Typewriter Resurrected As Retro-Stylish Fight Stick

[Earnest Cavalli]

Typewriter Resurrected As Retro-Stylish Fight Stick

As office machines, typewriters are passé. As fighting game controllers, typewriters are surprisingly attractive.

An SRK forum member using the SNK-esque nom de Internet "NeoBlood" recently shared a pictorial walkthrough of his latest modding project with the site. His goal: Turn a $5 antique store typewriter into a modern fighting stick.

Surprisingly, the mod seems relatively simple, assuming you know your way around a dremel tool and are comfortable ripping apart Cold War-era productivity machines.

NeoBlood's summary even says as much. "All in all I'm surprised this project actually came out as well as it did, considering there was no real planning to it," he writes.

"I just found stuff I thought would work, and it did."

I'm particularly taken with this mod simply because it avoids the cliche so many DIY projects fall into. It's simple, functional, and utilizes technology that is, at once, archaic yet recent enough to be instantly familiar.

Unfortunately, it seems that NeoBlood is eyeing a future steeped in exactly the sort of cliches I just vaguely railed against. "My next idea might be to make a steam-punk arcade stick using old telegraph parts," he adds.

Still, I'm willing to praise his work up until the moment he starts adding unnecessary brass flourishes and manufactured patina to things. If for no other reason than I love how clicky this stick is.


A round of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 on this thing would sound like a treble-heavy recreation of the Normandy landing. Clicky, clickity clack, Hadouken! Clickity, clack clackity, Drill Claw! I would never get tired of that.

Source: GameSetWatch [http://www.shoryuken.com/forum/threads/royal-companion-arcade-stick.102956/]


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[Smiles]

My sister would be so shocked and appalled that someone would do that to a perfectly good typewriter

 

[Covarr]

Fighting games aren't the only games in arcades. Pacman, Defender and the like were using such controls before fighting games existed. It's hardly fair to call it a "fight stick" just because modern fans aren't creative enough to think of other genres of games to use it on.

P.S. Thanks

 

[Earnest Cavalli]

Fighting games aren't the only games in arcades. Pacman, Defender and the like were using such controls before fighting games existed. It's hardly fair to call it a "fight stick" just because modern fans aren't creative enough to think of other genres of games to use it on.

You're right, but the six-button layout this thing sports was popularized and utilized almost exclusively by Capcom's Street Fighter series, its sequels, offshoots and followers. Thus, it's a fight stick.

Plus, the story originated in the forums of a fighting game website named for Ryu's signature uppercut. It couldn't be more of a "fight stick" if it came to your house and hit you in the face with a brick.

 

[FalloutJack]

What happens when the typewriter runs out of space and goes "CHING!"?

 

[Valagetti]

Whoever thought of that idea, must of also been responsible for the peanut butter n' chocolate combo!

 

[Valagetti]

What happens when the typewriter runs out of space and goes "CHING!"?

RELOAD!

 

[Earnest Cavalli]

What happens when the typewriter runs out of space and goes "CHING!"?

RELOAD!

I was gonna say "Delayed Team Hyper Combo," but this works too.