Mk2 Question


PiNa1971

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Hi there,

I finally decided it's about time to upgrade my old trusty GP32Blu+ to GP2X. Tried to learn as much as possible about GP2X before placing my order but I found myself confused a bit. AFAIK there were some issues with GP2X's joystick resulting in some serious joystick mods. Since I am used to GP32's clicking joystick and I like it a lot for its sensitivity and precision of movement I'd like to ask if these issues are already fixed in MK2 version of GP2X?

TIA
 
Depends on your definition of "fixed" I guess.
It doesn't click (unless you press it down), but in the MK2s the switches have been rotated so it's less easy to accidently hit the diagonals.

With the new cap on the MK2 it's (for me at least) a lot easier to play the games. I've even made it onto some high score tables! :)

Some people prefer a DPad or making their own adjustments (and good on them!) to the input system, hence the "serious joystick mods" but my own opinion (and lack of guts to play with the internals to much!) is that the MK2 stick is very useable (this is after using the MK1 and MK2 stick, can't compare to a GP32 as I've never had one).
 
You will first hate it when you come from gp32, but you will get used to it fast if you have a decent cap (craigix's/torpor's').
 
PiNa1971 posted on Oct 4 2006 at 11:15 AM said:
Thank you guys for your answers. So it seems DPad Mod by DaveC is still needed even for MK2 model, am I right?


Nope, not NEEDED. Get a GP2x, play for a bit, and see what you think. I have a MK1 it I don't have any probs.
 
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Some people prefer d-pads.
Difficult to say whether you would need to mod - I have a Mk2 and have no problems with it - may be dependant on what games you play?
I guess no-one can decide but you - difficult if you don't know anyone else with one :)
I think there are a vocal lot on here that want to mod (that's their decision) - I guess the people who think the joystick is fine don't bother posting about it.
EDIT: think there's a poll on this forum somewhere that may help you.
 
For me, absolutely. Had my GP2X close to a year now and the stick is still intolerable, but it's not as bad as when I first got it. When I first got it, it felt broken. Now it just feels sloppy, imprecise, and not sensitive at all. If there's one thing to kill a good handheld, it's this stick. Maybe GPH will replace it eventually, supposedly Craig and EvilDragon are going to bring it up when they meet with GPH in October, but I don't really expect GPH to bother. GPH still thinks people use this machine to play media and that's it. They're trying to make them understand otherwise..
 
Having used a GP32 more than I should've, the GP2X MK2 stick came off as something different. It feels more stubborn, but by being so it gives you the feeling of having more control over it. All games I tried except for Sensible Soccer do not suffer at all from it, so I give it one-and-a-half thumbs up. Besides,

stickshavefeelingstoooo7.gif


- Alex
 
The MkII stick works great for me. I'm honestly baffled by all the complaints about it. Makes me wonder if everyone here has arthritis..
 
The big problem with the stick in the MK1/MK2 (it affects both, since they're the same stick) .. is the swing time from one side to the other. If you are pressing right to run to the right in Sonic and want to stop suddenly, you'd slam Left. But the time it takes to get left makes your stop sluggish, and you'll probably hit whatever you were trying to avoid. It makes reflexive twitch movements to dodge attacks extremely difficult in shooters, it makes playing special stages in the Sonic games making sharp turns nearly impossible, as the turns are 90-degree and require split second reflexive response.

This doesn't harm all games, especially those that benefit from wide sweeping 360-degree rotations, circular moving or shooting motions, like Ecco the Dolphin, Gunstar Heroes, or Contra to name just a few. But the numebr of games it makes pleasant to play pales in comparison to the number it makes unspeakably aggravating to play. It feels, to me, like I am moving an 8-direction lightswitch. There's an ON and an OFF on each end, and in the middle it just doesn't do anything. It goes beyond deadzone and into a territory where it practically needs its own name.

Inaccuracy is somewhat improved with the MK2, since the old orientation biased the stick towards diagnols and now, it is biased towards the ordinals like any decent control method. (Suffice to say this is an improvement for just about everything, unless you played an awful lot of Sonic 3D Blast or other heavily diagnol-movement oriented games.) Things like suddenly pressing Down to get into a pipe in Mario while running over it, or going into a door by pressing Up in SMB2 will likely still prove as much a challenge as they were, with much frustrating walking left and right instead of going through the door.

There are a lot of faults in the GP2X that are really forgivable once you get into running some really fun software on it. But a faulty stick hinders the whole experience and is something I cannot possibly overlook.
 
i think the stick is fine once you've got used to it and if you want more grip get a replacment cap like DaveCs ;)
 
To sum it up, if you are a huge shooter fan where quick directional changes are very important, than the stick isn't really all that usable.
But for everything else (RPGs, Jump and Runs, Fighting-games etc ; Sonic is fine with it in my opinion btw) the stick is no problem at all.

(Yes I own a GP32 and can compare)

Sadly I am a fan of those shooters :(
 
It took me a few games before I got used to it. It has a sort-of analogish floatie kind of feel to it. I have no problem playing the Neo Geo fighting games or shooters with it. I do notice a difference when I go back and pick up my GP32 or anything that has a D-pad. It is kind of a "whoa." So you do quickly get used to it and don't even think about it after playing some games. I never notice it at all now. At least that is my experience with it. To me it was like getting a new game console and getting use to the new controller design. That is how I looked at it. The GP2X is my favorite system to play games on. And that includes all the portables as well as consoles. :)

edit: I am a huge shooter fan and I have had no problem playing my favorite shooters!! Be it Genesis, Turbo Grafx, Neo Geo, etc, or homebrew.
 
I really like the Mk2 stick. At first I thought it was "pretty good" but then I made a replacement cap from an old Xbox joystick, and now it's just about perfect for me!

btw a friend who had never used a GP2X before played through the demo of Odanata (a crazy-ass shooter) the other day, and didn't even notice the joystick.
 
Epicenter posted on Oct 4 2006 at 06:18 PM said:
The big problem with the stick in the MK1/MK2 (it affects both, since they're the same stick) .. is the swing time from one side to the other. If you are pressing right to run to the right in Sonic and want to stop suddenly, you'd slam Left. But the time it takes to get left makes your stop sluggish, and you'll probably hit whatever you were trying to avoid.

Hm, I'm playing Magical Drop III in Hard mode (only available when region switched to Japan) without any problems.
And I can't think of any game requiring FASTER left / right movements...
 
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It's going to vary from person to person. Suffice to say, though, such a mounting number of complaints warrant a change of control method. Most shooters I've tried, and many platformers, it was entirely insufficient to switch directions at the present possible speed. It's usually the more reflex-testing titles where it becomes a problem.
 
My only gripe about the stick is that it's a good bit stiffer than the GP32. The clicky microswitches took VERY little effort, but that's not true here. It can get a little tiring after playing for a while.

Still, I would occassionally have problems moving from one direction to another quickly (like Up-->Right) on the GP32, but that's not a problem with the GP2X's stick. Moving between directions is very smooth and easy.

The stick just comes down to preference, but it's certainly no reason to avoid the GP2X.
 
Speaking as one of those "serious D-pad modders", I believe the following to be the case:

MK1 and MK1.5 - joystick control was crap, joystick cap was awful. The cap was slippy, although that could be corrected with DaveC's cap, the joystick was so keen to move to diagonals when you wanted to move in an ordial, the joystick was utter crap. I had no real option but to make D-pads for my GP2x as a control method as the stock was was awful.

MKII - joystick (rotated) is fine for most games, so much better. I have got quite used to it. I prefer a proper D-pad, but until one is integrated at point of manufacture, results from do-it-yourself mods will vary due to the nature of the beast. I will keep the joystick on my MKII as it is, but when I lose both caps I have or the joystick fails to work in certain directions (as it will do eventually), I will mod my GP2x with a D-pad again.

I personally think that many games work best with a D-pad, but it all comes down to the annoyed factor - if you find your joystick annoying, you need to replace it, if it is generally fine then you would like to replace it but the urgency is not strong. When it breaks or becomes unresponsive then it needs changing.

It is nice to see that the sustained pressure of various members in the Forum (including me, most certainly) has perswaded CraigiX that there is a viable market for a D-pad for the GP2x and integrating it should be offered to customers (a bit of a u-turn). Perhaps there is enough pressure and impedus for the powers to be to integrate one at point of manufacture for a MKIII version! If the MKIII had an integrated BOB (there should be enough room for one to be integrated into the GP2x), they would sell by the bucket load.
 
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