Hori Wants To Release A Retro Game Controller That Can Be Used To Play Hamster's Arcade Archives Series

Incidentally, I did buy a Hori controller for several of my Arcade Archives downloads; specifically, the Fighting Stick MINI. It works great for SNK fighting games and anything else designed around the joystick + 6-button layout.

I absolutely adore arcade games, but I doubt I'd buy yet another controller for moderately-better play control. The good ol' Nintendo Switch Pro Controller works just fine for most of them.

I want and don’t want this.

I want it because a modular controller sounds nice, and I buy controllers with the same level of necessity that women buy shoes.

I don’t want it because I already modded two 8Bit Do joysticks. One with a Sanwa stick and buttons, the other with an ODIN wasd stick replacement and Sanwa buttons.

So I don’t need this. But I do.

Anything that helps Sega Sonic The Hedgehog releasing is something I'm 100% behind.
Need trackball controllers for consoles.

Is that an Ikari Warriors style rotating stick? Then yes.

Sure! Why not?

They could always go the crowdfunding route to gauge interest as they're a big enough company to handle the risks involved like fulfillment.

That's actually a pretty brilliant idea!
But you know who could also help make the ACA line better?
Nintendo, by introducing a folder system, so these games don't completely flood my UI...

I'd love a trackball to play Centipede, Missile Command
I'd love a spinner knob to play Pong, Breakout, Arkanoid
I'd love a rotary stick to play Time Warriors

That looks horrible to play on if I'm being honest.
And don't hori controllers have a reputation of being poor quality? Or is that just Power A?

Twisty joystick!. YES I WANT THIS!!!
(Although, would that work for Hamster games as they reworked the controls I thought. Hmm)
The more authentic the gameplay, the better for me. This is ace.

@Einherjar It would be so easy to implement, too. Windows has been doing folders for decades, can’t Nintendo learn the concept yet? Come on!!!

@iLikeUrAttitude Hori is excellent. I’ve never had issues with their stuff. I had a Power A Xbox one controller that didn’t last more than 3 months before the sticks started just outright failing.

@BloodNinja The 3DS/WiiU OS did it pretty nicely.
And we reached a point where it's getting absolutely necessary.
It's the wonders of "modern, sleek, minimalistic UI design".
It works as long as nothing is going on.

Once it gets crowded, the house of cards comes crashing down hard.

Ball and Spinner really are a selling Point.

If you only search for a Stick, the 8Bitdo one is also great.

@iLikeUrAttitude I haven't had a problem with my Hori accessories, they're pretty solid and have a good reputation

Great idea but a bit too late. I already have a hori fighting mini stick now. (And a hori 360 fighting stick ex. Why doens’t that work on switch. It works on everything else).

The idea is pretty good but the button placement is not really ergonomic... Which is weird from a company that makes most of the best arcade stciks available.

I would be happy to take a ball + spinner, it's hard to find a decent ball + spinner. I would use it on Mame though.

Trackball...SegaSonic...I need both. Would definitely buy a trackball controller

Looks weird. I like it.

A modular stick would be amazing, where you can swap out sticks, trackball, spinner, rotary stick, even a wheel. Anyone remember the Konix multisystem that machine would of been a dream. Especially the modular design.

I WANT IT. 🤤 AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

I like that expandable type 2 where you can swap in the trackball, paddle, or rotating joystick (they call it a “loop lever” in Jpn, never knew that!) on the right or left side of the buttons base. I think I’d support that or an all-in-one design really.

I’m torn though, because I feel only Horii would actually update their games to implement for these authentic controls. So I could play Arcade Archives Front Line with the twisty joystick, but then I’d really like to with SNK’s Ikari Warriors, too, and also dual joystick Vanguard from Konami, trackball Centipede/Missle Command/Crystal Castles/Marble Madness and paddle Tempest from Atari.

Now if Nintendo had released such a peripheral along with the main console, and 3rd party devs could implement with less trouble, adoption would be higher and that would seriously rock with arcade fans!

OMG I want it. Paddle for Arkanoid… I loved playing Arkanoid DS, Puzzle Bubble Galaxy and especially Space Invaders Extreme 1/2 with my Hori Paddle Controller for the Nintendo DS!

Too bad we’ll never get Marble Madness, Missile Command and Atari games on Arcade Archives to use that tasty trackball :/

While you’re at it, dear Hori, please release a proper D-pad Joycon WITH wireless capabilities so I can use one with Flip Grip. Modding a dpad to existing Left Joycons in place of the buttons feels awful.

I'm curious - what game of the past used two sticks with buttons in the middle?

Using the DeepL online translator, I managed to fire off an email to Hori. I said I liked the modular design of the 2nd concept, but requested that they make a larger trackball base that connects from the front for comfort for those who get a little wild spinning the ball all over the place. I also mentioned that the bases for the 1st concept controllers should be bigger and/or heavier to counteract the movement of the joysticks. And compatibility with PC and consoles is a must.

I really would like to see this actually made. Emulation of the game boards are only part of solution. The rest is in the authentic controls to complete the feel and precision of “bringing the arcade home”.

@DashKappei I’d like to see if it would work with Atari Flashback on Switch. Arcade Centipede, Millipede, Missile Command, and Crystal Castles are all horrible to control with thumbsticks.

@iLikeUrAttitude yes hori is horrible and so is power a. Why these companies still are able to make these have assed controllers is beyond me.

I would buy all of this in a heartbeat

I'm interested. Already have an 8bitdo arcade stick but I'm not satisfied with the quality of the stick itself as it feels awkward in circular movement. If this one is siginificantly better, I'm in. Actually, I'd love a Switch arcade stick with Sanwa components.

Wouldn’t touch anything Hori make!
Some of the worse accessories I’ve ever come across.

I already own the Hori Pro V Hayabusa Arcade sticks for Switch, so I'm good. But others may be interested.

@iLikeUrAttitude
Hori is exceptional quality. Power A uses Alps analog sticks, the same ones Xbox controllers and Dualsense controllers use, both of which have been plagued by drift issues just as bad if not worse than joycon.

My issue with Hori is, like every other company making 3rd party accessories, is they refuse to offer a fully featured controller for gamers looking for a higher end product. Like, their d-pad joycon has THE best dpad I've ever used. But it's missing rumble, gyro and wireless. Ended up just modding an official joycon with Basstop D-pad which is pretty dang good for not having a pivot.

In any case, ya, Hori is quality. At least, for the features they bother to offer.

@Dirty0814 Hori has the reputation of being the only third party manufacturer with 1st party quality. And I fully agree with that reputation. They are also endeared by the FGC which is arguably hardest on controllers.

I'd want it only if they intend to release bulk physical collections of their Arcade Archives releases, say, 10 or so games to a cartridge.

But most of all, I want Nintendo's arcade games to receive some kind of physical release.

I wish they would make one controller without missing features. They always look nice but have no battery, no wireless, no NFC or no something.

@Moistnado : In this case, it couldn't be used for games that use the NFC reader, so it's reasonable to exclude it here.

But certainly with alternative controllers, the absence of HD rumble, NFC, wireless etc. is a problem, hence why I don't buy them, as nice as they otherwise are.

I want a big bundle of games. I can't buy them all individually. that's nuts!

@BloodNinja

Did you mod them yourself? I have such a stick but I'm not happy with how the stick itself feels and I'd love to replace it with a better one.

@jrt87 I may just be buying a RAP V then since there was no official stick for the PC Engine Mini. I wonder if that would also work on the Astro City Mini?

@BloodNinja Lol at the shoes comment. I didn't know people modded them with joysticks? Neat.

@Tempestryke I may have not worded it right, but I took the 8 Bit Do arcade stick and removed the crappy buttons and stick and replaced them with premium parts

Glad you got a laugh out of my obsession with controllers!

@Bydlak I modded it myself. It’s very easy to do. I’ll send you the videos I followed, which are very simple to follow and tell you which parts to get. I only replaced my sticks and buttons. On one controller I used a Sanwa stick, as suggested in the videos. On the other I used an Odin WASD “stick,” so I have one controller that is “stickless.” That was a little more complex to install, but nothing I did required any soldering or anything. Have fun!

https://youtu.be/7dlHbMlXZcc

https://youtu.be/_iJi8pONMkA

My friend does has a preference for using arcade fight sticks over a regular controller, so this might just be it for him. The one he currently has is also an 8-button controller.

What this Nintendo Gen really lacks is a decent D-pad.

@Kolma Not sure why it couldn't be play without one, I play the game on MAME just fine with a controller and the game is isometric similar to Sonic 3D Blast so not sure why one would need a trackball control to play it unless if just for the authentic feel of it.

@Specter_of-the_OLED haven't played it myself but I believe how fast you spin the trackball controls your speed. Probably is just fine with analog but it's not what it was designed for.

@BloodNinja

Wow, great, thank you, it's so kind of you! I'm ordering the parts then!

@Bydlak Have fun! And take your time if it's your first mod. It looks confusing with all the wires, at first, but after you carefully study it it becomes simple.

@iLikeUrAttitude I can't speak to PowerA, but I own several Hori controllers and find them all to be of excellent quality.

I have the HORI Fighting Stick Mini and it is just the right size for my needs so if anything, I'd like a compact model with a bit more heft and the possibility of changing the stick and buttons for if I ever get keen on switching them out for higher grade parts

@BloodNinja

I will! I am also one of those controller freaks and I'm so hyped with the prospect of pimping up that one! Cheers!

@Bydlak Hell yeah, I hope you enjoy it

I like the all in one, but am not sure about buying it in pieces. I always wanted something with an asteroids or arkanoid knob and there's a few games that would be fun with a rollerball and if the price isn't too high I'll get this for sure. But if it was just pieces I may not be convinced to buy them just for a few games. And most importantly I would hope one of these would work good with a wide variety of devices, especially Windows and Android and Linux.