My gaming New Year's resolution was to get good at fighting games again and as a little sweetener, I bought myself a new stick. It was a Razer Atrox and lasted 15 minutes before breaking.

I can see three possibilities for a replacement:

MadCatz Tournament Edition

Hori Real Arcade Pro VX SA

Qanba Q4RAF

I'm PC mainly but have a PS3 and 360 laying around so the Qanba makes most sense to me because it works on all three platforms. Not a deal breaker though, as I think I've only got SF2 HD on 360.

Thoughts duders? I've had cheap sticks before and honestly thought I was better off with a gamepad ... on the other hand I'm not ion the market for a super expensive custom stick. My heart says the MadCatz TE but they seem rare over here now (UK).

@dave_tacitus: I use a Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 SA (the PS3 version) mainly on the PC and it's served me adamantly for nearly three years. The build quality is excellent, the buttons and stick all still feel really responsive, and although the body is a little bulky it still feels fine to have on your lap. My only real complaint is the position of the start button on the right hand side, which can (and has) been pushed by accident a few times ruining combos and what not. I'd still highly recommend it though if you can get one for a decent price.

@chumley_marchbanks:

The HRAP is £140 (for the 360 version, the PS3 is out of stock) on Amazon, which is the same as I can get a modded Q4RAF for. Dunno how much you paid for yours but I'm suspecting it was cheaper.

Has it got a hardwired connection? The Razer stick, which seemed really good when I opened it up, had a detachable cable and the connection was the part which failed.

I'm going to have to ask this but... How did you manage to break the Atrox? It's not covered by Razer's warranty? Can't replace any parts?

MadCatz Tournament Edition, has done me proud for many a year has taken a kicking in that time too.

Yeah that seems odd. Razer usually give a year or two of warranty and you can easily replace the actual joystick or buttons.

As for sticks, it barely matters generally, they all use the same parts. The Qanba is the best value for money as it works on multiple consoles, so you should get that.

It was an Amazon Warehouse deal and Razer haven't been in contact since I spoke to them about an exchange on Friday. Amazon don't have any Warehouse stock left so it's going back for a refund.

The stick initially worked fine then went dead and the cable started to get hot. I unplugged it and let things cool down and after that the slightest movement on the connector made the stick die again. It's either a cable problem or the connector on the stick but the heating up worried me.

@dave_tacitus: Yes, it is hardwired, and I've had no connection problems on either PC or PS3. I got mine for around £90, so £140 is a bit steep compared to other sticks like you say. But if you can find one for cheaper I'd still highly recommend it.

I've also been looking at getting a fight stick but I would want one which works on everything or at least as much as possible. PC, PS4, Xone, PS3, 360, etc. As I understand it the Playstation and PC stuff is usually fine but Microsoft is less open with that stuff. Then I have to consider if it's better to have a stick which does it all or a stick which does a lot and a converter for the rest.

I'd prefer something which is built to last and uses quality buttons/switches/etc.

It would also be advantageous if said equipment could be bought in Europe so I don't have to accrue massive taxes by importing from the USA or Asia.

@chumley_marchbanks: Yep, I suspected they were cheaper a few years ago. Been reading loads of articles (from when they were released) saying that the MadCatz TE is great value and I'm struggling to find one under £200!

@hassun: The only off the shelf one I've seen is the Qanba stick I linked to earlier.

I've had the Hori V3 SA KAI since august last year and played maybe 200~ hours of SF4 on it. Works like a charm, feels sturdy as hell and I've had no issues with hardware or drivers. Played on both PC and PS3. My first stick though, so I suppose some grain of salt considering it's literally setting the bar for me. As far as my knowledge goes it's a definite recommendation.

I have the Qanba Q4 RAF and I couldn't recommend it more. The only really issue is the placement of the start button, but unless you're sloppy with your execution, you should never hit it by accident. Works great on 360, PS3 and PC. However I use 360 mode on the PC as you get the button prompts. I got mine from a place called Gremlin Solutions in the UK, they've now become Arcade World UK.

I'm currently waiting on my order of a HORI Real Arcade Pro 4 Kai from Amazon for the PS4/PS3. I picked up an import of Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- on PS4 and it feels weird using a pad. I did also get the PS3 version in the valentines sale on the US PSN and I play so much better with a stick. However the PS4 version looks so much better and with Ultra Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V coming out plus Injustice: Gods Among Us already there I figured a PS4 stick was the way to go.

@giromindtricks: Thanks. I'll probably go for the Qanba when my Amazon refund comes through - Still no answer from Razer so I chucked the stick in the post back to Amazon this morning. PS3 versions of the HRAP seem as common as rocking horse shit (and I'd like a PS3 compatible stick if possible because most of my console fighting games live there) and you make a good point about button prompts on PC with a 360 stick.

EDIT - Heh, I've just had an email from Razer saying I can RMA the Atrox for a replacement a few hours after I sent it back to Amazon.

I've just said buhbye to the only £90 Sanwa stick I could find, in other words.

I've been using the exact same stick for two years now with no complaints. I use it on both PS3 and PC with no issue at all. It's also my first stick so maybe I don't know any better.

Finally got my hands on the Q4RAF. Really impressed with it so far.

In the future every SF tournament will be on PS4 so a PS4 would last the longest

The Skullgirls devs have made a custom firmware to enable PS3 sticks to be used on PS4 versions of the game. Maybe other studios will follow suit?

I've got no plans to buy a PS4 anyway so it's a moot point for me.

@dave_tacitus: grats on the stick duder. I use a Qanba Fusion Ivory myself which I graduated up from the Mad Catz TE1 to get. It's an awesome stick. NRS announced yesterday that PS3 compatible sticks will work on MKX for PS4, so that's a bonus. Add me on Steam (HippieGenocide) or PSN (TheNewBlack) if you want to play some matches.

@hippie_genocide: Cheers man, will do - greenspagbol on Steam. It'll take me a while to get up to speed (last fighting game I put serious hours into was Tekken 5!) and I've spent the last few days buying games - Ultra SF4, Tekken 6, Tekken Tag 2, DOA5 on PS3 and a ton of older stuff on Steam.

I'll need to narrow things down to one or two then learn them properly...