Is it because buttons are bigger and easier to push?
Nah it’s because we like to play with shafts and balls
I feel like since I went from DS3 to stick that my execution became much better because my inputs were more precise and I became a much better player… Sticks are definitely something that takes time to get used to though. Also its just more satisfying to hit big colourful buttons with your fingers rather than press tiny ones with your thumb on a pad.
It’s just a matter of preference. Literally anything that can be done on stick can also be done on pad. There is even a dude who plays Eddie from GG on pad. With that said, I still prefer the stick
In terms of things you can do there’s no difference between them. As long as the d-pad is good a gamepad can perform pretty good in fighting games.
One can argue that a stick makes your thumbs less tired and gives you a lot more freedom with button combinations because you can use all the five fingers to access the buttons instead of only relying on thumb, index and middle finger, but this is becoming less and less true as manufacturers produce more ergonomic pads and FG devs make their games more and more gamepad-friendly.
In short, you can now pick what fits you the best.
It isn’t really, there are differences between the two and if you prefere one or the other because of these differences then it simply comes down to preference.
A stick is more durable and easly customizable. so when something breaks it is easily replaced.
Gameplay wise it doesn’t matter, you still need to practice on either an arcade stick or a controller to get good with it.
Sticks are way more fun.
While some say it’s all preference, I disagree. It’s mostly preference. Some things (usually game specific stuff) are easier to do on pad, while other are easier to do on stick. I think it’s a lot easier to do wavedashes/backdash cancels in Tekken on pad than on stick. Plinking in SF4 is a lot easier on stick than on pad. Stuff that involves holding buttons down is often easier on pad (shoulder buttons). Mash moves are usually easier on stick. etc etc.
But, ultimately, you can do just fine with whatever controller you prefer, regardless of game.
I found that some things are easier to do on pad such as double tap forward or back to dash and quicker execution of moves on shoulder buttons. Other than that, I found the joystick to be better at hcf and qcf moves as well as 360 moves likes Zangiefs spinning pile driver. I also found it easier to access the 6 action buttons on a joystick. I personally feel in SFV that joystick users have a slight advantage. Other games like MKX, pad users have the advantage.
I’ve tried both. I went back and forth from my pad to my custom fightstick trying to improve my execution and every time I tried the pad, I took a step back in my gameplay and so I ended up just using the joystick. The double tap moves forward or back dashes I was trying to improve by using a pad was better spent improving them on a stick. I do better with a joystick, some do better with a pad. It’s all personal preference or money, fight sticks aren’t cheap but if your playing SFV without it, you’re missing out.
Whelp, as someone who has played fighting games on not only pad and stick, but also a friggen FLIGHT stick (yo, let’s mechwarrior up in this bitch), I can tell you, they each come with their own advantages. Sticks have nicely laid out buttons which makes hitting multiple buttons easier, as well as double tapping and any technique like that. As a whole, sticks are very responsive and very clean in inputs. However, the travel time from forward to back on a stick is a bit longer than on a pad, but also less cumbersome on your hands.
Stick is like learning an instrument, you really have to be completely at ease with it in order to succeed with one. Some spoiled people tell me they learned stick in like 2 weeks. It took me 6 months before I was at the same level on a stick as I was on a pad. Since then, I am infinitely happier on a stick. It’s way more satisfying, and allows you access to everything you would really need for a fighting game. You’re rarely going to come across a technique in a game that a stick can’t handle.
That’s totally true. Actually it reminds me a lot of when I played the bass guitar. I’ve been wondering for some time how can I use it to play actual music…
I just like playing with my stick. I wiggle it a lot and it makes me happy.
hmmmm… 
I also disagree it’s not all preference. I think sticks are simply better designed for fighting games. Sure, someone on pad can be competitive, but I still think sticks are the optimal control method for optimized speed, accuracy, endurance, as well as fun. But if you like pad go for it
Overall i find easier doing the motions on the sticks and i like having access to buttons faster, but there are specific things that depends on the game.
For example it’s easier to plink in SF4 and UMvC3 and also easier to mash out of hitstun in Guilty Gear on stick. I’d say i think MKX is better on pad tho.
There is no truth to this. With the new generation of players who grew up on controllers and not arcade sticks, more and more pad players are becoming top players. Just in the Upper Midwest all you have to see is the likes of cR Footwurk, CORN Sethlolol, CORN Devil Chipp, TFA El Chakotay, JWE Vman, JWE Comp Bros as proof that it is all preference.
I have a xbox pad and i cant afford a stick so i have to learn to play on the pad , how do you guys use the pad? do you position your fingers like you do with a stick using like 3-4 fingers for the buttons on the right or you use your thumb only?
There’s no truth to your opinion either bro. It’s not like there are scientific studies on performance of pas vs stick players. Obviously it depends on the game as well
It’s not really. Though I would say that due to most fighting games being based in the admittedly somewhat archaic arcade mindset, stick players have some advantages by design. Namely, precision. While execution seems to become less and less strict with time to accommodate new players, sticks are generally designed around the eight-way movements to minimize execution errors. whereas pads generally aren’t. Now, the big asterisk here should be that I’ve never really played with pads designed specifically for fighting games, but standard pads.
But as shown by pad players doing well for themselves in competitive settings, it’s generally a matter of preference. Playing Street Fighter on a PS pad gives me welts on my thumb, but I know tons of dudes who whip my ass ridiculously hard using one. Tekken on a pad is murder for me as well, mainly from the weird goddamn crab grip you need to be able to hit all the buttons properly.
Also, one final note in my incoherent rant. A regular pad is better than a cheap stick. Take it from someone who spent the PS2 era with a shitty budget stick that couldn’t DP reliably to save my life. Stick with a pad until you feel that 1) this is something you want to make a decent investment into, and 2) your execution is being hindered by the design of the pad in some fashion.
Stick allows greater input precision and input speed. Pad only allows you to make use of the hands (and not even all your fingers!) and wrists, whereas you can put your entire arm and even torso into using a stick. Gripping a pad also requires a certain amount of tension, while a stick user can be completely relaxed. These things aren’t subjective, they are basic physical facts. They matter less in a game made for weaklings like SF4/V, but the effect never disappears. Much like tiers, the only reason this dumb argument happens is because people can’t seem to think about an advantage without over-/under- estimating it to a ridiculous degree.