Know Your Stick

December 20, 2009 in Shpiel

Before we jump into that stick modifying tutorial, let’s take the time out to learn a bit about them shall we?

First off, let’s just clear up some common questions regarding arcade sticks.

Q: Will switching to stick make me a better player?
A: Not necessarily. While it can, as some game’s inputs were designed for arcade stick control play, it comes down to the same level of practice and experience. tl;dr no

Q: Is it worth it to mod my stick?
A: It’s up to the individual really. To a serious competitive fighting or arcade game enthusiast, the professional parts are all worth the money. But to a casual gamer it can be done without (however I believe in that case the person should not even use an arcade stick).

Q: Cost?
A: Anywhere from ten to several hundred dollars depending on your mods. The common button mods should range around $20-30 while new joysticks range from about $10-20. Custom art can go up to $40.

Q: Okay, I’m interested in using a stick, but I’ve never used one before and I don’t know if I want to spend the money to get one. Should I?
A: As expected, it really comes down to the individual. If you find passion for fighting or arcade games, then an arcade stick may be necessary to you. If it can make the game more fun to you, then it is all worth it.

Hori vs Mad Catz

With the recent popularity explosion among the fighting game scene, courtesy of SFIV, controller companies are taking advantage of the boom and are coming out with them sticks that are now all the rage. Two popular brands are the Hori Real Arcade Pro series and the Madcatz’s SFIV Fight Sticks, both of which are very reliable and are excellent options to choose from if you’re a first time stick owner. Hori sticks are made straight from Japan with the authentic parts used in the arcades themselves. I own a Hori stick myself and can vouch for that. Conveniently, everything you need to know about Hori sticks can be found in a thread on SRK of course.

Mad Catz, while an American brand company, use Japanese parts as well for their SFIV fight sticks, namely Sanwa brand parts. While I own a Hori Real Arcade Pro 3, to be honest I really wish I owned a Mad Catz Tournament Edition stick as well. The design is very crisp and clean, as it comes stock with Sanwa OBSF-30s, it’s simply beautiful.

So all in all, the only major differences between these two brands are the designs/dimensions and their stock parts depending which type you purchase. Even then, those can always be swapped out for others parts. Both brands are very effective in their respective areas, so it just comes down to personal preference of looks. Price-wise they can range from the $50-150 US dollars depending on what stick you purchase.

Octogonal Gates

Don’t get one. That’s it. It’s tempting for some, but really, don’t get it, you’re just ruining your stick. If you don’t know what it is, don’t worry then. tl;dr don’t get one.