Custom Joystick 4 direction (+)

Hey guys, I would want to make a joystick that moves in the shape of +, I mean, up, down, right and left, all the way to each side for making a retro arcade game. Right now I'm using 4 buttons and I've also tried a normal joystick, but I don't like the sensation of the handle dragging along with your finger in a continuous movement.

Apreciate any help or ideas.

Notice that we are complete newbies.

Thank you so much in advance.