Small PC fighting stick?

New community member here, I did some poking around the pinned threads and quickly realized I was looking for something backwards from how things usually work. So I’m looking for a highest-quality arcade stick, and I have roughly 8 inches square of desk to put it in. What are the most compact, high-quality PC compatible arcade sticks? I don’t really need more than four buttons. I’ll be using it for general input via JoyToKey as well as for gaming/MAME.

Maybe the Mad Cats SE/TvC/Brawl Stick bodies.
I seen people build custom sticks that are even smaller.

I believe the smallest retail stick that comes with all-Sanwa parts is the Exar Exaprize USB Sanwa Edition.

Keep in mind that you’re not usually going to get the highest-quality stick the smaller you go.

That’s a good point, do you think a custom would be worth it given that I’m looking for something specific? And if so, does anyone specialize in small builds? Thanks so much for your help. I have been on forums heavily since 2000 or so and they’re not all this welcoming.

Whether or not a custom is worth it would depend on what you want and how much you’re willing to pay for one to be made.
You may have to dig around for some of the custom builders; there aren’t as many active ones these days as there used to be.

On an aside, if you’re looking for super-compact and fully-functional out-of-the-box retails stick, I do recommend the Exar Exaprize USB Sanwa Edition. Comes stock with all Sanwa parts, an Astro P1 layout, works on PS3 and PC, and surprisingly for a case that size, a metal top-panel.