TaoStyx64
Tao Bio-Nylon Gate (with Heat Set Nut + Locking Phillips Screw Pre-installed)
Tao Bio-Nylon Gate (with Heat Set Nut + Locking Phillips Screw Pre-installed)
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NOTE: Please realize that 3D printed anything is not as precise as original OEM parts which have been injection molded. While these gates are excellent for casual play, don't expect perfection when it comes to speedrunning. Sometimes, people get lucky with a speedrunning quality gate, but think of these as a more durable "premium casual" player option. OEM gates are more precise, but these can be more durable with the right setup. Smash players don't seem to need the notch precision that SM64 speedrunners need, so these could work for intermediate tourney players. If you have a "good" or new OEM gate, consider it more precise in shape than this. If you can't get access to a good OEM gate, then this is a great option compared to a badly worn gate.
This type of gate is printed in a high resolution, but slightly lower resolution than the "Hi-Res" Tao nylon gates. These are printed in sustainable bio-based nylon. I notice that this nylon feels slightly more slippery than the other kind, which is good for lubricity of the material. You will notice more appearance of layer lines on curved surfaces, especially on the gray gate.
Nylon Gate Grade descriptions:
The spherical portion of the joystick interacts with the central hole in the N64 "gate." The gates are graded for optimum fit with sticks from various makers. They were previously graded with letters, but this implied that the letters beyond A weren't of high quality. This was not true, so the new grading system will be more useful for finding a gate for your purposes.
OUDINI GRADE (formerly B+ undersized): for oudini sticks 1.2-1.4.
BREW GRADE
BREW GRADE (formerly A- undersized): for brew sticks released in module sales.
OEM SPEC GRADE (formerly A+): fits new OEM sticks perfectly and mimics the size of the OEM central hole.
SS64 Grade (formerly A- oversized): for old run SS64 joysticks released pre-N64 renaissance.
Note: If Oudini Grade gates run out of stock, the Brew Grade gates will function just fine as an alternative.
Stick Sphere Size Comparison:
Old runs of SteelSticks64 joysticks are over-sized compared to OEM at 7.11mm in the sperical portion of the joystick.
Oudini and Brewstix joysticks are undersized compared to OEM (at 6.90 and 6.93mm, respectively) in the spherical portion of the stick which interacts with the central hole of the gate.
New OEM sticks are 7.00mm at the "sphere."
Tao Bronze and nylon joysticks vary widely between 6.93mm to 7.05mm. I recommend measuring the sphere of your bronze or nylon stick with calipers and writing the measurement in the "memo" and I'll do my best to fit a gate to your particular stick.
For nylon sticks, I recommend bronze centered gates.
The categories are assigned to match these
Regarding Gate colors: see the tab below to get some description of the colors. These colors do not always match OEM shell colors.
Material
Material
Super tough nylon with a stainless steel screw.
Gate Grade Descriptions
Gate Grade Descriptions
Grade A+ = The central hole of the gate fits to OEM spec. The OEM gate hole has a tiny amount of clearance for a 7.00mm stick. The hole is usually around 7.05mm for OEM spec brand new gates. Grade A+ gates have a central hole that perfectly matches OEM sized sticks.
Not every gate comes out like this, thus they are priced accordingly.
Grade A- (undersized) = The central hole fits tight with an OEM stick (basically right at 7.00mm), but should still be able to handle an OEM spec stick with a 7.00mm ball diameter without getting stuck in the notches. If there is diagonal notch sticking, this could be likely remedied by grease in the central hole of the gate. If your play style is such that you don't remove your thumb from the joystick, the diagonal notch sticking will likely not be bothersome at this grade, if it's even there at all. Oudini and Brewstix joysticks will not get stuck in the diagonals with this grade, and should function well.
Grade B+ (undersized) = The central hole fits tight (below 7.00mm), and an OEM spec stick will definitely get stuck if it has a typical 7.00mm ball diameter. This kind of gate actually could be beneficial for Oudini sticks and Brew sticks which tend to have a ball diameter near 6.90mm-6.93mm. This could remedy some looseness with the Oudini and Brew sticks. If you are using a stick with an OEM sized or greater spherical portion, expect poor performance.
EXPERIMENTAL = New production method, results need feedback. Priced accordingly.
Color Descriptions
Color Descriptions
The camera and the screen from which you are viewing these colors will make them appear different than in real life.
These descriptions are a feeble attempt to give useful information about the colors available.
Black: A satin black that is slightly shiny. This goes very well with the easy-to-achieve black dyed buttons. This would look great in any setup, in my opinion.
White: A matte white that has no shine whatsoever (matte). This would go well with white buttons.
Red: This is a satin red. It is somewhat of a lighter red and does not perfectly match the red shell color (see photos)
Blue: This is a satin blue. I would say that this color is powder blue color which is very pleasant. It does not match the color of the blue N64 controller shell, but could go well with a blue controller scheme.
Orange: This is a matte medium orange. I'd say it has the hue of an orange peel with a touch less vibrancy. It matches the Daiei Hawks shell pretty nicely in my opinion.
Green: This is a matte yellow-green color. This color doesn't match Jungle Green or opaque Green Controller shells, but would look nice with the appropriate color scheme. Even though it doesn't match jungle green, I think they look good together.
Yellow: This is a matte vibrant yellow color. This color matches the opaque yellow shell quite well in my opinion. It could also be used to offset a dark blue shell.
