I realize this is going to be a contentious question, but let me give you guys a hypothetical and see what you think.
Let’s say there’s a guy who has little to no experience with using a fighting stick on a console, any console. He owns/plays all the big fighters (SF4, SSFIITHDR, Tekken 6, Soul Calibur 4, BlazBlue, etc) and would like to get a stick that can be used for all of them.
Assuming a $250 maximum budget and limited modding abilities, and no real restrictions aside from a desire to only have to purchase a single stick, which manufacturer/model would be the best option with regards to playability, durability and overall quality?
(And yes, while I realize there is no “best” stick, there are valid objective reasons for why certain sticks would be preferable in a given situation. I’m kinda hoping people will offer such arguments instead of just e-shouting swears.)
First off, search the forum. I see a thread like this at least once a week.
Now, you never mentioned what system, PS3, get a HRAP SA or a Madcatz TE. 360, get a HRAP SE (Seimitsu buttons/stick) or a Madcatz TE. You want a dual mod, get a blank case, a Cthuhlu board, an Imp board and padhack a Madcatz wired 360 pad.
Correct. I didn’t. It’s a hypothetical situation. The reality is that I have stuff spread over all the different consoles, so I’m hoping for answers that cover everything I could possibly need.
… And for that matter, I’d love it if the stick could connect to a computer for some MAME action. Double points if it can be used on both my PC system and my MacBook Pro laptop (ideally via USB).
ecavalli, normally I’d agree with everyone right away about buying a Hori Real Arcade Pro 2 SA and then going the converter route (it’s actually what I’m running right now! :lol:). However, we really have to know what consoles you want to use this for. If you’re using it for a REALLY wide range of consoles (I’m talking as far reaching back as the Sega Saturn or Super Nintendo days) then you’d best commission a stick builder to create you a custom stick with one of Toodles’ Universal PCBs. Toodles doesn’t stock those anymore, but bencao74 does still sell UPCB kits if you’re willing to pay the shipping from Europe which honestly isn’t too bad. For $250.00 I’d be surprised if you couldn’t find a stick builder willing to make you a stick with a UPCB installed, perhaps tack on $50.00 due to the UPCB being a unique wiring job compared to normal PCBs.
Really though, there is no overall “best stick.” You’re completely right; it all boils down to preference. There’s a variety of reasons why there isn’t a single best one. There’s things like size, weight, button layout, parts used, etc. that all factor into how a person perceives an arcade stick as “great.” For instance, I absolutely cannot stand any stick with a Vewlix button layout and even if it would cost me more, I’d rather get a Sega Virtua Stick High Grade or a custom stick with the original Sega Versus City layout than buy a Mad Catz Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition. Others would swear that the FSTE is the greatest retail arcade stick ever made (which, don’t get me wrong, it really is feature wise; it’s just got an unfavorable layout in my opinion). Some people swear by classic Happ or iL American style arcade parts while most others stand by Japanese Sanwa and Seimitsu parts. Hell, I know a few friends who refuse to play on anything but their own custom arcade sticks since “They just feel way too good for me to use anything else.” I can go on, but I think you get the idea here.
For a starting arcade stick though, it really isn’t that big of a deal what parts manufacturer you buy from since you have to get used to arcade sticks regardless. However, I will say that you might as well start yourself off with a stick with quality parts since you’ll quickly find that you won’t be going back to playing on gamepad ever again (or so goes the usual pattern of stick converts) and it’s a pain to have to mod the hell out of a cheap arcade stick like the Hori EX2 or Fighting Stick 3 to get arcade quality parts in it.
Therefore, to get back to the main point of this post, I say you should go buy a custom arcade stick period, regardless of whether you want one for all your legacy consoles (with a UPCB) or if you just want one for relatively modern day consoles. Most stick makers on SRK that sell their wares can easily install and dual mod one of Toodles’ Multi-Console Cthulu boards with an Xbox 360 controller PCB and then hooking it all up to an RJ-45 port for easy console switching. You’ll have to do a bit more research into the details of that, but doing the MC Cthulu dual-mod route would let you play on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Gamecube, and Xbox 1, basically everything you’d need to play fighting games from both the current generation and previous generation of game consoles.
For the OP : You can’t go wrong really with either the HRAP or Madcatz TE route. Customs I would probably stay away from a bi if you’re not 100% what you want, just do MC Cthulu mod on one of the mass-produced sticks.
I don’t completely understand the HRAP2SA fascination. I’ve played on a BUNCH since a ton of MD GG/CVS2 players have one it seems and it feels just like my regular HRAP that i’ve put sanwa parts into.
It is an excellent stick, but after rummaging some dozen odd sticks of different makes this year though, I came back to the TE in the end. The layout just works the best for me personally, footprint-wise and comfort- wise.
My collection has dwindled down to 2 TE’s and a HRAP1 Amazon with sanwas. =(
I’m ready for the new models of V3-SA (360 model) and Madcatz 2k10 stuff though now!
The HRAP2 love comes from the fact that it’s a great base to branch from with adapters. You can turn it into a universal stick with the right connections.
I also agree to go with the HRAP’s or TE’s. I prefer the HRAP’s myself. Try both out locally, if possible, and see which feels better to you. The market is saturated with these now, and the prices have never been better!
250 is alot of money. Like the guy above said you could get a custom for all compatible with all 3 systems for less than that. I would say 200 for all that. My custom was only 150 and it’s ps2/3 compatible.
IMO the best modded stick is the t5. Nice layout and the buttons curve upwards instead of that downward mess. Nice sturdy case too.
The mayflash is alright, I have a modded one. Unmodded the thing is terrible because the buttons are large sega genesis buttons. The stick is ok, feels like a hori but that should be swapped too.
When was the last time you checked Frys to see if they had em in stock? I was there a couple months ago and they didn’t have any of the 360 TEs in stock, and the guy pretty much made it sound like they wouldn’t be getting more (of the Round 1s, so $100 anyway) in stock.
I suppose I spent way too much to mod my hrap3 during the period of stick shortage…
$130 for a hrap3 on ebay and $40 for sanwa buttons… total of $170
oh well I couldve bought something better with 170 these days…