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.
Here is the Thumbstick replacement that works like modern analog sticks on a ball.
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.
If del was a chair...
I'd sit on it like Michelle Pfeiffer in the gangsters paradise video - Herbalist
If del was a chair...
I'd sit on it like Michelle Pfeiffer in the gangsters paradise video - Herbalist
If del was a chair...
I'd sit on it like Michelle Pfeiffer in the gangsters paradise video - Herbalist