Question about arcade sticks

[Sarge]

So I'm thinking of picking up a decent arcade stick for my PC. What are the current recommendations out there? I'm trying to keep cost reasonably in check. I noticed there was an auction for a used Qanba Q4 RAF on eBay that's surprisingly cheap, but of course I have no way to test what shape it's in. I know those use Sanwa parts, though, so it should be okay? Anyway, if anyone has advice, I'm all ears!

[bmoc]

You'll do fine with anything by Qanba, Madcatz, Hori, or Razer.

If you get adventurous and decide to build your own or mod a cheap used stick (like a Tatsunoko vs Capcom Wii stick), go with the Brook Universal Fighting Board. It supports PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

[samsonlonghair]

Couple of thoughts here:

-Hori has shown consistent quality for decades.
-Madcatz sticks were crap fifteen years ago, but now they make real nice arcade sticks.
-Keep an eye open for a stick with a Capcom logo on it too. These aren't made directly by Capcom themselves, but they do check the quality before they license out their name on an arcade stick.
-If you're buying a used arcade stick, shoot for a price range between $50-$99. That seems like the sweet spot of price vs value to me.
-eight way clicky sticks are the ideal way to go for fighters. Four way sticks (not common on the consumer market these days) are preferred for Pac-Man.

[CRTGAMER]

So I'm thinking of picking up a decent arcade stick for my PC. What are the current recommendations out there? I'm trying to keep cost reasonably in check. I noticed there was an auction for a used Qanba Q4 RAF on eBay that's surprisingly cheap, but of course I have no way to test what shape it's in. I know those use Sanwa parts, though, so it should be okay? Anyway, if anyone has advice, I'm all ears!

Don't let must use Sanwa Parts be the cutoff. There are quality sticks such as Hori, Wii Tatsunko Capcom, PS1 Blaze Twinshock and many others. Arcade Sticks do take a lot of space, maybe get an all in one for the PC and game consoles? The PS1/PS2 controllers has the best support as far as adapters for many consoles and of course the PC. Quite a selection of different PS1/PS2 era Arcade Sticks out there all easily adapted to the PC and at a reasonable cost.

For deciding which stick, the best reviews by actual owners right here on Racketboy and yes Amazon, the customer reviews. That stated, always better off buying local especially if a used controller to ensure not broken or worn.

[isiolia]

For deciding which stick, the best reviews by actual owners right here on Racketboy and yes Amazon, the customer reviews.

IMO, a very good resource for arcade sticks is perusing fighting game forums, and Shoryuken has a pretty extensive guide on theirs.

While I'd agree that actual parts used shouldn't necessarily be a deal breaker, personally, I do like the idea of having easily-swappable/upgradeable parts in there. Just means that it's easy to fix or upgrade if desired.

[MrPopo]

I've used my MadCatz TE sticks for the PC (PS3 version). One really nice feature on them is there's a switch that controls what input the stick sends; is it left stick or dpad? Those get mapped differently in Windows; generally left stick maps to X/Y and dpad maps to hat. Not all games support both sets of inputs, so being able to toggle between the two is important for compatibility.

[fastbilly1]

Using real arcade parts, like Sanwa, is important because it means you can buy drop in replacements.

So if you buy that Q4 and the stick craps out, you can easily replace it.

[goatlll]

I have a few arcade sticks, and I can make some recommendations.

X Arcade. I got this one in a trade. It is complete ass. It feels cheep despite the size and works when it feels like it. I don't like it at all.

Qanba Q4. Love it love it love it. Its well built but not heavy. It works with everything and the buttons are nice and responsive. It also feels comfortable after extended sessions. Plus, the box is AMAZING. I will take some pictures of the packaging a little latter.

Mad Catz SFV Arcade Fightstick Tournament Edition. This one works well, but for the price I don't know if I can recommend it. It is really easy to change out the stock buttons on though. It starts to feel bad on the wrists after long play times.

Hori Real Arcade. Works well, feels cheap. Honestly not a bad stick, and if you can find one in the right price range it is not a bad pick up.

Hitbox arcade. Man, just dont. Worst thing about it is how I paid for the damn thing and how little I ended up using it.

[ExedExes]

Ever since I swapped out the stock stick in my X-Arcade with a real arcade joystick (IL Eurostick), it's a lot better. I use it in all the MAME tournaments I participate in.

[Sarge]

It's looking like through isiolia's generosity, I'm going to get a Mad Catz WWE Brawl stick. Those are supposed to be really nice, and you can swap out the sticks and buttons for Sanwa-brand stuff if you want. That will fix me up very nicely. I'll have to look into doing something else for PS4 in the future if I get into SFV, but I'm not sweating that right now. I'd just like to see how I enjoy the arcade-stick experience. There's something about arcade games that just feels right with those buttons and stick.