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When i first discovered Mame and saw how others where building cabinets to house it, I dreamt of building one. I'm happy to say, that dream has become my reality for a good few years now.

In my current home, space is a premium so having a full size cabinet is out of the question, the next best thing was in my opinion was to build a desktop arcade controller. During this time, I considered Chris Wigg's company, OzStick, which has been around ever since I have known about Mame. I actually did get to the serious, 'emailing stage' where I shot Chris some specification on what I wanted etc. However, I decided at the time to build my own with great results at first, (which can be viewed here).

As the old controller was not cutting it anymore, I put the call out to Chris as my first choice. Why? 

Firstly (and most importantly), Trust, (Chris/OzStick have been around for as long as I can remember)
Secondly: local, (Australia)
Thirdly: great reputation

After a few phone calls and emails, (Chris is very easy to do business and communicate with), the controller design was set. It is going to be a Super Single with a slight customization added to suit my needs. Basically, P1 P2, twin joysticks and four fire buttons, (pictures to follow).

The main criteria was that the controller HAS to be capable of playing Robotron 2084. Robotron 2084 is a game I never saw in the arcades, I have only ever seen it since discovering Mame. It is my favourite game for intense gameplay. I whole-heartedly recommend you give it a whirl sometime, you'll be sweating at the intensity.

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Package arrives:

Contents are well packed and thoroughly protected against scratches by industrial cling film, and padded throughout with last weeks newspaper. (good recycling).

Contents:

1 x OzStick Super Single (Plus)*<--[Customised to my specifications]
1 x USB cable
2 x Sanwa ball-tops
Receipt

As you can clearly see, the unit came with the ball-tops removed from the sanwa joysticks and where protected from top intrusion by some cardboard. Screwing them on was easy. One thing I was disappointed in was the lack of instructions, (Chris assures me he usually ships products with instructions but at the time was experiencing printer issues).

Inside the Super Single (Plus)*:

All looks nice and clean, wiring is tidy and as you can see, the units brain is the GroovyGameGear GP-Wiz. The unit is manufactured with MDF and feels solid in construction and feel. T-molding adds a nice touch to the sides of the unit and comes with rubber feet for non-slipping during intense gameplay. The last photo shows the USB interface which comes care of the GP-Wiz. All appears great.

Upon closer inspection I see some wire clips have not been fastened properly which could have possibly lead to some inputs not registering. I quickly and painlessly rectified the small issue and all is great. There was a very tiny blemish on the finish which I have highlighted in the last photo below, not much but worth mentioning.

Testing:

Plug in the USB cable and away I go, (insert record scratch) - it didn't go that smoothly.

I will state right here that it was NOT a fault of the unit, more MY FAULT. This is where I embarrass myself. --> read on.

When I plugged in the Super Single, I went straight to the 'Game Controller' properties in Control Panel. It shows the GP-Wiz right away. It also lists my existing Saitek joystick as well.

I start my current Mame distro (mame32), set the joystick controller in 'Default Game Options'. I crank up 1942, and nothing....argh. I then tried manually mapping the inputs via TAB button and nothing. After some playing around in 'Game Controller' properties in Windows XP Control Panel, I discovered the 'Advanced' button. Listed here is the option of 'preferred device' this was set to my old USB joystick and was preventing the Super Single from working correctly. I simply changed the preferred device and presto.

After some simple button mapping in mame I had quickly configured it to how I like it. Then it was time to play some games. Plays Robotron 2084 fantastically. :o)

The sanwa joystick have a short throw compared to the usual MCA style joysticks many arcade operators in Australia use. I am still getting used to them, but do like them. The buttons are super quick and responsive.

Conclusion:

I am very impressed with the Super Single, OzStick's unit is very well constructed and so far all is good. I would have no qualms about recommending OzStick's products to anyone in the market for a desktop controller. OzStick stocks many parts related to arcade and is the sole Australasian distributor of Ultimarc products.

Chris Wigg from OzStick can be contacted via email info@ozstick.com.au
or by visiting the web site: http://www.ozstick.com.au

Pictures:

* (Plus) is not a product name from OzStick, just a name given by me for my customisation/variation of the Super Single.

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