Installing the GRS Tron Arcade Flight Stick in the AtGames Legends Ultimate home arcade

I installed the GRS Tron Arcade Flight Stick in my AtGames Legends Ultimate. In order to make it work with the Legends Ultimate, I also needed to purchase the GRS Tron Compatible Upgrade Kit, which includes a second Tron stick that fits the cabinet better, a swappable balltop joystick, screws (these are for the Sam’s Club Special Edition, if you have the Walmart/Standard Edition it appears you need #10-32 x 3/4 screws), and cabling.

I’ll talk through the photos, but the best thing to do is watch Mr. GRS himself, Glen Planamento, as well as Doug “Cooltoy”, for quality how-to videos on the specifics of the install.

After unpacking the upgrade kit, I removed the control panel from the Legends Ultimate. Per usual, this is simply a matter of unscrewing four screws and removing the cable attachments.

The bottom panel under the control panel also has four easy-to-remove screws.



With the bottom panel removed, it’s just a matter of unscrewing the balltop and then unscrewing the four screws holding the joystick assembly in place. To remove the balltop you just place a flathead screwdriver on the bottom of the joystick shaft and twist the knob (sounds dirtier than it actually was).



So, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t do something bone-headed with even a simple DIY project like this one. I removed the Player 1 joystick instead of the Player 2 joystick.

With a recent firmware update, you can now go into the software and set all kinds of control mirroring options, e.g., use the Player 2 controls instead of Player 1 controls for single-player games. That’s why it makes sense to have a specialty joystick like this one in the Player 2 position.



After re-installing the original Player 1 joystick, I then removed the Player 2 joystick like I was planning on doing in the first place.



I then attached the new joystick box, making sure to orientate everything correctly.



I put the sticker on the Tron joystick and slid it into the shaft.



When you insert the Tron joystick, you need to pull the wires out the bottom. The wires are necessary to connect to the existing B button as well to the supply power for the Tron joystick’s blue LEDs.



Then it was just a matter of using the included wiring harness to connect the various interconnects. This was tricky in a few places and needle nose pliers helped to pull out some of the connections.



The Y connection with the Player 2 B button. This allows both the control panel’s standard B button to work at the same time as the trigger button on the Tron joystick.



And a quick test. All good.



Putting it all back together.



How you plug the wires back in when re-inserting the control panel into the cabinet.

Now, for bone-headed move number two. The joystick was very loose in the shaft and would lift right out if I pulled up in any way. After scratching my head for a bit and wondering if this was how it was supposed to work (of course it wasn’t), I again referred back to the videos and printed instructions and realized I didn’t lock the plate at the bottom of the joystick. So, back to taking most of it apart again…



It’s important to make sure the piece above the shaft there locks the bottom of the joystick in place.

Now, for bone-headed move number three, which, spoiler alert, fortunately was my last one, I didn’t lock it in place correctly at first. The joystick barely moved. With a correct twist, it both locked in place, i.e., wouldn’t lift up and out anymore, and moved freely in the expected directions.



Now, it’s right. Time to seal it all up. Again.



It indeed works great now. I tested it for authentic-style arcade play in Tron, Satan’s Hollow, and Zaxxon, of course doing the necessary control mirroring and button remapping as needed.

So, what are my thoughts so far? For one, it seems to be a quality product that’s pretty easy to install, even for someone without good intuition for this kind of stuff like me. While the included instructions could be better (again, pair those with the two videos for the complete picture), and I would prefer there to be a single dedicated kit for the Legends Ultimate rather than all the leftover stuff you have from buying both items, it’s still a generally straightforward process overall and reasonably priced.

Now, while it does include the option to swap out the Tron joystick for the included balltop (no light, no second button), that part is arguably not the quickest and most straightforward process (though I acknowledge I’m not sure how to make it any easier). I think I’m going to leave it the way it is as a dedicated flight stick on the Player 2 side, at least until I personally have consistent two-players-at-once gaming requirements. If I do reach that point, I think I’ll just leave the bottom cover off the control panel so I have easy access to the wiring and shaft, since to switch you both need to unplug the two connections and also twist the current joystick up and out.

As for the joystick itself, it is a good, light flight stick, but for those of us who rarely use such things, there is an adjustment period. This is a gourmet control option after all, so you need to acquire the taste for it as it were. Practice may not make perfect, but it will make for comfort in use.

The only other thing I’ll say is that the blue LED light is a bit too bright for my tastes, especially towards the bottom of the shaft. I may look into some type of black wrap for the bottom portion to mute the brightness a bit. Still, most arcades, and even most home arcades, are nothing if not a bit flashy, so it’s not exactly out of place.

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