My Love for Arcade Sticks: A Gamer’s Journey
by Pixel Pusher- Tags:
- 16bit
- 8bit
- 8bitdo
- Analogue
- Arcade
- Arcade Stick
- Capcom
- Hori
- NES
- Nintendo
- NintendoSwitch2
- PlayStation
- Sega
- SNES
- StreetFighter
I recently got a new arcade stick. The 8bitdo Arcade Stick to be precise. This is my first wireless arcade stick. All my others are wired. This can be either and has 2 options for wireless (Bluetooth or 2.4Ghz). I got it to play mostly on my Analogue Pocket. I also have a Hori and other older arcade sticks.
Playing on an arcade stick again reminded me of how much I love it. I enjoy both arcade games and console games with it.
My first video game memories was playing at the arcade. I grew up in the 8 bit and 16 bit generations. However, the Arcade was still the cutting edge of video games. We got ports at home. Some better ports than others. Like I said I have great memories playing arcade games.
I didn’t have an NES advantage but I played on my friends. He even had an Arcade cabinet to hold his TV. It hooked up to his NES. You could play it like an arcade machine. It was very cool.
The Genesis was my first 16 bit system. I got the stick for it and ended up playing everything on it. It was my preferred way to play. I even played my Sega CD games on it. Sega was great at porting their arcade games over. The stick just felt like a premium experience.
Street Fighter 2 came out on the SNES and it was a nice port. This was an era of special moves like fireballs and dragon punches. I wanted the arcade stick for it badly. Capcom delivered. They had the ultimate stick designed for Street fighter in mind. It was expensive. Getting it meant not getting another game. So I was happy renting for a while. Also this controller came with an adapter to use it on my NES. So I could go back and play my NES games on this controller. After getting this controller I played everything on it. I loved the turbo options. I really liked that all the time playing Street Fighter 2 at home paid off in the arcade. However, I was never very competitive. Just like to play to see how far I would go. I played everything on this. Zelda, Metroid, and games like Batman Returns for SNES were a dream on this stick.
The 32 bit generation I wasn’t playing Street Fighter and didn’t pickup sticks then. Next gen I almost bought a stick for the PS2. The Street Fighter 2 Anniversary Stick. My friend said it was bad but neglected to mention it was salvageable. He was a pro Street Fighter player. I later found out he bought that stick and swapped parts. If I knew he ment you could get it and make it better I would have pulled the trigger then.
The fighting genre I have to say it what kept my love for arcade sticks alive. This was with the PS3. I was playing a bunch of Tekken and picked up other fighters and bought a Hori Stick.
Then when SF4 came out I bought the MadCatz TE fighting stick. I love this stick and have handled it with kid gloves. It is my favorite stick I have ever had. Since I picked up a Hori stick. it is ok I’m not a fan of the buttons but that is an easy fix these days.
I have picked up a stick for my Saturn and I love playing the arcade perfect ports on it. I have a Neo Geo X USB controller that I enjoy using from time to time.I never had a Neo Geo but played them in ports and at the arcade.
That is some of my history with the arcade stick. Playing it again with all these arcade games and consoles. I was surprise how at home I am playing Genesis, NES and SNES games with an arcade stick. Of course over the years I have gotten a little snobby with my sticks. I would never want to use that first Hori stick over nearly anything else I have these days. However, I use it if I need a player 4. I like a certain way a button press feels. Good news is it is cheap and easy to fix these days. The TE stick spoiled me and now I love Sanwa buttons.
Some of my favorite genres are from the arcade like Beat’em Ups and Shoot’em Ups. Playing on the stick is like going home. It is a very comfortable feeling. Also it is easier on my thumbs. I love playing the CPS1, 1.5 and 2 boards with a real stick.
My next steps are to swap out some buttons. I also picked up a MayFlash adapter at controller adapters for more compatibility with this and other sticks. They work on my PS5 and Analogue Pocket. My TE stick for PS3 is my favorite. I want to play it on my Analogue Pocket. I’m also interested in using it for anything else I can get it to work for. Seems like a MayFlash adapter fits the bill. So I picked up the MayFlash Adapter. It has breathed new life into some old controllers like my TE stick. It also made some old consoles easy to use with modern controllers.
These days don’t put a lot of time in a fighter unless I have a stick. One benefit is that my muscle memory remains intact. I’ve played on a stick for generations of video game consoles.
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