I'm too old and jaded to believe "the hype" any more. Be it hype for the latest blockbuster film or high profile videogame. X-Arcade Joysticks are nothing new. They've been reviewed a billion times by a billion publications. I haven't come across a negative review. How can this be? I decided to take things into my own hands (pun intended) and see what all the raves were about for myself. Forget what you've heard and read elsewhere, this is the real review, the only one you'll ever need. This is a review for the 15-pound, made of bullet proof and "pro" arcade materials X-Arcade Dual Joystick (for those couldn't read the title). My creative question upon plugging in was: does X mark the spot?

Playing MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) with an X-Arcade Dual Joystick is about as close to playing real arcade games as you can get. The claim is that the buttons and joystick are made with real arcade parts and they truly feel that way. I've had other sticks in the past crap out on me from prolonged use and abuse. I bashed, I mean tested, the X-Arcade Dual Joystick on numerous games, especially shooters. Everything held up perfectly like an arcade stick on a $2000 cab (arcade cabinet) would. I was pleased and impressed. When I first began using the X-Arcade Dual Joystick it was a bit too tight. With little trouble I was able to loosen it which made gameplay much more enjoyable. Why it came so tight is beyond me.

I tried the X-Arcade Dual Joystick with every videogame genre MAME supports and was pleased with the results across the board. I'm a huge 2D vertical and horizontal shooter fan so naturally I gravitated towards all the classics like Raiden and R-Type. There's no better way to play. Because you can replace parts easily (so I'm told) I really went to town. No alien invader was safe I tell you! The button layout accommodates all the classic Capcom and SNK fighters. If you're a Mortal Kombat 3 orUltimate MK3 fan fear not, they even have a Run button in place too. The joystick has an oval head as opposed to the round heads you'd find on a Pac-Man cab. I prefer this style of joystick and it works well with all of the games I tried.