Official Website Updated

[Knoxximus]

I was waiting for this update...I do hope that the official Twin Sticks become a retail reality!

Hopefully Sega has a wharehouse just full of unsold DC/Saturn Twin Sticks that they can just retrofit with the proper guts. This way, there wouldn't be much overhead on their end. I could live with that. If not, Mad Catz had shown that the masses are ready to pay $150 for a quality arcade joystick...hopefully Sega has been taking notes.

[Testament/Seven7]

The weekly column update has three news items:

1. We can expect an announcement regarding Twin Sticks soon, possibly this week! They are supposedly in the final stages prior to the announcement.

2. A magazine in Japan has extensive coverage of VOOT this month. They say this is good because there is no marketing budget for VOOT.

3. VOOT sales beat their expectations!! Hopefully this is a good sign that Twin Sticks will be released.

1 - Awesome. I wonder what "final stages" means....did they hand the prototype over to an expert player for a few weeks to try out or something, and he/she said "yeah, these'll do" or something? (joke)

2 - Hah...I would not mind a few over sized VR posters, etc....but oh well.

3 - Again, Awesome.

[DeepInTheHops]

I wonder how much the prices for Saturn and Dreamcast sticks will drop if official twin sticks are released...

[Testament/Seven7]

I wonder how much the prices for Saturn and Dreamcast sticks will drop if official twin sticks are released...

they probrably won't, collectors like stuff like that after all...

[MurderDeathKill]

VOOT sales beat their expectations!! Hopefully this is a good sign that Twin Sticks will be released.

Or maybe an all-new Virtual On.

[Knoxximus]

My guess is that Sega will open up pre-orders to gauge demand. Then, depending how that goes, they will either:

A) Mass produce or
B) Take orders through the site or an authorized 3rd party on a per order kinda basis.

I do think that they will follow thru in some form tho, even if it just is adapters for the DC/SAT Sticks.

[Knoxximus]

Site updated. Something about pre-ordering of Twin Stick starting, and pic of stick is on front page.

http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... n%26sa%3DG

[Mkz717]

The sticks have provoked too much desire to use them on XBOX360, a good market for the platform

[Purple-Tamjin]

It's just depressing that's what they look like. Who knows, maybe it'll fall through and Sega will make cheaper ones.

[Mkz717]

It is true, but you believe it, the people will be anxious and will buy the sticks with these prices. The people do not like to wait and even more having money.

[Purple-Tamjin]

I don't know at the price of 300 I'm tempted to learn how to make controllers and in turn making my own stuffz.

[Testament/Seven7]

I don't know at the price of 300 I'm tempted to learn how to make controllers and in turn making my own stuffz.

I highly recomend this. Even if you do buy them, tis a neat skillset to have anyway ^^

[Mkz717]

He has reason, here in the forum there is a tutorial to know how to create it, and sell it for $150 - $250, for me... seems to be reasonable

[Knoxximus]

It is true, but you believe it, the people will be anxious and will buy the sticks with these prices. The people do not like to wait and even more having money.

Well, from my point of view, expect that modding existing sticks is going to get even more popular now. This effort is too little, too late methinks.

[wraith88]

official VOOT blog column 6/16 update - looks like 1500 is the magic pre-order number to get production started

[Testament/Seven7]

official VOOT blog column 6/16 update - looks like 1500 is the magic pre-order number to get production started

Hmm...they might actually pull it off, but it's gonna be close...

Hey, a thought just occurred to me, who wants to bet that a majority, if not the entireity, of this production run will end up on Yahoo japan auctions or ebay? I"m willing to say that most people who "do" get these things are simply looking to make a profit on the internet...and will probably succeed.

[wraith88]

Testament, you may be onto something there - a new modded twin stick appeared on yahoo auctions japan and is starting at close to the 30,000 yen and they've got a do-it-yourself Saturn-to-Hori conversion kit selling at almost 20,000 yen.

On the oratanbeginners website they've been tracking reported pre-order numbers. Apparently the pre-order numbering started at 2000 and as of today the latest pre-order number is at over 4200. If the pre-orders are going by increments of 1, chances are good that production is a go.

Man all this twin stick stuff is making me chomp at the bit to get back to Canada to mod my DC sticks

[MentholMoose]

Testament, you may be onto something there - a new modded twin stick appeared on yahoo auctions japan and is starting at close to the 30,000 yen and they've got a do-it-yourself Saturn-to-Hori conversion kit selling at almost 20,000 yen.

Links? Also it should be noted if there are any bids or not. There are some sets of modded Twin Sticks on there with a high price but no bids.

Hey, a thought just occurred to me, who wants to bet that a majority, if not the entireity, of this production run will end up on Yahoo japan auctions or ebay? I"m willing to say that most people who "do" get these things are simply looking to make a profit on the internet...and will probably succeed.

I kinda doubt it. Anyone in Japan that wants them can preorder now. Also, the market price in Japan for Xbox 360 Twin Sticks seems to be around $300 (judging from the sales of modded Twin Sticks on YAJ), so I don't think there is a much room for an increase. It is definitely a gamble to buy several of these to resell later on YAJ.

As for eBay, I doubt we will see any sales at all, considering that $300 is already insanely expensive. After you add in shipping, re-shipping, handling, and time, and the price will need to be near $400 to justify reselling on eBay. How many US VO fans are that hardcore?

[wraith88]

Links? Also it should be noted if there are any bids or not. There are some sets of modded Twin Sticks on there with a high price but no bids.

Woops - my bad on the auction links
http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m67441179
starting at 28,800 yen - DC mod with an additional set of buttons installed right above the turbos. No takers yet.

DIY Saturn to Hori mod
http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b101333399
18,877 yen as of this writing with 4 bidders - includes Saturn sticks, custom made top panel, shafts and springs, buttons, and a few other odds and ends - no Hori box and no xbox 360 controller pcb included, but the're offering to sell a prewired one...

[MentholMoose]

DIY Saturn to Hori mod
http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b101333399
18,877 yen as of this writing with 4 bidders - includes Saturn sticks, custom made top panel, shafts and springs, buttons, and a few other odds and ends - no Hori box and no xbox 360 controller pcb included, but the're offering to sell a prewired one...

Thanks for the link. I still wish Hori would have gone this route (basically modifying a cheaper, standard joystick... a Seimitsu LSX-57 in this case), since the controller could have been much cheaper. The auction seller appears to have done a quality job with the custom parts; I think he had them built by a machine shop.

On his price breakdown, he has the custom top panel and each shaft priced at ¥3,300 and ¥2,000, respectively, and the custom springs are ¥400 each. MSRP on the LSX-57 is ¥2,000 each. Hori certainly could get lower prices due to volume discounts and such. The only remaining concern would be the stick grips and buttons, but I think they could have been done at a low price if the volume was high enough.