Super Advantage

Description

The Super Advantage is an officially licensed Super Nintendo arcade stick manufactured by Asciiware, designed to replicate the feel of arcade controls at home. It features an eight‑direction joystick, auto‑fire and turbo sliders, and a “slow” button that simulates rapid start‑button presses for certain games.

This controller was marketed as the SNES counterpart to the NES Advantage, offering a larger, desk‑mounted form factor for fighting games and arcade conversions. Unlike the NES Advantage’s rotary knobs, the Super Advantage uses sliders to adjust turbo speed, giving players more granular control.

There are two versions of this product, mostly difference is some grey buttons being replaced with purple, which reflects the US NTSC hardware colour scheme. Both feature the PAL SNES/Super Famicom colour scheme for its main buttons. The versions had minor packaging differences but had the same UPC, so the differences may reflect regional market localisation.

While sturdier than a standard gamepad, the device delivers more of a “gamepad feel in an arcade stick shell” rather than true arcade‑grade components. It uses membrane switches, like standard controller gamepads. Quality arcade hardware, including for the home market, utilises micro switches. In practice, the choice comes down to feel and longevity. Membrane buttons are quieter and cheaper, but can sometimes fail to register if pressed off‑center. Microswitch buttons are louder and more expensive, but they provide clear feedback and are easier to service.