Sega Genesis Arcade Power Stick

The competition… NES Advantage.

The Sega Genesis Arcade Power Stick was Sega’s answer to the NES Advantage. It’s a cool little piece of hardware for your Genesis and owning one instantly improves your credibility as a hardcore gamer. Get 2 of them and you can battle a friend in some classic arcade style games in true arcade fashion. Is it really worth the money though? Well, I found this at a use video game store for only $5 in 2011, so I would say yes. But read on to learn more.

The Power Stick is not a very popular accessory and is often lost in the shuffle with all of the crazy and odd first and third party accessories being released in the early ‘90s. Popular or not, it adds that extra level of authenticity for anyone who wants it. The NES Advantage was a popular accessory and very similar to the Power Stick in weight, feel, and size.

Featured on the Power Stick is a large multidirectional joystick with a giant ball on the top, just like on an arcade cabinet. This joystick feels very strong and sturdy and one can only hope that it’s as responsive as an actual arcade joystick. The entire piece feels extremely sturdy. It is very heavy (probably 2 to 3 pounds) and has 6 large rubber pads on the bottom to keep it from sliding were you to have it on your coffee table or something flat and hard. There are 3 main buttons: A, B, and C. These buttons are very large and easy to hit, which is a nice feature considering arcade cabinets also featured large buttons. There are 3 MEGAFIRE buttons located right above A, B, and C. To engage the MEGAFIRE buttons, there is a MEGAFIRE speed adjuster located at the top of the Power Stick. You can adjust it from Minimum to Maximum with a lot of room in between. The purpose and function of the MEGAFIRE buttons is to make it easier for gamers to perform things like “rapid fire” when playing certain games. It doesn’t, however, work very well as a jump button because it will make you jump over and over. I think the MEGAFIRE option is a little gimmicky and not all that useful, personally, but others would disagree. It certainly does help marketing the accessory though.

Notice the adjustable slider for MEGAFIRE speed plus the button layout.

So how does it function? I don’t think it’s a really useful item as it takes longer to move the joystick than to move my thumb on a d-pad. I used the hardware in the game Mortal Kombat, which is a classic fighting game with arcade-style elements. It works properly but the joystick part isn’t nearly as responsive as I would have hoped. A normal controller works quite well for any game and I found there to be no real advantage by using the Sega Genesis Arcade Power Stick.

Pros:

–          By owning this you instantly have “the look” of a hardcore gaming fanatic!

–          The feel: It feels extremely sturdy and looks great!

–          Arcade fans will love the ability to emulate their favorite arcade titles right in their house.

–          The rubber studs on the bottom help keep it from sliding, further enhancing the arcade experience.

–          Long cord provides ample distance between you and your Mega Drive.

–          Inexpensive.

Cons:

–          Not all that functional and responsive even when used in the right game.

–          Not that easy to find. But when you find it, it’s not that expensive.

–          Not really necessary and doesn’t make any games much better.

–          It is heavy (some might view that as a good thing).

–          Very large and awkwardly shaped. Storing this thing away isn’t all that easy.

If you’re on the fence about getting one, I would consider maybe waiting until you came across it at a yard sale or used video game store. It’s not a necessary item for you, but if you’re a fanatic like me (and The Cubist), then you know what you HAVE to do… go buy 4 Arcade Power Sticks right meow.

Reviewed by NerdBerry