Who here plays with arcade sticks?

[Rooster893]

Hello escapees. I love fighting games to death, and I'd like to say I'm fairly proficient at them. Not on the levels of Justin Wong or Daigo, of course.

I have a question; for those of you who regularly play fighting games, do you have an arcade stick, what kind do you use and do you think you are better on it than on a gamepad?

I'm asking this because I'm considering buying an arcade stick of my own, more specifically the Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 SA [http://www.amazon.com/Real-Arcade-Pro-V3-Playstation-3/dp/B0041SGD44/ref=sr_1_10?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1370189829&sr=1-10&keywords=madcatz+arcade+stick+pro].

Thanks in advance!

 

[Username Redacted]

Most of my gaming time these days is spent on fighting games and for those games I do use an arcade stick. My current stick is one that I had the case built for me but did the rest of the assembly myself (buying parts, doing the wiring, etc.). I, having used many different mass production sticks, prefer the DIY approach (though I do not recommend it) as this most recent project would be the third stick I've assembled. I would describe my approach to arcade sticks, unfortunately, as somewhat Goldilocks-ish (hopefully you don't need to look this up). This stick is too light. This button spacing is too weird. etc. Hence I go DIY (again not recommended for a first stick).

Your second questions is honestly (sorry) kind of dumb. I'm better on arcade sticks and I'm going to be better on arcade sticks because that is what I practice using. Simple as that. If I used pads I'd be better on those (though I'd probably be using a PS2 pad with a PS2 -> PS3 converter because I can't stand the Dualshock 3 shoulder buttons).

As far as the arcade stick you've highlighted there's nothing wrong with it (other than the fact that almost every Hori stick that has a cable compartment the door to that will fall off at some point). In general what you should be looking for is a stick that has all Sanwa parts (like it or not this is more or less the standard these days). I'm also, since this is an option for the Amazon.com link you provided, not a big fan of buying used arcade sticks (at least not sight unseen). It is also worth noting that there a couple of companies out there at the moment who've told M$ and $ony to go fuck themselves and have released arcade sticks that are compatible with both the PS3 and 360 out of the box without the need for dual-modding. For that you'd be looking for variations of the Qanba Q4RAF and the Eightarc Fusion series.

http://www.focusattack.com/complete-joysticks/

 

[Harlemura]

I have an arcade stick but I only got a cheap one to see if I was actually any better with it. I was not so stopped using it.
I got used to doing pretty much everything I needed with the regular Xbox 360 controller apart from moves where you need to hold down a button (like Cody's Zonk Knuckle or Zero's Mega Buster), but having to completely rewrite my muscle memory for an arcade stick just to use those moves was far beyond my attention span.

If you're not completely sure about an arcade stick, maybe do what I did and get a cheapy one to try first. Unless you have already tried, in which case go for it. Most fighting games are designed to be played with a stick so I think having it as your primary controller is a good choice if you're playing a bunch of games and plan to continue doing so.
Especially if you're using a PS3 controller. Good God I don't know how anyone can use a PlayStation controller for a fighting game for any length of time without their thumb tips falling off.

 

[Rooster893]

I appreciate your input guys, especially yours, Squeaks. I looked at the Qanba Q1 and it looks pretty good. I might have to give it a try, once I get some money first...

 

[Maximum Bert]

This may be too late but I like fighting games and decided to buy an Arcade stick a Madcatz TE stick to be specific with the SCV background and as expected I became much much worse using it than I was with a pad simply because I was so used to pad.

In SFIV I couldnt even do a hadoken reliably I actually had to buy an octagonal gate to get used to the motion on stick before changing it back for the 4 way gate that was in originally (because I find that one better for general movement and defense). That wasnt to bad though the hardest thing I find with a stick is dashing because you have to move that much further than you do on a pad.

The buttons are better on stick I adapted pretty easily there its just using the actual stick thats the problem but the fact that the stick is not as intuitive to you as a controller will cause a lot of headaches at the start because you will feel like you are fighting the controller as much if not more than your opponent, its real hard not to just abandon it and go back to what you are comfortable with after all no one wants to lose against stuff they know they shouldnt be losing to.

I have also tried a fightpad which I didnt get on with I like the DPad but it feels to lightweight and the buttons dont suit my fingers its also another layout to get used to albeit not as drastic as a switch from pad to stick.

Lastly I also have a Hitbox with this I find movement and pulling off moves easier and more precise but I find defense way harder and when pushed I easily confuse button presses especially as the up button or jump button is in the down position (seriously) and it really takes getting your head around. (despite how simple it sounds when you are under pressure you dont want to have to think about where the buttons are and what they do)

I have generally settled on pad for most 3D fighting games and Stick/Hitbox (I am still trying both) for 2D game the only exceptions being Injustice and MK9 which seem made for pad (probably because they are).

I would not get a stick unless you are serious about fighters you dont need one and in the short term it will make you worse that said it has a much nicer layout than a pad and does eventually feel good to use at least in 2D (even more so if its a 6 button fighter) as said I personally cannot use them in 3D games especially the Hitbox that confuses the hell out of me in 3D.

I have had both of mine for a few months and I still struggle with them but then again I am pretty busy and cant put in the practice I need very often but I reckon by another years time I should be proficient.

The annoying thing is I am now slightly better on a stick and Hitbox than on a pad for 2D but I am still not as good as I was on a pad originally.

 

[krazykidd]

I have a mad catz Soul calibur V Soul edition fighting stick . And i love it to death . I use it for all my fighting game needs . Now i bought this with SCV , and have been using it very often and it still works like a charm . While madcatz cost more than most sticks , i heard the quality is top notch . It won't go breaking on you anytime soon .

I'm better on a stick than a pad , soley because Xbox360 controllers suck . If i had a ps2 controler it wouldn't be too bad , but the D-pad , on the xbox is wonky as hell . For me anyways . I went to a local tournament in montreal yesterday , and got eliminated by a guy playing on pad . I was seriously amazed , his timing and execution was on point . I had mad respect for this guy to play how he does on an xbox360 pad . No idea how he does it.

Dude get the injustice arcade stick . It looks so sick .

 

[Username Redacted]

I appreciate your input guys, especially yours, Squeaks. I looked at the Qanba Q1 and it looks pretty good. I might have to give it a try, once I get some money first...

Yeah, the Qanba Q1 Cut is a fairly well reviewed compact joystick. It actually has a feature that I wish more sticks came with. Namely the ability to affix is easily to a surface. I don't remember how easy (or not) it is to replace the stock parts should you ever chose to go that route. Either way it's from a solid company and is pretty inexpensive.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

I still play on a crappy Xbox 360 gamepad for all my fighting games.

...I feel that in certain aspects I could be a better player with an arcade stick, but at this point it's a matter of preference.

...KoFXIII is surprisingly playable on pad with certain characters, in any case.

 

[ThriKreen]

Got two of the Mad Catz TE sticks, modded them for octogate and bat handle, AND cross-platform support (originally Xbox 360, added the Cthulhu ChIMP so it supports the PS3 too). Saves me having to get another set of sticks for my consoles. I dearly hope these transfer over to the XB1 and PS4 though.

My reason is that it felt like using the thumbstick is slow for the fast action you'd need for fighting games, so I'd rather not feel like I'm fighting the controller as opposed to the opponent as much. So any defeats I get are due to my own fault, not the controller's.

That and people keep reconfiguring the buttons when I'm with friends, so it's easier to just stick with the standard 6 button (or whatever) layout and standardize.

Also, looking forward to Capcom vs. SNK 2 on PSN, I wanna see how well Hibiki works with a stick.

Also NBA Jam. =D

 

[kingthrall]

Arcade stick?? Cmon if your going to go old school call it a damned joystick!

 

[TehCookie]

This is my arcade stick and I love it. You can use it for a lot more than fighting games too.

 

[TrevHead]

I have 2 sticks, Mad Catz T&C for Wii that is practically unused and MadCatz Brawlstick 360 with the stock stick swapped out for a Semetsui LS-30 so I can use it to play all arcade genres not just FTGs or my preferred genre shmups.

While the short throw makes it a dream to play Skullgirls and MetalSlug with I still perform better with the 360s slim D-pad for most shmups. I wouldn't consider playing a 2D Fighter on a normal pad as I prefer to battle the opponent not the d-pad.

 

[Username Redacted]

Got two of the Mad Catz TE sticks, modded them for octogate and bat handle, AND cross-platform support (originally Xbox 360, added the Cthulhu ChIMP so it supports the PS3 too). Saves me having to get another set of sticks for my consoles. I dearly hope these transfer over to the XB1 and PS4 though.

My reason is that it felt like using the thumbstick is slow for the fast action you'd need for fighting games, so I'd rather not feel like I'm fighting the controller as opposed to the opponent as much. So any defeats I get are due to my own fault, not the controller's.

That and people keep reconfiguring the buttons when I'm with friends, so it's easier to just stick with the standard 6 button (or whatever) layout and standardize.

Also, looking forward to Capcom vs. SNK 2 on PSN, I wanna see how well Hibiki works with a stick.

Also NBA Jam. =D

Firstly it's almost certain that no 360 controllers wired or wireless will work on the Xbone. Some leaks from developers have hinted that all may not be lost when it comes to the PS4. That said if there's one thing the fighting game community has in abudance it's tech heads so I would expect that unless M$ and $ony go out of their respective ways to fuck people over that adding an additional PCB to an arcade stick would be about all it takes to bring a stick up to the next generation. Also worth noting it that unless I'm mistaken there haven't been any fighting game announced for next gen consoles yet (Tekken x SF is implied but not confirmed) so until all or at least most of the main tournament games have migrated over I wouldn't worry about it.

Your point on button configuration is one of my biggest pet peeves with regards to fighting game UI. Namely that most developers are crap at designing usable button configuration utilities. Go look at any version of BlazBlue from Continuum Shift or later and that is how it's done (press to map and done from the character select screen). If your game does it any other way then you're doing it wrong.

 

[Inconspicuous Trenchcoat]

One day, I decided to really learn how fighting games worked. Picked up Street Fighter IV and started on a Logitech F310 pad (PS3 style casing with Xbox style buttons).

I bought an arcade stick and transferred over. I was much worse. It took a lot of practice to get used to the stick. Once I got used to it, I found most stick motions to be much easier on a arcade stick than on a pad. Except for shoryuken. The forward down forward motion was much harder for me on a stick. Took a lot longer to get that down reliably, but once I did, I can't go pack to a gamepad.

On an arcade stick, I'm faster to react, and my moves come out smoother and more reliably. Dashing is a pain though; but with lots of play you get used to the discomfort. Interestingly, playing on an arcade stick made me better on a pad as well. Whenever I have to play on a pad, I've noticed I'm much better on it than I used to be. But yeah, it's night and day for me between stick and pad. I'm much better on an arcade stick. However, I'm still terrible at fighting games . Controller doesn't change that!

I use this: http://www.amazon.com/Catz-SoulCalibur-Arcade-FightStick-Playstation-3/dp/B006EJ38W8/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1370286878&sr=1-2&keywords=arcade+stick+soul+edition

Bought it because it was inexplicably heavily discounted. Bought it for $85. It's very nice, much better than my first stick (Wii Tatsunoko vs Capcom). The PS3/PC version is still much cheaper than the 360 one, for some reason. You could consider it, it's only $70 right now. I think those sticks were originally $150, despite what Amazon says.

 

[Username Redacted]

Bought it because it was inexplicably heavily discounted. Bought it for $85. It's very nice, much better than my first stick (Wii Tatsunoko vs Capcom). The PS3/PC version is still much cheaper than the 360 one, for some reason. You could consider it, it's only $70 right now. I think those sticks were originally $150, despite what Amazon says.

That's a pretty good price. Another site to keep an eye on is Madcatz's own store site which usually runs some pretty decent discounts during tournaments that they sponsor (think 20-60% off).

 

[ThriKreen]

Your point on button configuration is one of my biggest pet peeves with regards to fighting game UI. Namely that most developers are crap at designing usable button configuration utilities. Go look at any version of BlazBlue from Continuum Shift or later and that is how it's done (press to map and done from the character select screen). If your game does it any other way then you're doing it wrong.

Yeha, that and the buttons on my MvC3 version have the Bumper/Trigger placements different from the SF4 one, but when I hooked them up to the ChIMP, I think I replicated the SF4 layout. I really should make a sticker that I can stick on the two sticks with their PS3 layouts to avoid confusion. In fact, I think I'll go do that right now.

That's a pretty good price. Another site to keep an eye on is Madcatz's own store site which usually runs some pretty decent discounts during tournaments that they sponsor (think 20-60% off).

And you can also go to a con and see if Capcom is there. Capcom had arrived at PAX Prime 2010 with like 500 of them, and had 100-200 of them left over at the end. Obviously they don't want to ship or lug those back to their office, so they heavily discounted it on the Sunday, from the original $160 to $120, $100, and finally $80 when I picked up my second stick.

 

[Username Redacted]

And you can also go to a con and see if Capcom is there. Capcom had arrived at PAX Prime 2010 with like 500 of them, and had 100-200 of them left over at the end. Obviously they don't want to ship or lug those back to their office, so they heavily discounted it on the Sunday, from the original $160 to $120, $100, and finally $80 when I picked up my second stick.

That works too. On the other hand of the spectrum are sticks that are almost too pretty to use. If I ever find myself in a decent paying job again it's going to be very hard not to contract this guy for a stick: http://www.b15sdmdesigns.com/

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I have a rule... If it is phallic and you hold it by also cupping the base then I won't touch it.

On a serious note, I haven't played with one. I would like to try it one day though, however they always look so cumbersome. I would likely get one to play a flight sim over a fighting game though, as it feels more natural to me!

EDIT: OK, just looked at the examples shown (couldn't see any exaples before.... I had to click on the links, due to work PCs) and it seems I have the wrong idea on sticks... I thought of the larger ones you get on computers, as opposed to the arcade style ones... To be honest, it's not something I can imagine I could convert too easily... I have poor dexterity in my fingers compared to my thumbs (I can only play guitar hero to the first 4 buttons... not the orange!), and they don't look erganomically impressive... looks like you have to move your hands around a bit, which always messes me up!

 

[Evilsanta]

I am using a Hori V3 Fighting stick. While not the fanciest arcade stick out there, it does hold up pretty well.

I started out with the regular controller(PS3) and looking back I can't understand how I could play like that.

A friend of mine suggested that I should switch to arcade stick when we were playing Blazblue(I got my ass kicked)
and I am never looking back to a regular controller when it comes to fighting games. I am so much better at BB with a stick. Which my friend slightly regrets now.

Instant block > GENESIS EMERALD TAGER BUSTER! Mwhahahaha!

 

[lacktheknack]

I use a keyboard.

Tributes and psychiatrist recommendations accepted.