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At the beginning on September this year I was contacted by a new company marketing a competitor to the largely popular DJ Dao beatmania IIDX arcade style controller. As a new comer to the arcade style controller market (now alongside Dao, Desktop Arcade and Konami), it was hard for me to initially realize what their impact would be. Their controllers have many of the same options made available to it's main competitor (USB power, lighted turntable and keys, optional Sanwas, clean presentation) at a slightly higher price. I set out to get more of a hands on opinion and received my controller the first week of September.

Before I start with my actual review, I will state that I am by no means the best beatmania IIDX player. I can pass most 10s and my scores peak at about AA on most 7s or 8s. I had grown extremely used to playing on a Konami Arcadestyle controller since the release of IIDX 8th style several years ago, it was to the point where I honestly preferred the feel of it to that of the arcade. Needless to say, this fact made me a bit hesitant to switch over to a new controller based on the arcade feel.

When I received the package containing the controller I was pleasantly surprised by how well it was packaged for shipping. It came inside of 2 cardboard boxes, the inner of the two containing the controller itself surrounded by high quality molded bubble/foam packaging. There was no room for the controller to move and it was so well padded that I couldn't fathom how it would be damaged in shipping. The controller (much like DJ Dao) came packaged with a PS2/Serial adapter, and I also received the optional hand cushion add on.

The first thing I checked on the controller was the quality of the turntable. You never hear too many issues regarding the buttons themselves unless they're an off brand modified to feel like a Sanwa. I was immediately blow away by how incredibly smooth the turntable functioned. The material feels just like that of the arcade turntable and offers just enough grip to pinky-scratch with no issues. The movement is very fluid but not so much so that it spins entirely with one push. It's very easy to scratch back and forth during fast turntable sections and it remains responsive throughout. The turntable control mechanism is said to be custom designed.

Back to the buttons, my controller came equipped with Sanwas (available optionally for all controllers) and being brand new they were super responsive and made gameplay extremely comfortable. The keys still haven't been broken in, and the Omron switches are obviously brand new. Either way they felt great and helped increase my scores on many songs by a full letter grade. The button panel is also flippable allowing for 1 or 2P side play.

Presentation wise the controller is absolutely stunning. The beveled area underneath the turntable is made of brushed aluminum with frosted acrylic underneath that. The turntable lights replicate the arcade look perfectly. The decals that came with the controller for the turntable are a printed design attached to about a quarter-inch thick acrylic circle, attached with double sided tape. The GOLD design that was included with mine is a rather clever and well made design although not quite as attractive as the standard arcade turntable decal.

All of the buttons include ultra-bright red L.E.D.s which look fantastic when depressed during gameplay. All of the lights are powered via USB (which needs to be plugged in for the controller to work, meaning no PS1 use) in the same manner as the DJ Dao controller, no need for external power. The panels underneath the keys and turntables are emulative of the arcade style and look fantastic. My only real complaint about the overall setup would be that the start and select buttons are flipped from the way that the Konami ASC has them. This is a minor issue and I have had no problem adjusting thus far. The hand cushion attachment is slightly irritating to attach (you unscrew the side panel screws and then re-attach the braces with them) but once it's on it functions great and feels just like that of the arcade cabinet's.

The construction of the case itself is extremely sturdy, made of wood, metal and a gloss black acrylic plating. It has a comfortable weight for lap play, and feels like it could withstand a bit of abuse (if you're the kind of person to be a little bit rough with your controllers). Inside of the controller is well organized with clean cable management, and plenty of room to move if for any reason you need to make repairs yourself. It also comes with attached rubber feet to prevent movement if playing on a smooth surface (not that it should move much given it's weight).

All in all, this is a very solidly built piece of equipment definitely geared towards the more serious IIDX enthusiast. I can't speak for it's quality versus that of the newer DJ Dao controllers (granted I would love to do a comparison if I ever come into possession of one of their comparable products) but even at a higher price point versus the features boasted on both websites I can see how the DJ Ning arcade style controllers would make an excellent alternative. They are an easy company to contact as well, making negative support issues potentially non-existant. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this controller to anyone looking for a top of the line arcade IIDX experience.

Pros:

• Extremely attractive design
• Durable construction
• Responsive and comfortable turntable
• High quality buttons and switches
• Flippable key panel
• Good, functional weight
• Excellent representation of the arcade experience
• Includes PS2/Serial adapter for use with PC Simulators

• Awkward Start/Select button placement
• Slightly more expensive than the competition
• Not as customizable as alternatives
• Shorter than usual Controller/USB cable

Source: http://www.dj-ning.com/