Yeah, I saw that on one review, but wasn’t sure if it was an isolated issue or a recurring problem. Thanks. Just going to wait for the SFxT pads.
i’m gonna get a sfxt pad too. the hori pad seems like it was designed specifically for mk9, unfortunately. no floating dpad is not working out for me. it’s just too stiff. i can’t make subtle movements that i used to be able to make on my saturn pad before it died. i will miss all of my buttons on one side though. that’s genius. pad makers should stop putting triggers on the left side altogether. my dream pad would be a hori commander 3 pro design with a sega saturn dpad. perfection. i sent hori a message on twitter, but no one responded. i say it was designed for mk9, because zhi did an interview, at evo, with a hori rep., and he mentioned that the pad would be good for “mk9 for example”. ugh. i see why too. the fight commander pro 3 is very good at consistently inputting (d,f) moves, which mk9 makes use of, but the pad isn’t as good at inputing (d,df,f) moves which are street fighter commands.
i play ken and i have to fucking mash just to get standing hk/fp~shoryuken, and i have to mash ultra and super inputs too. it’s really annoying. on the saturn pad i could quickly input my double 1/4 circle motions. sfxt pads are only up for pre-order. wtf.
My only issue with them was that the “input range adjustment” didn’t seem to do anything at all for mine.
And since no one has even mentioned it yet, the whole angle adjustment’s original intention is for people who want to put the controller at an angle on their right knee and piano input like a stick.
Overall a very solid pad controller. Also very easy to mod.
As Gummowned mentioned it can and should be dual-modded as no lag-free converters work with it. If you do need it modded, just send it to Gummo and throw cash at him, and he will hook you up. Dude knows his stuff.
Would yall recommend getting one of these if I normally use a stick? I play at my house with the SE Madcatz and but thought about getting it for another controller.
I like the Hori pad, its pretty sweet, Ive been using it for a week now, coming from a floaty mcz pad. My dashes are cleaner on the Hori. Sometimes they didnt come out on the MCZ - too mushy.** All buttons on the right side FTW.** I did jam a little piece of paper in the top LEFT side button(above the pad) so I didnt bump trigger it on accident since I rest my finger up there and dont use them. 
Supers and ultra come out WAY easier for me on the Hori(like guile and vegas U1 motions)
Buttons seem a millisecond more responsive as well, when you hit them I swear the move comes out a fraction sooner than on the MCZ pad I have.
Its also plug n play on PC. Didnt even have to dl any drivers. It showed up as “10B” in game.
I highly recommend this pad.
It’s built identical to the Saturn Pad, but a difference is that the side buttons are noticably larger than your average Saturn USB. If somebody can snag this up I’d definitely recommend it, because it has some nice features and it comes with the PS Home button for playing games like KOF13. It’s a good backup controller if you wanna use it that way, and the cord stretches longer than the SIXAXIS.
just for the record mine did not have that problem at all. the biggest problem is the amount of throw in order to activate the switches is just a tad too large making dashes quite difficult. also the upper and lower row of buttons are hard to press at the same time because of the angle you have to hold it. hard to explain. anyways i got the pad hoping it would help my friend do more difficult execution shit in fighters but it didn’t help at all. i got him the HC3P for Christmas and he’s liking it so far. i’ve given it a spin and was surprised how much easier half-circle motions were once we rotated the dpad.
I also wanted to note, the DF input adjuster on the back really makes a difference as to how easy it is to use the diagonals, (uf, df, ub, db) I ended up leaving it as default setting, but the narrow or “s” setting is most like the mcz controllers.
I wasnt willing to get used to the d-pad rotation feature, althought it made it easier to down-back(on one side) due to the angle your thumb is at. I didnt like how it seemed different when you are on the other side of your opponent so I left that normal as well.
I have no problem doing qcf/hcf/360 motions now , although it took a little practice when first switching.
UPDATE
I’ve had the pad for a while now, I had stopped using it and let some friends use it to play Mortal Kombat 9. I recently got Street Fighter X Tekken and had another go with the Hori Fighting Commander 3 Pro and let me tell you… the pad has transformed into exactly what I hoped and dreamed it would be. It seems that it needed to be broken in. Not only that, my pad was on the “block” for the duration of time that I lent it out, and all kinds of players passed through, good players, horrible players, girls just trying, and dreaded controller molestors that look like they want to break buttons off when they play, had their way with the Hori Fighting Commander 3 Pro. Not only is it undamaged, but it seems to be getting even better. This has lead me to one conclusion…it’s…it’s a Gundam!
Original Post
^THIS
I searched far and wide for a good gamepad since the SNES controller. The Dreamcast controller worked VERY well for me. PS3 not so much, although i’ve come across a standard beat-up PS3 control that plays like a dream. Clueless is to what is going on there. I’ve never had to use a floating DPAD. I bought a HORI Fighting Commander 3 Pro from www.amazon.com. This pad sucks for doing uppercuts (f, df, d, df, f). That is, what this website is named after. SHORYUKEN. It’s unbelievable! I thought that this would be the gamepad to best all pads. By the great Hori… well… this purchase makes me feel violated. I tested it on a tried and true fighting game, Super Street Fighter Turbo. That one never even came to consoles, except the Dreamcast. What this guy is saying is correct. This DPAD might rule on platform games like Sonic/Mario//Super Meat Boy, games that require precision, and games like Contra in which you need a down button that won’t crawl you forward or backward by mistake but when it comes to fireballs/sandballs and uppercuts/allyoukens, it’s the pits. Standard things like, chirping the computer into jumping by doing crouching mediums or crouching lights, then to pull off an uppercut at the last minute, hook line and sinker, rewards me with a standing jab/fierce for my “effort”. VERY ANNOYING. The build quality of this controller feels SO good, but it is a ghost in a shell. PEOPLE OUT THERE NEED TO KNOW THIS. ALERT! SPOILER! What the HELL were they thinking when they made this? !@#$%&(!@#!!!
The SFxT pad you talk about is called the Mad Catz Fightpad SD. Hopefully this addressed the issues the old SF4 Mad Catz had, mainly being the build quality. I never used the Mad Catz SF4 gamepad before but, if this is what its come to, if i need a floating DPAD to play the games I used to play with a regular cross shaped DPAD, so be it. Mad Catz Fightpad SD, please save us!
I dont know how anyone wouldnt be able to to SRK’s with this pad, its easy, and with the adjustable DF setting, its even customizable sensitivity. I played on a fightpad for years, its harder to DF on those pads than it is on this one’s normal DF setting.
put it like this, the saturn pad has some funny quirks, but it’s way better if you’re using shotos. like, the saturn pad is too smooth to do half circles, but it is brilliant for qcf, etc… by contrast, the hori pad is great for half cirlces, and terrible for qcf. when is was using my saturn pad to play 3s i was doing hit confirms like butter, but they don’t come out as consistently on the hori pad. for example, i could do many subtle moves with my saturn pad like fireball cancels, jab cancels, etc…, but it’s harder on the hori. hori is great for charge characters though. i understand why hori made it the way it is though. if they had made the dpad too smooth it wouldn’t do half circles or 360/720 but , as it is, it’s a little difficult to do dragon motions+chain links.
UPDATE
I’ve had the pad for a while now, I had stopped using it and let some friends use it to play Mortal Kombat 9. I recently got Street Fighter X Tekken and had another go with the Hori Fighting Commander 3 Pro and let me tell you… the pad has transformed into exactly what I hoped and dreamed it would be. It seems that it needed to be broken in. Not only that, my pad was on the “block” for the duration of time that I lent it out, and all kinds of players passed through, good players, horrible players, girls just trying, and dreaded controller molestors that look like they want to break buttons off when they play, had their way with the Hori Fighting Commander 3 Pro. Not only is it undamaged, but it seems to be getting even better. This has lead me to one conclusion…it’s…it’s a Gundam!
Original Post
Is this guy advertising for Hori? “Adjustable DF setting, customizable sensitivity,” blah blah. When have I ever had to hold a gamepad differently to do something? I thought the rotational aspect was for players that like to play on their knee. Either way, it shouldn’t matter for regular players. Customizable sensitivity? Have you even played with one of these things? I left it on normal because the S setting is horrible to do anything with, the L setting I can’t figure out if it’s better than normal or worse, and the normal setting, the closest thing out there to a regular controller, is mediocre at best when it comes to doing a dragon punch motion. All this being said, I have yet to test the controller with Super Street Fighter 4, maybe the uppercut input is easier on this? Will test it this week.
I like madcatz pads too(design wise), but I dont like how I had 3 break on me, I could have gotten a stick for that price. They are built crappy(the rubber inside cracks) and no one from mcz ever addressed the issue. The HORI uses different rubber inside(I take my pads apart for modding) and to check them out, and what looks like better wiring as well. I think madcatz has great design, but their **stuff just doesnt last. **
I been a member for a while, if anyone looks like an advertising guy it would be you - new member, 1st posting in the thread 
Maybe damage control for the crappy madcatz pad build quality lol.
You cant keep burning pad players and expect them to come back over and over for more profit.
I wont even buy a stick from them because of the build quality of the fightpads.
The Hori pad is the real deal and the DF adjustments do work well - just nice to have more options however I found the default setting best.
I just got my Hori Fighting Commander 3 Pro about 1 1/2 weeks ago as a late birthday present from my fiancée, so here are my thoughts on it.
Keep in mind that: a) outside of anything on portable systems (SFA3 on PSP, SSF4 and DoAD on 3DS, to name a few), I haven’t seriously played fighting games with a controller since early 2006, and b) I’m not particularly a fan of Mad Catz products
Overall, I like the HFC3Pro. Face buttons are large, though I can see how some people feel that the left-most 4 buttons are a bit too far to the left. The switch to swap L1/L2 and R1/R2 around is nifty as well, though so far, I haven’t had too much use for it. I will say that the additional features thrown into the D-pad aren’t all that useful: the rotating feature isn’t very impressive (and locking it back can be annoying), and the diagonals-sensitivity is probably best left to the default normal setting. The asymmetrical design doesn’t feel as awkward as it looks. I do fine on the D-pad, I do find it responsive enough overall, without any problems with DPs/QCFs/360s, though I’m not a fan of floating d-pads.
I’ve tried playing with both a standard controller grip, and the Tekken-style grip, and seems doable either way. I do have small-ish hands, though, so I can see how people with bigger hands might have problems using the face buttons like an arcade stick’s main buttons (Tekken-style)
My quick Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Very comfortable to hold, feels very sturdy
- Large face buttons
- L-R button switch is potentially very useful, depending on the game, to have all 8 buttons on the right hand (I haven’t used it much myself, though)
Cons:
- Diagonals-sensitivity changing is not really useful
- Rotating D-pad, while an interesting option, isn’t all that useful either, and the locking mechanism can be weird
- Start and Select are both soft rubber buttons (minor personal gripe here, I’d prefer hard plastic buttons)
- Floating D-pad (personal gripe again)
- No Xbox 360 version
I’ll admit that my exposure to Mad Catz’ Fightpads and Brawlpads is not extensive, but I’ve used one a few times (probably as much as I’ve used my HFC3Pro, in fact), and I’d definitely recommend the HFC3Pro over the FightBrawlpads. The HFC3Pro just feels better in my hands, and has a sturdier build that feels like it’ll last me longer. Plus, the option to swap L-R buttons is definitely a plus.
On a side note, I’ll have to mention that I don’t play many games on the PS3. And looking back on what features have been useful to me and which ones have not, it looks like the Fighting Commander 3 (not Pro) would’ve sufficed. Then again, I don’t play on a pad much at all, and I only asked my fiancée for this controller because it appeared to have some very interesting features (which it does).
UPDATE
I’ve had the pad for a while now, I had stopped using it and let some friends use it to play Mortal Kombat 9. I recently got Street Fighter X Tekken and had another go with the Hori Fighting Commander 3 Pro and let me tell you… the pad has transformed into exactly what I hoped and dreamed it would be. It seems that it needed to be broken in. Not only that, my pad was on the “block” for the duration of time that I lent it out, and all kinds of players passed through, good players, horrible players, girls just trying, and dreaded controller molestors that look like they want to break buttons off when they play, had their way with the Hori Fighting Commander 3 Pro. Not only is it undamaged, but it seems to be getting even better. This has lead me to one conclusion…it’s…it’s a Gundam!
Original Post
LOLZ, sorry for saying that, i’m just a little angry that based on reviews similar to yours, I purchased one. I’ve seen the reviews on the Mad Catz Street Fighter 4 Pad, and the poor build quality of them well, I don’t ever plan on buying anything from Mad Catz unless they fix their act. I won’t be testing anything for them either, you guys will have to let me know if the Mad Catz Fightpad SD is what we’re looking for. Anyway i’m a lazy weed smoking guy, but i’ve been told that i’m very thoughtful, which maybe is why I dragged myself to signing up to this site just to post so this wouldn’t happen to anyone else. I’ve used this site years ago for articles like, roll canceling to gain the invincibility window in Capcom VS SNK 2, by far still one of the most amazing Street Fighter games to date.
Anyway…the guy gaemmk knows what he’s talking about… for sure.
Cant DPAD perfection exist again since SNES and even Dreamcast days? All i’m saying is that this is NOT the gamepad we’ve been dreaming of. Not us “skilled” players that were accustomed to owning people when gamepads were solid.
Shoryukens have to be done with twitch perfect accuracy, to get maximum damage AND to save your own skin. This controller will not guarantee that for me.
Going into windows gamepad settings, I think i’ve noticed something. Rubbing constant, twitch-quick uppercut motions and watching the little point of view hat arrows light up, I notice that the down button is not being activated as it should. It’s missing a split-second of a beat. I may have been high. I’ll look at it again more in depth today. It might be nothing, plus it’s just a 4 way view hat.
Something IS wrong with this pad though, maybe it needs to be broken in? I doubt though, it should be just as functional out of the packaging as a SNES or Dreamcast controller was. Pulling an uppercut with 0 life after you suckered someone in with 0 life too, just to die to a jump kick that you could have simply just blocked instead, is a hair-pulling experience. A ballz-hair-pulling experience.
You guys get back to me on this Mad Catz Fight Pad SD. I’m thinking that the only important changes in their new pad would be the build quality, since they’ve stolen so much money through the cheap ones circulating now. Or is there anything else out there I can try? Been searching for so long.
No one else is talking about these different gamepads like you guys are, this forum is the $hit.
I had high hopes for this pad. Got one and it feels great in the hands and has a solid weight to it. Button layout was perfect for what I was looking for. But the dpad just didn’t give me the feel and response I wanted. Not even close to the Saturn and snes that people say it is similar to on the reviews I read on Amazon. It is just too firm. Like someone spilled their rubber cement in there. I may have needed to give it some time to break it in but have been quite disappointed in the pad on first several uses. Love everything else about it but just can’t play any SF4 well on it!
That sounds like a fair review, DPAD firmness is personal pref - I can admit it is a bit more firm, but that allows me to dash quicker since it pops back up faster too, it is give and take… It has great buttons either way.
I also gave the edge to hori pad due to:
1)Build quality
2)L-R switching(and 2 usable buttons above the 6)
I got this controller about 3 weeks ago and it is amazing! I’ve played Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and SoulCalibur V.The things I like the most are the large face buttons, the ability to switch the triggers around and the feel of the grip.It takes a while to get used to but I have been having a lot of fun with it.
I chose this over the MadCatz pads because this one seemed to have a better build quality than the MadCatz pads. (They look really cheap. lol.)
Another thing I want to let you guys know is that this controller doesn’t turn on your PS3, though I knew this before I bought it. I just don’t want to see anyone list it in their cons or whatever. I haven’t been able to find something I didn’t like about this controller but if I do I’ll post it here.
One question I have for you guys: What button layout do you guys have set when playing this controller when playing SCV, Tekken 6 and SSF4AE?
Here’s what I use:
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
L M H
S A1 A2
SoulCalibur V
A B K
G B+G A+B+K
If you guys any other button layouts that you guys use, please post them!
Keep in mind that, if I’m not mistaken, there are NO wired controllers for PS3 that can turn on the system, for the simple fact that the PS3’s USB ports are NOT powered when the system is off.
AE
HP MP LP
HK MK LK
and the 2 buttons above the 6(using the L-R switch feature) 3K and 3P