Are there any cheap-ish USB arcade sticks you'd recommend for playing 80s/90s arcade games?

[+Biff Burgertime]

All I've got at the moment is a Dreamcast Arcade Stick + RaphNet USB Adapter. This DC stick is great for controlling 3D games of its era like Soul Calibur, but doesn't work well at all for games with 2D gameplay. The joystick itself is a bit too "loose" with each direction having too much travel for precise 2D movements. It's even worse for games with 4-directions in mind like Pac-Man. For now I'm digging around in RetroPie's settings to see if I can improve playability with this stick via software, but I doubt tweaking settings will make enough of a difference.

 

Playing arcade games in RetroPie is more a novelty though, not something I do regularly. So if I decide to buy a new arcade stick for this purpose, I wouldn't want to spend too much. I'm not at all familiar with what's out there or if it's possible to go the budget route without tossing money at a piece of crap I won't want to use anyway... so I'm hoping by asking here I can gain some knowledge.

 

• Are there any USB joysticks you'd recommend for playing 80s/90s arcade games via RetroPie?
  • Anything under ~$50?
• Is this the type of thing where going the cheap route will end up costing more in the long run?
• Any general info/tips to be aware of? (brands to avoid, build quality, maintenance, etc)

[TampaBay]

 

When I was recently researching to buy one, it came down to the 8Bitdo and the Mayflash in the link below.   I went with the 8Bitdo because I decided I wanted wireless, but this wired Mayflash seemed to have good reviews and it's much closer to your price range at about $59.  Of course I haven't used it, since I went with the other option.  It looks good for the price though. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Mayflash-F300-Arcade-Joystick-Switch/dp/B019MFPLC0

[newtmonkey]

9 hours ago, Biff Burgertime said:

Are there any USB joysticks you'd recommend for playing 80s/90s arcade games via RetroPie?

• Anything under ~$50?

• Is this the type of thing where going the cheap route will end up costing more in the long run?
• Any general info/tips to be aware of? (brands to avoid, build quality, maintenance, etc)

 

This is sadly a case of you get what you pay for.  Cheaper sticks use cheaper parts, which mean sticky buttons and sticks with too much travel.  In my experience, a good d-pad is far more accurate than any stick you can find for <$100.  I wouldn't know how much you need to spend to get quality, as I got annoyed with throwing money away and didn't want to start spending more than that just to find out.

 

If you are serious about getting a good quality stick and are willing to spend some money on it, you should read up at specialist forums (shmups forum is an example) for recommendations.  You'll find that it's basically split between people happy to pay $$$ for a good stick, people who have made their own sticks from arcade quality parts, and (somewhat surprisingly) people playing on (quality) gamepads.  I would definitely NOT trust Amazon reviews or even "professional" reviewers (IGN, whatever) for any specialized product whatsoever, because people tend to be happy with stuff as long as it's not completely broken.  I mean, look at all the praise, amateur and professional, for the various 8bitdo controllers with completely worthless dpads to see what I mean.

 

[EDIT]

I found this chart rating commercially available arcade sticks when I was searching for a decent joystick a while back.  It's from 2014, but was posted on a reddit for serious fighting game players... so it might still be of reference.  You can see that anything <$70 or so is not even worth considering, and you only start to get flawed but good sticks around $100 or so:

(Click on the image to get the full-sized legible version)

 

As for me, I just use an 8bitdo M30 to play arcade games on RetroArch, mostly shmups.  I whined about 8bitdo above, but this gamepad is EXCELLENT with probably the best, most accurate dpad I've ever used, for action games and shmups (it's not great for fighting games, especially for those with charge moves).  I reckon you'd have to get an A-Tier or S-Tier joystick in the chart above to match the quality and accuracy of the M30.

Edited April 23 by newtmonkey

[TampaBay]

10 hours ago, Biff Burgertime said:

Playing arcade games in RetroPie is more a novelty though, not something I do regularly. So if I decide to buy a new arcade stick for this purpose, I wouldn't want to spend too much.

 

@newtmonkey  I agree with a lot of what you've said above, and you definitely get what you pay for.  No doubt the higher-end sticks are way better in every way.  That said, we have to keep in mind what OP said above.  He's just looking to casually play around on rare occasions and is looking for something better than what he has that is still "good enough".  In that respect, I think he should be able to find something for under $100.  I've had my 8Bitdo arcade stick for a year now and I think it's great.  I wanted something to play six-button games like the Street Fighter series and I've had no problems with it at all.  Assuming he buys a stick from somewhere where it's easily returnable without any kind of nonsense restocking fee, I don't see why he couldn't roll the dice and try an under $100 stick to see if it meets his casual gaming needs.  If not, he can either try something higher-end, or just stick (pun intended) with what he's got.

[newtmonkey]

@TampaBay

I get what you're saying 100%!  However, even though he's just casually playing arcade games, I think he's run into the limit of sub-$100 sticks.  I was in the same exact boat, myself.  It's certainly possible that the 8bitdo stick you use is better than his DC stick; I can't say for sure myself as I've only used the DC stick, and I have no reason to doubt your experience of course.  He could also just try some sticks and return them to Amazon, but I just don't think he's going to get anything better than what he has without spending a decent chunk of change.

 

It does feel "right" to play arcade games with a real joystick, of course... but I'd argue that, especially at the casual level, he's better off just going with a good gamepad.  I think you'd have to spend a LOT to get a stick more accurate than, for example, the 8bitdo M30.

Edited April 23 by newtmonkey

[TampaBay]

4 minutes ago, newtmonkey said:

@TampaBay

I get what you're saying 100%!  My point is that he's just casually playing arcade games, but I think he has already run into the limit of sub-$100 sticks.  It's certainly possible that the 8bitdo stick you use is better than his DC stick; I can't say for sure myself as I've only used the DC stick, and I have no reason to doubt your experience of course.  He could also just try some sticks and return them to Amazon, but I just don't think he's going to get anything better than what he has without spending a decent chunk of change.

 

It does feel "right" to play arcade games with a real joystick, of course... but I'd argue that, especially at the casual level, he's better off just going with a good gamepad.  I think you'd have to spend a LOT to get a stick more accurate than, for example, the 8bitdo M30.

 

Absolutely.  👍👍  You make an excellent point that I didn't take into account.  I've never used the Dreamcast Arcade Stick so I have no frame of reference to compare it to one of the $50 - $100 sticks like the 8Bitdo.  Good call on your part.  I just assumed, without any basis for it, that it was kind of garbage and that just about anything would be an improvement.  Yeah if the DC stick is halfway decent, then it might not be worth it at all to spend say $75 on something that might barely provide just marginal improvement.  Like I mentioned, I wanted a 6 button stick to play fighting games as I wasn't doing too well using a standard controller and I'm used to the six button layout, and I didn't already have something.  So yeah, that's the key.  He may do better sticking with the DC, going higher-end, or trying the M30.

[newtmonkey]

@TampaBay

It's also certainly possible that the 8bitdo stick actually is an improvement, and like you mentioned, getting it from a place like Amazon that allow for easy returns is a good option.

[TampaBay]

16 minutes ago, newtmonkey said:

@TampaBay

It's also certainly possible that the 8bitdo stick actually is an improvement, and like you mentioned, getting it from a place like Amazon that allow for easy returns is a good option.

 

Yeah these days I wouldn't buy anything if I couldn't easily return it.  I've actually had pretty good luck and off the top of my head, I don't think I've returned too much, but I always want the option.

[Cynicaster]

My $0.02:

 

I think your budget is a bit low to get what you're asking for.  I know how easy it is to fall into the mindset of "well, I only want something to play once in a while so it doesn't have to be great" but the problem is, playing arcade games with a crappy joystick just isn't fun.    

 

For $50, I think your only hope would be to either build something from scratch using good arcade parts, or find a good deal on something used.  In other words, I can't see there being anything available brand new for $50 that wouldn't suck. 

 

It's worth pointing out that even when you're talking about sticks that are technically well-built, there is always going to be a strong "personal preference" component to this stuff, so even a well-made product isn't guaranteed to knock your socks off.  No single stick is going to be ideal for all types of games so you should do some research to see what people are recommending for the types of games that are a priority for you to get right.    

 

I'd say that at a minimum, if you can find something that uses a joystick from a reputable supplier (i.e., Happ, Sanwa, etc.) as opposed to some squeaky, plasticky junk like you see in a lot of older console "arcade sticks" then you're off to a great start.    

 

Also keep in mind that some of the better controller boxes will have standardized hole patterns which makes it dead simple to buy upgraded joysticks and install those.  For example, I have an X-Arcade Tank Stick (which is in the "junk" category on the rating sheet someone posted earlier).  I tend to agree that the stock joysticks are junk, but the buttons are totally fine and the enclosure is rock solid.  I bought Happ Competitions for drop-in replacements and now the stick is great to use for a ton of different types of games and has been 100% trouble free for 10+ years now.    

 

 

[Austin]

I personally prefer sticks in the $150+ range, but for ~$60, the Mayflash sticks are pretty good. There’s also the Qanba Carbon for $60. Good look, solid base, it has desk clamps and you can easily swap out the generic stick and buttons down the road if you find yourself using it a lot.

Edited 3 hours ago by Austin