Neogeo Pocket Joystick On Gp2x: Possible?

[Alter Ego]

Hello everybody! I'm a new user here though I've been surfing the forums for a while already....

As many of you, I love the gp2x, but the problems concerning the joystick are *really* annoying...I don't think it's such a bad joystick if you use the gp mainly to play arcade games or puzzles for example, but being a die-hard NeoGeo fighting games player like me with such a joystick, is simply frustrating!

That's why I started thinking about the possibility of exchanging the gp2x joystick with one taken from a NeoGeo pocket....which is, in my opinion, the best joystick ever put, by far, on any portable gaming device. So, I'm not talking about trying to place the cap of the NG Pocket joystick and modify the current one.... I'd just like to remove the gp2x joystick and solder instead the NeoGeo one.

So, the question is simple: anyone thought of that before? and also, does anyone with enough technical knowledgement know if that would be possible simply by desoldering the current stick and soldering the other one or are there any additional considerations to be taken? (compatibility issues, etc....?)

In case it could be useful, I own a NeoGeo Pocket that I could open up to make some pictures of the joystick, the board or anything required......though, doing some research on the subject, I found this site in german where you can see already pics of the pocket opened and the joystick:

http://www.portabledev.info/index.php/Der_...ocket_von_Innen


So, can anyone share opinions ore ideas about this??

 

[semyaza]

See, this was the point I was trying to make.

http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showt...31700&st=45

You cant play negeo games effectively using the existing stick.

 

[yaustar]

The joystick casing looks awfully deep to fit although IIRC, the NGP is actually quite a small unit so it might work.

You cant play negeo games effectively using the existing stick.

I can, although that is probably due to smaller hands.

 

[bacteria]

@ Alter Ego - nice twist on the D-pad design. Takes away the need for the rubber membrane - which I presume is how they got around any Nintendo patent that existed at the time. Upside is it is easier to work with, downside is that the assembly is bigger than a normal D-pad, so may give issues. I thought the NeoGeo pocket was an 8 way unit - it is only 4 way.

If you want to use a commercial D-pad, you are probably best staying with the Nintendo ones, they are really good quality.

 

[Alter Ego]

Yes, certainly the stick of the NG Pocket it's only 4-way, I always thought that was 8-way also......but nevertheless, for the TRUE fighting game fan this stick is a dream come true.....I used to pull all the special moves in fighting games perfectly without any problem on the pocket with its stick.....it's simply THE stick for fighting games on a portable machine.....just exactly as it's big brother NeoGeo's stick was THE stick for arcade machines....

Getting back to the point, can anyone confirm if replacing the stick would be technically possible??? I have just seen another recent post where nik166 has successfully replaced the gp2x stick with a NES pad alo by desoldering the stick and soldering back the new one..... (http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?showtopic=31624) , maybe anyone knows if that same proceeding would be useful for the NGP case???

BTW I'm gonna ask it directly to the author on that same post also....

 

[nik166]

ok here i am, but hey dude, the NES is not a stick , i haven't soldered it

that's the NES's pcb :

here you see the parts :

left: the cutout piece of PCB with the contacts, added into the GP2X OVER the original PCB
then a piece of rubber with the conductive pads that make contact

and the cross that you know,

it's the difference between a pad and a stick, the pad is just 4 buttons , a stick is like it's named: a stick that moves on it's ways,

so let's look at the NGP: it's the same concept as the GP32 , the stick's box is UNDER the main board, and the stick is passing thru the board, it will be VERY VERY tricky to install into a GP2x ,

i will not say impossible because everything is possible, even widening the gp to fit the stick etc, but i'd give up the idea of fitting such a stick personally, you would have to rework all the left side of the GP :blink:

that's the GP:

just compare, i don't know the scale: MAYBE you could drill a hole into the GP and fit those things,but i won't try on mine

 

[bacteria]

Yes, certainly the stick of the NG Pocket it's only 4-way, I always thought that was 8-way also......but nevertheless, for the TRUE fighting game fan this stick is a dream come true.....I used to pull all the special moves in fighting games perfectly without any problem on the pocket with its stick.....it's simply THE stick for fighting games on a portable machine.....just exactly as it's big brother NeoGeo's stick was THE stick for arcade machines....

Wish I knew about this before, when people "needed convincing" that a 4 way D-pad could act 8 way well. I could have pointed to the pic of the motherboard on the NG Pocket with a big stick (pointy device) ...