The technology of the traditional fight stick will never change, (although you can design beyond that … Super Smash Bros from N64 to Switch doesn’t confirm to that) so if you’re a practical gamer, and know you’ll play in the future, and consider actual past hardware when the ditch arises, then shouldn’t your joystick that.
Trying both routes of taking a familiar format, like PS2 sticks, and converting them to other machines, you’ll both get pushback from retro adapters who doesn’t specifically cater to fighting, like tototek.com , and an eventual running out of steam when PS2 sticks are no longer worth the conversion. (The last ps2->something adapter is an Xbox One. No PS4, no Switch, not even a Wii U.)
If you buy any of the 3 retro boards, (Cthulhu. PS360, Jaden x Brook Retro) combined with a Brook universal, you only got a couple holes lol eft to fill to be a completust. (usually so small, it’s a small simple.)
The only holes I see are systems before the NES, and these systems: ( along be with a retro and USB converter solution)
And even then, there are solutions.
The most popular holes that are easily filled are:
Genesis (I think there is a PS4 to Genesis adapter)
Wii classic. which is also certain Wii U stuff. NES mini and SNES mini ( I’ve tested this ps2->Wii classic adapter on my Street Fighter 15th Anniversary stick and it works on snk games and Tatsunoco vs Capcom, so it should work on a discrete stick with a retro adapter in PS2 mode)
N64 (raph-tech.net makes a GameCube to N64 apapter)
3DO ( there are SNES to 3DO adapters that let you hook it anywhere in an 8 player Chaim for Madden. The UFO 3D Zero, but has Pataaank as one incompatible game. Any more reported incompatible games? I only own 7 3DO games, so I don’t know if that’s the only title or not)
And these are the reasons why discrete is better than using an existing stick for a single system
Atari 7800 (edladdin com makes both a Genesis to two-button 7800 adapter, [but you should disassemble a Genesis PCB to use this.] OR also from edladdin, a discrete to 7800 retro PCB)
Colecovision (again, edladdin has a discrete to CV Super Action 4 button PCB, just don’t expect the speed roller to work for Baseball, American Football and Soccer Football)
Atari 5200 (Edladdin is working on an analog solution, but you probably want a digital. Buy a 15 pin PC to 5200 adapter from AtariAge.com member “bohoki” but you need 2 things for this to work. A working 5200 controller, which should be Good Modded by Best-electronics-cs.com for the keypad buttons. And you need to pad hack a NES style digital pad for 15 pin PC. The circuits have built in D/A converters.)
Atari 2600 works with ANY Genesis, 7800, or Colecovision controller , or can be directly wired to the DB9 pinout. (I don’t know if the Booster Grip wiring would work straight or not. If removing a dimmer switch and operating it as binary buttons Is easy, then so should this.)
Any Neo Geo version and the Bally Astrocade (assuming you don’t need the paddle) can also be wired direct to the pins, because all these are uncoded and discrete.
Intellivision is probably the trickiest of the ones remaining. They use a 16 way stick and use a real time combo code for all 16 directions, 12 keys and 3 buttons. But if I dig deep, I can find a way using logic circuits to to make a we 6 way an 8 way.
We still got oddysey 2, and Arcadia 2001, neither of which have detachable sticks, but. From first hand experience with the INTV know it’s possible to turn hard wired into external.
We also have Vectrex, which I know nothing about except it’s naturally an analog stick system.
Then there’s Jaguar, which there’s a fairly big community after the fact, so someone could still make a discrete to Jaguar adapter.
The only last system that might want a fight stick controller is the CD-i.
Then you got Xavix, where a fight stick makes no sense.
Any US consoles I’m missing? Fairchild Channel F? RCA Studio 2? is the Virtual Boy applicable? Foreign? Computer formats?
Finally with discrete input, you can swap in and out adapters as easily as plugging in and removing a controller. No rewiring needed.