SheerMadness
Smash Master
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2005
- Messages
- 4,781
Due to age, finding quality 1st party Nintendo 64 joysticks is becoming very difficult. Since I've delved pretty deep into this subject I thought I'd make a guide to help people with their replacement options. As far as I can tell you have three different options:
Gamecube style replacement
Pros:
- Durability. This design lasts far longer than original 64 sticks.
- Feel. Very smooth.
Cons:
- Sensitivity issues. For whatever reason these things skip steps. Here's a video demonstrating the issue:
-
- Due to the sensitivity issues certain moves are very difficult to achieve, like smash attacks in ssb and spin attacks in the Zelda games.
Bottom line: These are probably the worst replacement option available due to sensitivity issues. However, the guy in the video above mentions that he does sell a PCB which fixes the step skipping issue. Not sure how legit it is, but feel free to look into if you want.
OEM style replacement
Pros:
- Functionality. These essentially function exactly the same as 1st party sticks. Same deadzone and range. No sensitivity issues.
Cons:
- Durability. The fatal flaw of these replacements. It seems as though everything about this stick is of lesser quality. It takes far less force to move the stick, due to a weaker spring and cheaper plastic, giving it a "loose" feeling even when it's new and technically "tight". It also seems to wear out at a much faster pace, and actually becomes floppy fairly quickly.
Bottom line: These things would be perfect if the plastic and spring were better quality. But the functionality is exactly the same, which still makes this probably the best replacement IMO.
How to tell apart from 1st party stick:
- Feel. They take significantly less force to move the stick around.
- Color. The dark grey shell is a lighter shade than 1st party.
- Joystick grip. The grooved circles for gripping on original sticks are terraced, very gradually increasing height from outside in. The gripping circles on the replacement are significantly less terraced, and the stick appears more flat looking at it from a profile view.
RepairBox potentiometer based OEM style
Pros:
- Durability. These things appear to be made like tanks. The spring is way stronger and the plastic seems to be of way better quality. It actually takes significantly more force to move the stick than a 1st party stick (a pro for me but maybe not other people).
Cons:
- Bigger deadzone. The deadzone is significantly bigger, which means you have to move the stick further for it to register movement. In my experience this can cause issues with things like tilts, short hop up airs, pika's up b, and walking speed which can effect spacing. All this can be adapted to, but it obviously can and does cause issues.
- Not as smooth. The plastic bowl which the stick rubs against isn't as smooth which gives it a more grindy feeling than 1st party sticks or the 3rd party OEM style replacements.
Bottom line: The durability of these things are amazing. I also like how stiff it feels compared to other sticks. The bigger deadzone can be a big problem though. Most of it can be adapted to, but there are still serious issues with certain moves. Doing Pikachu's up b at precise angles seemed incredibly difficult to me. That was the main reason I stopped using these.
Where can I find these replacements?
A bunch of places online carry them such as:
ebay, amazon, nintendorepairshop, lukie games, and several other online gaming stores.
EDIT: If I missed something let me know and I'll add it in.
Gamecube style replacement
Pros:
- Durability. This design lasts far longer than original 64 sticks.
- Feel. Very smooth.
Cons:
- Sensitivity issues. For whatever reason these things skip steps. Here's a video demonstrating the issue:
-
Bottom line: These are probably the worst replacement option available due to sensitivity issues. However, the guy in the video above mentions that he does sell a PCB which fixes the step skipping issue. Not sure how legit it is, but feel free to look into if you want.
OEM style replacement
Pros:
- Functionality. These essentially function exactly the same as 1st party sticks. Same deadzone and range. No sensitivity issues.
Cons:
- Durability. The fatal flaw of these replacements. It seems as though everything about this stick is of lesser quality. It takes far less force to move the stick, due to a weaker spring and cheaper plastic, giving it a "loose" feeling even when it's new and technically "tight". It also seems to wear out at a much faster pace, and actually becomes floppy fairly quickly.
Bottom line: These things would be perfect if the plastic and spring were better quality. But the functionality is exactly the same, which still makes this probably the best replacement IMO.
How to tell apart from 1st party stick:
- Feel. They take significantly less force to move the stick around.
- Color. The dark grey shell is a lighter shade than 1st party.
- Joystick grip. The grooved circles for gripping on original sticks are terraced, very gradually increasing height from outside in. The gripping circles on the replacement are significantly less terraced, and the stick appears more flat looking at it from a profile view.
RepairBox potentiometer based OEM style
Pros:
- Durability. These things appear to be made like tanks. The spring is way stronger and the plastic seems to be of way better quality. It actually takes significantly more force to move the stick than a 1st party stick (a pro for me but maybe not other people).
Cons:
- Bigger deadzone. The deadzone is significantly bigger, which means you have to move the stick further for it to register movement. In my experience this can cause issues with things like tilts, short hop up airs, pika's up b, and walking speed which can effect spacing. All this can be adapted to, but it obviously can and does cause issues.
- Not as smooth. The plastic bowl which the stick rubs against isn't as smooth which gives it a more grindy feeling than 1st party sticks or the 3rd party OEM style replacements.
Bottom line: The durability of these things are amazing. I also like how stiff it feels compared to other sticks. The bigger deadzone can be a big problem though. Most of it can be adapted to, but there are still serious issues with certain moves. Doing Pikachu's up b at precise angles seemed incredibly difficult to me. That was the main reason I stopped using these.
Where can I find these replacements?
A bunch of places online carry them such as:
ebay, amazon, nintendorepairshop, lukie games, and several other online gaming stores.
EDIT: If I missed something let me know and I'll add it in.
