The Ultimate Fightstick Guide: Evo 2017

Fightsticks Guide: EVO 2017 v1.1

Almost daily it seems we get the basic questions "What fightstick should I get" or "Insert basic question here" After receiving approval from u/wingedinsect I decided we need a decent guide detailing what sticks are good, where to get them, what resources to use, and how to go about asking the right questions. I hope this helps those users that end up in our little community from the popularity of EVO happening this weekend.

My First Stick: Knowing the difference

We're going to be breaking this down further into a few sections as we first need to understand the difference in parts and pieces that are in a stick.

Best go to guide on what are the components of a fight stick Here via Slagcoin. Read it completely or at least reference it before asking questions.
Now that we understand the basic components we need to understand that there are 3 big types of parts Japanese, American and Korean.
Do your research, but the hard and fast rule for levers is Happ are American, Sanwa/Seimitsu/Hayabusa are Japanese, and Fanta are Korean.
They all have subtle differences, but the biggest actuators and stick top type. See the above guide for better details
Japanese are by a country mile wider used and easily available. Most sticks have Sanwa bits inside and most often times what you see players using.

Now lets talk price point and why you should not just sort by cheapest and get that

You get what you pay for
Know what console you plan to use and buy for that as its going to be costly to get universal compatibility later.
Arcade sticks are very subjective in their usage and overall preference on components so take all opinions including mine with a grain of salt.
Don't buy cheap as most often times you are going to buy a beginner stick and outgrow it quickly and then be angry when you turn around and spend twice that not much later. If I had $0.05 for every story that started this way I'd have a mansion.

My First Stick: Buyers Guide July 2017

Qanba, Hori, Razer ~~Madcatz~~^RIP are the biggest sellers . Lesser known Ettoki gets a mention since it has a decent Korean version.
Links are just to manufacturers website so use your normal favorite online retailers and google to find one near you
PC has the largest stick selection, PS4 right behind that, and Xbone is the red headed step child since Madcatz folded.

By System(PS4, Xbone, PC) Breakdown

PS3/PS4/PC Under $100:

Stick	Cost	Joystick	Buttons	Headphone	Plexi&Art Mods	USB Cable	Case Opens	Comments
Qanba drone	$79	Qanba	Qanba	No	No	Hardwired	Remove Bottom Panel	Budget Stick. Small and mostly plastic
Venom Arcade Stick	£69.99	Chinese knockoffs	Chinese knockoffs	No	Yes	Hardwired w/ Cable Hold	Remove Bottom Panel	Don't buy unless you plan to replace everything. No native xinput so PC compatibility is iffy. FFS its dustwasher isn't flush with the dust jacket....ugh

PS3/PS4/PC $100-$200:

Stick	Cost	Joystick	Buttons	Headphone	Plexi&Art Mods	USB Cable	Case Opens	Comments
Qanba Obsidian	$199	Sanwa	Sanwa	Yes	Yes	Hardwired w/ Cable Hold	Remove Bottom Panel	Very hefty, mostly metal design
Hori RAP 4 Kai	$149	Hori Hayabusa	Hori Hayabusa/Kuro (for older stock)	No	Yes	Hardwired w/ Cable Hold	Remove Bottom Panel	Mostly plastic, sometimes can have older Kuro buttons
Hori RAP Tekken 7 Edition PS4	$179	Hori Hayabusa	Hori Hayabusa	Yes	Yes	Hardwired w/ Cable Hold	Remove Bottom Panel	Still plastic, but better than the 4 kai Tekken Branding
Razer Panthera	$199	Sanwa	Sanwa	No	Yes	Removable USB	Pops Open	As close to a TE2+ as it gets without being Madcatz
Etokki Omni Japanese	$199	Sanwa	Sanwa	No	Yes	Hardwired	Remove Bottom Panel	Entirely metal custom, but licensed product
Etokki Omni Korean	$199	Taeyoung Fanta stick	Sanwa	No	Yes	Hardwired	Remove Bottom Panel	Entirely metal custom, but licensed product Korean stick

PS3/PS4/PC $200+:

Stick	Cost	Joystick	Buttons	Headphone	Plexi&Art Mods	USB Cable	Case Opens	Comments
Qanba Dragon	$299	Sanwa	Sanwa	Yes	Yes	Hardwired	Pop Open	This is 18lb of fightstick. Technically its just a fancy led laced Obsidian. All Sanwa pops open like the Panthera but it has lots of style and cool KIT style lights.

X360/Xbone/PC $100-$200:

Stick	Cost	Joystick	Buttons	Headphone	Plexi&Art Mods	USB Cable	Case Opens	Comments
Real Arcade Pro V Kai for Xbox One / Xbox 360	$149	Hori Hayabusa	Hori Hayabusa/Kuro (for older stock)	No	Yes	Hardwired w/ Cable Hold	Remove Bottom Panel	Mostly plastic, sometimes can have older Kuro buttons
Real Arcade Pro Tekken 7 Edition for XBOX One	$179	Hori Hayabusa	Hori Hayabusa	Yes	Yes	Hardwired w/ Cable Hold	Remove Bottom Panel	Still plastic, but better than the 4 kai Tekken design

Common answers to Common questions

Are my options really a minimum of $79 to get a decent stick? Yes.
Can't I just buy X other brand stick it's only $50? No it's not worth your money.
I found a used Madcatz TE2, TE2+ TE+ should I pull the trigger? If it works and is under $150 sure.
I found a used version of one of the ones above should I get it? Yes if you can confirm it works.
I bought my first stick and now I want to make it better and or work with more consoles not listed with the equipment above and or do some stick design work where do I go what do I do? Read the next section

Modding My Stick: How to Mark out On Your Opponents in Style

Going to make a few different sections here. Going to assume you read the Slagcoin guide

Good videos on modding your fightstick via the duders over at Paradise Arcade watch them before you consider hitting the buy button

Joysticks
Buttons
Boards
Art & Plexi
Cases
Where to shop

Joysticks:

Sanwa JLF is the most popular the Seimitsu LS-32 being runner-up and Hori Hayabusa being third
Hayabusa, which is not covered in the slagcoin guide, are new to market and inside of Hori boxes. They are good, but read reviews like Here and form your own opinion.
All Japanese sticks fit Japanese boxes: Hori/Sanwa/Seimitsu
Special plates and Plexi are required to fit larger collar Happ & Fanta sticks
However a case that fits a Fanta may or may not fit a Japanese stick you'll need to check the mounting plate.
You can make the lever stiffer and return to neutral faster by changing the strength of the spring like here
You can make the amount of movement required to actuate a command by getting a larger actuator like here
Japanese sticks share balltops, however only Sanwa/Hayabusa share dust washer/jacket size Seimitsu is fatter
Gate mods are most common mod in all of fightsticks. Square vs. Octo gate debate will rage on forever.

Buttons:

Sanwa Buttons are the most popular Seimitsu being second and Hori Hayabusa being third
Hayabusa, which is not covered in the slagcoin guide, are new to market and inside of Hori boxes. They are good, but read reviews like Here and form your own opinion.
Buttons come in 3 general sizes 24mm for smaller options buttons, 30mm for most of your other buttons, and Happ which is about 28.5mm or 1 1/8"
Most buttons have convex tops, with Happ having one of the only concave designs.
All Japanese share the .110" quick disconnects, while Happ uses .187" terminals.
Japanese buttons are very shallow compared to Happ. If you plan to ever use Happ you have to plan for all of the above problems and for the fact that the stems are very long.
Basic button mods are silencer pads to reduce noise Like these to reduce button press noise
Or Maybe you want those fancy cherry switches like in your keyboard

Boards:

EVO only allows one type of board for regulation play outside of licensed products as such I won't be discussing anything else.
Brooks are the boards you would want. The videos linked above work great for getting you started.
Don't replace your board until either 1. It doesn't work anymore, or 2. You need more compatibility
For PS3/PS4/PC No audio jack or With Audio Jack
For all other Situations and For Universal Compatibility you want the UNIVERSAL FIGHTING BOARD
Be prepared to learned to solder unless you can buy a fully wired kit and pre-soldered breakout connections

Art & Plexi:

There are Tons of Great Artists out there that make cool custom fightstick art like Evermore Standard
Other cool artists can be Found Here and Even Here
FA Plexiworks can print and cut artwork for you. Tons of resources here regarding their service
They also cut the other crucial component which is the plexi glass that lays over the art to protect it from getting scuffed. You need both if you get one.
Make sure to pay attention to all of the FAQ stuff when ordering as its easy to screw it up and get something off.

Cases:

Very few good cases for sale on the market at the moment
TEK-CASE S1-B Clear Acrylic case with options.
Panzer Case Its a literal Tank. You could kill your opponent post match with it.
Allfightsticks Metal case lots of options even hitbox layout
MakeStick Pro Plastic case with a decent number of options and has Korean swap options. FA plexiworks offers plexi and artwork cut for this case

Where To Buy Parts From:

Closing Remarks

This is meant to be a comprehensive quick guide for information regarding fightsticks currently in the market as of EVO 2017
If you still have questions feel free to ask them below and I will do my best to update this guide.
Thanks for taking time to read this guide & I hope you find it helpful.

Edit v1.1:

After much debate I have added the Venom for our UK brothers. It is added because 1: it is a licensed product therefore Evo usable. 2: Is a lunchbox design that can be customized enough to make it worth keeping. Made a bunch of tables with the info players need when debating what to purchase.
The VLX is still being omitted because it has the same issues as the venom, but is as expensive as the Qanba Dragon. Its only worth is the size and spacing.
Added Arcadeworld as a parts retailer

Posted Jul 14, 2017, 4:04 AM UTC · edited

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