Best PS3 Arcade Stick Recommendation

[christoph]

I've hardly played any games with an arcade stick..really ever..just here and there.

I've been considering picking up a Hori PS3 Arcade stick for some JP shmups and hopefully when emulators come out for that too..

Any recommendations for an one? It seems like there is lots of them.

[Cronson]

I know its not really what you're asking, but I really like the Mad Catz Fight Pad (SF IV). Its really responsive/precise. And its cheaper than most sticks.

[Dakinggamer87]

I use the Mad Catz Tournament Edition Fight Stick that came out with Street Fighter IV and it's pretty pricey but well worth the investment if you plan to play lots of fighting games. I have used Hori sticks and many others and I really like the build quality of the TE stick the best overall. The overall quality and build using Sanwa buttons and the nice cosmetic finish really make it stand out for me amongst other custom or Hori sticks.

[Lokkenjawnz]

I recently picked up the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 for my PS3, and though I haven't actually played it on my PS3 yet, it works perfectly on my computer for MAME. It's a great stick, it uses a real Sanwa JLF stick which is rock solid, and hori buttons which are more than good enough, though they are very easily replaced, as is the stick. The only issue that I'd warn you of is that Sanwa sticks are much looser than Seimitsu or Happ sticks, so it feels very different. They also come with a square gate, which is very different from the gate-less Happ sticks. It's very easy to get used to though, and the square gate is apparently better for fighters, though if you're a shmup fan like myself it's a bit annoying.

Basically though, the HRAP3 is great, I highly recommend it, and it's pretty easy to pick it up on the cheap if you look around.

[Betamax001]

I recently picked up the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 for my PS3, and though I haven't actually played it on my PS3 yet, it works perfectly on my computer for MAME. It's a great stick, it uses a real Sanwa JLF stick which is rock solid, and hori buttons which are more than good enough, though they are very easily replaced, as is the stick. The only issue that I'd warn you of is that Sanwa sticks are much looser than Seimitsu or Happ sticks, so it feels very different. They also come with a square gate, which is very different from the gate-less Happ sticks. It's very easy to get used to though, and the square gate is apparently better for fighters, though if you're a shmup fan like myself it's a bit annoying.

Basically though, the HRAP3 is great, I highly recommend it, and it's pretty easy to pick it up on the cheap if you look around.

I have this stick as well. It's pretty good. I recommend it if you dont want SFIV character art like the SFIV tourney stick.

[christoph]

The Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 sounds pretty sweet, so it hooks up to the PS3 via usb cable, but can be used on your computer as well? Can you swap out joysticks and buttons? It'd be cool to find a wireless one, is there any?

Also, I will be using an arcade stick almost exclusively for shmups - does that make a difference in my choice?

[christoph]

Anyone who ever wants to know anything about arcade sticks check out this forum..

http://shoryuken.com/f177/

mind blowing..

[Lokkenjawnz]

The Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 sounds pretty sweet, so it hooks up to the PS3 via usb cable, but can be used on your computer as well? Can you swap out joysticks and buttons? It'd be cool to find a wireless one, is there any?

Also, I will be using an arcade stick almost exclusively for shmups - does that make a difference in my choice?

You can swap the parts out real easily, the stick uses standard parts and quick disconnects so you don't even need to solder. I don't think there's a wireless one, but frankly it probably wouldn't be worth it to get a wireless one anyway, it seems like it'd complicate things. There's a Tekken 6 wireless stick that's supposed to be good, but I don't know if it's easy to mod, and I don't know if it can hook to the computer, which is very useful.

If you're going to be playing shmups I'd highly recommend you swap out the stick. The sanwa stick is really loose, which is apparently good for fighters, but pretty lousy for shmups. Also, the square gate causes some weirdness at least for me, but that could be more of a preference thing. Most people recommend the Seimitsu LS-56-01 for shmups, but I haven't actually tried it yet, I still need to swap mine out. Check out the shmups.com forum, they usually have some good info on arcade sticks relating to shmups.

[Betamax001]

so it hooks up to the PS3 via usb cable, but can be used on your computer as well?

YES! It can! I had some good times on vacation playing Blazing Lazers and Truxton on my MacBook Pro. Street Fighter II wasn't bad either

[christoph]

I ended up grabbing a Street Fighter SE and ordered a bunch of Seimitsu parts to swap, also going to do the artwork mod. I'll post here when Its complete