the 8-button layout madness of a RAP. The latest PS3 RAP3 is looking especially sexy. You've really increased my frothing demand with that RAP rumor Ryan, any news on that?