You Don't Need an Arcade Stick for Fighting Games Any More (But I Still Love Mine)

Key Takeaways

• Modern fighting games are designed for console controllers to simplify inputs & appeal to a wider audience.
• Arcade sticks offer a unique and immersive experience, enhancing gameplay with physicality & an old-school feeling with a learning curve to match.
• Choose the right controller for you: a controller, a fight pad, or a fight stick, depending on preference and comfort level.

As fighting games have evolved beyond their arcade roots, the truth is that you don’t need a fight stick anymore. Many players will benefit from innovations made in modern titles by using a standard controller. Despite all this, I still love mine.

Modern Fighting Games Are Designed For Console Controllers

Motion inputs, like rotating a joystick in a quarter circle and then pressing a button, have always been a barrier for newcomers to fighting games. No other genre controls like this, so they take some time to learn, especially if you’ve never used an arcade stick before.

Even once you’ve learned this “second language” of gaming controls, linking them together into flashy combos is an even tougher challenge. They’re not necessarily designed with standard console controllers in mind, requiring the awkward workaround of sliding your thumb around a D-pad.

Now that arcades have become largely obsolete, fighting game developers must consider their console players first and foremost. This has led to most modern releases boasting optional simplified control schemes.

You can play Street Fighter 6 with motion inputs and the franchise’s six-button layout, but the modernized control scheme halves the button count and enables special attacks to be performed through simplified directional inputs and auto-combos. This means more people can pull off cool moves regardless of skill level, even if it comes at the cost of the complete toolkit available to classic control players.

It’s hard to deny that a modern control scheme is the best option for fighting game newcomers as it allows them to feel competent from the outset while instead focusing on learning the gameplay fundamentals. But for me, and maybe you too, this strips out the old-school appeal of the genre.

Arcade Sticks Make Fighting Games Feel Unique

Given that I enjoy most video games with a standardized controller in hand, fighting games provide an opportunity to spice up my way of play. Piloting a fight stick brings both tangible and intangible benefits that make it my preferred way to throw fireballs.

First and foremost, the satisfying physicality involved in piloting a joystick and tapping big, clicky buttons helps immerse me in the action. The exertion of energy this involves gets my adrenaline pumping, similar to how the character you’re controlling is building up power to unleash stronger attacks; I often quite literally work up a sweat. It’s a level of immersion in the on-screen also-sweaty hand-to-hand combat that lounging with a controller doesn’t offer.

The challenge of using motion inputs on a large-format controller is also appealing. I struggled in my early days of using a fight stick and saw my fair share of losing streaks because of it, but that made it all the more satisfying when it all clicked. Continuing to hone my skills with a fight stick and striving for mastery is what keeps me coming back to the genre.

The learning curve carries with you between games too, becoming a through line through which you can chart your progress as a player. This has the added effect of enhancing return trips to old fighting game haunts since you can apply newfound stick skills to old turf for refreshed experiences.

I didn’t have a chance to partake in arcade culture at its height in the 1990s. As a ’93 baby, it was just before my time. Playing with a fight stick is the closest I can get to experiencing even a sliver of a scene I wish I had been a part of.

It’s an especially potent feeling playing legacy games from that era that were designed to be played with an arcade layout. Fight sticks provide a sense of authenticity that can only be outmatched by playing on an actual arcade cabinet.

Taking my stick off my shelf is a ritual that gets me ready for the fight to come. It puts me in the mindset to take on a challenge. The weight of the stick in my lap reinforces this feeling throughout the gaming session. It demands my focus: when the stick’s out I’m committed to playing fighting games instead of swapping to a different game genre on a whim.

It’s intangible for sure but it elevates the genre beyond an experience to an event.

Which Controller Is Right for You?

Fighting games have grown in population over the past handful of years due to their increased approachability. As such, many newcomers to the genre are questioning if they should buy a fight stick or stick with what they have.

The answer depends on multiple factors—and in fact, has multiple deviations—but despite my waxing poetic about my own love for these arcade-style controllers, I lean toward them not being the right fit for most new challengers.

Assuming your game of choice includes them, the quickest route to learning genre fundamentals and having a good time is to start out using modern controls on a controller. This generation’s fighting games have carefully crafted these control schemes to reduce or even eliminate motion inputs while still being viable for casual and intermediate online play.

Designs that center around triggers and single-directional inputs often feel comparatively awkward to play on an arcade layout.

If you’re set on playing with the more robust classic control options but prefer a controller form-factor, a fight pad might be worth your while. These controllers feature circular D-pads and octagonal-gated joysticks both tailor-made for motion inputs, and two additional face buttons.

This is perfect for games like Street Fighter which use a six-button layout. The most popular product in this category (and the one I use) is the Hori Fighting Commander OCTO line, which retails for $59.99. Note that these controllers typically require a wired connection that can run on a slightly shorter side, so make sure to measure the distance from your console to your couch first.

Finally, we arrive at fight sticks. There are some practical reasons to make the jump to this category; for me, D-pads were bruising my thumb. Most players—even experienced ones—shouldn’t expect a gameplay advantage when using a stick. The steep learning curve will hinder your play to begin with.

As I expressed earlier, a stick can offer a uniquely fun gaming experience and is worth a shot if you’re willing to put in the effort to get there.

My recommendation for a starter stick is the Mayflash Arcade Stick F500 V2 ($89.99). While the cheaper F300 gets the job done, the F500 V2’s larger size gives you ample room to rest your hands and the metal build is sturdier, all while remaining within a reasonable price range.

While you aren’t getting arcade-quality parts, the buttons that come installed do their job and the internal wiring is designed for you to add higher-end parts should you choose to do so. Unlike most sticks which are locked to a specific console, the F500 V2 is compatible across all major platforms except PlayStation 5. Due to Sony’s restrictions on third-party controllers, you’ll need the Mayflash Magic-S Ultimate USB adapter ($38.99) for.

If you plan to exclusively fight on PS5, you may want to consider the Qanba Drone 2 ($109.99) which is native to the platform and includes a touchpad.

My current stick of choice is the Qanba Obsidian 2 ($249.99), but I would highly recommend against breaking the bank on your first stick. Consider this an upgrade recommendation for stick converts who want all the bells and whistles in an undeniably sexy package.

Finally, a category of fighting game controller that’s become increasingly popular and seen ample tournament use are all-button controllers. The Hit Box ($249.99)—which originated this idiosyncratic concept—essentially mixes up the control layouts of a keyboard and fight stick.

There are some gameplay advantages to this, but even fighting game enthusiasts have found them tough to get to grips with and some tournaments ban their use. If you’re always hittin' the virtual streets then do some research to see if this is worth a change, but new players can safely put this option out of mind.

Play How You Want (But Fight Sticks Are Cool)

Ultimately, the best way to play fighting games is however you feel most comfortable. By design, most players of today’s most popular fighting games will get along just fine using modernized control schemes on the controller they already own. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this; the more people playing fighting games, the merrier!

But if you want something extra special out of your brawls, it might be worth giving a fight stick a shot. While even a cheap stick isn’t cheap, and they require some dedication to learn, the payoff is physical stimulation singular to playing fighting games arcade-style.

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