I spent a lot of time debating over wheter I should spend the extra money on the Hori Minipad or just buy the cheap replacement thumbstick so I bought both and decided to do a little review.

Here is the Thumbstick replacement that works like modern analog sticks on a ball.

and here is the Hori pad

My first impressions of the replacement thumbstick were quite good.  It feels very very smooth compared to pretty much every analog stick I have ever used.  Installation couldn't be simpler.  The first thing I noticed was the weird tension on the stick.  It takes quite a bit of pressure to move the stick from centre but the pressure isn't consistant all the way through.  Like it takes a certain amount of pressure to move the stick from centre then the tiniest bit more until it has moved completely to one side so it is very hard to make small accurate movements.  The next point could be partially related to the last and that is the crazy sensitivity.  A lot of games are pretty much unplayable.  I've only play a handful of games but the ones that immediately stick out are Golden Eye and Ridge Racer.  There is a small group of games that benefit from this sensitivity and those would be games that should have been desingned to use the Dpad in the first place like Yoshis Story.  The final problem I noticed is a lot of games just don't work correctly with it.  The two major ones are Zelda OOT and Super Smash Brothers.  The inability to do a sword spin thing (not really sure what it is called) and difficulty performing moves in SSB.  You will notice difficulties in other games probably not as bad as the 2 mentioned but just for example in Wave Race 64 it is very difficult to perform back flips.  I have probably a 50 % success at permorming them.  Overall I would give the replacement stick a 5/10.  It seems like a great idea to fix an old worn out stick but I would reccomend spending your money elsewhwere.

Now on to the Hori Minipad.  The first thing you will probably notice is the very akwardly placed Dpad.  I have played the few games on the N64 that support the Dpad and I can say it is an ok experience.  It would probably closely relate to using the Dpad on a Game Cube controller but the Dpad and buttons are closer to gether.  It is really the only small drawback of the controller.  The analog stick which is probably the reason most people would consider this controller I can happily say is superb.  It is very large and very accurate.  I have had no problems in any of the games I have tried so far and can actually say I have improved considerably in most games.  If I had to make one tiny complaint I would prefer an analog stick with a tiny bit more tension.  I think this could just be because of the large constrast from an N64 stick to a perfectly smooth stick.  Having only played a few hours I can already say I'm almost completely used to it.  The last thing is the size and the button layout.  One of the main things I was worried about was the size of the controller.  I have somewhat large hands and seeing the comparison pics online between the regular N64 controller and this made it look incedibly tiny.  I can say that this is not going to be a problem for the majority of people.  I find the controller quite comfortable.  It's not going to be the most combfortable controller you ever use but I honestly can't complain.  Then final thing is the Z button placement.  They have moved to Z button to the top of the controller behind the L and R buttons.  They have added two buttons for the Z button so you can choose which ever you feel is more comfortable.  I think this one is going to come down to more of a personal preference.  I think it works perfectly and find the postioning comfortable but it will make you think for awhile about which of the 4 buttons you have to press to perform a certain move.  Overall I would rate the controller a 9/10 and would reccomend it to any N64 fan.

Conclusion: I actually really like the original controller except for the stick so I was rooting for the Replacement stick but unfortunatly it's problems with several games and the rediculous sensitivity make it a non option.  The Hori has been absolutely fantastic in everything I've played so far.  There is a reason for the high price and it is certainly justified.  There is really no option here between the 2.  Either buy the Hori or look somewhere else completely.

i know a guy who mods N64 controllers with gamecube sticks so they stay tight FOREVER!!! and no need to drop 55-90$ or however retarded the hori prices are, a modded controller set him back 25$ each and he bought a set of 4 which is = 1 or 2 hori controllers depending on price ive been thinking about modding all my spare controllers too.

hope this helps

Where do you place an original controller with a working thumbstick on your scale of 1-10?

For your average used controller with a working stick probably 6.5/10.  If it is brand new I would probably bump it up to a 7.  I think it is a great controller I just really hate the thumbstick.

What brand is the replacement thumbstick, or where did you pick it up from? I was considering fixing a few colored controllers, but I want them to work like new.

I purchased it from here

http://www.ebay.com/itm/N64-THUMB...

but as I said in the review I wouldn't reccomend them.  If I were you I would try to just pick up a replacement that is of the same design as the original.  Like here

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW...

I have never tried them so I don't how well they will work but it couldn't be any worse.

I shoulda remembered this advice.  I went and got a few of these and I shoulda put the money towards a Hori. While I didn't find them quite as bad as you did I do agree that they are not the best solution we we're looking for.

I really noticed it in rouge squadron it's so jerky you can't play it properly.

I found that they do get better with some time and wearing in. I don't have the sensitivity issues in mine anymore after extensive use.

I guess I will try n break em in a bit. I hope I have the same results. Probobly still end up getting a Hori either way.

Got the Hori yesterday and I'll agree with everything the OP said about it.

Awesome Review Dude you nailed it!!

Thanks

It really depends what your using them for. For casual gaming hori would be great, for very accurate speed running or things like kart time trials, they wlll never be as good as good original sticks. (you can snag minty japanese controllers for cheap still)

I bought some replacement sticks from BRE Software about a year ago, and I think in the 4 controllers I replaced them in, they all responded differently. I'm not sure if it's the controller, or the replacement stick gyro, or which "lot" of calibrated sticks came with the OEM controller or if its in my mind, but one of my replacement sticks feels FAR better and less sensitive than the other 3. I still preferred the couple of like-new OEM sticks that I put into my fav 2 controllers, but the replacement ones weren't as bad as I had heard a lot of people make them out to be. I put a drop of liquid silicone on the ball end of the analog stick (the stuff used for lubricating door seals in cars and such) and it seems to have reduced the inherent friction in the OEM stick that caused it to wear out.

Take apart one of those analog sticks sometime if you want to see why they wear out. Designed with shit plastic. It needs SOME kind of lubrication.

I am yet to try and Hori though, and i'm not willing to dump near $100 on a controller for a system that I only play about 15 games from (infrequently, at that).