Aqua Jet is available now as part of Hamster's Arcade Archive range, bringing Namco's 1996 jet ski coin-op to the home for the very first time.
Arcade buff @yggdrasill_SIM / AEX-RYU has revealed that he was involved with play testing the Arcade Archives conversion (thanks, @ohfivepro), and has shown off video footage of a bespoke prototype controller he made which replicates the motion controls of the original cabinet.
The tester uses the port's 'motion sensor' control method, and combines it with a controller that he "dug up and readjusted, which was prototyped when we were exploring whether Aqua Jet could be operated in a small shop back in the day."
AEX-RYU says that, using this home-made device, he was able to "closely replicate the control feel" of the original game. "I didn’t show my whole body, but the play posture is exactly like Aqua Jet itself. When I attached a pad to it, I was surprised at how it felt almost exactly like playing back then."
He notes that "due to the nature of motion sensors, up-and-down operations feel more like forward-and-back tilting rather than vertical movement, so if the response feels sluggish."
Still, he's blown away by the fact that Hamster and Bandai Namco have released this conversion. "To think such a wonderful port would be made—ACA is truly amazing! It’s incredible, appreciated, and delightful. The difficulty is designed for a large-scale motion-based arcade, so it might feel lacking, but this game is especially fun this season, so why not take this opportunity to give it a try?"