I've played with a pad all my life and had no idea how clunky it was for me till I switched to a stick. I always keep dropping inputs with a pad due to my big hands. It was like night and day when I finally tried out a stick. It took a couple of days to get used to, but now I have no intentions of going back to a pad.
Dude same. My hands are fucking massive and using the pad is almost impossible because of my big ass thumbs so I use the analog stick on the controller and drop moves all the time. I want a fight stick to actually put in half circle and quarter circles without dropping them.
Playing on pad would destroy my thumbs, I could only play for an hour at a time at most. Switching to stick relieved the thumb abuse, and was able to play for 2 to 3 hours at a time without any issues.
@@fiveromannumerals it is not a difference that is just people not being used to pad and pressing to hard. You want to avoid pressing hard at all costs because it either damages your thumb like in this case or wrist if you press to hard on punch buttons since you are grabbing pad to hard and twisting your wrist. Pad is hard to get used to for sure I'm new to fighting games and pad so I can attest to that but that has nothing to do with pad and more with me not being used to device. People that grew up with pad don't have issue with this since they are so accustomed to it and hold it naturally.
Speaking of the community aspect, I had this one beautiful moment that happened when I went to a USFIV tournament at a convention. Since I was volunteering for a free pass to the tournament I couldn't safely bring my stick to the venue, but there were a handful of people who brought their sticks to the tournament. They all were more than cool to share their sticks for anyone who wanted to play with them, so it was great that everyone got a chance to play with the controllers most comfortable for them.
I switched for two reasons, the most important being nostalgia, I love that feeling of playing at an arcade. Bit also I spent alot of years mashing the wrong stuff on a pad never actually looking up how to play these nor having anyone around that knew properly, switching to stick allowed me to bypass the already worked in bad muscle memory and just start fresh:)
I play all games (that support it) on stick - Mega Drive, SNES, Saturn, PlayStation, everything. Sticks are so accurate, but also so much more enjoyable.
I also love smashing the stick buttons when things get hype. When you mash on pad your gripping the controller even harder to keep it in place. A tip that helped my on pad was to focus on lifting my fingers for inputs, instead of sliding you thumbs on the face buttons, That’s a recipe for sloppy inputs.
Lol I'm struggling a lot playing GG on stick mostly because of the dashes and movement generally quicker to do on pad But maybe that's just lack of practice.
@@miguelodeon4978 To clarify a little more, my stick is a Hitbox. I don't know if it counts as a separate thing. Dashes and IAD's are way easier to execute.
Yeah I guess its like playing on a keyboard, I'd say they're two different things for me. However I'll practice some more with regular stick on those kinda games before calling the stick not as good for them on the long run.
Four buttons I can play on pad, but six-button Capcom games I basically need a stick. Tried for years but never got used to using the shoulder buttons.
Switch to fight stick around two years ago for third strike and now I find most fighting games not easier but easier if that makes sense. It feels really good and The ergonomics of it really are a selling point. Especially if you play a lot of fighting games or game’s in general I’m the long run I recommend it 100%
After years of this debate, I came to the conclusion that the best thing is to try everything you can. Your never going to know whats better for you if you haven't really tested out each option. I own or have tried almost every pad out there, all of the Hori fightpads (PS1 to the recent PS3/4 commander), the various madcatz, to the og sega saturn 6 button controller (& several "retro" saturn clones) etc. I plan on eventually purchasing a fight stick and hitbox to see if either one is better for me. Dont be afraid to experiment with different options, it can be a fun process and could end up making you a better player too.
Really dig your content, as someone who's always been interested in fighting games but not necessarily had my heart in it, been getting more passionate about new and old series that caught my attention, (mk, dbfz, blazblue) and you are really a wealth of information, presented in a very non condescending way, keep it up bro, much love and respect
I bought a stick when I realized they existed mostly because I'm old enough that I first learned to play fighting games in arcades and it enhanced the childhood nostalgia aspect of playing games. I had spent a good chunk of time playing Tekken on PS pad in the middle decades and when I briefly picked up Tekken 7 on stick I found relearning movement took some work despite having been playing 2D fighters on stick beforehand. But one competitive advantage not really touched on was how much easier 2 button inputs are on stick. 3+4 for example on pad either requires playing with a claw grip which is absolute hell on my hand or has a high level of input error trying to hit them both at the same time with my thumb. Stick lets you hit both buttons with separate fingers with an ergonomic grip.
Lil majin is my fav pad user, top 8 first american on tekken. Which is dominated by koreans, and hes a very entertaining player. Every round is different for him and he actually uses all the characters kit instead of being safe and just trying to win a game
im someone who went both through the keayboard to pad transition, and pad to stick transition. keyboard to pad took me around 2 months to get sompletely used to it. pad to stick took me half a year. stick is very hard to get used to, especially if you never touched a stick before. it's completely different from everything you ever did to control your games
@@Puffle573 no it definitely is cause the first guy quoted the vid and the guy put a genuine answer to the problem that was a joke meaning that shit went straight over his head making it a whoosh
The keybox gives a very small distinct advantage when it comes to very precise inputs and speed. I was only able to pull off certain combos with them thanks to the wasd format.
I've been playing fighting games ever since the vanilla Street Fighter II and consistently played on pad all the way up to Tekken 7, where I finally swichted to stick. I enjoy playing on stick so much more now. I feel it's like playing racing games with a steering wheel, it's just so much more fun if you nail your moves/combos on stick rather than pad.
Nicely explained jmcrofts. I love the look of sticks, I think they're cool and buttons making sounds is just so satisfying. This definitely was a good insight.
I started out using pad and started learning stick cause it looked like fun and there were certain things that appealed to me about stick. somewhat recently I switched again to hitbox and am loving it.
My honest answer is if you grew up in the arcades, then stick with an arcade stick controller or if you grew up playing with regular pad controllers all your life, then stick with a regular pad controller.
I got into fighting games in 2008 because my friends were playing super turbo HD remix and vanilla sf4, and back then the attitudes seemed a bit different where it was stick or bust. It was painful at first to play stick but it's worth it in the long run. It's a lot of fun having arcade hardware and playing stick with other arcade games. On the topic of injuries, I mostly play sf which I don't get any issues but if I play darkstalkers it's harder on my wrists and forearm.
I actually just bought one just for the hell of it, I still use the pad but I've been wanting to learn stick for a hot minute. Plus I love using it on MAME games! I think I'm starting to get into collecting them just for fun.
Pretty informative video overall, i always enjoy your videos, I just hope more people could give enough information about pads too! It seems like people don't really mention stuff outside of the regular ps4 pad or some mods for it
PSA: I'm like six months in and still practicing the basics every day... it can take some people a WHILE. However, with that said I can see the benefits and say it is worth it. I'm not ashamed to admit I've hit a brick wall with dragon punch motions but seeing small improvements as I've stuck with it; up to 25 consecutive without a mistake 1P side and 16 consecutive 2P side with no mistakes. All the other motions on Ryu in SSF2 Turbo I have down no question (and yeah, I'm that insane person who wants to work up to Hawk). If you are looking at something like Tekken (or something that has a lot of fast dashing) you might want to go with Korean style lever, if something like Street Fighter (lots of quarter circle and 360 type motions) Japanese style is best suited for that. Also, don't forget about something like Hitbox, it does make some things possible that you can't on stick and can be an easier transition from keyboard. The comparison to learning a musical instrument is 100% correct. What you are practicing is proper technique and trying to develop good habits instead of bad ones. It means doing a lot of very basic things over and over, but if you want to be a wall to your opponent you have to start with a solid foundation. Also, just like an instrument you are looking for ergonomics; everything is as relaxed and natural as possible, NOTHING should hurt. If something hurts you are doing it wrong. You are developing muscle memory, which means you want to do at least a little EVERY DAY. Practicing 8 hours one day a week does almost nothing, while taking 10 minutes every day in that week will yield progress; just like learning an instrument. Your practice should be very focused and not just going through the motions on autopilot; think about what you are doing. Visualize the motion in your head, then execute, rinse and repeat. Looking down at your hands as you do it can help at first. When starting out, take as much time in between each action as you need to visualize it. Slow the motion down if you have to; you are attempting to have EVERY time you do it be correct, no matter how long it takes to do... speed comes with time. If you are going on autopilot and missing half of your inputs you are NOT building muscle memory as fast as you could if you slow down, do half as many are you currently are, but they are all correct inputs. Think of muscle memory like an XP bar; every time you do it right, you gain a little bit of XP... but every time you do it wrong you lose even more XP. THAT is how you need to approach it, you will gain more XP taking your time and getting it right. If you are just going at it trying and miss, miss, miss... stop for a second. Take your hand off the controller and take a relaxing deep breath. Place your hands back in position and visualize the motion. Then, very slowly practice what the motion is, being completely relaxed (don't worry that it isn't fast enough to come out). Do that a few times and gradually speed it up, visualizing the motion between each time, until you work it up to speed. I know that sounds like a pain in the ass, but you will be a fucking execution MONSTER when you are done. I went to college for music and spent a LOT of years teaching people how to play various instruments. It will take you years to master something difficult, and there is always room for improvement. So I know the best way to approach it; It is a marathon, not a race... and try not to be hard on yourself, stay positive and know that getting frustrated is actively working against you. Know that you will get there eventually if you put in the work.
i know this is a year old, but you’ve reinspired me to learn a stick. controller has always felt much more comfortable and i’ve been using a stick this past week that i just bought and it’s been nothing but painful. i’ve been looking at a ton of videos to see if you really need to play on stick to be good, and this comment is what really got me to understand the process. i’ll try my best to learn how a stick works, thank u for your wisdom
stick just feels way more fun to use. I'm switching to it knowing that I'll likely be way worse for a while, but will have more fun than with a boring old pad
The only time I played stick was when we need an extra controller to play overcooked and I was happy to use the stick, It was almost instant that I new the joystick felt better and bought one. It really is as simple as trying one out, even if that means going to a local arcade and checking how the stick feels. It's hard to know with button placement but it you are using an analog, it's easy to compare it to the feel of a stick
Look up battle beaver controllers. You can buy a kit that turns your dpad into 4 directional buttons rather than one large button that is used in ps4 and xbox controllers. The kit only costs $20 and if you want a controller that can be used for multiple genres, they have a custom controller builder and you can basically customize everything. Affordable too
one reason to play stick is negative edge, where you do a move when you release a button as opposed to pressing it. On a pad, your thumb can only do so much at the same time, while on stick you can dedicate a finger to holding down buttons while still being able to press others reliably. Noteworthy examples being playing Zato in guilty gear, Arakune in blazblue or Cody's zonk knuckle in street fighter.
I switched to stick because of ergonomics, I have Arthritis due to playing alot of precision games and had to start wearing a hand brace, plus the longer stick felt better and less cramped
Hello JMCrofts! I personally switched from the dual shock 4 to a stick about a year ago (Nacon Daija - I’m from Belgium) and was really happy about it for the main reasons that made me switch to stick, being my incredibly sore thumbs when playing for an extended time (the DS4 was killing my thumb when it comes to quarter circle inputs). And just like you described in this video, my skills took quite a hit for at least a few months until I got used to playing on stick. There were still some subtleties I couldn’t get around with the stick as opposed to the d-pad (instant air dash for instance), so I also went for the Razer Raion to try out that « best of both worlds » feel, being the d-pad for the left hand and tapping buttons claw style with the typical fight stick layout. Now to be completely honest, I play much better on the Raion pad than on any of the other devices I have (DS4 & Fight stick)... and yet, I still love playing on stick a bit more, there’s just something really satisfying to play around with those big buttons. My question to you would be, would you recommend looking into a hit box to see if that would really actually be the best of both worlds in my case? Have you tried out a Hit box and how do you like it? I’m also curious about the cross/up they’re working on... it intrigued me a lot as it’s a hybrid between stick and the extra inputs for directional buttons. Unfortunately none of these products can be tried out here in Belgium so if I ever want to try it out, I have to go the expensive way and purchase it... which would suck if it ends up not being for me.
Exactly my story😂 went from DS4 with backbuttons to Raion, and now with Daija.. it‘s tough, from Gold back to Bronze 🙃 it will take time to get used to stick. Are you still playing, using the Daija?
I switched to stick and while the learning curve was definitely there, it made making more precise inputs easier to do with my big ass hands. The stick didn't give me better skills, but it did help me use them more.
I scratched the itch to get a FightStick early this year by simply buying the Hori FS mini for the Switch. Some say I should have saved more money for better sticks, especially because some say the size is just way too small, but since I have no reference point because I never played on a stick before the one I bought, I am just fine with the one I have. I already got used to it. I might change it in the future, but I’m not in a hurry to do that.
I think you cannot underestimate the fun factor when finally changing over to stick... really adds new life and energises the game... not a MK player mind but can really see how that would be more pad geared... did MK ever play well on stick? Even back in the arcades lol ;)
I just switched from pad to stick and it's really frustrating having to learn the inputs again. I'm improving and I can tell that once I get good it'll be easier to do certain inputs with it, but in the meantime it's pretty annoying knowing what to do but not how to do it.
Plot twist: The only reason he says that switching to stick won’t help you become a better player is because he doesn’t want other people to become better.
people have generally told me that the defining factor on whether or not you want to play stick or pad is that certain things are easier to do with each. iirc someone told me that movement is a lot better with a stick, while certain button combinations might be easier with pad. i don't remember the exact advice i was given, but there are pros and cons to play with both and neither is better than the other.
I switched to stick like 3 months ago. I still suck but I'm almost at the level I was with a pad. The reasons I changed are: 1. input feedback, there's something in my brain that makes me need to hear my own inputs in order to know if they are right or wrong. 2. customization and style, just having a stick with a layout I designed is something that makes me want to play with it 24/7
It took me a couple weeks to get the stick down. imo, it’s harder to mash on stick and just “hope” for an outcome. Once you start to feel the clicks in the stick you feel how much more control you are in.. These days it can be so character dependent on the stick/pad you use. GGS on arcade stick just feels right. DBFZ i’m just not there yet lol
Really good video and thank you for not hiding the direct answer behind 10min of video. I do have to say though, that form personal experience, passing somebody a pad is easier than stick. Sticks have way more parts that can differ from each other and give a totally different feel to the input controller, while most pad players just use a standard PS4/XboxOne/Switch controller.
Using a Hitbox-style controller helps SO much with sweaty hands. I had trouble even gripping the stick consistently sometimes on a traditional one. With a Hitbox, there is no grip to worry about.
Homesliced Videos how do you like the hit box? I’m really curious about it and can’t really decide if I should purchase one (import to Europe costs a lot...)
@@TheMasterOfCeremony never owned a hitbox. Im making one with an arcade stick and removing the stick for 4 buttons. Iv heard its hard to adapt at first. You be at Babysteps to start with. But ither than that iv seen pretty good reviews from it. Alot of people prefer them.
i bought a stick took me a week. I'd reccomend starting with street fighter helps you get comfortable and trains your brain. i play dbfz but when i tried with the stick i just got it was very hard at first. but after about a week i got the hang of it. i think its a lot easier to pull of combos on stick and do instant air dashes but that's just me. I wouldn't recommend if your only into one game
I think the biggest advantage is the consistency. Updating you stick for a new console or buying a new stick will feel the same as opposed to different controllers.
8bitddo arcade stick is a good beginner stick. It has some nice features but isn't super expensive at 90 bucks. It doesn't have Sanwa parts, but the buttons are easy to swap. The actual stick is harder to switch out, but it can be done, and the stick that comes with the product hasn't given me trouble so you don't have to switch it out to have a good experience.
I have tendonitis and just started getting getting into street fighter, I'm definitely gonna try to get a stick or hotbox now, I always thought that's be more painful but I'm willing to try anything
I don’t know if it’s just me but I play on a PS4 controller and because of how the pad is made, i sometimes get hit while blocking because I eased off the pad slightly. Like trying to hold down, down back. I was wondering if buying a Hitbox or a stick would solve that problem.
I know this video is old but I recently got into GGST. playing on pad hurts my thumb for movement so I've been using keyboard. long sessions I've noticed my wrist and hand hurts quite bad on the same hand. the one controlling movement. (for those unaware, playing on keyboard isnt bad. it's basically a hitbox) looking in to sticks now which I hope would alleviate that stress my hand is getting
I play on pad for GuiltyGear. I just started thinking of moving to stick or stay on pad,, some easy inputs I still put it wrong. I really wonder if I will be able to use a stick..
I played on pad until Marvel 3 came out and bought a TE. It took me awhile to get used to. Just play on whatever you're comfortable with. I will say this though, once I learned how to play on stick, it made playing charge character in street fighter so much easier for me. Hearing the sound of the buttons on stick also made learning combos slightly easier.
1 huge advantage I've learned on controller is when someone tries to cross you up you can literally block both ways at once by using the d pad and the stick at the same time hold back on the d pad and forward on the stick it will block both ways
For a fairly short answer for anyone who plays on PC: Keyboard is borderline broken For decent examples, you can have multiple binds for moving in a certain direction. So if you struggle with a shoryuken motion on the four directional arrows, you could use something like a numpad, or if you think that a normal 3x2 button layout for your attacks is uncomfortable, you could have the attacks on a 2x3, or you could bind your most used attacks closer to where your fingers usually sit, stuff like that. Another example, for Tekken fans, Korean Backdashing is complicated to do. For a backdash that works on characters with sways, you need to tap back once, go to neutral, tap back, go to down back, then back again, go to neutral, and do the back, down back, back, neutral cycle. This takes weeks, if not months to get fast and consistent with. In a keyboard though, you can hold back and tap forward and down repeatedly and you'll get a fast backdash. And for the last example, it's just easy to grasp. Doing a consistent Akuma combo in 3rd Strike (low mk, short tatsu, heavy shoryuken, optional cancel into super art 1, then light shoryuken) was very hard when I used a controller, but then I decided to use my keyboard and I started hitting it consistently within a few minutes of practice. Understanding motions in a controller is easy but handling them is a different chore. But personally I picked the keyboard because the under side of my left thumb started blistering when I tried to do fast execution in Tekken, so there's that.
Coming from melee where we all have dying hands, i think i'd definitely like to try a stick out. i always thought they looked fun to play with, too. thanks for the video! probably going to start with the drone to see how i like it.
There's a guy who beat Dogura in Guilty Gear with a steering wheel. You can get away with pretty much anything as long as you're good enough and comfortable with what you're using
the Hori REal Arcade Pro V is the one I have, nice to see it get a good review. Being a Saturn pad player for fighting games all my life, buying adapters or clone controllers of that type for new consoles, I found it very difficult to adapt to stick. In fact, I haven't adapted yet, despite having this stick for 4 years already.... But to be honest I was quick to neglect it when I realized I was still so much better with pad. These quarantine times I ogt the stick out of the closet and trying to get used to it in a wide variety of arcade games... Gonna take a long time.
I've been trying to get into UMvC 3 and getting Ryu's Baku Hadoken has been so inconsistent and that's a simple move. How can I possibly get that accurate on a gamepad? I am currently on a ps3 controller, though. Because every ps4 controller I have had has just ended up with shitty drift.
I switched from pad to Hitbox. Played on Pad for about 10yrs and decided to switch because my thumb kept taking a beating from the DPad. I did not get a stick due to past experiences playing on my friends's sticks. I just couldn't get my motion inputs to come out clean so I opted for a hitbox. Went and got a modded Qanba Obsidian, it took me a couple hours to get used to it. My biggest trouble nowadays is getting a consistent and fast DP motion on P2 side, just haven't practiced it much since I mostly play DBFZ lol
the obsidian id say is a high end stick at the 199 msrp it goes on sale for 99-150 sometimes and has the option to pick up hitbox mod kits which is great
BlazBlue on the psp forces you to use the thumb stick, so I mostly use the stick in other games too. Just feels better on the hand. But I also prefer to play with a stick so whatever.
Practise and comfort, just like you said. I'm old now but even as a kid I couldn't play fighting games on a DPAD (and no, analog stick is no option for me lol) because my thumb would hate me. Especially when deathgripping.
I agree with everything in this video. I bought at stick a couple years ago. Played Tekken for years on pad ( I still do actually), but I will add that playing on stick is not as hard or cumbersome as some people say. There is a learning period, but if you have fundamentals, and because they are made for fighters, you will find them to be intuitive. I bought the Hori HRAP and loved it, and I just ordered the Vitrix Pro, but that’s cause I bought it as a celebration for getting a new job during this crazy time.
For anyone that’s on a budget for sticks, I recommend the Mayflash 300. It ranges from $60-$80. I got it for $60 on amazon due to it being on discount. It feels amazing and it was my first step to stick as well. It can be used for PC, Xbox 360/One, PS3/4, Switch, and Android (idk why Android) but overall give it a shot
there's some games where having a stick could be consider a better choice over the controller, I play zero on tatsunoko vs capcom, and people always ask me that question, I use a controller, since the game allows me to map a button several times im able to play efficiently, in fact, playing zero on a controller is in my opinion better since switch charging is simply easier on the muscle memory and you won't tire yourself out as much, the stick is better on games where plinking and rapid fire moves are more prominent since it takes less of a strain on the hands, it's easier to rapid fire with a stick than with a controller which limits the amount of times you can press a button due to the position of the hand. In short, it depends on the game structure, but most of the times games don't need a stick, and some can make a difference, but at a core level, you don't need a stick to play efficiently.
One thing I never see mentioned is blocking I feel that blocking on pad is very difficult as the ps4 controller specifically has a short joystick and blocking through tough strings gets very difficult over time
One thing that was sort of touched on but wasn't really addressed was how much easier doing motions is. For myself, I found using a stick was easier than using a pad and using a mix/hitbox was even easier and I ultimately rely on a mixbox layout for my fighting games because I am used to gaming on PC and the all button style is easy to get the inputs I want. Also a stick you hadn't recommended was the F500 or F300 elite which comes with the Sanwa parts in a cheaper shell and is reasonable to mod. Things like the odin drop in also provide a slightly less expensive option to get an all button layout with minor modding involved. That being said, sticks are crazy expensive and unless you plan to stick to older games compatibility can become an issue later, but it does mean you can get sticks on a good sale once the next console generation's sticks arrive. So getting one for cheaper is also a possibility once the first few playstaion 5 and Xbox Series X sticks drop. Also if you use PC for the most part all the current sticks should be compatible through steam even into the future.
I suggest the mayflash 500 it's a good starter stick its 80 dollars it's a universal stick hose to every console but I started with this one and took like almost a year for me to get the muscle memory but now i own quanba obsidian for my ps4 and razor atrox for the xbox one. I love them now I play all my fighters with it now it wont make you a better but it for me having big hands made a way better for me and inputs and the life one them is great because of the you can mod / repair. But yes hope that helps bro from someone one who made the switch
What problems are you having with combos? If it is something related to Timings or Button Press then YOU are the problem and won't matter if you use Pad or Stick. If the problem is the execution of QCF, HFB, etc, then you SHOULD TRY a Stick because of how you perform the directional inputs
One thing ive have learned by playing stick is that if you are not holding it right or putting to much pressure on the stick when pressing buttons, it will cause extreme pain in you arms and wrist. Might give up stick because of this.
I've only used pad but switched to stick like 2 weeks ago and the biggest problem I have is sliding my hand back and fourth for buttons. I can deff yeet things much faster for sure though
I think the pad vs. stick is character/game dependent, with Street Fighter games probably benefiting the most from stick overall. Zangief can be very difficult for pad because of the motions (I still can't play him on pad but he's not bad at all with stick), and I never really got good at charge characters like Guile/Bison until I switched. I don't see the point of using stick for say, Dragon Ball FighterZ.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
He just got straight to the point. He lost ALOT of view time doing that. I respect it.
It still reached the 10 minute mark 🤷♂️
@@GIR177
He answered the question from the begging so if you don’t want to support him just leave
@@GIR177 And?
He got my like for that.
Maybe maybe not some ppl will turn the video off for rambling irrelevant crap.
I might be the only guy I know who plays PC DBFZ with a frickin pro switch controller
So you're the chosen one.
I do that too lol
I use that one too, is comfy enough for fighterz
Yo dead ass I did for a while but my pro controller shit the bed so now I use a Xbox One controller. The D bad on the switch pro was nice ngl...
I also use a Switch pro controller, wired Pro A.
I've played with a pad all my life and had no idea how clunky it was for me till I switched to a stick. I always keep dropping inputs with a pad due to my big hands. It was like night and day when I finally tried out a stick. It took a couple of days to get used to, but now I have no intentions of going back to a pad.
I have smaller hands so pad works better for me
@@donovanloreman Mine has the exact opposite effect. Companies should invent a hotdog finger edition controller or something.
Dude same. My hands are fucking massive and using the pad is almost impossible because of my big ass thumbs so I use the analog stick on the controller and drop moves all the time. I want a fight stick to actually put in half circle and quarter circles without dropping them.
Playing on pad would destroy my thumbs, I could only play for an hour at a time at most. Switching to stick relieved the thumb abuse, and was able to play for 2 to 3 hours at a time without any issues.
Exactly, that is by far the biggest difference, unless someone uses the analogue stick or a mechanical d-pad
@@fiveromannumerals it is not a difference that is just people not being used to pad and pressing to hard. You want to avoid pressing hard at all costs because it either damages your thumb like in this case or wrist if you press to hard on punch buttons since you are grabbing pad to hard and twisting your wrist.
Pad is hard to get used to for sure I'm new to fighting games and pad so I can attest to that but that has nothing to do with pad and more with me not being used to device.
People that grew up with pad don't have issue with this since they are so accustomed to it and hold it naturally.
For me, the fight stick actually hurts my wrists and aggravates my arthritis more than a pad
Speaking of the community aspect, I had this one beautiful moment that happened when I went to a USFIV tournament at a convention. Since I was volunteering for a free pass to the tournament I couldn't safely bring my stick to the venue, but there were a handful of people who brought their sticks to the tournament. They all were more than cool to share their sticks for anyone who wanted to play with them, so it was great that everyone got a chance to play with the controllers most comfortable for them.
So you played with another guys stick? :P (Sorry I had to)
I switched for two reasons, the most important being nostalgia, I love that feeling of playing at an arcade. Bit also I spent alot of years mashing the wrong stuff on a pad never actually looking up how to play these nor having anyone around that knew properly, switching to stick allowed me to bypass the already worked in bad muscle memory and just start fresh:)
You can't forget about the God himself Lil Majin who was tearing it up on a pad.
He switched to mixbox
I play all games (that support it) on stick - Mega Drive, SNES, Saturn, PlayStation, everything. Sticks are so accurate, but also so much more enjoyable.
My man played saturn with a fighting stick. Please tell me you played fighting vipers
I also love smashing the stick buttons when things get hype. When you mash on pad your gripping the controller even harder to keep it in place. A tip that helped my on pad was to focus on lifting my fingers for inputs, instead of sliding you thumbs on the face buttons, That’s a recipe for sloppy inputs.
I play on both, depends on the game.
@Dale Macarena
Pad:
Power Rangers BftG
BBTag
Tekken
Soul Calibur
MK
Stick:
SF
GG
BlazBlue
Skullgirls
Lol I'm struggling a lot playing GG on stick mostly because of the dashes and movement generally quicker to do on pad
But maybe that's just lack of practice.
@@miguelodeon4978 To clarify a little more, my stick is a Hitbox. I don't know if it counts as a separate thing. Dashes and IAD's are way easier to execute.
Yeah I guess its like playing on a keyboard, I'd say they're two different things for me. However I'll practice some more with regular stick on those kinda games before calling the stick not as good for them on the long run.
Four buttons I can play on pad, but six-button Capcom games I basically need a stick. Tried for years but never got used to using the shoulder buttons.
Switch to fight stick around two years ago for third strike and now I find most fighting games not easier but easier if that makes sense. It feels really good and The ergonomics of it really are a selling point. Especially if you play a lot of fighting games or game’s in general I’m the long run I recommend it 100%
”not easier but easier“ makes total sense... i know exactly what u mean.
It’s got something to do with Developers’s intent for sure when it comes to arcade era games
@@ICA_Ghost Thanks man! knew someone would get it!!!!!!
Can you even use stick for non fighting games
sticks are way more fun imo
I just think fight stick looks sick af
After years of this debate, I came to the conclusion that the best thing is to try everything you can. Your never going to know whats better for you if you haven't really tested out each option. I own or have tried almost every pad out there, all of the Hori fightpads (PS1 to the recent PS3/4 commander), the various madcatz, to the og sega saturn 6 button controller (& several "retro" saturn clones) etc. I plan on eventually purchasing a fight stick and hitbox to see if either one is better for me. Dont be afraid to experiment with different options, it can be a fun process and could end up making you a better player too.
The 8bitdo m30 has really helped me out on the switch.
Really dig your content, as someone who's always been interested in fighting games but not necessarily had my heart in it, been getting more passionate about new and old series that caught my attention, (mk, dbfz, blazblue) and you are really a wealth of information, presented in a very non condescending way, keep it up bro, much love and respect
I bought a stick when I realized they existed mostly because I'm old enough that I first learned to play fighting games in arcades and it enhanced the childhood nostalgia aspect of playing games.
I had spent a good chunk of time playing Tekken on PS pad in the middle decades and when I briefly picked up Tekken 7 on stick I found relearning movement took some work despite having been playing 2D fighters on stick beforehand. But one competitive advantage not really touched on was how much easier 2 button inputs are on stick. 3+4 for example on pad either requires playing with a claw grip which is absolute hell on my hand or has a high level of input error trying to hit them both at the same time with my thumb. Stick lets you hit both buttons with separate fingers with an ergonomic grip.
Fr my king chain throws are so much easier on stick
Do you NEED a stick?
Short answer: Sonicfox
Best answer ever
...And Sonicfox use a modify controller with mechanical buttons...
@@OXGAMES_Z It's still a pad though. Most top players usually use custom made controllers that work best for them, so it's not weird
NOBODY argues that stick is better for dbfz
Lil majin is my fav pad user, top 8 first american on tekken. Which is dominated by koreans, and hes a very entertaining player. Every round is different for him and he actually uses all the characters kit instead of being safe and just trying to win a game
I switched to stick because it’s more sturdy than pad, I kept wearing out my pad so eventually I just splurged
ayeee
Yeah that's a good reason when ever I click L2 on my ps4 controller it inputs up as well
I cant do circles on keyboard. I imagine its gonna take me days to figure out. If a stick could make that easier, id def consider buying one
I have huge hands and long fingers. Playing on the pads are a pain and everything feels cramped. I might try a stick soon.
im someone who went both through the keayboard to pad transition, and pad to stick transition. keyboard to pad took me around 2 months to get sompletely used to it. pad to stick took me half a year. stick is very hard to get used to, especially if you never touched a stick before. it's completely different from everything you ever did to control your games
My mom caught me playing with my stick in the middle of the night
Maybe cause it loud
r/whoosh
@@cope3415 Nope, it isn't a woooosh
@@Puffle573 no it definitely is cause the first guy quoted the vid and the guy put a genuine answer to the problem that was a joke meaning that shit went straight over his head making it a whoosh
@@cope3415 i'm pretty sure he wasn't serious with his response lol. r/wooosh should be on you
The keybox gives a very small distinct advantage when it comes to very precise inputs and speed. I was only able to pull off certain combos with them thanks to the wasd format.
I've been playing fighting games ever since the vanilla Street Fighter II and consistently played on pad all the way up to Tekken 7, where I finally swichted to stick. I enjoy playing on stick so much more now. I feel it's like playing racing games with a steering wheel, it's just so much more fun if you nail your moves/combos on stick rather than pad.
This is like saying do you need a $3000 Gibson LP to play a live show.
I learnt with a stick right out on SF4. The only other time i had play was in the Arcade. So it felt natural. I attempted the D-pad, didn't work.
Nicely explained jmcrofts. I love the look of sticks, I think they're cool and buttons making sounds is just so satisfying. This definitely was a good insight.
Got myself a stick mostly due to my hand pain and found this a lot better. Still trying to get better as I still miss quite a lot of inputs
I started out using pad and started learning stick cause it looked like fun and there were certain things that appealed to me about stick. somewhat recently I switched again to hitbox and am loving it.
My honest answer is if you grew up in the arcades, then stick with an arcade stick controller or if you grew up playing with regular pad controllers all your life, then stick with a regular pad controller.
I got into fighting games in 2008 because my friends were playing super turbo HD remix and vanilla sf4, and back then the attitudes seemed a bit different where it was stick or bust.
It was painful at first to play stick but it's worth it in the long run. It's a lot of fun having arcade hardware and playing stick with other arcade games. On the topic of injuries, I mostly play sf which I don't get any issues but if I play darkstalkers it's harder on my wrists and forearm.
I actually just bought one just for the hell of it, I still use the pad but I've been wanting to learn stick for a hot minute. Plus I love using it on MAME games! I think I'm starting to get into collecting them just for fun.
Pretty informative video overall, i always enjoy your videos, I just hope more people could give enough information about pads too! It seems like people don't really mention stuff outside of the regular ps4 pad or some mods for it
PSA: I'm like six months in and still practicing the basics every day... it can take some people a WHILE. However, with that said I can see the benefits and say it is worth it. I'm not ashamed to admit I've hit a brick wall with dragon punch motions but seeing small improvements as I've stuck with it; up to 25 consecutive without a mistake 1P side and 16 consecutive 2P side with no mistakes. All the other motions on Ryu in SSF2 Turbo I have down no question (and yeah, I'm that insane person who wants to work up to Hawk). If you are looking at something like Tekken (or something that has a lot of fast dashing) you might want to go with Korean style lever, if something like Street Fighter (lots of quarter circle and 360 type motions) Japanese style is best suited for that. Also, don't forget about something like Hitbox, it does make some things possible that you can't on stick and can be an easier transition from keyboard.
The comparison to learning a musical instrument is 100% correct. What you are practicing is proper technique and trying to develop good habits instead of bad ones. It means doing a lot of very basic things over and over, but if you want to be a wall to your opponent you have to start with a solid foundation. Also, just like an instrument you are looking for ergonomics; everything is as relaxed and natural as possible, NOTHING should hurt. If something hurts you are doing it wrong. You are developing muscle memory, which means you want to do at least a little EVERY DAY. Practicing 8 hours one day a week does almost nothing, while taking 10 minutes every day in that week will yield progress; just like learning an instrument.
Your practice should be very focused and not just going through the motions on autopilot; think about what you are doing. Visualize the motion in your head, then execute, rinse and repeat. Looking down at your hands as you do it can help at first. When starting out, take as much time in between each action as you need to visualize it. Slow the motion down if you have to; you are attempting to have EVERY time you do it be correct, no matter how long it takes to do... speed comes with time. If you are going on autopilot and missing half of your inputs you are NOT building muscle memory as fast as you could if you slow down, do half as many are you currently are, but they are all correct inputs.
Think of muscle memory like an XP bar; every time you do it right, you gain a little bit of XP... but every time you do it wrong you lose even more XP. THAT is how you need to approach it, you will gain more XP taking your time and getting it right. If you are just going at it trying and miss, miss, miss... stop for a second. Take your hand off the controller and take a relaxing deep breath. Place your hands back in position and visualize the motion. Then, very slowly practice what the motion is, being completely relaxed (don't worry that it isn't fast enough to come out). Do that a few times and gradually speed it up, visualizing the motion between each time, until you work it up to speed.
I know that sounds like a pain in the ass, but you will be a fucking execution MONSTER when you are done. I went to college for music and spent a LOT of years teaching people how to play various instruments. It will take you years to master something difficult, and there is always room for improvement. So I know the best way to approach it; It is a marathon, not a race... and try not to be hard on yourself, stay positive and know that getting frustrated is actively working against you. Know that you will get there eventually if you put in the work.
i know this is a year old, but you’ve reinspired me to learn a stick. controller has always felt much more comfortable and i’ve been using a stick this past week that i just bought and it’s been nothing but painful. i’ve been looking at a ton of videos to see if you really need to play on stick to be good, and this comment is what really got me to understand the process. i’ll try my best to learn how a stick works, thank u for your wisdom
@@holllow , no problem. I'm glad I could help.
I really like this video and all the points you make seem really rational and good. Thank You!
stick just feels way more fun to use. I'm switching to it knowing that I'll likely be way worse for a while, but will have more fun than with a boring old pad
The only time I played stick was when we need an extra controller to play overcooked and I was happy to use the stick, It was almost instant that I new the joystick felt better and bought one. It really is as simple as trying one out, even if that means going to a local arcade and checking how the stick feels. It's hard to know with button placement but it you are using an analog, it's easy to compare it to the feel of a stick
Look up battle beaver controllers. You can buy a kit that turns your dpad into 4 directional buttons rather than one large button that is used in ps4 and xbox controllers. The kit only costs $20 and if you want a controller that can be used for multiple genres, they have a custom controller builder and you can basically customize everything. Affordable too
one reason to play stick is negative edge, where you do a move when you release a button as opposed to pressing it. On a pad, your thumb can only do so much at the same time, while on stick you can dedicate a finger to holding down buttons while still being able to press others reliably. Noteworthy examples being playing Zato in guilty gear, Arakune in blazblue or Cody's zonk knuckle in street fighter.
I switched to stick because of ergonomics, I have Arthritis due to playing alot of precision games and had to start wearing a hand brace, plus the longer stick felt better and less cramped
I’m glad he was honest about how inputs are easier on mvc2. That’s what I was here for
Hello JMCrofts! I personally switched from the dual shock 4 to a stick about a year ago (Nacon Daija - I’m from Belgium) and was really happy about it for the main reasons that made me switch to stick, being my incredibly sore thumbs when playing for an extended time (the DS4 was killing my thumb when it comes to quarter circle inputs). And just like you described in this video, my skills took quite a hit for at least a few months until I got used to playing on stick. There were still some subtleties I couldn’t get around with the stick as opposed to the d-pad (instant air dash for instance), so I also went for the Razer Raion to try out that « best of both worlds » feel, being the d-pad for the left hand and tapping buttons claw style with the typical fight stick layout. Now to be completely honest, I play much better on the Raion pad than on any of the other devices I have (DS4 & Fight stick)... and yet, I still love playing on stick a bit more, there’s just something really satisfying to play around with those big buttons. My question to you would be, would you recommend looking into a hit box to see if that would really actually be the best of both worlds in my case? Have you tried out a Hit box and how do you like it? I’m also curious about the cross/up they’re working on... it intrigued me a lot as it’s a hybrid between stick and the extra inputs for directional buttons. Unfortunately none of these products can be tried out here in Belgium so if I ever want to try it out, I have to go the expensive way and purchase it... which would suck if it ends up not being for me.
Exactly my story😂 went from DS4 with backbuttons to Raion, and now with Daija.. it‘s tough, from Gold back to Bronze 🙃 it will take time to get used to stick. Are you still playing, using the Daija?
Man... loving the diversity of your vids @jmcrofts. Keep'em rolling bro.
I recently made the change to stick. Its been rough but i love the nostalgia feeling. I will say it has helped with my timing on combos with pad.
I switched to stick and while the learning curve was definitely there, it made making more precise inputs easier to do with my big ass hands. The stick didn't give me better skills, but it did help me use them more.
I scratched the itch to get a FightStick early this year by simply buying the Hori FS mini for the Switch. Some say I should have saved more money for better sticks, especially because some say the size is just way too small, but since I have no reference point because I never played on a stick before the one I bought, I am just fine with the one I have. I already got used to it. I might change it in the future, but I’m not in a hurry to do that.
I think you cannot underestimate the fun factor when finally changing over to stick... really adds new life and energises the game... not a MK player mind but can really see how that would be more pad geared... did MK ever play well on stick? Even back in the arcades lol ;)
I just switched from pad to stick and it's really frustrating having to learn the inputs again. I'm improving and I can tell that once I get good it'll be easier to do certain inputs with it, but in the meantime it's pretty annoying knowing what to do but not how to do it.
I love my Hori Fighting Game Commander,I feel it offers me the best of both worlds and it's super affordable. Great vid man!
Plot twist: The only reason he says that switching to stick won’t help you become a better player is because he doesn’t want other people to become better.
people have generally told me that the defining factor on whether or not you want to play stick or pad is that certain things are easier to do with each. iirc someone told me that movement is a lot better with a stick, while certain button combinations might be easier with pad. i don't remember the exact advice i was given, but there are pros and cons to play with both and neither is better than the other.
I switched to stick like 3 months ago. I still suck but I'm almost at the level I was with a pad. The reasons I changed are: 1. input feedback, there's something in my brain that makes me need to hear my own inputs in order to know if they are right or wrong. 2. customization and style, just having a stick with a layout I designed is something that makes me want to play with it 24/7
It took me a couple weeks to get the stick down. imo, it’s harder to mash on stick and just “hope” for an outcome. Once you start to feel the clicks in the stick you feel how much more control you are in.. These days it can be so character dependent on the stick/pad you use.
GGS on arcade stick just feels right.
DBFZ i’m just not there yet lol
Really good video and thank you for not hiding the direct answer behind 10min of video.
I do have to say though, that form personal experience, passing somebody a pad is easier than stick. Sticks have way more parts that can differ from each other and give a totally different feel to the input controller, while most pad players just use a standard PS4/XboxOne/Switch controller.
But also feel free to try stick. I had a feeling I would like stick better so I bought one and I love it.
Pad is fine unless you get sweaty hands
Sweaty hands and arcade stick is worst...
Using a Hitbox-style controller helps SO much with sweaty hands. I had trouble even gripping the stick consistently sometimes on a traditional one. With a Hitbox, there is no grip to worry about.
Homesliced Videos how do you like the hit box? I’m really curious about it and can’t really decide if I should purchase one (import to Europe costs a lot...)
I got sweaty hands and it's fine
@@TheMasterOfCeremony never owned a hitbox. Im making one with an arcade stick and removing the stick for 4 buttons. Iv heard its hard to adapt at first. You be at Babysteps to start with. But ither than that iv seen pretty good reviews from it. Alot of people prefer them.
Go Pad:
Let us stick players keep our advantage.
i bought a stick took me a week. I'd reccomend starting with street fighter helps you get comfortable and trains your brain. i play dbfz but when i tried with the stick i just got it was very hard at first. but after about a week i got the hang of it. i think its a lot easier to pull of combos on stick and do instant air dashes but that's just me. I wouldn't recommend if your only into one game
There's a technical term you kept using regarding stick vs pad. You mentioned "budget". What is this "budget" you refer to?
Money
How much money you can spend
a budget controller = a cheap controller
I wish the joystick wasn't always so close to the buttons on prebuilts. I have always had to build my own.
I think the biggest advantage is the consistency.
Updating you stick for a new console or buying a new stick will feel the same as opposed to different controllers.
8bitddo arcade stick is a good beginner stick. It has some nice features but isn't super expensive at 90 bucks. It doesn't have Sanwa parts, but the buttons are easy to swap. The actual stick is harder to switch out, but it can be done, and the stick that comes with the product hasn't given me trouble so you don't have to switch it out to have a good experience.
I use pad but I do use either control stick or d-pad depending on the game
I have tendonitis and just started getting getting into street fighter, I'm definitely gonna try to get a stick or hotbox now, I always thought that's be more painful but I'm willing to try anything
I don’t know if it’s just me but I play on a PS4 controller and because of how the pad is made, i sometimes get hit while blocking because I eased off the pad slightly. Like trying to hold down, down back. I was wondering if buying a Hitbox or a stick would solve that problem.
I know this video is old but I recently got into GGST. playing on pad hurts my thumb for movement so I've been using keyboard. long sessions I've noticed my wrist and hand hurts quite bad on the same hand. the one controlling movement.
(for those unaware, playing on keyboard isnt bad. it's basically a hitbox)
looking in to sticks now which I hope would alleviate that stress my hand is getting
I play on pad for GuiltyGear. I just started thinking of moving to stick or stay on pad,, some easy inputs I still put it wrong. I really wonder if I will be able to use a stick..
I played on pad until Marvel 3 came out and bought a TE. It took me awhile to get used to. Just play on whatever you're comfortable with.
I will say this though, once I learned how to play on stick, it made playing charge character in street fighter so much easier for me. Hearing the sound of the buttons on stick also made learning combos slightly easier.
I think it matters on what you're used to cuz when I play stick it hurts my wrist and hand
1 huge advantage I've learned on controller is when someone tries to cross you up you can literally block both ways at once by using the d pad and the stick at the same time hold back on the d pad and forward on the stick it will block both ways
Great intro. Great video. I was felt stick was superior for fighting games, but that maybe because I started on arcade boxes.
For a fairly short answer for anyone who plays on PC: Keyboard is borderline broken
For decent examples, you can have multiple binds for moving in a certain direction. So if you struggle with a shoryuken motion on the four directional arrows, you could use something like a numpad, or if you think that a normal 3x2 button layout for your attacks is uncomfortable, you could have the attacks on a 2x3, or you could bind your most used attacks closer to where your fingers usually sit, stuff like that.
Another example, for Tekken fans, Korean Backdashing is complicated to do. For a backdash that works on characters with sways, you need to tap back once, go to neutral, tap back, go to down back, then back again, go to neutral, and do the back, down back, back, neutral cycle. This takes weeks, if not months to get fast and consistent with. In a keyboard though, you can hold back and tap forward and down repeatedly and you'll get a fast backdash.
And for the last example, it's just easy to grasp. Doing a consistent Akuma combo in 3rd Strike (low mk, short tatsu, heavy shoryuken, optional cancel into super art 1, then light shoryuken) was very hard when I used a controller, but then I decided to use my keyboard and I started hitting it consistently within a few minutes of practice. Understanding motions in a controller is easy but handling them is a different chore.
But personally I picked the keyboard because the under side of my left thumb started blistering when I tried to do fast execution in Tekken, so there's that.
Coming from melee where we all have dying hands, i think i'd definitely like to try a stick out. i always thought they looked fun to play with, too. thanks for the video! probably going to start with the drone to see how i like it.
I've recently found out I can play dbfz on keyboard. I'm too broke for a fight stick so I customize my keyboard to be like one... broke life
I felt that lmao
Instead of the Hitbox you got the Shitbox j/k
Might be also worth to add that pro pads can really help as well.
Good video! I use both I never want to be bad at either one even though I might not be amazing at either
I use a gamecube controller because I'm used to it but I doubt I'd be able to get away with it if I somehow entered a tournament.
There's a guy who beat Dogura in Guilty Gear with a steering wheel. You can get away with pretty much anything as long as you're good enough and comfortable with what you're using
@@AudiaIsOkay thanks! I'll try my best to improve.
The real question is will stick it be easier to land more combos compared to pad ?
Yeah i might need a stick because over the years my left fingers had become more crackly as i can close them in a specific way they crack without fail
I gave you a "like" as soon as you gave the short answer, but I also stuck around to the end!
the Hori REal Arcade Pro V is the one I have, nice to see it get a good review.
Being a Saturn pad player for fighting games all my life, buying adapters or clone controllers of that type for new consoles, I found it very difficult to adapt to stick. In fact, I haven't adapted yet, despite having this stick for 4 years already.... But to be honest I was quick to neglect it when I realized I was still so much better with pad. These quarantine times I ogt the stick out of the closet and trying to get used to it in a wide variety of arcade games... Gonna take a long time.
I've been trying to get into UMvC 3 and getting Ryu's Baku Hadoken has been so inconsistent and that's a simple move. How can I possibly get that accurate on a gamepad? I am currently on a ps3 controller, though. Because every ps4 controller I have had has just ended up with shitty drift.
I switched from pad to Hitbox. Played on Pad for about 10yrs and decided to switch because my thumb kept taking a beating from the DPad. I did not get a stick due to past experiences playing on my friends's sticks. I just couldn't get my motion inputs to come out clean so I opted for a hitbox. Went and got a modded Qanba Obsidian, it took me a couple hours to get used to it. My biggest trouble nowadays is getting a consistent and fast DP motion on P2 side, just haven't practiced it much since I mostly play DBFZ lol
No you don't, Maximillian Dood said the same.
the obsidian id say is a high end stick at the 199 msrp it goes on sale for 99-150 sometimes and has the option to pick up hitbox mod kits which is great
- Checks to see if my ps4 controller is still plugged in - boots up fighterz - proceeds to play - nope, dont need one :)
I feel like I'm the only one who plays with the analog stick instead of the Dpad on controller...pls someone tell me I'm not alone
Analog gang
All capcom fighters I use analog bro, but on Netherealms its D-pad. I thought i was the only analog user too mayne lol
BlazBlue on the psp forces you to use the thumb stick, so I mostly use the stick in other games too. Just feels better on the hand. But I also prefer to play with a stick so whatever.
@@carlos25301 same
I use both, d pad for movement and analog for inputs.
Practise and comfort, just like you said. I'm old now but even as a kid I couldn't play fighting games on a DPAD (and no, analog stick is no option for me lol) because my thumb would hate me. Especially when deathgripping.
The only thing i hate about pad is how much sweat gets on it after playing for a while lol.
I agree with everything in this video. I bought at stick a couple years ago. Played Tekken for years on pad ( I still do actually), but I will add that playing on stick is not as hard or cumbersome as some people say. There is a learning period, but if you have fundamentals, and because they are made for fighters, you will find them to be intuitive.
I bought the Hori HRAP and loved it, and I just ordered the Vitrix Pro, but that’s cause I bought it as a celebration for getting a new job during this crazy time.
Congratulations on the new job, dude! Stay safe out there!
For anyone that’s on a budget for sticks, I recommend the Mayflash 300. It ranges from $60-$80. I got it for $60 on amazon due to it being on discount. It feels amazing and it was my first step to stick as well. It can be used for PC, Xbox 360/One, PS3/4, Switch, and Android (idk why Android) but overall give it a shot
there's some games where having a stick could be consider a better choice over the controller, I play zero on tatsunoko vs capcom, and people always ask me that question, I use a controller, since the game allows me to map a button several times im able to play efficiently, in fact, playing zero on a controller is in my opinion better since switch charging is simply easier on the muscle memory and you won't tire yourself out as much, the stick is better on games where plinking and rapid fire moves are more prominent since it takes less of a strain on the hands, it's easier to rapid fire with a stick than with a controller which limits the amount of times you can press a button due to the position of the hand.
In short, it depends on the game structure, but most of the times games don't need a stick, and some can make a difference, but at a core level, you don't need a stick to play efficiently.
One thing I never see mentioned is blocking
I feel that blocking on pad is very difficult as the ps4 controller specifically has a short joystick and blocking through tough strings gets very difficult over time
One thing that was sort of touched on but wasn't really addressed was how much easier doing motions is. For myself, I found using a stick was easier than using a pad and using a mix/hitbox was even easier and I ultimately rely on a mixbox layout for my fighting games because I am used to gaming on PC and the all button style is easy to get the inputs I want. Also a stick you hadn't recommended was the F500 or F300 elite which comes with the Sanwa parts in a cheaper shell and is reasonable to mod. Things like the odin drop in also provide a slightly less expensive option to get an all button layout with minor modding involved.
That being said, sticks are crazy expensive and unless you plan to stick to older games compatibility can become an issue later, but it does mean you can get sticks on a good sale once the next console generation's sticks arrive. So getting one for cheaper is also a possibility once the first few playstaion 5 and Xbox Series X sticks drop. Also if you use PC for the most part all the current sticks should be compatible through steam even into the future.
I'm having a really hard time doing combos on pad but im scared that if i buy a stick it would be harder and would be a waste , what should i do?
I suggest the mayflash 500 it's a good starter stick its 80 dollars it's a universal stick hose to every console but I started with this one and took like almost a year for me to get the muscle memory but now i own quanba obsidian for my ps4 and razor atrox for the xbox one. I love them now I play all my fighters with it now it wont make you a better but it for me having big hands made a way better for me and inputs and the life one them is great because of the you can mod / repair. But yes hope that helps bro from someone one who made the switch
Which goes *
What problems are you having with combos? If it is something related to Timings or Button Press then YOU are the problem and won't matter if you use Pad or Stick. If the problem is the execution of QCF, HFB, etc, then you SHOULD TRY a Stick because of how you perform the directional inputs
JMiller877 just bought the mayflash, was like $110 cad, this thing is amazing..absolutely worth the buy
One thing ive have learned by playing stick is that if you are not holding it right or putting to much pressure on the stick when pressing buttons, it will cause extreme pain in you arms and wrist. Might give up stick because of this.
I've only used pad but switched to stick like 2 weeks ago and the biggest problem I have is sliding my hand back and fourth for buttons. I can deff yeet things much faster for sure though
I think the pad vs. stick is character/game dependent, with Street Fighter games probably benefiting the most from stick overall. Zangief can be very difficult for pad because of the motions (I still can't play him on pad but he's not bad at all with stick), and I never really got good at charge characters like Guile/Bison until I switched. I don't see the point of using stick for say, Dragon Ball FighterZ.
I only want a fightstick for Tekken and Street Fighter since I don't like using the joystick on a controller and I want to try it out.
Super informative for someone who knew nothing on a topic, thanks
I played on a mobile emulator so I used touchscreen controls. Kinda smooth but really, is there any touchscreen controller?