HAPP Joysticks EXPLAINED - Review and More!!

[@rubenmejia4881]

So growing up in the 90's the Happ sticks is what were know to be in the arcades & they are great! I know alot of people love their Korean & Japanese levers but Happ /IL is forever my favorite and current preference. They are tanks! Back then Happ was merged with IL until the early 2000s I want to say around '05 so when Suzo came along they bought the molds from IL but choose to use PVC vs Nylon in terms of their actuators and pivot internals. I haven't had a chance to own a current gen of the suzo happ competitions but I currently own 2 IL Euro sticks & they are butter smooth. They don't give me any problems and the quality is amazing! I was going to purchase some happ sticks but then I read somewhere about IL and never looked back. For a few dollars more I feel its worth owning it. PVC I can see where some friction issuse may lay since it is rougher and doesn't move as freely but with the nylon there are no problems. If I were to not execute moves it would be human error from the hype of the match lol. I'd say give it a go! Plus what's great about them they are tried & true, not expensive either! No matter which way I would setup a JLF it just didnt feel right to me (not throwing shade before the try hards come on here trying to attack lol) the only thing I would give to the current levers are the octogates but its not necessary IMO. A nice smooth round is perfect.

[@therexershow]

Great comment. Spot on. I have about 5 ILs and they are great. Most people won’t do anything but ILs once they try them over Happs. Thanks for the comment !!

[@soggykid5580]

Just an FYI. If you live in the Chicagoland area you can pick up your parts from their warehouse the next day after you order. Great video btw

[@alexnostalgix]

This was pretty informative for Happ differences which i appreciate.....Korean levers for me at least is my preference, though your explanation and insight may sparked the interest in trying one again.....also don't agree on some of ralphs point about Sanwa stuff but nothing ground breaking.

[@therexershow]

Alex Nostalgix Is Crown Korean? You use those? Never hear anyone talk about those. I should have mentioned how the il Eurostik is basically the same as the Happ competition, but some people say the eurostik is better.

[@mnretrogamer7189]

Thank you for this video! Solved my problem!

[@ohskunt9416]

Do you know where I can find a softer spring that fits an IL eurojoustick stick? Love these types of levers but the tension is a little too much for prolonged gaming sessions 😭.

[@therexershow]

@@ohskunt9416 I’m not sure if any of the online arcade stores sell any variation , but I can tell you that I went to Ace Hardware looking for a replacement on my DK joystick for a spring and they had a tray with dozens of different springs. You would have to take it apart and bring it into the store to match. But I’d first go to the hardware store and see what they have first.

[@ohskunt9416]

@@therexershow Gotcha and thanks for the info🙏🏼.

[@joshlepley1306]

I'm fixing my machine since the control panel was stolen. Looking at new joysticks. I'm a bit confused. I know I had 8 way Happ comps before and I had no issues playing 4 way style games... I don't understand why you would want a 4 way. Am I missing something?

[@therexershow]

Yes. 8 ways may lock inputs on certain games when you hit diagonal on a 8 way. In a 4 way joystick built game, the diagonal will confuse a game and it won’t know to go up or left for example. It easier to play with a 4way on 4 way games as well. That’s how they were designed, only 4 directions .

[@joshlepley1306]

@@therexershow Yeah I was thinking that after my comment. It would act like there is no input if you accidently had it at any angle. Maybe i didnt notice it. I played alot of pacman with my 8 ways fine... but I can see how others could have issues with it. Thanks, Im going to go with some 8 way eurosticks. I did not know about them.

[@TheRealJPhillips]

Nothing beats the IL EUROSTICK tho. Modded my xarcade solo stick and hate even touching anything else. My opinion

[@therexershow]

John Phillips #JeyDoeProductions I hear good things about those from many people

[@TheRealJPhillips]

@@therexershow if u just get 1 for personal stick use, u won't regret it. Got a white one from FocusAttack.com

[@therexershow]

John Phillips #JeyDoeProductions I’m building a MK2 cab next, I’ll grab a couple and try them out as long as i can get red! LOL.

[@oleschoolgamers]

I loved IL Euros, but had difficulty on fighting games, mostly because I couldn’t hit the diagonals, no grooves. So I went with sanwa with octagonal gate.

[@therexershow]

John Phillips #JeyDoeProductions I bought an il eurostick and read some stuff. I think they are almost exactly like the competition Happ. I haven’t received it yet , but it looks like it’s built with same housing and parts. Will be fun to compare.

[@TheRealDustinNunn]

Will HAPP joystick levers work on all fighting games?

[@therexershow]

Yes

[@TheRealDustinNunn]

@@therexershow Cool! I love arcade-style fighting games.

[@therexershow]

@@TheRealDustinNunn go with Happ competition sticks or IL euro sticks. Imo. You can go with the Happ supers which use the lever micro switches but most people just like Happ competetion

[@big_boy_chris]

Random question but do you know what type of joystick the old school arcade rooms use for fighting games like Marvel vs Capcom 2, Street Fighter 3rd Strike etc? I got some Sanwa's but I absolutely hate the feel of it.

[@therexershow]

They don’t make the exact same joystick but it’s a IL euro stick or Happ Competition is my guess. I didn’t play much of those 2 games but almost all fighting games had these joystick s

[@big_boy_chris]

@@therexershow Thanks for the reply. I went and got an IL Euro and it doesn't feel right. I don't recall the feeling of the joystick being limited to a square. I definitely remember full 360 circular motion.

[@therexershow]

@@big_boy_chris then you want to try Happ Supers. You may like those more. Those definitely have a more circular feeling and will feel different but still good. Or get Xarcade joysticks. They are the same.

[@cMARVEL360]

7:40 if you already have a build that fits a Suzo Happ Lever but only want 4 way operation, why not just add the Pac-Man / Galaga Lever found on the Suzo Happ Site to your order? 😅.... Or are the builds essentially the same thing and are working with what you have?

[@therexershow]

I replaced this Happ 4 way joystick long ago with a Pac-Man joystick. I actually used a “long shaft” Pac-Man joystick which I bought from Game Room Guys I think long long ago.

[@uncledaddy54]

Your video explained a lot. Thanks! But I do have a question. My joystick only came with one cylinder, a short cylinder. I want to install into plywood, but I guess I can't without the cylinder, right? I actually bought 4 joysticks, and none came with the longer cylinder.

[@therexershow]

uncledaddy54 you can use the short cylinder it just may sit low. It probably won’t be too bad. Most people bore a square groove in the bottom of their control panel about 1/4 th inches deep and the housing sits in then boring a little. Check your stick too, if it doesn’t have two slots for e rings on the shaft then it only accepts one type of cylinder. I’ll link a video where I did a control panel on my pacman arcade

[@therexershow]

uncledaddy54 here’s the video that shows the boring. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnvSk4CKgs1njpI

[@frankviola6736]

@@therexershow thanks for the quick response. My stick does have two slots for the e ring. I guess I'm going to have to create that groove to get the stick to fit right.I even doubled up two smaller cylinders, but then I couldn't get the stick down far enough for an e ring.

[@frankviola6736]

@@therexershow one more thing. When I use the short cylinder, the slot for the e ring that is exposed is the last slot, near the bottom of the stick. This is the slot I would want to use for 3/4" plywood, right? That should be the stick at its longest.

[@therexershow]

Frank Viola that’s why you have to groove route the bottom of the control panel.

[@Fox9582]

I would love to know how to secure those joysticks to a 3/4 MDF or PW. That would be great. What type of joystick would be good for fight games. Competition or ultimate

[@therexershow]

For 3/4 inch wood, it’s always good to route out some of the wood on the underside of the panel first. There are 2 ways to screw the joystick bases in. 1) drill right through the whole control panel and use Carriage bolts to secure. With this method , you have the top part of the carriage bolt showing on the top of the control panel but usually not a big deal. 2) use “Insert nuts” which get screwed into the bottom of the control panel , then bolts screw in from the bottom into the insert nuts which are in the Control panel already. It’s confusing to describe this method and a little more difficult to do, but you don’t have any bolts showing on the top of your CP.

[@jorgeperez7185]

Hi to all, I would like to know how can I adapt the ultimate joystick to the new hori arcade stick for PS5. I already brought it but the base is smaller. If somebody knows if there's an adapter to make it fit please let me know, thanks. I have the PS3 mortal kombat controller and this controller came with that joystick and I can say by far this is the best joystick I ever tried.

[@therexershow]

i would google if there is a mounting plate adapter for happ joysticks. Otherwise, you may have to drill new holes. I'm surprised you prefer the Ultimate Happ Joystick over the competition joystick, most people prefer the competition.

[@bens.664]

Does this have the soft feel ? I want to avoid the hard plastic feel.

[@therexershow]

You will still get “click” feel with the ultimate and the competition , but it’s much less on the competition. Very soft imo on the competition. The super had a different feel altogether. You really need to try them to see what you like. It’s all personal preference.

[@bens.664]

@@therexershow cool. i’ll try all three. thank you!

[@jesuszamora6949]

There are other great options for the Competition. Focusattack.com is a great site for not just the competition, but for the IL Eurojoystick, which is a higher-quality version of the Competition. Also, for genuine Happ on ebay, you can't go wrong with Tornado Terry. www.ebaystores.com/TORNADO-TERRYS-ARCADE-PARTS-SUPPLY

[@manadio]

so wich one is better for all king of fighters gameS?

[@therexershow]

Competition Happ imo

[@Funcoland]

What screws did you use to mount the happ joystick?

[@therexershow]

Peter Parker there a couple options on how to mount them into the control panel. The best way is to use inset internal thread nuts. Those inset nuts go into the control panel underneath. (But make sure not to drill through the control panel causing a hole all the way though) you then use shot pan head bolts to into those inset nuts. I use 8/32 inset nut and 1/2 inch pan head bolt with lock washer. This way is all done under the control panel and nothing drilled through the top. This is the hardest method but the cleanest. The second way is to drill holes all the way through the control panel and put carriage bolts though the top. M6 size I believe will fit through the hole and prob 1.5 inches is best, bang the carriage bolt pretty hard into the top of the panel so that square wedge locks in then bolt in from the bottom. Most people use black carriage bolts but they are hard to find so I’ll just spray paint silver ones. The 3 rd way is the just screw from the bottom into the control panel holding in the joystick, I don’t prefer this method but it’s the easiest. You just have to make sure you don’t screw all the way though the top.

[@Funcoland]

therexershow I am trying to put this in an arcade1up custom panel were these the screws you were talking about? www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-8-x-1-2-in-Phillips-Pan-Head-Zinc-Plated-Sheet-Metal-Screw-100-Pack-801032/204275066

[@therexershow]

@@Funcoland No, those are sheet metal screws. The first way I'm syaing uses these. www.woodcraft.com/products/threaded-insert-brass-8-32-8-piece?PLA&All%20Products&adlclid=ADL-2114e0aa-3861-4889-9171-f4ee2559d422# . You drill a hole and screw these into the Control Panel underneath and then you use the pan head bolts to screw right into these. then you would use something like this to screw the joystick in . www.boltdepot.com/Product-Details.aspx?product=1346&msclkid=b09a6c80c4ce136d007c33c26aeb45c5&Shopping%20-%20Part%20Sizes&Screws otherwise just use any short screw and just screw into from the bottom. THe first way is a little hard so practice before if you try that way.

[@juan_chan]

Nice video, i wanna change the joystick of my razer panthera for a eurojoystick, do you have any tips?

[@therexershow]

juan chan well, IL eurosticks are really good. Very similar to the happ competition. I’m not sure how the joysticks are bolted in to the razor but if there are sanwa type joysticks in there , it’s possible the joystick Housing of the eurostick won’t fit into the same holes and you may need to drill new holes. Also, If the current joystick uses a 5 pin connection , then you’ll have to cut the wires, add terminal connectors , and figure out what is up down left right Ground

[@TheGohthecrow]

@@therexershow that blows. I wish I can use that same stick from 360/ps3 mk9 fightstick into my atrox or panthera. The sticks you showed here though seem different from the mk9 stick too though...or is it just me seeing things?

[@therexershow]

@@TheGohthecrow from what I saw from pics in the mk9 , it appears to be a Happ ultimate joystick in there. I did read someone say it had a “circular gate” which is technically incorrect , but maybe he thought it had a Happ Super in it which has a circular actuator. Either way, the mk9 looks like it would be an easy swap to a IL Euro or competition stick.

[@kjmullinz]

Great video. Not sure if anyone noticed, but the app joystick instructions say there are two parts for the spring. A standard spring and a heavy spring. Does anyone know the difference to the two and what are kit machines back in the day had a heavy spring and which one had a standard spring for example?

[@therexershow]

I actually called them and tried to ask them directly about the “heavy spring “ and it was almost like they had no idea what I was talking about and said all their joysticks have one spring type in them. But as for springs, I have gone to an Ace Hardware and they have tons of springs in a box and you can find different weights and sizes of springs. Maybe get a size match and replace. I did that with my Nintendo joystick.

[@kjmullinz]

@@therexershow wow I never thought of that. So places like hardor freight actually carry those small springs and also tell you the weight as well? (ex. 4lb spring)

[@therexershow]

I just bought a bunch and checked them by feel. Some are wound more, some are longer , thicker , etc. harbor freight prob has them. There is actually a size guide they had but it doesn’t say “weight” I don’t think.

[@jeff15]

Wow. Just found ur chnl. Very nice detail video. Will definitely sub. Looking forward for more. I've got 5 license arcade sticks and 1 DIY. I've upgraded some over the years with different brand style joystic/buttons. Is there a good site you recommend that has some kind of cheat sheet, that can easily tell me what parts I have. For example if you have part A and part b then you ha e this product. if you have this and this then you have that. You know what mean ?. I will go over your chnl aswell and see what I can find. Thank you.

[@therexershow]

I don’t have many joystick vids but it’s hard to find specific detail that identifies what brand. There are so many “clones” but sometimes there is a brand marking on sticks and buttons. Like sanwa usually had the word sanwa engraved somewhere. But as for Crown or IL sticks or Happ, there’s usually 1 small difference. Like an IL euro stick is exactly like a Happ competition but the actuator is a different plastic and a different color too I think. So hard to know what is what by looking.

[@jeff15]

@@therexershow thanks for the super quick reply. It's all good. I still like your chnl. ;) have a great weekend. Stay safe!!!

[@emmettturner9452]

If Suzo Happ has a minimum order of $50 and they don't include both actuators, then the 4-way actuators should definitely be ordered along with the sticks. Knowing that the part number is in the instructions obviously doesn't help unless we already made the mistake of ordering the sticks without the actuator. There is no comfort in telling us that the item number is in the instructions we would not have yet! Please share the 4-way actuator part number. No one wants to order $50+ of actuators and filler items when they could have just ordered them all together!

[@therexershow]

Emmett Turner suzano Happ has good customer service and you can simply call them to get the 4 way actuator part for the ultimate. Remember that the competition cannot be a 4 way. Only the ultimate and Super and i don’t suggest using Happs for 4 way joysticks. There are much better options out there for 4 way.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@therexershow thanks

[@jesuszamora6949]

@@therexershow Who would you use for 4-way? Ultimarc?

[@therexershow]

Jesus Zamora I use a pac man 4 way but I have mrs pac Galaga combo so it fits in. But Sanwa makes a good 4 way with gate. I’m not sure about the ultimarc specifically. Sorry.

[@cMARVEL360]

I need Answers.... Right now! 😡 Happ Competition Sticks..... Can I fit them on an Arcade 1up stock Control Deck, and have them actually fit all the way through the panel, or would there be an obstacle outside of a little bit of Cutting on the bottom plastic of the sticks in order to fit along side the buttons?.... You guys here seem to be the most ultimate Judgement in this question.. I will continue my own research but I figured I could save myself some time by asking the experts...

[@therexershow]

They both won’t fit in the 1up without doing some cutting and dremel work in the sides of the 1up. It can be done , but not easily. The Control panels are not wide enough. The left joystick doesn’t fit. I can only say that for certain on the gen 1 and 2 , but I think the Legacy have the same issue.

[@cMARVEL360]

@@therexershow Hey! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! I have the MVC A1up.. but being someone whom have used Sanwa, but I have since kept the Sanwa structure but swapped out the Sanwa PCB for individual Cherry 75g Switches, Extended shafts, Bat Tops and 6Lbs Spring. This is where I began to want to research what exactly makes Happ a Happ because I feel I'm on the verge of recreation a Happ experience by just tinkering 😅. Would you happen to know a place I can buy Switch Arms for the Cherry Switches I'm using on the Joystick? That and a Oversized Actuator are a couple of elements I'm missing. May I have your opinion on my current set up?

[@therexershow]

@@cMARVEL360 I’d really have to see a pic of what exactly you have done. But if you’re talking about micro switches with arms/levers and you want to use those , you would have to Google. I’m not sure they make lever Cherry 75g micro switches. Probably they do. I wish it was simple to just put a Competetion or a Happ super on those machines.

[@cMARVEL360]

@@therexershow Sure, what's your Twitter handle? Same as your KZbin Name? I actually saw in another video that you can take apart the Switch, and place a Micro switch arm on to it... The didn't say where to get them, thought you may know. I'll make a small video for you and send it to your Twitter if you have one or I'll upload one to KZbin for you. Thank You!