SlikStick products ARE expensive, but they are top quality. X-Arcade is generally considered to be made of "cheaper" parts, but still better than many knock-off products. The SlikStick stuff is made to be an exact duplicate for actual arcade machines that need extreme durability to last in arcades, the X-Arcade stuff is less durable, but by no means does that mean that it will break or anything, just that the switched won't last as long, but should still last longer than most people would care, and they are super cheap and easy to swap out down the road if need be as well.
So, if money isn't falling out of your pockets, and as long as you don't have an actual arcade machine to compare the button clicks to, go for the X-Arcade and save a few bucks.
As for HotRod (didn't mean to leave them out), they are the original "arcade controler for a PC" people. Solid products. I would put HotRod above X-Arcade for quality, but under SlikStick for options.
All of these are plug and play once you have MAME installed. MAME will recognize these controllers out of the box and work wonderfully.
Good luck!
