Is the AES Joystick supposed to spin?

New Neo-Geo owner here and I’m loving the console so far. My one major complaint is my AES joystick. It's hard to change direction as the stick and ball seem to spin when I do so, making games like Windjammers hard to control. I don’t have the issue with the bean joystick. But that stick is too short for my liking as I prefer the arcade type of stick.

Is that normal or should I get another joystick or get it fixed? I just bought it from eBay, so if it is the joystick, I was going to ask for a partial refund for the cost of repair or replacement.

The ball top screws on, are you sure you have it tightened up enough?

SteveNK said:

The ball top screws on, are you sure you have it tightened up enough?

Click to expand...

I should be more specific. When I move the joystick, the entire joystick spins, ball and stick. You know how when you use a regular joystick or even the bean, that you move the stick around and it’s stationary? When I move the joystick around, it moves in that direction, plus it spins

like a record baby right round,round round...

sorry about that! I have two of them and they both do. one freer than the other even.
stilll doesnt mean they should I guess tho.

This one moves so fast, it is like I am playing Tempest with the dial in the arcade

So the whole stick moves.

Yes, it's supposed to do that. I've had a lot of sticks over the years. I repaired a bunch from a junk lot recently. That's normal.

It's too bad you don't like it. The Neo stick is my preferred stick for fighters and shooters, besides my full-on arcade stick of course.

If the ball top isn't loose then it should be happening.

As others have said, it's normal. Even Sanwas/Seimitsus sticks rotate so it's not even a Neo Geo thing, it's just the way sticks are made. I think once you get used to using it and are comfortable with your grip you'll find the stick doesn't really rotate as you play.

TwinFami said:

I should be more specific. When I move the joystick, the entire joystick spins, ball and stick. You know how when you use a regular joystick or even the bean, that you move the stick around and it’s stationary? When I move the joystick around, it moves in that direction, plus it spins

Click to expand...

The problem could be due to the age of the joystick. When I windmill mine around, there's balls and sticks flying in every direction. I asked my doctor about it and she recommended kegel exercises.