NGCD Stick Options?

Just got a NGCD for the office and the pads are not cutting the mustard. What are most folks doing these days for sticks?

Buying AES or Hori sticks? Modding older stuff? Going the custom route?

I got some Neo Geo to Saturn adapters from a guy named RGB on the System11 forums. He is from Poland and I can use any Saturn gamepad or Saturn stick. These are lagless and are about 30 euros each. Not cheap but they are awesome.

I've been using a ToToTek converter to use PlayStation wired sticks / controllers with my MVS [via a Supergun with standard NG controller ports, which works with pretty much all JAMMA boards]. I'm sure there are plenty of options out there [USB decoders, other converters, regular NG compatible sticks], but this one has been working out great for me. I even built an arcade stick with a PlayStation interface, which I now use almost exclusively with my Neo Geo.

With my own build in mind, I could also suggest going custom, but that depends on the amount of work you're willing to put in. There are some great stick boards out there, which will allow you to connect your stick to pretty much anything, but that stuff isn't exactly cheap [PS360+, Brook].

Thanks guys for the feedback! I think I have some PS1 sticks buried somewhere... But sadly no Saturn stuff to use. Morden any lag or button config issues with your ToToTek setup?

No lag, as far as I can tell [compared to the NG stick]. As for the buttons, I don't think they're configurable. A=[ ], B=X, C=/\ and D=O. The trigger buttons configure auto fire. I've never used it, so I couldn't tell you how well it works. If you're using a PlayStation controller, analog stick works as well if you turn it on. The converter is $20.

Awesome... Curious, do you blank out the unused buttons? And how does the layout feel compared to dedicated Neo sticks?

I don't blank out buttons, and the layout feels significantly different. I used a Hori template, which has two rows of four buttons. When I made the stick, I wired up the buttons to follow general PlayStation stick layout convention, which is:


This means I'm using the cluster of four buttons in the middle instead of a single row like on a NG stick, but I'm used to it.

This is something you just have to accept when using converters and alternative sticks. The AES stick has a pretty unique arch for button placement, but honestly, I can take it or leave it.

If you're looking for that AES experience, the cheapest way to go would be to get a Neo Geo X stick and wire it up for NG aside from the USB [or get a USB decoder - I don't have one, so I can't attest to how well they perform].