Looking to buy a first arcade stick, which of these ones should I choose?

oc-co

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Hi, everyone!

Ive been playing fighting games casually for years on a controller, and now that I'm interested in getting into the competitive scene, I've been looking to buy an arcade stick so that I can improve my game, and play "properly".

Since I've decided to buy an arcade stick, and have never bought one before, I wanted to ask you guys for suggestions on which stick I should buy.

I come from a country where arcade/fight sticks are practically non-existent, and those that are there, are the cheap ones like HORI Mini (which I've heard from many they do not recommend it), or some other low-quality sticks. The "brand" ones (like Qanba, MadCatz, Mayflash, etc.) that are imported have heavy tax and customs added on top of the original price, which makes it just not worth it.

Right now, my options for buying a stick, sorted in ascending order for price, are these:
  • HORI Mini
  • 8Bitdo Arcade Stick
  • GAMESIR C2
  • HORI Alpha Fight Stick
  • Razer Panthera Evo (a bit overpriced due to the fees I mentioned above but I figured I'd list it here nonetheless)
These are the only options that I have right now, and while I have enough funds for each of these, my options are either one of these sticks, or the option of building my own, although I have never done such a thing. and I'm afraid that I'll screw things up if something goes wrong, so I'm kinda hesitant on that option.

Anyway, out of all of these, which one would you recommend? I honestly have no idea which of these are worth it, and which ones aren't so I figured I'd ask you guys for help on this.

Oh, and by the way, here's some additional info I thought might be useful:

The games that I play are:
  • Ultra Street Fighter IV
  • Street Fighter V
  • Tekken 7
Street Fighter VI and Tekken 8 can be included as well since I will play them when they come out.

I play on PC only. Not sure if this info matters, but I figured it's worth knowing.

The things that I care about in an arcade stick are:
  • Being compatible with PC
  • Having quality parts (Joystick and Buttons)
  • Having the least amount of input lag/latency
Don't care about:
  • Appearance
  • Artwork
  • Weight
Don't pretty much care about the looks of the stick as long as it gives good performance (i.e. quality buttons and joystick, material, etc.)

So, out of all of these sticks, which stick would you recommend for me to buy?
 
What's interesting is that the competitive community is shifting away from sticks and over to pads and hitboxes after years of acting like sticks were the only way to play. Mostly because serious events were held in arcades during the heyday of fighting games. The younger generation of elite western SF players (Punk, Mena, KnuckleDu, ProblemX, etc.) almost all rock PS or Xbox pads. In Japan, they're shifting over to hitboxes. With Tekken, younger western players are mostly rocking pads although almost all Korean and Japanese players are still rocking sticks. The Pakistani players use a mix depending on which characters they favor.
There's nothing wrong with rocking a stick, especially if you're learning for fun, but don't think it's going to make you better.
 
Thanks for the response, but it's pointless to give me links to Amazon, as they can't ship to my country (at least those items you linked).

One thing that's curious is that you've sent me a link to the MadCatz EGO stick which I've heard is nothing but a copy of the Gamesir C2 that I listed in the OP.

So, would that mean your recommendation would be to go with C2?

What's interesting is that the competitive community is shifting away from sticks and over to pads and hitboxes after years of acting like sticks were the only way to play. Mostly because serious events were held in arcades during the heyday of fighting games. The younger generation of elite western SF players (Punk, Mena, KnuckleDu, ProblemX, etc.) almost all rock PS or Xbox pads. In Japan, they're shifting over to hitboxes. With Tekken, younger western players are mostly rocking pads although almost all Korean and Japanese players are still rocking sticks. The Pakistani players use a mix depending on which characters they favor.
There's nothing wrong with rocking a stick, especially if you're learning for fun, but don't think it's going to make you better.
Yeah, this is the reason why I'm kinda still on the fence about buying an arcade stick. It's just that, when I'm playing on the DPAD, I tend to perform accidental jumps or crouches (depending on the motion of my character's special moves), this is especially worst when I try to play charge characters. Not sure if it's because my DPAD is sensitive (DualShock 3 controller), or maybe I just need to practice more.

Another thing that's kinda hard to perform is the "button mashing" moves on characters like Chun Li, or E.Honda, etc.

So, yeah, still on the fence about whether or not I should buy a stick or stay with my controller and try to fix those issues I mentioned, if they can be fixed that is.
 
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Thanks for the response, but it's pointless to give me links to Amazon, as they can't ship to my country (at least those items you linked).

One thing that's curious is that you've sent me a link to the MadCatz EGO stick which I've heard is nothing but a copy of the Gamesir C2 that I listed in the OP.

So, would that mean your recommendation would be to go with C2?
you mentioned importing, didnt say where, assumed youd have some type of regional amazon...
looks like a re-skin.
sure. i only provided the top 3 rated ones.
 
Yeah, this is the reason why I'm kinda still on the fence about buying an arcade stick. It's just that, when I'm playing on the DPAD, I tend to perform accidental jumps or crouches (depending on the motion of my character's special moves), this is especially worst when I try to play charge characters. Not sure if it's because my DPAD is sensitive (DualShock 3 controller), or maybe I just need to practice more.

Another thing that's kinda hard to perform is the "button mashing" moves on characters like Chun Li, or E.Honda, etc.

So, yeah, still on the fence about whether or not I should buy a stick or stay with my controller and try to fix those issues I mentioned, if they can be fixed that is.

Yeah, mash characters can be tough with pads. Luckily there aren't too many of those characters left. Most people that play them via pads stick to the medium button version and just rapidly go back and forth between light and medium buttons. There are players who remap the face of the pad completely so they can do the piano input properly, but not many.

Generally, I find d-pads to be pretty precise, but that's also potentially because I've been using them since the NES days. Lately I've actually been playing with the analog stick on an Xbox pad, though. I find it works great with motion characters but is AWFUL with charge characters. I think the dead zone is screwy by default or something. Tapping is also way slower, so playing Tekken with an analog stick borders on impossible. I tend to use a PS5 pad for Tekken or SF charge/dash-happy characters.

Anyway, I grew up in the era where you had to play with sticks and I don't find them to be any better. If anything, moving my thumb in 4 directions and tapping rapidly is way quicker than moving my entire hand. That's even with the Japanese sticks. With the buttons, I find that playing "claw" style (where you use your index, middle, and ring fingers + thumb for the face buttons) is the way to go for Tekken or anything that requires pressing multiple buttons a lot. There's nothing wrong with playing via a stick, but I don't think it has any inherent advantages beyond the button layout. I've played a fair number of younger players who went out and bought a fancy stick only to go back to pads pretty quickly. It's one thing if you grew up in the arcades and have the muscle memory, but I think they'd set a newer player back. You have to get used to making pretty precise movements only using your wrist and not your whole arm. You can go wild when a stick is attached to a 500 lb. cabinet, but when it's a 1/2lb. stick in your lap, you have to develop a light touch.
 
Okay! Couple of things to keep in mind - First of all, I think moving onto a stick will be a great experience and is overall quite enjoyable and likely make it easier for you to better your play. As far as raw performance at the very high end there is a debate about the use of other control types (mostly stickless arcade button-only setups popularized by the Hitbox or Mixbox layouts) which can have some very circumstance limited benefits, but I wouldn't worry too much about that; you can always look into those later if you wish. Anyway from the hardware you've mentioned lets go over some of them and then move on

HORI Mini - Not a bad little starter stick, but for the price you may be better off with some others; buttons are smaller as recall etc.
8bitdo Stick - A solid option. Doesn't come with Sanwa/Seimitsu etc.. parts, but for knock offs they're decent. Wireless options built in. Relatively mod-capable
Gamesir C2 - This is one of a number of clones using the same design, Sanwa parts etc. I think you may be better with a few other alternatives for this price range.
HORI Alpha - One of the latest Hori sticks and is at the "prebuilt tournament edition" price range. Uses Hori Hayabusa buttons and lever, which are like modified Sanwa, and has a Noir-ish layout for the buttons. Aluminum deck, pop up for modding and more.
Razer Panthera Evo - One of the higher end customs, this is a bit outdated now and certainly not worth full price. Also certain versions (not sure if it was Evo or not) had problems with modding and used a different pin config for "pro style locking cables" then most others at the time. Not a horrid stick but I wouldn't spend my money on it now.

There are a few other prebuilts that may be worth looking into if you can find them in your area.
Mayflash F500 Elite ( https://www.mayflash.com/product/1.html ) or F300 Elite ( https://www.mayflash.com/product/mayflash_arcade_stick_f300_elite.html ) - The Mayflash series are what a ton of clones and rebrands are built upon. The F300 series is a bit more compact and the F500 are a bit larger plus have an acrylic deck layer for those who prefer artwork inserts; both use the Vewlix button layout. The standard versions use knock off components but the Elites save you the trouble of modding/replacing and come equipped with Sanwa lever and buttons from the start. For value sticks, the Mayflash series offer a pretty impressive feature set and reliability.
Qanba Obsidian and Pearl (https://qanbausa.com/joystick/ ) - Consider Qanba to be vaguely a parallel to Hori. They have a selection of lower and higher end sticks, but the noteworthy ones are typically the Obsidian and Pearl (which differ primarily by color, black and white respectively). Sanwa joystick and buttons on these higher end sticks, using the Noir button layout. There is also the Dragon which is their larger, highest end stick but is expensive and a little out of date to pay its standard price.
VictrixPro - (https://pdp.com/collections/victrix-fightsticks ) - Heard some good things about the latest version, but the price can be a bit steep. Sanwa buttons and their own custom lever (which is basically a JP style lever that has is detachable similar to aftermarket mods like the Phreakmods Link EX ), an aluminum deck, pop up for component access and a detachable USB cable.
Etokki Omni -( https://www.etokki.com/Omni-Sanwa-Edition ) - This splits the difference between custom builds and off the shelf! These are higher end sticks that use the well regarded "Brook" series of Fighting Board PCBs that custom lever builders use, and the Omni supports both JP style and KOR style levers without having to mod (all you need is the other one's acrylic). Noir layout with a steel body it will stay put! Easily modded as well. I highly suggest getting the "universal" version which uses the Brook Universal Fighting Board, over the older "PS3PS4" used in the Standard board that hasn't been updated since 2019. Definitely worth looking into.
A wide variety of boutique cases, kits and pre-builds - https://www.brookaccessory.com/products/event/brookinside/index.html - Brook has a listing of "verified" boutique vendors that are using its PCBs, sorted by country so this may be useful to you. I"ve heard some great things about ASIndoPro - https://asindo.pro/ - for instance, but they're definitely in the "luxury" pricing space. Note they have kits and individual components but if you go to one of their cases, there'sa drop down that lets you build a "full stick" not just customize the enclosure.

I don't know about the availability of all these in your country, but just a few other things to keep in mind. In addition , let me list a couple of sites that may be helpful for the fighting stick/arcade community. They're all US based but may have equivalents overseas
Arcade Shock - https://arcadeshock.com/ - US west coast based
Focus Attack - https://focusattack.com/ - US east coast based
Paradise Arcade Shop - https://paradisearcadeshop.com/ - US Hawaii

All of these are supplies for modders, builders, and often offer their own custom sticks and other items as well. For instance, Arcade Shock offers customized versions of Hori and Qanba sticks made with old arcade machine color schemes like Astro City and the like. Focus Attack sells built-your-own fight stick case components from BNB Fightstick (acrylic case) and AllFightSticks ( metal), and also offers custom artwork printing for a variety of both custom case and commercial arcade sticks. They all have lots of other components and features that differ a bit between each shop, but one thing you may want to think about is if you're open to building your own stick! I saw you mention that you were a bit concerned about other layouts rather than just the lever focus. While some of the above sites have modded panels for commercial sticks, for the custom cases (for example AllFightSticks) all you need to do is buy a new top panel and acrylic to fit a different layout and you're go! While building one's own stick will rarely be able to best the cheapest knock offs, it can be a good value especially if you appreciate having full control over every component and nothing to get in the way. Its not horribly difficult especially when those listed above and similar modder/arcade suppliers offer Modding Kits that get you started. Essentially what you need is

Case or enclosure with its sundries (acrylic, feet, foam pads etc)
PCB to act as the "brains" of the stick.
A lever and its accessories (ie a ball/bat top for it, dust washer if its JP style etc)
The right amount of buttons both for action (the ones you press during gaming) and options, at the correct sizes for your layout
The various connectors , ports, and wires necessary to connect everything up as easily as possible.
OPTIONAL: Mods, tweaks or upgrades.

The most expensive single item is typically the PCB, the brains of the system. Thanks to their reliability, features, and long term support, many self-builders these days use PCBs from the Brook Accessory Fighting Board line - https://www.brookaccessory.com/Fighting Board/list.html - there are several models many of which depending on range of consoles are supported but for a PC user this is less important. If affordable, I generally suggest the Universal board because it is given the widest support and most FW upgrades, but some of the others will work on a budget.Brook makes 2 versions of the UFB one with the pins/connectors already soldered on and one that is empty of everything but the screw terminal on one side of the PCB. If you don't want to solder, be sure you're getting the version with all the pins already on!

So there you have it, probably more info then you need but especially if you're considering buying one of the higher end commercial models like the Hori Alpha or the Panthera Evo you mentioned , it good to check in on comparable custom/boutique and/or the ability to build one yourself that is easy to change in the future if you want to try an all-button/hitbox layout, PC keyboard style clusters or even an "all in one/ CrossUp" style where you get both lever and extra buttons! Anyway, iff you have any other questions let me know - I may be a little out of date but a couple years back I did a good bit of research before deciding to either buy or build my own stick and ended up building my own.
 
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