Sega Astro City Mini Arcade Stick Review

Astro City Mini Arcade Stick
PriceAmazon
ReleaseDecember 17, 2020
CompatibilityPC / Astro City Mini
Dimensions16.1” x 11.7” x 6.6”
Cable1.8 m
Weight7.98 lbs

Quick Facts

  • The Astro City Mini Arcade Stick was designed for the Astro City Mini arcade cabinet.
  • There is HDMI support.

Performance

The joystick and buttons are Sanwa, and their performance is generally good as a result. The joystick can be moved at sharp angles with no problems, and there is no significant noise. Unfortunately, there is not enough wrist space. Your wrists could awkwardly hang off the end. The joystick and buttons could have been scooted over a little bit. Fortunately, the weight makes the arcade stick very stable on one’s lap or a table. However, the material on the bottom may easily get cold and make your lap cold as a result.

Hardware

Aside from the start and select (credit) buttons, there are only six buttons. Be warned that the parts excluding the joystick and buttons may lack durability, a problem that the real Astro City may also suffer from. Furthermore, the combination of screws  and how they were used to assemble this arcade stick may make repairs and mods tougher. However, if you end up with a unit that has a loose top panel, tightening the relevant screws should be fairly easy. Finally, the cable could have been longer to be more state-of-the-art.

Appearance

Although the artwork looks authentic, it is possible that the same material from the arcade cabinet was not used. The credit button brings back the nostalgia of arcades, although there is no denial that arcade culture is at least somewhat alive today.

Conclusion

This is a good arcade stick, but its compatibility is limited. It would have been nice to at least be able to plug this arcade stick stick into the Sega Genesis Mini like a Sega Genesis Mini controller can allegedly be plugged into the Astro City Mini.

  • Good joystick
  • Good buttons
  • Decent weight
  • Representative artwork
  • Arcade feel
  • Insufficient wrist space
  • Potentially cold bottom
  • Only six buttons
  • Hard to mod
  • Shorter cable length

Rating

⭐⭐⭐