N64 joysticks

[Wuldntuliktono]

Just curious as to how many joysticks everybody has gone through over the years. I just had to switch yo a new controller since my old one is at the point now it barely even works. I have to say having a tight stick on a basically unused controller is like night and day for alot of levels. I personally have only gone through 2 over the years and im guessing that pretty low.

[DYM]

I've only gone through 6-8 since January 2008 (around 5000-6000 hours invested since to the best of my estimate), almost all of which were in a 8/10 condition when first used and disposed off only when they became almost unusable (so a point where even a sharp turn with a lot of force exerted on the stick would result in an ugly turn), stopped moving in one direction, started to randomly turn by itself and in one bizarre case, snapped off during a run. I did clean a couple of sticks before - you'd be amazed at how much powder accumulates inside the box that houses the stick and other plastic components. How quick they've worn off for me depended on a number of factors, the main of which is obviously the amount of 'stick action' or movement required in the level. A turn like the Facility entire left one down the stairs in the beginning ruins it pretty quickly.

[rhakiath]

I haven't really worn them down too significantly, but have used 3 different ones excluding a gamecube stick. The newer ones are way better, but each stick tends to have a slightly different resistance pattern, I noticed one was better for playing Caverns agent because it only required a very light touch to the left which made the spiral easier.

I recommend cleaning the bowl and gears as soon as you get one, and I like to lubricate the bowl and stick with graphite powder, preferably taking the time to work it in so it doesn't fall out of the bowl. It might not improve the action of the stick by that much, but it will certainly improve the lifespan of the controller by a good bit. I like to reapply periodically as well. A brand new bowl won't hold the graphite in place well, but one with some scratches and wear will usually benefit. I haven't found any white powder inside after about 2-3 months of playing an hour a day average after using this method.

I have also gotten a loose stick to feel better by using a similar method to Illu's string trick, but using teflon tape around the ball of the stick to make it feel tighter. I can't say if it made the controller better for speedrunning and it didn't last more than a couple months, but it built up the spot where it sat and worked fine.

Ultimately, since the original sticks are crucial to speedrunning, it's worth it to protect them, especially the good ones.

[AZ]

4 or 5 since I joined. My current controller that I have been using since maybe 2009 or so is like a 5/10 with the L button not working, two or three screws are missing and a jammed Z button (that game rage ). Fortunately, I do have spare controllers with 10/10 and 8/10 sticks.

[Retrix]

All of my original controllers are shot. Mostly from casual N64 over the past 20 years, but I had one snap during a move, one dropped by someone, and two worn to 4/10 or lower from constant spin action for three years. Bought a 10/10 stick but saving it for a rainy day.

Haven't invested more than a few hundred hours in GE/PD though

[JDBlack21]

I've gone through 4 in 8 months lmao

[poonjahbee]

lol Does breaking the stick count because I've managed to break a couple in game rage moments were the broken peace was either lost for a bit or on the other side of the room. On another note I did change to my 9/10 stick but then quickly put the old one back in because I guess the older stick wasnt as bad as I thought at first Also I've tried white lethium greasing my sticks but when I do it would appear the sticks wear out to completely unusable rather quickly so I stopped doing that. So I feel like I've been through about 3 the old fashioned way. For a total of 5. Almost seems like a lot of sticks for a little over a year of playing. Again 

[deletedprofile.u]

(I still use this one!  )

But yeah...aside from the 2 original controllers I have from 1996, I've gone through an additional 3 controllers since I joined speedrunning as a whole. Never abused any of my gear until this moment above, lol.

I still have a 10/10 still wrapped, a 9/10, and two or three 8-9/10s. I'm set for a long time