Arcade Stick vs Controller

[Arcus Diabolus]

Having made the switch to a arcade stick (AT LAST) I found my largest issue has been stick handling. Button inputs are fine for me, a sharp improvement over using a pad where my thumb handled all of it, but I found my movements with the stick is noticeably slower. I almost want to say its a matter of distance required to travel in order to make one input or the other, the pad's stick range of movement being much tighter than a arcade stick's, err... stick. This messes up my combo timing at times and much worse it increases my reaction time when responding to my opponent's actions. 

[lemurdank]

time to revive this thread gamers:

I got a bit of money burning a hole in my pocket and have been considering swapping from arcade to leverless, anyone able to give tips on what I can expect to be different?

[TarkusLee]

5 minutes ago, lemurdank said:

time to revive this thread gamers:

I got a bit of money burning a hole in my pocket and have been considering swapping from arcade to leverless, anyone able to give tips on what I can expect to be different?

Your left hand (or right if you use Krackatoa's pandora box) has to basically learn new muscle memory when switching between stick and leverless. Vguy and Lofo switched from stick to leverless for Gear a couple years ago and they were definitely nerfed for a bit, but now they seem stronger than ever.

[lemurdank]

hmm true, I also played on keyboard for a few years so I could imagine getting a few wires crossed there muscle memory wise could easily happen.

I might just test out the hitbox layout on keyboard to see if I vibe with it or not

[ChemicalJade]

hitbox layout 100000% recommended. Being able to reach the up button with either thumb makes a huge difference. I usually use left thumb for up, but certain inputs like TKs or 360s I'll piano from my right thumb to whatever attack button I need. Makes it really easy to time them correctly.

 

This is how I do I-No JI HCL, I input the jump and the K button basically 1-2 frames apart using the same hand.

[sanquerosa]

It takes a minute to get used to, but leverless is fantastic. I play on a Qanba Sapphire, which is a pretty typical layout. Motions like plinking or things like negative edge are easy, but the real factor to me is having any nuance in movement inputs removed. I'm horrible at explaining, so please bear with me. Having an all-button controller enables a sort of "universal language" in which all motions, even the weird ones, are just series of buttons you need to hit at the right time instead of having to do distinctly different motions with either hand. It's really nice, trust me. I started on pad, and it took about three weeks before I was fully comfortable with leverless.

Oh. And not to shill, but I do highly recommend the Sapphire if you're going to get a leverless. It's natively PS5 compatible and cheaper than most of the PS5 compatible options, on top of being a really solid box.

[suletta]

i prefer using stick because it's more fun, but it's a lot more convenient to use leverless

[ChemicalJade]

1 hour ago, ChemicalJade said:

hitbox layout 100000% recommended. Being able to reach the up button with either thumb makes a huge difference. I usually use left thumb for up, but certain inputs like TKs or 360s I'll piano from my right thumb to whatever attack button I need. Makes it really easy to time them correctly.

 

This is how I do I-No JI HCL, I input the jump and the K button basically 1-2 frames apart using the same hand.

It should probably be noted that just because something is theoretically "easier" doesn't mean you actually need to do it that way. If you can learn to just move your fingers faster, be more accurate with an arcade stick, you can basically make the advantages of any controller fade away IMO.

 

It matters far more that you don't find the controller annoying. I switched from a hori rap n to a snackbox micro a few years back because I was tired of carrying that massive thing around, not for any performance related reasons. In fact at the time it was generally considered worse to play I-No in +R on leverless compared to stick, but that narrative has been killed lately lol (at least partially due to lenient input mode but I'd argue it's fine even on original)

[lemurdank]

1 hour ago, ChemicalJade said:

It should probably be noted that just because something is theoretically "easier" doesn't mean you actually need to do it that way. If you can learn to just move your fingers faster, be more accurate with an arcade stick, you can basically make the advantages of any controller fade away IMO.

 

It matters far more that you don't find the controller annoying. I switched from a hori rap n to a snackbox micro a few years back because I was tired of carrying that massive thing around, not for any performance related reasons. In fact at the time it was generally considered worse to play I-No in +R on leverless compared to stick, but that narrative has been killed lately lol (at least partially due to lenient input mode but I'd argue it's fine even on original)

yeah my main reasoning is more just that I like having the controller on my lap with big buttons and being able to granuarly control movement inputs but find transporting even the smaller arcade sticks I have a pain in the ass because of how unweildy the stick itself makes it, I would be looking into something like a snackbox.

[ChemicalJade]

Snackboxes are good.

 

I will say that controllers with native PS4/PS5 support are generally going to be way more expensive because of the Sony/Brook licensing. I use a LightFox which is a similar form factor to Snackbox but uses the GP-2040CE firmware which is open source. Works out of the box on PC but you need to either get a Brook converter or add some files to get it to work on PS4/5 without the 8 minute controller timeout.

 

If you want to try a leverless for very little money, Haute42 makes controllers that are super budget. They do have some issues with long-term reliability on the lower end models I've used, but also you're paying $30 for it I don't know what you expect.

 

There's a lot of offerings of leverless controllers now that range from $30 to $500 (lmao). I like the GP-2040CE controllers a lot, and will ride or die open source. Outside the GP-2040CE ones, Snackboxes are good. I don't have much to say about the others aside from the Razor and Victrix leverless controllers seem MAD expensive for what you get.

[Bossobee]

I think a lot of people sleep on the HORI RAP-Mini in terms of controllers. It's kind of a godsend. 

 

As someone who both has big hands that make using the dpad on a controller pretty cumbersome and who also has to travel a lot (can't pack a gigantic setup), the RAPM is basically unmatched. It has a really nice stick, it's compact, it's like $60, and it's way better quality than anything you're getting for cheaper. Really durable, too. I've seen air traffic controllers chuck the bag it's in full-force like 10 feet and at the end of the trip the thing didn't even have a dent in it.

[MikelAL93]

I started out with pad as a kid, but I've been using arcade sticks for fighters on and off since 2011, and since I acquired the Qanba Drone, I've been accustomed to it since and never looked back.

 

I won't lie, it feels much better with an arcade stick since my hands have more room to relax, and the Vewlix layout (The first and fifth sticks I have acquired use the Noir layout, while the rest use Vewlix) helps wonders with those learning how to play fighters with an arcade stick as opposed to a pad.

[Hexadice]

I like both options a lot! Personally I lean more towards sticks for an arcade feel primarily, but you really cannot beat the portability and simplicity of a leverless. Not to mention buttons are fairly cheap and plentiful compared to levers, so even if you need to get replacements, you're not gonna break the bank unless you're in a place where you gotta pay big for shipping.

 

I use a Hori Fighting Stick Alpha with the parts swapped out with Sanwa buttons and a JLF with the EX-Groove quick release shaft as my daily driver, but when it comes to stuff I wanna pull leverless out for like Tekken, I just use my Haute42. Those little things are perfect for if you wanna get a taste of it without committing to a full-price piece of equipment (the durability of those kinda suck though...) I've also heard decent things about Snackboxes, but I've never used them myself.

 

If you already got your heart set on a leverless, I'd recommend paying a bit more to get something nicer, especially if you're switching over completely. However I will say PLEASE CHECK TO SEE WHAT YOUR LEVERLESS OF CHOICE IS COMPATIBLE WITH! You may need to get a brook adapter alongside it.