Playstation 3 fighting sticks

Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
Now that I own two fighting games (Soul Calibur IV and Super Street Fighter IV) and intend to pick up at least one more in the future (BlazBlue Continuum Shift), I find myself wanting an arcade fighting stick for the PS3.

I'll likely wait until Black Friday sales to buy one IF I buy one, but I wanted to ask for input from the more experienced fighting game fans among us well in advance.

I'd like to get an arcade stick that does NOT have character-specific or game-specific art on it, but if the price is right, I could probably overlook the art.

A side note: I owned an ASCIIWARE Sega Genesis SG-6 Arcade Stick back in my teenage days and loved it. Playing Super Street Fighter II on the Genesis with that controller remains one of my favorite fighting game experiences. It's going to be hard to measure up to that memory.

...Man, I wish my parents hadn't sold my video game stuff. :(

EDIT: By the way, are there any current-gen multiplatform arcade sticks? I'd love to find a stick that works on the PS3, Wii (for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom), and PC.

EDIT#2: Oh man, this would be awesome. Too bad it's $130 plus the expense of adapters.
 
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Multiplatform of that variety is doable. It's when you want a 360 stick that it becomes impossible (last I checked) to get one that isn't custom fabricated. I made one such stick in the past, but it wasn't cheap. And, based on my experience, I only recommend it to people who are very comfortable with fine solder work on PCBs.

However, if you're not worried about 360 functionality, you're in luck. There are a bunch of sticks designed for PS2/PS3 functionality. With a cheap PS2->GCN adapter (got mine for under $10 shipped, I think, and it works flawlessly), you've got PS3, Wii, and PC all ready to go (since PS3 controllers work with PC).

Honestly, what I want to do is get a PSX or PS2 stick of high quality and just use adapters (since I have them for all three current gen systems). Ultimately, for me, it's the most cost-effective solution. If you want to go that route, hunt down a Hori Real Arcade Pro.

Actually, if you want a really good stick and can live without the Wii functionality, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3. I saw it used (like new) on Amazon for like... $60 shipped not that long ago. It's not the cheapest stick on the market, but the quality is exceptional for the price. Bonus: No stock art.

Otherwise, there's also the Hori Fighting Stick for the PS3 that's pretty decent. Hori's cheap sticks aren't the best of the best, but they're typically better than similarly priced units. You can get this one for $40 on Amazon (free shipping, too... I think).

Personally, after buying and selling many sticks over the years, I'm inclined to recommend sticking with Hori builds for anything pre-fabricated. My current stick is the wireless Hori that was part of a Tekken 6 bundle. I managed to get the whole bundle, brand new, for $45 shipped on eBay. No regrets at all. I plan to upgrade eventually, but this will hold me over just fine until them. Admittedly, I thought I was experiencing input lag while playing Super with you yesterday, but I think it was just going from playing BlazBlue locally to playing Super online. I've had no input lag issues with BlazBlue locally, so I'm guessing it's just playing a different game that got to me.

Anyway, you can get the wireless stick in simple, art-less form, too. It's more expensive than the wired option ($65 compared to $40), but it's there.

Ultimately, preference and budget are the huge factors in your decision making process. If multiplatform support is important to you, then I really recommend going the PSX/PS2 stick route and use adapters (I think you can get one for PC/PS3 for around $5 and one for GCN/Wii for less than $10). If Wii support isn't a huge deal, then go with one of the PS3 (which will also work on PC) Hori sticks.

Honestly, I had pretty subpar results with the MadCatz Fightstick. The standard edition, that is. Diagonals rarely registered. It was highly unreliable. The tournament edition sticks are great, but they're also more expensive than a Real Arcade Pro (which is $100 new and shipped, by the way).

Go Hori. :)

No love for Tekken, though? :p
 
Kendrik said:
Multiplatform of that variety is doable. It's when you want a 360 stick that it becomes impossible (last I checked) to get one that isn't custom fabricated. I made one such stick in the past, but it wasn't cheap. And, based on my experience, I only recommend it to people who are very comfortable with fine solder work on PCBs.
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360 compatibility isn't a concern. I don't own a 360 and have no intention of ever owning a 360.

Kendrik said:
However, if you're not worried about 360 functionality, you're in luck. There are a bunch of sticks designed for PS2/PS3 functionality. With a cheap PS2->GCN adapter (got mine for under $10 shipped, I think, and it works flawlessly), you've got PS3, Wii, and PC all ready to go (since PS3 controllers work with PC).

Honestly, what I want to do is get a PSX or PS2 stick of high quality and just use adapters (since I have them for all three current gen systems). Ultimately, for me, it's the most cost-effective solution. If you want to go that route, hunt down a Hori Real Arcade Pro.
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Can provide a link for the Hori Real Arcade Pro? I'm guessing from context that you were referring to a PS2 controller; I can only find PS3 controllers with similar names on Amazon.

Kendrik said:
Actually, if you want a really good stick and can live without the Wii functionality, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3. I saw it used (like new) on Amazon for like... $60 shipped not that long ago. It's not the cheapest stick on the market, but the quality is exceptional for the price. Bonus: No stock art.
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I'd like to have Wii functionality for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. There's also several great emulators for the Wii, so that factors in as well.

Kendrik said:
Otherwise, there's also the Hori Fighting Stick for the PS3 that's pretty decent. Hori's cheap sticks aren't the best of the best, but they're typically better than similarly priced units. You can get this one for $40 on Amazon (free shipping, too... I think).
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I'd considered going the cheap route, but I've had a solid arcade stick before, so I think I'd notice the difference. I think if I'm going to get a stick, it's going to be second-tier (Hori Real Arcade Pro. 3 or Mad Catz Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition FightStick) at a great price.

I found a deal for the Street Fighter IV Round 2 FightStick Tournament Edition PS3 controller for $100 (using coupon code SOCAL) at the GameShark Store. If I had a job, there's a good job I'd place the order.

Kendrik said:
Personally, after buying and selling many sticks over the years, I'm inclined to recommend sticking with Hori builds for anything pre-fabricated.
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Aye, custom building my own stick is right out. I don't have the soldering experience, expendable funds, or inclination to build my own controller.

Kendrik said:
Admittedly, I thought I was experiencing input lag while playing Super with you yesterday, but I think it was just going from playing BlazBlue locally to playing Super online. I've had no input lag issues with BlazBlue locally, so I'm guessing it's just playing a different game that got to me.
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Most likely. I was having a rough time executing Juri's Super Combo (which is still somewhat difficult for me offline, but not as difficult as when playing online).

Kendrik said:
Anyway, you can get the wireless stick in simple, art-less form, too. It's more expensive than the wired option ($65 compared to $40), but it's there.
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Wireless would be nice (I don't like having ANY cords out in the living room and that will go double for when the little one arrives in February), but then I'd be losing PC compatibility and probably have to use batteries (which isn't a big deal since I already have a few spare rechargeable AA batteries).

Kendrik said:
Ultimately, preference and budget are the huge factors in your decision making process. If multiplatform support is important to you, then I really recommend going the PSX/PS2 stick route and use adapters (I think you can get one for PC/PS3 for around $5 and one for GCN/Wii for less than $10). If Wii support isn't a huge deal, then go with one of the PS3 (which will also work on PC) Hori sticks.
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It sounds like getting a PS2 stick, a PC/PS3 adapter, and a PS2-to-Gamecube adapter is a valid option.

Can you recommend any solid PS2 fighting sticks?

Kendrik said:
Honestly, I had pretty subpar results with the MadCatz Fightstick. The standard edition, that is. Diagonals rarely registered. It was highly unreliable. The tournament edition sticks are great, but they're also more expensive than a Real Arcade Pro (which is $100 new and shipped, by the way).
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Not when on sale. :D But I doubt I'll land a job in the next 6 days. :(

Kendrik said:
No love for Tekken, though? :p
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I only listed the games I have so far (and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, which I had decided I wanted months before I received a PS3 as a gift). If I end up buying an arcade fighting stick, I'll probably watch for other fighting games (including Virtual Fighter 5) on sales.
 
Tek7 said:
I only listed the games I have so far (and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, which I had decided I wanted months before I received a PS3 as a gift). If I end up buying an arcade fighting stick, I'll probably watch for other fighting games (including Virtual Fighter 5) on sales.
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Nevermind. I got Tekken 6 in the mail today.

Thanks, Kendrik. :D
 
I am kind of late, but I will give my two cents here.

The MadCatz Tournament Edition fightsticks are far superior in feel and build quality than the Standard Edition. I would not waste time looking at the MadCatz Standard Edition stuff. One of the main reasons the TE is popular is that it uses Sanwa parts for the stick and buttons. Sanwa parts are frequently used in the arcade cabinets in Japan.

I also know two friends who got the MadCatz TE sticks, and while they too were initially apprehensive due to the price, they were ecstatic with their purchases once they got it in their hands. One had a hard time believing it was a MadCatz product due its high quality packaging and build.

I bought and modded a Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 for the PS3 with Sanwa parts. (I prefer Sanwa over Hori stock parts since they are more sensitive, but Hori is okay if you are stuck on a tight budget.) I did this all before Street Fighter IV and the MadCatz Tournament Edition sticks were announced. If I had a choice between what I did and buying the MadCatz TE sticks, I would have bought the TE sticks since that would be cheaper and they aesthetically look better.

My Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 had no problem working with my PC, and I have read the MadCatz TE sticks for the PS3 are also PC compatible.

I noticed you linked to the X-Arcade stick. When I was researching sticks, the consensus in fighting game communities forums (Shoryuken.com, tekkenzaibatsu.com, etc.) was that they were poor quality sticks for fighting games. I did not read anything positive for it in those corners of the Internet.

Sheesh, I really need to update my PS3 games list, but if they are going to be a regular bunch of fighting game players here, I will be glad to join in, and it will give me an incentive to step up my game.

Here is what I got that has online play:

Super Street Fighter IV
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
Tekken 6
Soul Calibur IV
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection

If we can get a regular fighting game lobby night going, that would be great.
 
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Tek7 said:
Nevermind. I got Tekken 6 in the mail today.

Thanks, Kendrik. :D
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Figured you'd be getting it about now. Didn't wanna tell ya about shipping it out, favoring it being a surprise when it got there. Glad you got it! :) It has good netcode, and I think it supports lobbies. Gonna have to have us a ToJ session soon.

As for sticks, for what it's worth, you won't lose PC functionality with the wireless Hori. It connects to your system via a USB dongle. I've verified that it registers and works just fine... even on my Mac. However, this doesn't help with Wii support, and I sympathize with your wanting Wii support (best version of Guilty Gear, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, homebrew, emulators, and imports? Yes please!).

Unfortunately, I've only found one arcade stick that might be doable for wireless and PS2 functionality. This one option on eBay is the only one that fits. It's a no-name production, and I'm not sure it'd be worth the gamble. Sadly, it may be the only option for a pre-built wireless PS2 stick. It looks like a knock off of older Hori designs, so it may not be all bad, but I don't know if I'd personally take a gamble on it.

As for pre-PS3 Real Arcade Pros, they're no longer manufactured. This means hunting one down. eBay is probably gonna be the best place for that. Good news is that these things are built super well, so it's not the highest risk used purchase ever. I'd use "Hori Arcade" or "Hori Stick" when searching since not all models have the full "Real Arcade Pro" title. I found a couple of them, but they're not always cheap. Though it means game art, the Tekken 5 sticks from Hori were built for PS2 and are probably pretty solid given Hori's track record. In terms of design, they look very similar to the Real Arcade Pro layout. Seeing these, in bundle form, for under a hundred bucks.

Also, could be worth keeping an eye on the Namco-branded arcade stick. No character art. No frills six button layout with a yellow-on-black color scheme. I sometimes see these go for less than $70ish on eBay. Some Buy It Now options right now place it at $90. Really, really well-praised stick, though.

Harder to find, but Sega released a Virtua Stick for the PS2 that's supposed to be really good, too. Just something to look for when you start lookin'.

As another purchasing option, you can search Shoryuken's trading outlet forum for custom/modded sticks. You can probably find something really good there at a reasonable cost. Not sure what the rules on buying/selling there for new users are now, though.

If you're interested in a gamble, these interest me. It'll be a gamble, for sure, but built in PS2/PC support is nice, and the bigger thing is that it comes with replacement buttons. This could quite possibly mean that the parts are easily swapped out for top quality Seimitsu and Sanwa parts by simple snap-out/snap-in stuff.

Hope that something in this wall of text is useful to you.
 
Omega Amen said:
Sheesh, I really need to update my PS3 games list, but if they are going to be a regular bunch of fighting game players here, I will be glad to join in, and it will give me an incentive to step up my game.

Here is what I got that has online play:

Super Street Fighter IV
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
Tekken 6
Soul Calibur IV
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection

If we can get a regular fighting game lobby night going, that would be great.
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I very, very much would like regular fighting game lobbies to happen. I love, love, love the genre. I've written a bunches of stuff about them, including some fighting game philosophy pieces, and they're regularly my bread and butter of gaming. Would get mad hype to play regularly with ToJ guys.

I'm still stuck on Calamity Trigger due to a lack of fundage, but I can't wait to upgrade to Continuum Shift. Such awesomeness. The rest of the collection (er... barring T5:DR) is in my collection.

Now if Sega would just release Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown on consoles already!

Thanks for you input on TE vs. HRAP3, by the way. :)
 
So the consensus seems to be: Get a Mad Catz Tournament Edition FightStick.

I'm going to have to make do with the regular controller for now, but when the day comes that I'm able to reasonably afford a $100 controller, I'll plan on getting a Mad Catz TE FightStick.

I just hope I'm able to find another sale like the one GameShark is running right now when I have the cash to spend.

EDIT: Omega: If you ever pick up a Mad Catz TE FightStick, would you be willing to sell your Hori Real Arcade Pro stick?
 
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After some more reading, I'm not gonna be in a rush to build a new stick. It'll happen eventually, but I'm first going to rework mine a little. Parts have subparts, and those subparts can be individually replaced. Completely replacing my stick proper would not be easy in the Hori wireless design (due to physical space restrictions), but I can easily swap out the gate, spring, and switches that actually register inputs. Result will be a cheaper, and less risky, way to get Sanwa-quality performance in my stick. Also, it seems that pushbuttons are made up of three main parts: the housing, the switch, and the plunger. I can swap out the switches for Sanwa switches since they're the only part that alter performance. Leaving the housing in place makes the whole process easier (since changing the housing requires physical modification to the case on cheaper Hori sticks). The only reason I would change the plunger is to get a different color, but I like the idea of a "sleeper stick" design.

More information than anyone was asking for, and it doesn't exactly help with your search, but I've spent a lot of time over the last day thinking about all this. I guess I just had to share it. :p However, if it does turn out to work as well as it should, then I may start doing Hori mods on the side for a little cash. I'm shooting to get part cost down below $30 a mod job. Labor should be easy mode. To the right audience, this could go well.

But yeah... gogo TE once you have the funds. They're awesome.
 
Kendrik said:
However, if it does turn out to work as well as it should, then I may start doing Hori mods on the side for a little cash. I'm shooting to get part cost down below $30 a mod job. Labor should be easy mode. To the right audience, this could go well.
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Indeed. I'd be interested and I'm sure others would, too. Just because the global economy takes a nosedive doesn't mean people stop wanting to have fun. They just can't spend as much on entertainment (which, in some cases, may be a good thing).
 
I know you're feeling the TE, but I just saw a deal listed on Shoryuken's news feed runnin' for the next few days. Hori's official store is selling the HRAP3 for $90. They're running a coupon code (hori10e213) to give you 15% off. Puts you at $76.50 plus shipping. Doubt you'll jump on this, but I wanted to share the find just in case.

There is one other option I've found out about that may be more appealing to you, though. Turns out that Mayflash (the people who make the PS2->GCN adapter I have and love) makes an adapter for Wii Classic Controller -> PC/PS3 that works pretty well. It's like... $15 on Amazon, I think. Combine that with the Wii Hori stick (or MadCatz TvC stick if you prefer) and you have your cross-system functionality happening. The TvC stick isn't quite TE quality in stock form, but it may still appeal to you. If you end up wanting to run full Sanwa conversion, the total cost (for TvC stick [$45], adapter [$15], and replacement internals[$45]) will be close to an on-sale TE cost, but you'll be on all systems. Cool thing is that the TvC stick is designed with upgrading in mind, so there's nothing more technical than using a screwdriver in the upgrade process.
 
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Kendrik said:
I know you're feeling the TE, but I just saw a deal listed on Shoryuken's news feed runnin' for the next few days. Hori's official store is selling the HRAP3 for $90. They're running a coupon code (hori10e213) to give you 15% off. Puts you at $76.50 plus shipping. Doubt you'll jump on this, but I wanted to share the find just in case.
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Oo~ that does sound nice. Still a little pricey right now, though. And I'm too lazy to create an account on the official store (at least, I think it's the official store) to find out what shipping costs.

Kendrik said:
There is one other option I've found out about that may be more appealing to you, though. Turns out that Mayflash (the people who make the PS2->GCN adapter I have and love) makes an adapter for Wii Classic Controller -> PC/PS3 that works pretty well.
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Does the adapter contribute to input lag at all? (All this reading about HDTVs and input lag has me paranoid now.)

Is there such a thing as a PC/PS3 (which is really just USB) -> Wii adapter? And why in the world doesn't the Wii just read controllers through the USB ports on the actual console? Seems like a no-brainer to me. (And don't say "drivers." A controller shouldn't be so complicated as to require drivers. After all, the Wii handles USB microphones just fine.)

Come to think of it, Wii compatibility is less of an issue since I own two Wavebird controllers. As I recall, those were terrific controllers for Soul Calibur 2. They'd probably be great for TvC, too.

Super Street Fighter IV (and BlazBlue: Continuum Shift in the future) is another matter entirely. Soul Calibur IV and Tekken 6 are fine with the stock DualShock3 controller.
 
Tek7 said:
Does the adapter contribute to input lag at all? (All this reading about HDTVs and input lag has me paranoid now.)
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In the reports I read on Shoryuken, where they take this stuff almost too seriously, I didn't see any mention of lag. If the PS2->GCN adapter is any sign of the quality here, I'd gamble and say "no added lag."

Is there such a thing as a PC/PS3 (which is really just USB) -> Wii adapter? And why in the world doesn't the Wii just read controllers through the USB ports on the actual console? Seems like a no-brainer to me. (And don't say "drivers." A controller shouldn't be so complicated as to require drivers. After all, the Wii handles USB microphones just fine.)
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Probably just a lack of built-in support on Nintendo's behalf. Developers don't tend to like to support things they don't have to. That's my guess, anyway.

Come to think of it, Wii compatibility is less of an issue since I own two Wavebird controllers. As I recall, those were terrific controllers for Soul Calibur 2. They'd probably be great for TvC, too.
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TvC would be doable that way, but any time I can play stick instead of pad... I gotta go with it. I actually have a harder time with Soulcalibur and Tekken than Street Fighter when playing on pad. I can't hit certain button combinations on pad (unless I change my grip entirely), and that tends to be a bigger issue in the Namco games than Capcom games.

@Keero. My stick is pretty much the same thing... but wireless. I'm definitely a Hori fan because of it. Honestly, I'm not even in a hurry to mod it. It's not perfect, but it's really solid.
 
Tek7 said:
Are there any wireless PS3 arcade sticks apart from the one included in the Tekken 6 bundle?

When the little one makes her debut in February, 13' cables are going to get downgraded from "slightly inconvenient" to "terrible, terrible damage."
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There's the unlabeled one from Hori. It's the exact same thing... just without Tekken branding. Other than that, I don't know of any wireless PS3 controllers. At least... not any with a meaningful brand name. You can find some on eBay, but they most commonly look iffy... and like wireless PS2 controllers (which could actually have some merit) with converters.

I'm still biased toward the Hori stick. I love mine. Think I need to replace the batteries, though. Sad day. :p
 
When I hear fighting sticks, it makes me think of fighting stick figures.

/unrelated
 
Kendrik said:
There's the unlabeled one from Hori. It's the exact same thing... just without Tekken branding. Other than that, I don't know of any wireless PS3 controllers.
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Would you mind posting a link to a product page for the un-branded Hori fighting stick? I'd like to review the specs in detail.
 
On Amazon.

Not much to go off of on that page, though. You can find a wealth of information on Shoryuken's Tech Talk forums if you wanna do a little researching.

I heart mine.
 
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