With Street Fighter 5 coming out in a few hours and tons of other fighting games coming this year I figure a general arcade stick thread is appropriate. What kind of stick are you using? How do you like it? Would you recommend it to others?
I personally am still using the same PS3 WWE Brawl Stick from four years ago (damn time flies). Since that blog post I added a bat top and octo gate because I am not an animal.
The thing is great and I love the smaller form and weight but I am definitely looking to upgrade because who knows how many games are going to support PS3 sticks going forward. I currently have my eye on the Mad Catz Fightstick Alpha but want to wait and see what the consensus on it is first.
What would people recommend for someone who wants a pc fightstick for SFV? I don't want the most expensive stick but I also don't want a cheap one that won't preform well.
What would people recommend for someone who wants a pc fightstick for SFV? I don't want the most expensive stick but I also don't want a cheap one that won't preform well.
I was going to suggest picking up a WWE Brawlstick on the cheap and swapping out the buttons/stick with parts from a place like Focus Attack, but Brawlsticks might not be so cheap any more. A few years ago, I think they were trying to get rid of a lot of these THQ branded Madcatz sticks, but by now it may be that they're more of a rarity*.
*I say this based entirely off the fact that I checked Amazon for prices and it's only being sold from 3rd party dealers for a minimum of $145 (it was $60 when I got mine in 2013)
Been using my Hori Real Arcade Pro VX SA for years and it's still going strong. Unless it breaks down I'll likely continue to use it when SFVI eventually comes out.
Will be getting my new stick Wednesday. Until then I'm going to try using my old Street fighter x Tekken stick for the PS3. It supposedly works, but I've heard that the input lag might make it worth getting a PS4 stick. As I play other games on the PS4, that don't support old sticks, this one is long overdue. Also, considering I want to get back into MKX, I think this is a good purchase. I'm getting the Ryu Mad Catz TE 2 stick. I've heard the Shadaloo Version is also very good and might be more available. But in any case, if you are buying a new stick get your pre-orders in ASAP. Many orders have already been delayed to April due to insufficient stock.
They're red, so my hadoukens come out twice as fast.
I've got two of these Mad Catz TE S+ sticks. I'm no fight stick expert, but I like 'em. I used to play SF in the arcade a lot, so I bought these mostly out of nostalgia and familiarity. I hate doing any move that requires an LB or LT on a gamepad controller, my fingers just refuse to do it.
EDIT:
Oh and the sticks work great on PC and through Steam Link connected to a TV. Played some SFIV and MKX that way.
Yea I'm looking to buy a stick for the first time but I just don't know.. I want something that's entry level, not super expensive but not so cheap that I'll hate it in a year or that it breaks in a few months. I wanted to spend around $100 but it seems like it's going to be more like $150. Thinking about that Hori Real Arcade Pro thing that @gorillamopena mentioned. Open to suggestions though.
What would people recommend for someone who wants a pc fightstick for SFV? I don't want the most expensive stick but I also don't want a cheap one that won't preform well.
Exclusively for PC use? If so a 360 Hori stick with Sanwa parts runs you $120 plus shipping at Arcade Shock. I believe that is about as cheap as it gets at the moment for a stick with good parts.
Are PS3 peripherals on PS4 a system-level thing? Or is it game by game?
I ask because I have a Gran Turismo wheel I never used, and I'm wondering what the likelihood of it working may be.
It is game by game. You would need something like the Brook adapter to let your PS3 wheel work on PS4. Just be warned that those adapters require regular updates as Sony patches their system because they don't want people using old stuff.
@citizencoffeecake: The good news about arcade sticks is that while they have a massive upfront cost, they are a good long-term investment. My first stick was a piece of trash I paid like $60 for, for this PS2 stick and it was a horrible experience from beginning to end. I've since bought a couple of other arcade sticks that have both held up really well (one of them for several years, while the other is only like a year old), and if something were to break should be easy and cheap to swap out parts. Also arcade sticks usually take people months, to possibly YEARS (in my case) to get halfway decent with them, especially if you're used to pad! The muscle memory takes some time to build up. There's nothing more frustrating than clearly knowing what the right move is in a split-second decision, but then messing up and possibly losing as a result of that crucial moment.
However, what's important to note is that it's not at all necessary to play fighting games on an arcade stick. A good controller with a good d-pad is as good or possibly better, and in some ways more intuitive than a stick. Faster motions right off the bat, though takes time to get accurate with them. When I bought my first stick there was this myth at the time that a stick was just objectively better than pad; shortly thereafter lots of top players came out of nowhere and were winning tournaments left and right on a variety of pads. Also pads are a hell of a lot cheaper.
For brands, Qanba, Hori, and Madcatz are the most popular ones. $150 is kind of standard for a great stick that will last you for years. If you want to go the pad route, getting a good fighting game pad is recommended, the d-pads on them are good and you have more face buttons.
Or you can be weird like me and get a Hitbox. They're crazy to look at, but combine the speed of a pad with the more intuitive accuracy of an arcade stick. Actually are probably faster than a pad too. I felt like they had the lowest learning curve for me as a traditionally PC gamer.
Another thing to consider is who you're playing with, and where. If you play with friends a lot who are on stick, it can be useful to learn stick and be able to just pass the stick around. Same if they play on pad. If you live near an arcade, it also might be good to learn stick so when you go there you feel right at home.
Finally if you have friends who play fighting games, test out their sticks and/or pads. While it usually takes months at least to get used to a new control method completely, even in one sitting you can usually tell if it feels intuitive to you at all.
@internetdotcom:I just bought one of those in the last couple of months and so I can vouch for it. I especially like the design compared to the RAP 3(the cable actually fits in its compartment).
@citizencoffeecake: The good news about arcade sticks is that while they have a massive upfront cost, they are a good long-term investment. My first stick was a piece of trash I paid like $60 for, for this PS2 stick and it was a horrible experience from beginning to end. I've since bought a couple of other arcade sticks that have both held up really well (one of them for several years, while the other is only like a year old), and if something were to break should be easy and cheap to swap out parts. Also arcade sticks usually take people months, to possibly YEARS (in my case) to get halfway decent with them, especially if you're used to pad! The muscle memory takes some time to build up. There's nothing more frustrating than clearly knowing what the right move is in a split-second decision, but then messing up and possibly losing as a result of that crucial moment.
However, what's important to note is that it's not at all necessary to play fighting games on an arcade stick. A good controller with a good d-pad is as good or possibly better, and in some ways more intuitive than a stick. Faster motions right off the bat, though takes time to get accurate with them. When I bought my first stick there was this myth at the time that a stick was just objectively better than pad; shortly thereafter lots of top players came out of nowhere and were winning tournaments left and right on a variety of pads. Also pads are a hell of a lot cheaper.
For brands, Qanba, Hori, and Madcatz are the most popular ones. $150 is kind of standard for a great stick that will last you for years. If you want to go the pad route, getting a good fighting game pad is recommended, the d-pads on them are good and you have more face buttons.
Or you can be weird like me and get a Hitbox. They're crazy to look at, but combine the speed of a pad with the more intuitive accuracy of an arcade stick. Actually are probably faster than a pad too. I felt like they had the lowest learning curve for me as a traditionally PC gamer.
Another thing to consider is who you're playing with, and where. If you play with friends a lot who are on stick, it can be useful to learn stick and be able to just pass the stick around. Same if they play on pad. If you live near an arcade, it also might be good to learn stick so when you go there you feel right at home.
Finally if you have friends who play fighting games, test out their sticks and/or pads. While it usually takes months at least to get used to a new control method completely, even in one sitting you can usually tell if it feels intuitive to you at all.
Thanks for the reply man. I tried with pad for all of SFIV and I never felt like I could do the things the game was asking of me combo wise even though I've seen dudes do amazing stuff with pads in tournaments (i.e. Luffy). I've heard that the windows for links are a little more forgiving for SFV so we'll see.
That Hitbox thing is crazy and now I'm going to go look up some videos of people actually using it.
About a year ago I decided to buy my first arcade stick. The logical attitude would have been to buy a normal sized cheap stick but no that was not the path I went down. Instead I decided to pick up the Hori Viewlix. If I'm going to play a arcade game might as well have a full sized control panel in front of me.
I've enjoyed my time using it so far. It is rather noisy but I don't mind. I still haven't gotten good at using this compared to a gamepad.
used a Mad Catz SE with sanwa innards on the 360, but when i switched to PS4 i went with the Hori RAP4 Kai. I like it, but i think i might put some new buttons in it or something. i dunno.
Have a TE2 that I have taken the P4A artwork and plexi off of for now and currently covering the top with different band stickers. Might end up putting a new piece of art and get a new plexi one day but happy with it for now.
Thats my main sticks. Top is a Street Fighter IV Madcatz SE stick, modded with Sanwa parts. Right is a Qanba Q4 RAF, already with Sanwa parts. Left is a HORI RAP4 Kai again with Sanwa parts, I just didn't like the Hori parts, the buttons would squeak and the stick felt too light.
I mainly use the Qanba as it works on pretty much everything, and I play most of my games on PC. I also have an official Dreamcast stick, but I keep that around to play Capcom vs SNK as there isn't a good as or better version available elsewhere.
I figure this is as good a place as any to ask. Does anybody have experience with Art's Hobbies (http://www.tek-innovations.com/arthobbies/) cases? How is the long term durability and stuff? They seem like really cool cases and also I'm not finding too many options on buying a blank case I can put my own components into. I can handle wiring everything up and even do some soldering if I need to but I don't have the tools or knowledge for woodworking to make my own case.
Using the Hori RAP 4 Kai that @gorillamopena mentioned. It's been great so far. It was slightly more affordable ($130) when I bought it a few months ago, but it's still a much better value than any of the new MadCatz sticks. I owned that Taito VewLix stick for a little bit, and let me tell you THAT STICK IS TOO DAMN BIG.
Back when Virtua Fighter 5 first released on PS3 I imported the Virtua Stick High Grade and its been my favorite arcade stick ever since. I will probably buy a new stick that's more PS4 oriented soon though.
My pleb stick I bought for cheap. I don't really play fighting games anyway, but it's fun to use a stick for things like Tetris Grand Master and Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+.
@slay3r1583: The Tek-cases are pretty good if you want to fully customize the stick your way. I owned that stick for a good year or two and had very little issues.
The only thing I would say I dont like about the case is how light it is and the edges are real sharp. They won't cut you or anything but they are uncomfortable if you like to rest your wrist on the panel.
I too own a Quanba q4. It is maybe the best video-game-related purchase I've ever made. It took me a couple months to get used to it, but now I couldn't fathom going back to using a pad. Satisfying as all hell to play with, and I like the fact that in a pinch I could bludgeon a man to death with it in self-defense.
I'm thinking about picking up a smaller stick for guests as well, so I can convince other people to play Street Fighter with me.
It was also like 15 bucks cheaper when I bought it earlier.
I have two of these (Windjammers!) and they work fine! I think they are cool and I only have one complaint: Some of the buttons can squeek a little when pressed. You may want to put in Sanwa buttons at some point, I prefer their feel, but the little stick itself is AWESOME and I think unmatched.
A side note to the Hori Real Arcade Pro 4 Kai - in the US Hori offers a new version as of late. Hope it comes to Europe the coming weeks as well.
Main difference being that it comes with Xinput support which should make it work with SFV without AntiMicro or similar workarounds (it's also listed as PS4/PS3/PC compatible in contrast to the one on previous posted screenshot).
In addition it runs Hori Hayabusa buttons, which according to early online reviews seem to be noticeable improved over the previous Kai's Kuro buttons.
@slay3r1583: I heard that they're reliable but never bought anything from them myself. When I built my fully custom stick, I ended up buying a wood case from http://foehammershop.bigcartel.com/. Like you, I thought about building my own box but my total lack of woodworking knowledge put me off. They're really expensive, but the quality is impressive and the build as a whole ended up being a great project.
I got a MadCatz PS4 TE2 around the holidays that's been working great, feels quite sturdy and it's very mod-friendly and while I wish there was a headphone jack (for chatting with pals) I can probably live without it.
I will say that getting the wires off the buttons to swap them out was a nightmare and I had to tape one of the wires back onto its contact so I guess have a steady hand if you want to mod it!
Here's my ~$60 custom built, all-Sanwa (except select-start-home which are generic whatevers) made by Poongko's brother (or friend or something, relations don't always translate so well, I live in Korea.)
The insides with plenty of room for a brick if you need more weight:
@grimnacho: Are you buying it for fighting games? As far as I know, X-Arcade's products are mostly intended for MAME setups and things like that. They also use Happ parts which (although some old-schoolers still like them) definitely are not what most people use these days for competitive stuff. I'd suggest going the Hori/Mad Catz route.
Well, this thread seems the most appropriate to revive for this. No reason to make a new one, really. Made a couple new fight sticks for Injustice 2.
Used MDF and a cheap picture frame. Also some scrap wood pegs to use as legs in the corners. Just simple photo paper printed with inkjet as cover. Was going to put styrene over cover but the styrene didn't turn out great at all. The photo paper was confortable enough. Seimitsu buttons and Sanwa JLF stick. 8-way restrictor gate. I know about the throw distances and everything being better with square gates but 8-way is just too comfortable.
Also want to mention I've since switched Circle with R2. New setup translates to
These were definitely more trouble than they were worth, for me, but I'm proud to say that I made them. It was a long grind and I'm glad I have a couple of nice fight sticks now!
Log in to comment