Im a stick player but when I get lazy I use pad. I can consistently do the sword loops any version of them. I charge with the square or triangle button depending on what loop I do. So yea it is possible. But obviously I find them more comfortable on stick. 
I’m a vita player too so yeah there is no r2… Anyways I played against someone ONLINE who dis round trip combos and lightning loops with zero! Now I’m more determined than ever to master these techs… Any help or tips?