http://shop.ebay.fr/items/_W0QQ_nkwZHoriQ20Fi...R40QQ_mdoZ ?

Don't buy one.

I have two of them here at the office and not only are they pretty bad (they tend to die quickly), they are overpriced everywhere.

I'd wait until they fix and release again the FightSticks (or buy one now with some Sanwa parts).

I found a place in Mong Kok, it's at Sincere Building, top floor. You can purchase rebuilt (looks like Hori) fighting sticks, fitted with all original Sanwa parts. I tried it, felt great on the demo at the store. It comes with 1-year warranty, and it's amazing, like less than 500 HKD. It claims its better than the Hori original sticks, and I believe it, having read some of the reviews of buttons breaking after one week, or two days of playing????!!!!

Anyways, the store is open only after 2:30 PM and stays open until 11PM, everyday. It's called TT Shop.

Bobmar.

Mong Kok is an amazing name for a place.

yeah, you should see what else the street walkers are trying to mong around.....

Thanks.

Ok so I should for a Hori Real Arcade Pro instead ? I can't stand playing any more hours with that gay xbox pad on SF4...

Looks like it's impossible to get a stick nowadays !

Basically you have three options (best to worst, also higher price to lower price):

- FightStick TE
- HRAP EX
- FightStick

Depends on how much do you want to spend and the availability of those (I think right now they are all pretty hard to find).

Amazon.de has FightSticks and they said they would release more TEs in March.

What are the main advantages of using these? I'm not comparing it to the xbox controller, thats obvious but i find it difficult to believe that any of those joysticks could be markedly different?

You mean sticks compared to pads or those sticks compared to each other?

those sticks compared to eachother, sorry I thought I had made that clear.

Well, they are all Japanese style sticks with similar layouts, so the main differences are build quality, size, weight and parts' quality.

FightSticks use all Mad Catz parts, HRAP EX uses Sanwa stick and Hori buttons, FighSticks TE use all Sanwa parts. Also, there are some functional differences (like the tournament lock in the FightSticks) and differences in the button assignments (HRAP EX's make no sense).

The difference among the different part makers is not THAT big, but Sanwa parts still feel much better than the knockoffs, with much less deadzone on the sticks, non mushy buttons, etc.

Also, FightSticks are highly modable, so you always have the chance of replacing anything. HRAP EX's buttons are easily replaceable, but the stick is not iirc because it uses a custom mounting plate.

Thanks for the in-depth reply :) I am looking to buy a good joystick pad when I buy my xbox and SF4. Now I've got some good places to look, and I'm closer to Asia being in Australia so maybe it will be easier to find them!

as far as i know the main differences are the parts used. i think the fightstick te has all sanwa parts, the hrap ex has a sanwa joystick and hori buttons, and fightstick is regular madcatz crap.

sanwa and seimitsu are the top arcade part manufacturers for japan stuff. the hori buttons are said to be decent.

with the hrap ex, it may or may not be easy to swap parts like the buttons.

stay away from the madcatz one, its awefull!

Another option would be HRAP EX-SE which has Seimitsu joystick + Seimitsu buttons.

As far as I've read, it's not available anymore ?

!
Has it even been released yet? :D

Fightstick TE is the official Street Fighter 4 sticks made by Madcatz? Are they really good? I've read that Madcatz is usually terrible but they took a lot of input from hardcore players before making this one.

Apparently they have had some manufacturing problems (some of them come with little scratches), but other than that the stick is supposed to be the best ever.

for 400$ it better be.

best option, make your own! not sure how u do it on a 360 yet, unless u buy some random 360 joystick and swap the buttons plus joystick. ive got one for pc thats made using a playstation pad pcb and u solder the points on the pcb to the buttons and joystick. then use a psx to usb thing. dont think theres any controller converter things for 360 tho, but not 100% sure

as someone stated use some sanwa joysticks for fighters.

PS2 -> 360 adapter, then just mod up a PS2 controller.

Whoa I didn't know such thing exists! This can help pad players use PS2 gamepad instead of the shitty shitty shitty d-pad on 360 controller.

make sure the adapter is lagless

I used XBox 360 wired controller PCB for my stick. It's the early version of that controller and it does not have common ground, so connecting it to the joystick is a bit tricky.

I think the late version of 360 wired controller does have common ground (at least for directions) so it will be much easier to use its PCB.

Just search for PCB diagrams before buying anything, and make sure it has common ground. It will be much easier.

And yeah I used Sanwa joystick and buttons. WIN!

Had the EX2, used it for a few months, was fine.

But, there's definitely better out there. Be willing to spend 60+

=)

Right now, the lowest price for Fightstick TE is around 300 euros on ebay and stuff. For HRAP EX, I found one at 180 euros.
Fightstick looks pretty bad compared to 2 others so I'd better forgive it.

Now, it's gonna be a stuggle to get one of those 2 soon. Anyone going to Japan any time soon ?

definately overpriced. maybe you should have someone make you one or something.

Make it for me ! :D

Nubytech Street Fighter 15th Anniversary Arcade Stick - Happ Edition (PS2/Xbox)

Anyone know if it's xbox 360 compatible ?

HAPP joystick?! Think again.

I found one not so expensive on a webbie but I got my answer, it's not compatible... :'(

Well, actually I haven't tried any joystick other than Sanwa, which feels perfect. But before buying it I went through lots of articles and forum threads about what to chose.

They say American-style joysticks (HAPP) need more force to play with, and you need to actually hold the joystick in your hands, while Japanese-style sticks can be used with using thumbs or other fingers only. Search for some hands-on-joystick videos on youtube.

Also, Japanese-style joysticks by default have square-shaped restrictor gates, which I'm not going to explain :D Just look it up in SRK or somewhere! But most people seem to like this kind of gate.

Another thing is button layout! I think Japanese layout is much better than American. It's more ergonomic.

What else?

Ok so sell me your stick. xD

What else?

greatest stick ever

this is very true.

also, best console ever.

still got one, still awesome ^_^

me too, in fact it's the only console I play anymore :D

This is sooo KoF :/

The Neo Geo had (has) a ton of enjoyable fighting games, imo, kof series, real bouts, garou, samurai shodowns, last blade's ninja master's...

snk = epic
capcom = id software

^___________________________^

You've probably found out about snk games at large through emulators in the last couple of years I wager.

yeah, jk
if i would have grown with a neogeo console, i'd think the opposite :D

and speaking of emulation: KOF2002 Ultimate Match has just been released for PS2

here it is running in PCSX2 emu
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3775/heheehehe.jpg

need to mess with the settings to see if i can get it to run fullspeed.. some 3D games run better than this :/

pre-Q4 era id.

I didn't say I hate KoF. I like it a lot (but I don't play it... lack of opponents here)

But I don't like that stick because you can't play SF with it :/
6-button sticks FTW.

amazon

Thanks but I've been told this one isn't great enough. It's full Hori components and no way to mod it.

Case closed !

The Madcatz TE seems to be not as good as it should be (a few customers report problems) and those ebay mofos sell them 300+ so I went for HRAP EX.

I've found a HRAP EX and 8 Sanwa buttons at 179 euros at a shop near my town (I was about to purchase one in Hong Kong lol). It's a bit overpriced but it's so fucking rare to get one and I can't play any longer with that stupid xbox pad.

I'll post some pictures if anyone is interested.

yes please. pics would be welcome. the TE is pretty expensive. i'm looking at building my own sticks and/or buying a Sega Saturn pad.

What about that new MadCatz Fightpad? I haven't tested it but It's supposed to be as good as Saturn pad.

It's like more than double the price, so it's not worth it unless you want one for the 360.

Is it on play-asia.com? My friends might be interested.
I assume it is USB, right?

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=163928

They are a bit more expensive now, but it's still a great deal because most of those sellers offer free shipping worldwide.

wow thanks... i'm getting one. tired of playing ST on GGPO with my keyboard.

ok placed an order... let's hope it comes through fine. these should do the job until i get a good deal on sticks.

do you own one of these? if so, what is your opinion on them?

I've been tempted to buy one since they started showing up on eBay, but I don't know how to play with a pad so I always chicken out.

Everybody on SRK and GAF says they are really good though.

and i have almost never played on sticks due to lack of arcades over here. played with these controllers on their original consoles back in the day and now i use shitty keyboard.

i know people on SRK love this pad but what is the general consensus about pad vs sticks? would adapting to sticks maximize my potential in the game or is a really good pad such as this one enough?

i know most "pros" use sticks over a gamepad but is that because it's better or just what they got used to over the years at arcades?

I'm no sf pro but I remember sticks being way better, since you're using your whole left hand to control movement not just the thumb. also you don't need to hold the stick like you hold a pad, so all your fingers are availible for combos.

after years of playing with the Sega controller, i'd say that i use a direction pad better than sticks for directional input atm. i have no trouble performing 360s with my left thumb alone (ONLY on the Sega controller mind you).

however, i only recently learned about "piano input" and other such things. i can't see how i'd pull them off on a pad. i guess i will make the switch to sticks after a few months.

The biggest limitations imho are 360s, piano inputs, mashing and double tapping.

Some people use the claw style (put the fingers on the pad buttons as if it was a stick), but I guess you can end hurting your hand pretty badly :P

The consensus seems to be that sticks are better but you can do just fine with a pad. It also depends on the game and the amount of the limitations I said it requires you to perform.

right thanks for your input :)

I'm tempted to buy one!
Just, I need to open a eBay AND a paypal account to buy this : (

I just found that, wow. I was going to cancel my TE order that arrives next week, but I guess I'll have to buy it and maybe sell it on eBay :P

just get 6 buttons and 2 hole plugs

I've been using the Hori EX2 and HRAP lately, ex2 is alright I see alot of complaints about it but so far so good although the HRAP is easly the better stick. If you don't mind shelling out the money go for the HRAP.

Also got a little help moding a Tekken 5 Anniverisary stick with a 360 PCB so I can swap from PS2/3 to 360, the stick is actually quite nice although a bit bulky (seeing that it didn't actually have that much inside) but the extra room proved useful.

regarding control pads, what is better for fighting games, d-pad or thumbstick? i've always preferred the thumbsticks because d-pads hurt after a while (the snes ones gave me blisters). but seeing that the fightpad only has a d-pad i'm wondering if those are better suited for fighting games?

yes, the sfIV fightpads are supposedly really smooth

There is just no way i can get a fightstick, TE or not in Canada anytime soon which sucks ass! Oh well... i might try to spend time outside this summer after all :P

If I recall correctly, they will ship a new batch of fightsticks on May.

http://www.gamesharkstore.net has them in stock, TE, SE, 360 & PS3

They are about to come in stock everywhere else over the course of the next 2 weeks keep a look out!

Only Madcatz sf4 te for PS3, no xbox360 :(

real men play on keyboard

PC version announced for beginning of july :<

stop playing on the keyboard and get yourself a saturn pad at the very least :). like you, i got used to my keyboard and couldn't play on anything else. i bought a saturn pad and it just ended up on the shelf. however, the other day my buddy and i decided to play some ST at his house and he liked playing on his keyboard too. i took my pad over just for kicks and used it the entire day.

what a difference after a couple of hours of play. i couldnt hadouken trap well on the keyboard. couldn't spam them fast enough. i couldn't DP if someone jumped over the hadouken either. with the pad, everything flowed so smoothly. i'm sticking to it until i can get sticks and even after playing with the keyboard for more than 2 years, i'd say the pad is better (a good pad with a nice d-pad like the saturn, xbox360 crap sucks).

having 6-7 fingers on directions/punches/kicks is quicker than using only your thumbs

not to mention a d-pad can be wobbly and ruin some of your moves (especially charge supers)

i thought the same too... like i said, i put away the pad i bought because the keyboard just seemed so much more natural with more fingers on it at the same time. however, its much easier to play most non charge characters (i usually only play shotos) on a good pad like the saturn pad. i found this totally by accident.