Bought a used qanba q4 stick the other day. This is my first fighting stick. Seems to run pretty good, but do you guys have any tips on making sure the stick is in good shape. Not sure how hard the prior guy used it, so what’s a good way to inspect it for any issues?
How well the buttons and Joystick lever respond?
How each button feels like, how “snappy” the buttons are?
Is the Joystick level feel tight or loose?
How is the physical condition on the outside case?
What is the condition of the USB or systems cable?
Is there any art peeling or paint flaking?
Dirt on the button plungers is something I look for.
Also blood stains are a sure sign of a used stick. =)
No but seriously. Make the person plug it in and make sure all the buttons works consistently, along with the joystick (I know you bought it already, so I guess this would just be a suggestion for future buyers). If they only have a PC plug it in and pull up the controller program (In Windows Vista\7\8) you can hit the start buttons and just type controller and you will see it. Then open up the controller and press the buttons and joystick to make sure they all work.
You already bought it so you get what you get =) You said it feels okay, and that will be your biggest concern since you paid for it already. It sounds like you are good to go.
check if all the buttons are the same brand. some resellers cheat by putting knockoff buttons mixed in :S
Sorry guys, was out of town. Thanks for the replies!
Darksakul - I think the buttons are ok, seem a little loose when touching (not the base, the buttons itself. Is that normal for sanwa?) There are tiny scratches on the buttons itself. The case looks in decent condition.
Sethian0 - The stick works in windows 7 and ps3.
Hibachifinal - I think it’s all original qanba.
My only question is how will I know if the stick itself is calibrated right and has good hit detection? I’m a newb, so it might be a inherent fault of my own, but sometimes while playing, I can’t do a consistent sho-ryu-ken style move, or combos aren’t flowing as I expect. Maybe that’s more me than the stick.
Most likely it will either work or it wont. It’s highly unlikely that the switches would falter other than all or nothing. Just my opinion. I mean it’s possible, but not likely.
Honestly you can’t always blame that on resellers. I’ve received at least one official MadCatz stick with confirmed fake Sanwas and I PM’d MarkMan because I think I received another one with Sanwas clones.