For longer than I care to remember, I’ve always wanted a good arcade stick for the fighting games I play (SF 2/3 and Tekken), and after hearing many people on SRK talk about how crappy retail sticks are, I was just convinced that nothing on the market was worth my money.
“SFAC stick rapes my hands” To think I almost bought one.
I’m constantly told to build my own, but I have neither the mechanical know how nor the courage try building a stick on my own without somebody who knows what the hell they’re doing helping me out.
I was thinking of maybe getting a HRAP3 stick cause of it’s glowing review by SDTekken (I don’t trust ign, 1up, or gamespot’s reviews of sticks ever since they all praised X arcade), but from experience at my arcade (where I think they have Japanese parts due to the shape of the stick), I think I prefer the Happ stick because the Jap sticks seem to be too sensitive and I have trouble hitting diagonals.
So, as the title states: Is ANY retail stick worth buying or should I order a custom one?
Also, I’ve been looking for an excuse to get into VF5, and it’s online component for 360 is that excuse, so is there such as thing as universal sticks that work with both 360 and PS3
Don’t believe the SFAC stick-bashers too much. If you want an American layout, it’s a good buy, and even feels pretty damned good with its stock parts.
This bunch loves one thing more than anything else: Japan. They get an absolute hardon over anything japanese, from layouts to parts… even the ladies from the country (though I’d have to admit… they’re quite cute).
However, don’t let anyone try to dictate to you ‘What You Should Be Playing On’. I have found, for example, I absolutely HATE the feel of ‘competition’ buttons, and this ‘competition’ stick I have (granted, it’s an X-Arcade… but I think I’ll be gutting it) is absolutely way too sensitive. Putting the thing at 3 o’clock lets me walk forward, but 3:30 gives me a crouch. WTF is THAT?
You know what kind of feel you want, and if there’s no retail stick that offers it, then yes, custom is for you.
Edit: I forgot to mention this X-Arcade stick HAD been modded with competition stick/buttons by its previous owner. Sorry for the confusion.
If you have an X-Arcade they have knock-off Happs but not Competition stick and button knock-offs, they are supposed to be like standard Happ concave buttons and a Super stick. Those are pretty much standard for anything MAME or in the arcade that isn’t a fighter. Happ Competition stuff has a much different feel than what comes with an X-Arcade.
The SFAC stick isn’t really worth it for the price they are going for. I see them going on EBay for around $100 not including shipping. Why you would buy that instead of a MAS beats me. From what it sounds like I think a MAS would be a good idea for you. Check out www.massystems.com. People kinda consider them retail but they are built from scratch when you order them.
But what systems are you going to be using? I know you mentioned X360 and PS3 (which by the way they is nothing that can play on both except maybe Toodles’s UPCB) So if those are the only 2 systems you will be playing then your options are kinda limited.
There are only really four stock sticks worth buying that do not require heavy modding in order not to suck balls:
Virtua Stick High Grade for use on PS3 and PC. It comes with all Sanwa parts
MAS sticks which you can get for anything. They come with HAPP parts. Convex buttons are generally considered to be better than concave due to the larger deadzone no matter what Tiberious says (I would not trust anyone who takes their screen name from a pedophile Roman emperor BTW. Tiberious, if you are reading this, please choose a different screen name the next time you sign up for a forum as people may get the wrong idea about you.)
Hori Real Arcade Pro sticks for PS2. These come stock with a Sanwa stick and shitty knockoff buttons. The buttons can be swapped out really easily for Sanwa/Seimitsu however (all you need is a screwdriver and a non-retarded brain).
Neo Geo Stick for PS2 and NeoGeo. These come stock with a Seimitsu stick and buttons. Their only flaw is that they cannot be used for Street Fighter and Tekken.
the SFAC stick is good. I doubted it, but i used one at evolution. there were a lot of poeple with that stick, stock / unmodded there. it’s a perfectly fine stick.
I agree SRK rides Japan’s nuts too much but that is a seperate issue from the FACT that the stock SFAC stick is balls. I’ve lost quite a few matches in tournaments because shit did not come out, and I’ve had the stick partially break and start making noise like I was stirring a bowl of dry captain crunch.
It’s decent if you mod the stick (the buttons IMO are fine for slower paced games like ST), BUT YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST PLACE THE START BUTTON SOMEWHERE ELSE. I dunno what FUCKING TARD who doesn’t play fighting games designed this thing, but you will CONSTANTLY pause the game on accident because the start button is RIGHT above the stick.
If you want a stock, cheap stick that is perfectly playable, buy a Tekken 5 stick. If you want the SFAC, you want it because it’s a cheap box with a decent Xbox/PS2 PCB that can easily be modded with a happ stick.
For PS2:
for Price, try to get a tekken 5 stick, they average about 30 bucks, and they are actually pretty good for that price.
if you can get the SFAC for a good price, i’d mod the stick for a competition, I didn’t have big issues with the buttons, but trust me once you switch the stick from stock to happ competition, youll notice the difference. From there on, you can try an eventual change of buttons
Now between getting an HRAP or a custom it really all comes down to you cause from hrap and custom you are looking to spend 100 bucks and up.
For Ps3:
Hands down go for the VSHG from Sega, hands down.
For 360:
I’d go for a Custom MAS since i had DOA4 and had to mod the stick, and it was very light.
The fighting Stick EX2, i didn’t get it to work for MAME, so the one i have i haven’t tested it on 360 yet, so i can’t give a more elaborate opinion.
that’s all i can say,
just break down to systems and budget, that’s 2 things where you can narrow down your election.
Actually, i got mine for almost $20 more… 13,490.00 JPY = 116.349 USD. Since there’s shipping on both let’s exclude that for now. The going price on an HRAP3 is like $98 at high-scoreonline.com.
Not to mention I can stick a sweet capcom sticker on the front
I cant believe people actually recommened SFAC stick with stock parts.
I must admit, stick’s well constructed if you’re with the American style, its heavy so doesnt move too much, goes with ps2 and xbox and easily modded.
BUT the stock stick is too stiff, makes this clicking noise which makes it sound slower, buttons are too bulky. Saying that i think ppl prefer japenese layout, because balltops are much more responsive? anyway HRAP 2 is the way to go
What’s wrong with the HRAP2 Theme on the Hrap3 SA? I much prefer it over the ugly, carbon black/black red theme of the hrap3. Not to mention that “addition” you specified will void your warranty. For the guy who just wants a great stock stick without any “additions” or problems I think the Hrap3SA is a great buy. And the 4 dollar price diff in $20 and $16, does that include a new warranty, a paintjob and the time it takes to open up and install said “addition”?
I asked my arcade’s technician to show me the parts that are on the T5 DR machine there. Turns out it gots a Sanwa stick and buttons. I realized that Sanwa is too delicate for me (to be honest, I never play on it cause I had a hard time with it the first couple times and wasted a couple bucks and just plugged in my controller on the side). I think there’s a square gate on it, which is okay but I’m pretty sure I prefer the octagonal gate over it.
I wish I could try out some Happ sticks before I make the decision to order a MAS (which has Happ parts I think) or a custom with Happ stick and Jap buttons (I’ll go all Happ if it’s cheaper). I heard they’re less delicate, which is fine by me cause if I have to put a little more force in it, at least I KNOW I’m getting the right input.
Does your arcade have any fighting game other than Tekken 5? Tekken is probably the only game commonly found in the US that comes with Sanwa parts. Anything else at your arcade most likely will have Happ sticks and buttons.
