The Joystick...

[barnesy]

Yes, the top just pops on and off. And no, the GP32 stick cap doesn't fit. I tried!

It would be possible to put a different top on if you found something that fitted.

 

[TelcoLou]

I honestly like the GP2X joystick better then the loose-clicky GP32's.

It did loosen up by the 2nd day of use, and yes, at first it felt very stiff and clumsy .. I ran through 3 sets of 2500mAh Energizers' worth of "bedding in"

• Nay - many
• Yea - 1

:lol:

 

[Magus 86]

Hmm... Is the metal stick part too big or too small for the GP32 stick cap?

 

[barnesy]

Too small, but I haven't got it in front of me to make a better comparison. The GP32 one is larger and square, the GP2x one is smaller and sort of rounded (but the top is half thickness as you can see in the picture linked to in this thread)

 

[Empyre]

has anyone managed to find a source for the ext port connectors yet?

 

[Magus 86]

Hmm... If it's smaller... I wonder if I could remove one of the analog sticks from my MadCatz RetroCon controller and put it on there instead... that would be awesome.

 

[barnesy]

I'm just talking about changing the piece of plastic that sits on the top of the metal bit. I'm not sure if you're talking about something more drastic!

 

[Dryer Lint]

has anyone got anything good to say bout the joystick?

I think we are making the stick sound a lot worse than it actually is, its certainly useable. people who are used to the gp32 or ngpc stick are disappointed by this one. I will eventually get used to it (or mod the component to fit my tastes) you might find the stick to be fine.

It really is a 'taste' thing, like all ui elements its all down to the preference of the person. People who are happy don't tend to post much about how happy they are, people who are unhappy tend to be very vocal about it.

​

Hm, I can't find anything good about the stick. But it's not completely useless. However, for anything where fast input is required it doesn't get the job done very well.
I just played SMB3 again, it's sooo annoying! If you don't hold the stick as far as it goes, it won't do anything. X-S

 

[Magus 86]

I'm just talking about changing the piece of plastic that sits on the top of the metal bit. I'm not sure if you're talking about something more drastic!

​

LOL, after the nightmare that occured while trying to resolder my FLU wires, hell no, I'm not talking about doing anything drastic. The analog sticks come off of the RetroCon. They have "caps" just like the GP32 and GP2X, and the cap is made of a nice rubber with a concave in the middle about the same size as the GP32 stick cap. I'm suggesting simply replacing the cap, not the entire stick. I guess I should have specified that.

 

[junker]

I have said it too but usually get flamed. That stick is complete rubbish. It is too stiff has a huge dead zone to make things worse. Then there is the fact that you hit diagonals when you don't want to, so frustrating. To me that is the biggest downfall of the system. What good are games and emus if they aren't very playable?

GPH needs to revisit this and make a change here. Maybe there could be some kind of hardware mod that helps too. Needs work.

​

yeah, sorry for doubting ya man. the big deadzone and convex design just don't do it for me it feels solid, but i just don't like it. had a very hard time with mslug..

 

[nickspoon]

From what I've heard, the joystick does come off, so maybe it is possible to put a d-pad on?

Just in case you like that sort of thing.

 

[stepp]

A D pad is completely different to an 8 way joystick.....its not going to work. d pad works on pressing pads on the pcb ( someone correct me if im wrong)....this joystick thing is really getting me down as i was looking forward to recieving mine, but i know if its as crap as everyone says ill be getting a refund.

 

[Magus 86]

You could put a D-pad in it, but it would be a big pain in the ass. You can't just take out the joystick piece and shove an old NES controller D-pad in it's place. You'd have to do some soldering and case modification.

 

[DaveC]

To make matters worse you can't even mod the unit by replacing with a d-pad. D-pads have 4 switches and use a combination of 2 inputs to get a diagonal. This uses 8 switches and a diagonal gets it's own switch. A direct replacement with a d-pad or decent stick is now impossible

 

[DaveC]

Well i found the stick

http://rswww.com/cgi-bin/bv/initSession.js...762396&store=uk

I don't think i'm going to take it apart i'd have to desolder it to do so and the 2x is still too new for me to want to kill it just yet

But i will order a couple to take apart and play with

​

Good find!

I think I will order me one and see if dead zone reduction surgery, and orthagonal bias enlargement surgery is possible. Now I don't have to take my unit to bits to find out

 

[Magus 86]

hang on a second, is it the actual stick itself that sucks, or is it just the part you put your thumb on?

You could still fix it, Dave. It would just require a LOT more work. You'd have to make or find part of a circuit board for a D-pad to work on. Then you'd have to solder it to the rest of the GP2X's circuit board. Then you'd have to cut a hole in the case so that it can even be used. You'd also need button membranes and a good way of keeping the extra circuit board piece in place. You'd probably have to do some kind of firmware modification so the GP2X knows how to use the extra crap you just added... It's possible, but it's not something most people would want to take the time to do. I know I sure as hell wouldn't do it. Maybe we'll get lucky, and GPH will release a new version with a better d-stick... I hope so.

I don't understand why they couldn't just leave the d-stick alone. Even though I hate sticks, the one the GP32 has is great. It's very simple and effective... If it isn't broken, don't fix it, ya know?

 

[DaveC]

I don't understand why they couldn't just leave the d-stick alone. Even though I hate sticks, the one the GP32 has is great. It's very simple and effective... If it isn't broken, don't fix it, ya know?

​

The one they got was pre-assembled (the one in the GP32 was not) and cheap. That is the motivation for it, not precise control

 

[Cave]

I thought the stick was a bit crap, but i managed to get my retrocon pad on there simply enough, i had to cut the sleeve down a bit and make the hole a bit bigger.
Its like a different pad now, the rubber coating means theres no slip and because its chunkier the throw is much shorter with no deadzones and it feels a lot looser.

 

[Magus 86]

All hail The Great and Wise Magus for coming up with the idea!!!!!!!

Seriously though...

Oh hell yeah, that's awesome! Now I have nothing to worry about when I finally have the money to buy a GP2X. I have an extra RetroCon too, so I'll still be able to use one to play PSX. Too bad RetroCons aren't that easy to find... Or at least they weren't when I wanted to buy a 2nd one.

 

[Metal-Geo]

I thought the dead zone was related to the firmware? Oh. I'm missing way too much.