Pinball controller?

[X-RAY]

Hi, im thinking of taking it seriously (taking it too far :)
Have you any suggestions for controllers? Im using the bumpers on the xbone pad, which is fine, just not "authentic"...

[Jambon Emmental]

I used to have an X-Arcade Tankstick which had pinball buttons. It was pretty good but i got rid of it due to lack of space.

I think the future of digital pinball is possibly the combination of a VR headset and an authentic feeling controller of some sort (with haptics) specifically designed for pinball games. I know people have built some great custom controllers but not sure if there are any decent 'off the shelf' products.

[Matt Beeching]

I don't own and haven't used either, but two of interest are:

Cleveland PinOne:
https://www.clevelandsoftwaredesign.com/pinball-parts/p/virtual-pinball-pinone-mini-machine

Gibson PinStation:
https://www.gibsonpinball.com/pinstation/

Gibson regularly posts on the FX3/PFX Reddit but it's not a retail unit yet. Does look appealing though.

[X-RAY]

Originally posted by Jambon Emmental:

I used to have an X-Arcade Tankstick which had pinball buttons. It was pretty good but i got rid of it due to lack of space.

I think the future of digital pinball is possibly the combination of a VR headset and an authentic feeling controller of some sort (with haptics) specifically designed for pinball games. I know people have built some great custom controllers but not sure if there are any decent 'off the shelf' products.

Thanks. I think "Virtual Pinball" by Philips was the best off the shelf solution among the tankstick. Sadly both are hard to get in a good condition today.

Originally posted by Matt Beeching:

I don't own and haven't used either, but two of interest are:

Cleveland PinOne:
https://www.clevelandsoftwaredesign.com/pinball-parts/p/virtual-pinball-pinone-mini-machine

Gibson PinStation:
https://www.gibsonpinball.com/pinstation/

Gibson regularly posts on the FX3/PFX Reddit but it's not a retail unit yet. Does look appealing though.

Thanks. It does look appealing.

[themazingness]

Personally, if you are going to be spending good money anyway, I'd just take it a step further and get an AtGames Legends Pinball Micro. Their OTG feature lets you hook up your PC and use it as the controller and displays. It goes on sale every now and then, which to me would be better money spent than a few hundred on a barebones controller. That way you'd have an actual playfield and display, plus you could grab a few of the tables Magic Pixel made for it that aren't available on Steam (they're made in the same engine as Zacarria).

https://www.atgames.us/products/legends-pinball-micro

Just be aware that the micro is in their older HD lineup, Their new 4K lineup doesn't have a micro yet.

[MikeFulton]

Originally posted by Matt Beeching:

I don't own and haven't used either, but two of interest are:

Cleveland PinOne:
https://www.clevelandsoftwaredesign.com/pinball-parts/p/virtual-pinball-pinone-mini-machine

Gibson PinStation:
https://www.gibsonpinball.com/pinstation/

Gibson regularly posts on the FX3/PFX Reddit but it's not a retail unit yet. Does look appealing though.

I've had my eyes on the Cleveland controller for a few months now but it's pricey for me so still on the wish list.

The Gibson one looks to be more or less the same thing so I'm guessing the price will be similar. When I see the talk of "custom skins"and see an example with Spider-Man artwork, I'm a little worried that the developers are ignorant of copyright and trademark laws and will get hit with a cease and desist notice shortly after they start shipping. We will see.

[wissp]

I have an At Games Micro, and yes, it works with steam pinball games; ie: Zen and Zaccaria just fine as long as you map everything properly using steam input. Warning though, the Micro has a weird wiring scheme where the plunger and d-pad left are wired together, which makes mapping a bit of a pain.

If you don't mind the loss of haptics and physical nudging, I honestly would recommend the At-Games Legend Pro controller. It works beautifully with Virtual-pinball, especially VR pinball, as the controller is 29 inches in length, almost the same length as a real pinball machine. In VR it feels like the real thing since you have a tactile feel leaning against the controller while playing and the table being as large as the real thing right in front of you.

[spydrman669]

I own a new tank stick and honestly I see no product that compares to that for playing pinball. in fact because of it, i am all but abandoning my xbox 360 w/ 35 tables because I cannot use the side buttons and I LOVE using the tank stick on my 50in Tv ...just for pinball. Just wish some tables were more available, wish the company had a page to get suggestions and have people vote for a new game. . Oh, as far as nudging.... real simple fix. Use one of the joysticks . I do have the 3 direction programmed into the left (player 1) stick. I am not perfect but it DOES allow me to nudge. same goes for ball launch. that is set for the right stick. I was going to modify my Tank stick to work properly on the xbox but I just decided to (NOT) play them any more . I do have the xbox adapter but i just use it now for fighting games. Makes it so much easier than my old hands using a xbox controller.

[MikeFulton]

Originally posted by spydrman669:

I own a new tank stick and honestly I see no product that compares to that for playing pinball. in fact because of it, i am all but abandoning my xbox 360 w/ 35 tables because I cannot use the side buttons and I LOVE using the tank stick on my 50in Tv ...just for pinball. Just wish some tables were more available, wish the company had a page to get suggestions and have people vote for a new game. . Oh, as far as nudging.... real simple fix. Use one of the joysticks . I do have the 3 direction programmed into the left (player 1) stick. I am not perfect but it DOES allow me to nudge. same goes for ball launch. that is set for the right stick. I was going to modify my Tank stick to work properly on the xbox but I just decided to (NOT) play them any more . I do have the xbox adapter but i just use it now for fighting games. Makes it so much easier than my old hands using a xbox controller.

Is there some reason you're keeping the name of this amazing "tank stick" and the name of the company that makes it a secret?

[spydrman669]

no, I am calling it what it's product name is . Tank Stick is made by X_Arcade. @ purchace the unit i have costs$200 and now they are taking orders for a new version called Tank Stick Max. It has a spinner added to the configuration. I only know of one game that uses one . I love mine and have made a stand out of an old desk works great for me I can play and still be sitting as i have to be most times.

[Jambon Emmental]

Originally posted by spydrman669:

no, I am calling it what it's product name is . Tank Stick is made by X_Arcade. @ purchace the unit i have costs$200 and now they are taking orders for a new version called Tank Stick Max. It has a spinner added to the configuration. I only know of one game that uses one . I love mine and have made a stand out of an old desk works great for me I can play and still be sitting as i have to be most times.

Hadn't heard of the Tankstick Max ta so just looked it up. Not pinball related but... Love the idea of adding spinners but not sure about having to reach over the buttons to access them, though maybe it works fine in practice. I was never a fan of the main buttons layout either tbh. The rows of buttons go straight across in a sort of parallel way (rather than being in a slightly curved row if you see what i mean). Made playing games like Streetfighter 2 feel a bit odd, but just personal preference. Was also a faff to switch between 4-way and 8-way joysticks.

[Yakass]

Originally posted by spydrman669:

I own a new tank stick and honestly I see no product that compares to that for playing pinball. in fact because of it, i am all but abandoning my xbox 360 w/ 35 tables because I cannot use the side buttons and I LOVE using the tank stick on my 50in Tv ...just for pinball. Just wish some tables were more available, wish the company had a page to get suggestions and have people vote for a new game. . Oh, as far as nudging.... real simple fix. Use one of the joysticks . I do have the 3 direction programmed into the left (player 1) stick. I am not perfect but it DOES allow me to nudge. same goes for ball launch. that is set for the right stick. I was going to modify my Tank stick to work properly on the xbox but I just decided to (NOT) play them any more . I do have the xbox adapter but i just use it now for fighting games. Makes it so much easier than my old hands using a xbox controller.

I have a tank stick as well, although I modified it heavily. I changed the positions of some buttons for nudging. I also cut off the overhang on the top so the side buttons are easier to use and it feels more like pinball. I'm surprised more people aren't using this thing.

[Antron]

I've owned the Cleveland PinOne for a few months now and it's been a pretty big game changer for VR pinball. Pricey but built like a tank and internals seem of good quality. The solenoids really add a nice feel to the flippers and you can easily disable them if noise is a factor. The gibson one also looks very promising and has a wider profile but it still may be a bit off.

[FaLumpaGus907]

Cleveland makes decent stuff. If you look into the pricing of components for all of his products. You'll notice he sells them for almost cost of purchasing on sites like ebay and amazon. Good man, great store, asset to the Vpin Community.

[MikeFulton]

Originally posted by wissp:

I have an At Games Micro, and yes, it works with steam pinball games; ie: Zen and Zaccaria just fine as long as you map everything properly using steam input.
...

Is that the thing they sell at Kohl's for $500?

[wissp]

Originally posted by mfulton:

Originally posted by wissp:

I have an At Games Micro, and yes, it works with steam pinball games; ie: Zen and Zaccaria just fine as long as you map everything properly using steam input.
...

Is that the thing they sell at Kohl's for $500?

Yes, but it is only $350 on the At Games website, (but $50 shipping, plus add the cost for the OTG board to play stuff like ZEN and VPX on the machine, normally $50, but $35 on sale sometimes.)