Fightstick Recommendations Please

[MrMeminaw]

I want to get a fightstick to play on fightcade (I know it's optional but I really like motion inputs) but I don't know anything and I have a really low budget (if I have a budget in the first place) so I want to learn what I need absolute bare minimum to plug and play without it randomly breaking down on it's own after a week.

Thanks in advance (⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠)

 

[beefbowl]

There's a Hori Mini Stick, it is smaller than a regular stick, and i think it is cheaper (i bought mine secondhand). You should look into it before looking into more expensive stuff.

 

[rootCompute]

I got a Mayflash F500 V2 this past year for Christmas, I love it! I'm not exactly sure how precise it is--I'm far from a pro fighting game player--but I think it feels pretty fantastic for playing various types of arcade games. Pretty sure it's on the lower end budget-wise

 

[Gaboleskul]

Whatever you buy, make sure you can swap the buttons and stick. I got a hori RAP 4, and my buttons are now sanwa (my buttons die once a year, can't find hori replacements) and my stick is a seimitsu, since I play mostly shmups.

 

[Laeshemy]

I second the Mayflash F500, quality stick for the price

 

[Sumea]

I want to get a fightstick to play on fightcade (I know it's optional but I really like motion inputs) but I don't know anything and I have a really low budget (if I have a budget in the first place) so I want to learn what I need absolute bare minimum to plug and play without it randomly breaking down on it's own after a week.

Thanks in advance (⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠)

With low money, check out what is being sold used. If it is only for PC use, any old stick even xbox 360 or PS3 one will suffice, though for most conventional games you need to rely on steaminput or such translation layer to make your stick work. Fightcade, though, and other emulators or retroarch are fine with any old stick. Just make sure they are sanwa, those are the best and then there might be a need for some maintenance on top of that. Old Madcatz sticks all rock and are sanwa. Trust me, in this case, Madcatz were kings for many years with their game in fightsticks. Old Qanbas and stuff too. Hori I cannot recommend straight out as those after certain point come with Hori's own parts, cloning Sanwa parts but not fully. Most people who have used both parts prefer Sanwa.

Cheap, NEW sticks are not worth it. Mayflash has a good stick that ships with clone parts so you add 60 bucks/euros on top of the price if you want real parts.

There's a Hori Mini Stick, it is smaller than a regular stick, and i think it is cheaper (i bought mine secondhand). You should look into it before looking into more expensive stuff.

No. That thing is genuinely "You think you do, but you don't"

 

[Gaboleskul]

Hori I cannot recommend straight out as those after certain point come with Hori's own parts, cloning Sanwa parts but not fully. Most people who have used both parts prefer Sanwa.

Hori hayabusa parts are fantastic. I love how smooth the buttons are, and how little input you need for them to register. I had to settle for sanwa buttons since I couldn't find hori replacements.
The stick is the same, very loose, but I didn't like it that much, and that's the reason I got a seimitsu, since I like how tactile the feedback is (it's more stiff and you get a noticeable click when the input is registered, good for micro dodges in shmups). The hori stick for fighting games is great.

 

[SliperyHippo]

I got a QUANBA Crystal on the cheap when I was first getting into third strike. I like that one because it's a pretty standard size and the face plate is removable so you could put some art on there later if you'd like!

 

[TheSoulWalker TheSoulWalker]

If you want new and a one stop shop, I recommend the Nacon Daija Arcade Stick. You're looking at $250, it supports PS5 out the gate and it is incredibly mod friendly to be curated to your specific liking.

If you want used, find a Madcatz T.E. for 360/PS3, those were touted as the best out of box sticks for their time.

 

[Emerald Flowsion]

F500 from Mayflash like others have said, is a great starting point. Models from Haute42 are a great budget option, if you are looking for a leverless one.

 

[Sumea]

Hori hayabusa parts are fantastic. I love how smooth the buttons are, and how little input you need for them to register. I had to settle for sanwa buttons since I couldn't find hori replacements.
The stick is the same, very loose, but I didn't like it that much, and that's the reason I got a seimitsu, since I like how tactile the feedback is (it's more stiff and you get a noticeable click when the input is registered, good for micro dodges in shmups). The hori stick for fighting games is great.

Well, I know people who use them and do not mind, people who used them, swapped to Sanwa, and stay with Sanwa, and cannot go back. Also the replacement is issue. Thanks to widespread use and Sanwa being still a company offering replacements for both arcade and individuals, sanwa parts are also extremely serviceable. I KNOW how to service microswitches down to a teardown hard scratch-clean and restore functionality to even outright dead switches. Hayabusa is the worst stick for this, as well.
Like said, Hayabusa is not the worst part, but I would recommend a stick with Sanwa parts before Hayabusa. Seimitsu also. Those are serviceable but rarer so do it only if you want seimitsu. Samducksa crown the rest also.

 

[Gaboleskul]

Good point, I wasn't considering fixing the parts, since they're so cheap and I just swap them. I've never even tried fixing a button before.

 

[blindpr0phet]

I have a very old, very loved Qanba stick I got for around $60 back when I was learning to use levers, so you could check out what they've got these days?

 

[Sumea]

Good point, I wasn't considering fixing the parts, since they're so cheap and I just swap them. I've never even tried fixing a button before.

Well, yeah, the buttons too I can take and scratch clean. Mainly the posts the ball bearing inside touches. But I was misguided and caused issues as there is conductive stuff that lubes the ball bearing inside the button switches that I cleaned out, and scratch cleaning makes that hard too.
No I was thinking the crazy shit I did of unsoldering Sanwa stick switch assembly, taking apart the microswitches and scratch cleaning those.
The main thing about maintainibility is can you buy replacement parts and install them. You cannot really get repalcement hori button switches. Or replacement hori stick microswitches. You can get both for sanwas, just the button switches, just the "shuriken shaped" switch assembly. I was gonna argue about doing that when your buttons are special color and such, but that is also not something hayabusa parts have. If you want to go real custom with your sticks, you need to go with something else. I am sure aside Sanwa, Seimitsu and Samducksa had options. I seen and felt a lot but generally sanwa is best for your first stick. Used sticks could be a bargian and getting one with sanwa parts makes servicing it if it needs it easier and cheaper.

 

[kitestar]

the folks i follow genuinely swear by their leverless sticks, dont recall what brand they were though...

 

[SliperyHippo]

the folks i follow genuinely swear by their leverless sticks, dont recall what brand they were though...

Yeah, Sajam, BrianF, and even Daigo have been pushing the leverless pretty hard for a while, but if you're using fightcade and you wanna go leverless just use your keyboard.
For me, half the fun of fighting games in inputting the moves and something about how the stick feels in my hand just feels right.
Leverless is probably just better, but it's not going to really matter at lower skill levels and you should really try to stick to playing games the way you want to play them and in ways that bring you the most joy.

 

[PrismRed]

I shit you not, spend whatever budget you have on a good board. You can use an old shoebox for the enclosure and use the cheapest Sanwa buttons and lever, then slowly upgrade from there.

Also, don't force yourself to if you feel you don't click with it, using a fightstick doesn't mean you play better, the best controller to play fighting games is the one you feel most comfortable with.