Possible Psychopad K.O Prototype Arcade Stick

[livingonwheels]

I have what I believe is a loose Act Labs Psychopad  K.O Prototype Arcade Stick. I also have a boxed consumer version to compare it to. The main differences I readily see is that the prototype used the actual Super Nintendo, Sega (Saturn), and PlayStation logos and font. The consumer version does not. The prototype also has a small door on the back of the base, but there is nothing behind it besides hot glue holding it in place. Only thing that gives me some doubt is that the prototype has a serial number sticker (as does the consumer version, of course). Here are some pictures. The first 4 are the prototype, the last 4 pictures is the consumer version:

[Magmavision2000]

Maybe it's a variant? 

[livingonwheels]

I thought it was a possible variant, but have been unable to find any other pictures of this specific design. Perhaps they didn't have the right to use those specific logos/fonts? Here's the Act Labs site promoting the stick:

http://www.act-labs.com/arcade3.htm

Edited December 21, 2019 by livingonwheels

[Supergun]

For what it’s worth, it having the serial number sticker on there doesn’t necessarily negate it from being a prototype, an early floor sample, or a display unit, etc.

 

Reason being that at some point, it could simply have been boxed up, shipped out, and sold along with the regular production models either by accident and/or purposely when they no longer needed so many of them.

[Magmavision2000]

11 hours ago, Magmavision2000 said:

Maybe it's a variant? 

I've gotta (partially) retract what I said. From the little research that I did, I could only find one advertisement that looked similar to your arcade stick. 

 

Even though the ad is low quality, I can kind of make out the Sega and Super Nintendo font (no symbol though). So you either have a very rare variant, or you have a prototype*. Where did you get this?

 

 

*I am not an expert on this stuff.

[livingonwheels]

I bought it off eBay a few years back, perhaps 4 or 5. I noticed that the logos and font were different than what I had on my new in box Pschopad stick, so I just bought it on a whim out of curiosity. The seller didn’t mention anything about the stick in the listing. I don’t remember what I paid, but it was quite cheap. I’ve been looking for certain items in my home today and came across these sticks after forgetting all about them.

That ad looks familiar. I wonder if it was from EGM. I collected EGM back when they first began  (picked up issue #1 in a bookstore in North Carolina, on my first solo motorcycle trip to Florida from New York as a teenager). I have nearly every issue ever printed, stored away.

Edited December 22, 2019 by livingonwheels

[jhd]

 

Is there any way to (carefully) open the cases and compare the boards?

 

Presumably the prototype would look different, and/or the chips may have significantly earlier date codes. 

 

 

[livingonwheels]

Here's the inside of the prototype. I'm trying to open up the consumer version, but for some reason am having a really hard time removing the cover from the base (the prototype was very easy). Seems they might have crazy glued it to the bottom (along with screws)! But by peeking into a small opening with a flashlight, I can tell you it is definitely a different board. I'll keep at and post pics if I can somehow open it without damaging it.

[livingonwheels]

Here's the consumer version's board:

[jhd]

 

There are no obvious patch-wires in the "prototype", but that board is significantly different. The wiring looks tidier in the production version; I do not know if that is significant. 

 

Looking at the top-right corner of the prototype case (above the joystick), there is some molded structure that is absent from the later version. 

[livingonwheels]

That molded structure on the right, above the joystick, is a door which is of no use, and is actually hot glued shut. You can see it in the first post, second picture.

[Supergun]

It may have just been where they originally intended the joysticks cable / connector to be located. Or, perhaps it was an abandoned idea for a small access or service panel.

 

But my personal theory is that at some point, the unit was going to have compatibility with the Panasonic 3DO system. And this was where the required “daisy chain” connector would have been located.

[Shawn]

54 minutes ago, livingonwheels said:

That molded structure on the right, above the joystick, is a door which is of no use, and is actually hot glued shut. You can see it in the first post, second picture.

 

Looks like it was going to be used (or was used) to put the cord connector in a different place before being moved to the center where it is on the other version.

[Shawn]

3 minutes ago, Supergun said:

It may have just been where they originally intended the joysticks cable / connector to be located. Or, perhaps it was an abandoned idea for a small access or service panel.

 

But my personal theory is that at some point, the unit was going to have compatibility with the Panasonic 3DO system. And this was where the required “daisy chain” connector would have been located.

 

We posted a similar response at the same time.