| Price | Amazon |
| Release | May 19, 2022 |
| Compatibility | PC |
| Dimensions | 21.1″ x 8.3″ x 7.2″ |
| Weight | 5 lbs |
Introduction
The Arcade Control Panel was initially designed to be an addon for the AtGames Legends Pinball machine. However, you can use it as PC arcade stick for fighting games if you like.
Performance
With an octagonal gated joystick, six action buttons, and a precision trackball, the Arcade Control Panel is an armed force on paper.
The ALU joystick and Happ-style buttons may be too springy for your tastes, and the joystick may actually sound springy. The joystick may register unwanted inputs, and it may feel like it has a dead zone in the center.
As for the buttons, they are flat and not concave, so depending on your preference, this may be hit or miss. The trackball fortunately feels precise.
Hardware
The hardware of the Arcade Control Panel seems to be of average quality and more catered towards traditional arcade games, such as pinball, as opposed to fighting games. So, modding the Arcade Control Panel with Sanwa parts would be recommended if possible.
Now, if you would like to switch the joystick’s gate to a four-way one, for example, you will likely have to switch out the restrictor gate, which is admittedly an additional burden.
On the bright side, the ALU joystick can be considered a Sanwa clone, meaning replacing it with an actual Sanwa joystick should be easier than average. In fact, the Arcade Control Panel is quite moddable in general, even when it comes to buttons and microswitches.
As for the wiring, it seems like an unorthodox decision by AtGames to have it engulfed in a plastic cover that you can easily penetrate with a knife, but it is somewhat understandable as it was designed to fit into their pinball machine.
What you can do is add a cover yourself, such as a wooden one. This would facilitate lap play as well as placing the arcade stick on a table. PC connectivity is probably not achievable through XInput. Consider a solution like Joy2Key.
Appearance
The Arcade Control Panel has an interesting black design with red accents. There might be blemishes on your unit, and needless to say, the bottom plastic cover is unsightly.
In fact, the quality control of the Arcade Control Panel does not seem to be on par, so your unit may be better or worse than the next customer’s unit.
Conclusion
Consider getting the Arcade Control Panel if you are looking for an arcade stick with a decent trackball, but keep in mind that you will likely have to switch out the joystick and buttons to perform well at fighting games.
- Decent trackball
- Nice width
- Generally moddable
- Springy joystick & buttons
- Possible hardware defects
- Possible blemishes
- Bottom plastic cover
- Connectivity complexity
Rating
⭐⭐⭐