Vex
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Louisiana

For anyone interested. This is something I've been working on. This is just a a very basic idea of what I'm going for thrown together in about 15 minutes using a DMG Dpad and a N64 controllers joystick. Over all goal is to have Somewhat normal looking dpad that has a screw hole in it then have joy sticks made that have a screw end that can be put on or removed whenever desired. I am currently working with a close friend of mine to get a rough mold made so we can cast a few and test them. Also we are planning on making them in all sorts of color options including clear with matching A B buttons. Hoping to have a rubber top or atleast a smoother top for the joystick for grip and comfort. It is actually very comfortable to play with. I've tested it with Tetris, PacMan and LSDJ and Star Wars, it makes driving around at diagonal angles feel a lot more natural, so far. Thank you guys for checking it out. Looking forward to feedback and suggestions.

Last edited by Vex (Feb 5, 2012 12:51 pm)

soultron
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Wilmington,NC

Interesting.

thursdaycustoms
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Cleveland, OH

Love it.

nickmaynard
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rochester, ny

yeah, i'd love to try one of these.

kitsch
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matt's mind

it'd be awesome if it were removable...

maybe install a tiny bolt in one end, and embed a nut in the other, or something like that...

then it could be a joystick, OR a dpad, depending on what would work best

i'd like to try this as well (there is a GB clone that has a pseudo-joystick, but it doesn't work so great)

looks nice

nitro2k01
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Sweeeeeeden

I think you have two options if you want this to be stable.
1) A threaded metal insert into the D pad and metal screw part on the stick.
2) Fixing the stick permanently to the D pad or molding a full replacement piece. (which probably means the thing can't be removed or inserted without minor filing of the D pad corners of the case.)

Consider contacting Matt (kitsch) or Anthony (Nonfinite) as they both are selling molded buttons already. They might be able to help you with production.

Victory Road
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Gosford, Australia

It looks so goofy and awesome and I love it!

Vex
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Louisiana
kitsch wrote:

it'd be awesome if it were removable...

maybe install a tiny bolt in one end, and embed a nut in the other, or something like that...

then it could be a joystick, OR a dpad, depending on what would work best

i'd like to try this as well (there is a GB clone that has a pseudo-joystick, but it doesn't work so great)

looks nice

Yes we are planning on making a removable stick. That is something I am very insistent on. It's awesome for some game or programs like the one previously stated but it sucks with games like PokeMon or Final Fantasy. But that's my opinion which is entirely the point. We want options for different people. Maybe someone will love the joystick with Pokemon but hate it for Tetris. It hands down has to be removable. The prototypes that we originally make may not be but we are just making them to test which feels best and which people like/prefer more. We are discussing making some prototypes and sending them out to people to test and give us their thoughts. But right now we are just working on 3D renditions of them on a computer at the moment then looking into molds. This is in it's beginning stages right now.

Vex
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Louisiana
nitro2k01 wrote:

I think you have two options if you want this to be stable.
1) A threaded metal insert into the D pad and metal screw part on the stick.
2) Fixing the stick permanently to the D pad or molding a full replacement piece. (which probably means the thing can't be removed or inserted without minor filing of the D pad corners of the case.)

Consider contacting Matt (kitsch) or Anthony (Nonfinite) as they both are selling molded buttons already. They might be able to help you with production.

1) This is more of what we are shooting for over all yes.
2) I actually made this one using a Dpad I had laying around and a N64 stick i had laying around. There was no needing to cut away at the case at all but you did have to kinda wiggle and force it in. Nothing to to extent of breaking the stick or the case though but yes there was force needed lol. Also another reason I want the stick to be removable, for easy installation.

Our protoypes that we send out will more than likely be a solid piece though just for review reasons. Then will we send another set out that are the two separate pieces once they get cast.

Thank you for the thoughts and feedback.

Vile
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San Diego

Personally, I'd imagine making the Dpad with a hole in the middle with a permanent nut inside of it and a metal screw shaft in the joy stick. This would allow the joy stick to be easily taken out of and put back into the Dpad without having to disassemble the Gameboy outright or have a metal shaft sticking out of the Dpad once removed. Also, this would make sure that you could keep the trackball at the bottom of the Dpad in tact.

Vex
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Louisiana
Vile wrote:

Personally, I'd imagine making the Dpad with a hole in the middle with a permanent nut inside of it and a metal screw shaft in the joy stick. This would allow the joy stick to be easily taken out of and put back into the Dpad without having to disassemble the Gameboy outright or have a metal shaft sticking out of the Dpad once removed. Also, this would make sure that you could keep the trackball at the bottom of the Dpad in tact.


This is exactly what we are doing. Hole in the Dpad and Bolt in the Joystick. If the bolt was sticking out of the dpad it would be very uncomfortable to use without the joystick. Thanks for the tips and stuff.

InactiveX
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England

I've always liked the Atari 7800 joystick/pads.

Vex
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Louisiana
InactiveX wrote:

I've always liked the Atari 7800 joystick/pads.

Yep pretty much like that except a little more sturdy. Thanks for posting this so people can have a little better idea of what we are doing.

InactiveX
Offline
England

No problem! Have you studied one yourself? I think they were exclusive to Europe, and pretty sought after at the time throughout the rest of the world.

I have a set somewhere, along with the old 7800.

Last edited by InactiveX (Feb 6, 2012 4:24 am)

Vex
Offline
Louisiana
InactiveX wrote:

No problem! Have you studied one yourself? I think they were exclusive to Europe, and pretty sought after at the time throughout the rest of the world.

I have a set somewhere, along with the old 7800.

No I haven't studied one of these myself but I had a SNES controller knockoff growing up that had a very similar design. It's part of where I got the idea I was thinking about it awhile back and thought "wait a second why hasn't anyone done this on gameboy yet?"  so I got to work looking for possible supplies to make it with. Remember I had a broken n64 controller laying around I had salvaged some parts from previously and sure enough there's the joystick. Grabbed an old DMG dpad I had laying around drilled into the hole a little, cut the joystick down to size and rounded it out and stuck it in the hole and sealed it with some Gorilla glue. It's one solid piece ATM. We are currently working on joystick designs and making some alterations to the dpad design also so they will be distinct from the DMG or NES dpads, and to provide another dpad design option for people.

Last edited by Vex (Feb 6, 2012 6:23 am)

Lavar
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Wouldn't this only work in 4 directions? What about diagonals?