its pretty much:
before 90 days - replace whole stick.
after 90 days - lolbye
Iâm interested in what kind of material they use for the touch screen top and how durable it is. Buttons can be swapped, so can stick, should be able to de-solder the LEDs (and swap to hot pink), but if that board goes I will have trouble dealing with it.
Donât worry, it wonât be Saran Wrap. 
Iâd assume (as someone mentioned in the other FE thread) theyâre using Gorilla Glass:
Serious business, that. And I love the idea for the pink LEDs.
Sounds like this stick would be nice if modded with Sanwa buttons.
But that touch panel⌠just canât get past that. I want mechanical buttons on a Joystick device,
Does anyone know if the touch panel section is removable?
Iâm wondering if we could eventually mod it with a strip of plastic with actual buttons mounted instead. That touch panel is the only thing Iâm not liking. But maybe itâs better in person. Otherwise the FE is maybe the best looking consumer stick I ever saw.
Shame that we canât buy replacement buttons or levers from Hori, but at least they can apparently be replaced with standard Sanwa and Seimitsu parts.
EDIT: wow, here are some great photos of the FE, including one with a HRAP EX so you can see how big it is. Loving the extra space between the lever and buttons on the FE.
http://www.4gamer.net/games/017/G001762/20120427043/screenshot.html?num=006
http://www.4gamer.net/games/017/G001762/20120427043/SS/006.jpg
I guess you didnât check out the review at levelup http://www.levelup-series.com/hori-innovates-once-again/
I did, but that was last week. Apologies if I said/asked something already covered in that review. I will go look at it again.
EDIT: OK, yeah⌠that review has great photos and info about the touch panel construction. 
I think I may just pre-order an FE. The design is really grabbing me.
EDIT: pre-ordered! Canât wait to get it next month! =)
Finally pre-ordered as well. Canât wait.
Yeah, me too. This is the most I have ever paid for a single game control device. But that stick is just too slick. Had to buy it.
What version did you order? I donât own a PS3 so got the 360. PS3 version looks pretty sweet with the all black buttons.
Just hope it will work on the next Xbox/PS in the future⌠Probably wonât but I can hope. Maybe with an adapter. Eh, weâll see.
Got the x360 version as well. Thereâs probably a better chance of dual modding possibilities to the 360 version anyways, since Sony doesnât have all that proprietary stuff that Microsoft has on their controllers. This will be probably be the last stick I will be buying for quite a while.
Some new reviews and media links for this stick:
Hands-on + gallery: http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/6/3068467/hori-fighting-edge-arcade-stick-hands-on
Video review: [media=youtube]AiJoeyx2n7w[/media]
Please post if you find another review.
Since it doesnât fit in the Mad Catz bags, I ended up getting a new bagâŚ
Fits well, I got this at a Brookestone at the airport, the color choice varied, I got a black one but it fit perfectly with some added room⌠See pic belowâŚ
I have to say, itâs going to be a while before I think we get an âactualâ review of this stick. Sanwa and Seimitsu parts are durable. Theyâre designed for years of use by multiple people for hours a day. I am wondering if the Hayabusa stick and Kuro buttons, while may seem âas goodâ or âbetterâ at the outset, will stand up over the test of time. If the stick/buttons were designed with performance and not durability in mind, it doesnât exactly line up with the 90 day warranty the stick supposedly comes with. If thatâs the case, then youâll likely end up replacing it with Arcade parts eventually anyway, and this amounts to nothing more than a fancy shell in the end. The 90 day warranty from any mfg screams âWe donât think this will work for a full year,â which makes me weary as a consumer.
While I believe the âdesignersâ at HORI 100% believe in their claims, the âsuitsâ over at HORI wouldnât have let them go with an in-house solution unless it made âbusiness senseâ (i.e. cheaper). Only time will tell. If the Haya/Kuro combo really does exhibit better performance and close to the durability of the Sanwa/Seimitsu royalty, thereâs no reason to not mass produce them and start competing with Sanwa/Seimitsu in an Arcade setting or at the least offering the parts a la carte to the public.
Time will tell on how well these buttons/sticks hold up. As far as âcheaperâ goes, it is not always true that more cost-effective parts have to be cheaper. If a company can develop an in-house solution, and then order significant quantities from a manufacturing line ramped up specifically for these parts, they have a lot more control on the overall cost per unit without having to go through any middlemen or sourcing agents, deal with licensing fees, etc.
If we look at the TE sticks, Madcatz didnât come out immediately selling colored bezels and dustwashers, nor did they even offer loose buttons/sticks from Sanwa. Once the market was saturated with enough product, they began rolling these items out.
If we look at the Fighting Edge, given that it is a new design on the buttons and the stick, I imagine Hori and whatever MFG line theyâre using are working to get enough sticks/buttons made to meet demand for the next few months.
After the stick has been out for a bit and (hopefully) sells well, I could easily see Hori offering options from their store for customizing:
- Various Button Colors, Dust Washer colors, Balltop colors, etc
- Different LED color options
- Different stick gate options (again without having to get them from Sanwa) and replacement sticks
- Trinkets to put in the extra compartment?
Again, this is all just speculation given what Iâve experienced with my career (regarding in-house fab vs buying from another company) and what other companies have done (the madcatz example).
Iâve been on the fence with this stick because I love my VLX, I canât imagine another stick being better for my personal preferences (size, weight, build materials). After watching and reading all the reviews, Iâm just too intrigued to stay away and knew that Iâd be kicking myself if I missed the initial batch and then had to wait for a restock.
Now just anxiously awaiting someone smarter than me to figure out how to get that panel working in a dual mod setup!
What Iâm trying to say⌠is that I canât imagine Hori making a part that is more expensive than purchasing the parts from Sanwa. If they did, i.e. if they really believed it was better than Sanwaâs since they are putting them in their highest end stick (next to the RAP Pro VLX), then I canât imagine them not just getting into the âArcade Partsâ business. As it makes little sense to make these only for their own sticks if they indeed are more expensive/higher quality than Sanwas and Seimitsus.
From a purchasing/manufacturing standpoint, from a marketing standpoint, from a business model standpoint⌠this just sounds to me like the strategy they were using for their previous âHORI Partsâ that they used in the lower end stick⌠just in a higher end stick. We will see in time if they stick to the claim that theyâre better than Sanwas, but Iâm skeptical at this point to say the least.
EDIT: Plus, if we follow your Madcatz example⌠the Hayabusa should be compatible with other HORI sticks that are ALREADY in the market, so saturation is not an issue. I also would hardly believe that they would make their own stick part that only works in ONE of their shellsâŚ
Page 2 of this thread, Laugh puts a proto Hayabusa in his HRAP. Donât see anything in this thread or ShinJNâs review that say hayabusaâs wonât work with a standard 5-pin stick wire harness. Did I miss something? 
LOL, you missed that youâre agreeing with me. I didnât say they wouldnât work, I said BECAUSE they WOULD work, thereâs no reason they shouldnât sell them for parts that people can use in other sticks. You said they wouldnât do that until the market was already saturated with their product, which it already is. Sorry if it was confusing.
This may sound weird, but I also collect knives and often see this type of behavior in knives as well. Companies will offer many different products at varying levels of cost. The cost is most often associated with the quality of the materials, country of origin, complexity of the knife, rarity of the release, etc.
Anyway, when introducing a new concept into the market, knife companies will start with either the high end or low end of their product line. Trying out a new locking mechanism, handle material, or blade steel is usually not done with a best seller, or is done as a limited edition if it is. Working outside of the standard price range allows them to be more flexible in what they offer and at what price point while not putting pressure on current models.
If Hori wants to get these buttons/sticks out, putting them (at first) exclusively in their new highest end model will build interest while also not disrupting their current market offerings as much.
Again, just my speculation based on experiences/observations, but I see a lot of similarities in the knife and joystick market; theyâre both tools and for the average person, one or two of these tools can get the job done and will last a lifetime with proper maintenance. As a company that sells these items, the trick becomes finding new ways to market the same core âtoolâ and keep generating sales from them.
I understand where youâre coming from⌠but to use your example⌠I feel like this would be the knife company trying to convince everyone that a composite/laminate handle is better than a real wood handle by calling it âspecial edition.â To the naked eye, and after a few moments with the product, it might seem convincing, but weâll have to really wait until we see if itâs the real deal or not.
Got my tracking number tonight, should get it on Friday. I hope it barfs rainbows.