I’m looking to buy a fightstick for the Xbox 360 so I can become a beast at Super Street Fighter IV. I’m torn between two sticks: the newer model HRAP SA and the slightly older model HRAP SE. The SE comes with Seimitsu buttons and the SA comes with Sanwa. From what I’ve heard, Seimitsu buttons are a bit more responsive and clicky, which sounds like a plus to me. The SE is a bit heavier, which doesn’t seem like a problem. The SA is more expensive, I can’t find it anywhere for under the retail price, so I’m currently leaning towards the SE, which I can get for $100 on ebay.
So, what should I do?
Another option is buying the Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition Fightstick Round 1 (for my wallet’s sake). Then I can buy a steering wheel too and murk kids in Forza.
The first one you posted is a much nicer stick and the newest version. Definetly get it.
The second one is good too, but uses seimitsu parts, not sanwa. A bit hard to compare the two, mostly what you prefer is what you should go with. Performance wise they’re both amazing sticks. One nice thing about the new VXSA is that it has a cable storage compartment so you can store the USB cable when not using the stick, something that the EX lacks.
I’ve frequently used a HRAP EX SE but never opened one up and owned a V3 SA…
Key differences:
Based on parts alone, I prefer the EX SE because I do prefer the LS-32 in it. The buttons are not convex as well but very flat and shallow when compared to the standard Sanwa parts.
The EX SE is very simple which would probably make it harder to dual mod when comparing to VX stick. Not even sure if the buttons are soldered in the EX SE as well.
With those distinct differences stated, the VX weighs a bit lighter than the EX SE but they both almost feel the same when playing(material and hollowness) and the VX has the new Vewlix button layout while EX SE uses Sega layout.
The Seimitsu buttons that are in the “Seimitsu PS-14-G” buttons are not clicky as the joy stick switches, they just have a more tactile feel to it than the “Sanwa OBSF-30” buttons.
I used an “Hori Real Arcade Pro 2. SA” in original configuration for a while which has become totally something else now.
After that I have put Seimitsu parts in it, and after that I still used the Seimitsu parts because of the flat buttons but with “Sanwa OBS-M1” switches under them, which are clicky.
Seimitsu has my vote if you will leave the joy stick stock.
The first-gen HRAP designs (the VX SA and the PS3 version, V3 SA) are the most elegant-looking sticks now on my market.
Hori continues to use white molding almost exclusively for the 360 (probably contractual stipulations) and other colors for the V3 SA but they are both great-looking and I’m sure responsive sticks. Ergonomics should be better for your hands than the previous EX SE/3 SA Astrocade base designs.
You can swap out the original parts in the future if you don’t care for some aspects of them but the base designs are still great IMHO.
The only possible advantage I see with the EX SE is the buttons and maybe the stick, but the layout and overall design of the VS SA seems much better. How hard is it to swap the Sanwa buttons and stick for Seimitsu?