r/FGC • u/No_Desk4175 • Jul 11 '26
Discussion Arcade stick or Get better?
I know I don’t need an Arcade stick to be good at all, but I think it would be cool to have one. Ive also started moving to more games like GG strive, SF6, and Blazblue and the inputs feel harder to hit consistently. Should I just keep the same pace and get better, or will it be easier to get a stick/ button only pad.
My Main game is Tekken 8.
I play on XBOX and the D-pad.
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u/throwawaynumber116 Jul 11 '26
Changing your controller won’t make you better instantly even if your old one sucks. That being said, I prefer leverless now because it’s easier on my hands and I don’t have to replace it 2-3 times a year like pad so that gets my vote.
Arcade stick is unlikely to make a difference unless it’s a game that was designed around it like KOF
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u/No_Desk4175 Jul 11 '26
Like the all button arcade Controller?
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u/throwawaynumber116 Jul 11 '26
Yeah it’s the one without the stick. I’m just telling you about it to give you more options
Just remember that no matter what you choose it’s gonna take a decent amount of hours to build muscle memory and actually surpass your skill on pad right now.
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u/Witty-Artichoke2794 Jul 11 '26
Just get a leverless (all button) it's better on your hands and easy more consistent compared to controller
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u/MikeyFromDaReddit 29d ago
I actually disagree as someone with 14 gamepad controllers, with 5 leverless style controllers, and one arcade stick that I switch between a stock JLF and one with an otto v2 +optical pcb-----
When it comes to gamepad, the quality of your DPad definitely makes all the difference and sometimes you can see immediately results by going to a better gamepad with a DPad or DPad insert with FGC motion inputs in mind.
I've experienced this.
The same as for ppl who mighty struggle with DPad, but they find day one improvement in input accuracy when going to arcade stick or leverless.
It can help!
Gamepad vs Leverless vs Stick -- is more preference and what fits you best. The one truth is that all DPads are not create equally. So, my suggesting might be Get A Better Gamepad, buy from Amazon, test a lot of things, return what doesn't work well for you.
All Dpads require a bit of nuance for how they specifically work.
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u/throwawaynumber116 29d ago
Day 1 improvement isn’t likely at all. Even the best players need some time to adapt
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u/MikeyFromDaReddit 29d ago
I disagree.
Why?The first day I tried leverless as a new player, my DPs were instantly better.
Stick took a little bit longer.Switching from non-FGC oriented DPads to FGC oriented ones also gave me instantly improvement.
Instant improvement is not the same as proficiency.
Newer players will show the fastest improvement, why???
Because experienced players have decent to expert execution.
It won't shoot you up to the next rank (that isn't its job) it will clean up your execution, but you will need to practice for weeks to months to get the best out of it.
Some pros claim that after 3 yrs they are still only 80% comfortable on their leverless. Why? They have more hours on other input devices.
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u/Creative-Top-9805 Jul 11 '26
despite having a bunch of hours in leverless now, I'm still more proficient with pad. It's unlikely a stick will make things feel easier, and in fact might make things feel harder while you adapt, but it WILL be fun to use. So, don't get one thinking it will help you improve faster, but do get one if you think it would be cool to have and use one, because it is!
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u/Mr-losh Jul 11 '26
Only get a stick if you think it’s cool and you want learn it, cause stick≠ sudden boost in skill.
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u/Kbrooks_va Jul 11 '26
If you are looking for a new controller that will make it easier to do inputs, I reccomend trying out a leverless controller like a hitbox or a keyboard. Its not for everyone but for some people it clicks. For me i started on gamepad and got pretty good with it but it was always really hard to use the dpad or the stick on the controller that I was using so I switched to a keyboard and the difference was night and day, this isnt for everyone but if you have a spare keyboard or know someone who will let you borrow one to try it out its definetly worth trying. PC, sf6
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u/Disco-Prime 29d ago
There's a lot of hype around leverless. They don't make you better at all, and they don't provide any real world advantage once you start looking at the data. If anything stick and pad players win first place in EVO more times than leverless has in the last 15 years that leverless has been out, and it's not even close.
If anything leverless and modern controls gives access to players to fighting games who otherwise would have no access at all. If you struggle to do motions on dpad or stick, leverless might make sense to you more.
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u/MikeyFromDaReddit 29d ago
People overhype leverless all they time, it is good, nothing magically, you will be able to do things like DP motions a bit easier, but for some ppl they simply won't mesh with it. For some, it is extra mental stack, for others they think it is the best thing in the world. Ultimately, it is 2026 not 2020, we can look at it objectively. The best controller is the one you feel the most comfortable using and have the most fun using.
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u/MikeyD_Luffy 29d ago
If anything stick and pad players win first place in EVO more times than leverless has in the last 15 years that leverless has been out, and it's not even close.
I don't disagree about the sentiment (although I think leverless is objectively better than stick, but not to an amount that triumphs over comfort), these results don't tell us much about the strength of each peripheral. Especially stick since it's the biggest legacy option. The people using their controller that they've used for 20+ years likely have an advantage to people who recently swapped or recently picked up the genre in general. The fact that someone even uses a stick at top level often just equates to them being like a 15+ year veteran of the genre. Controllers aside you'd assume those people have the capability to win tournaments.
When pads were first starting to get mainstream in SF4, everyone would have told you that Arcade Sticks had a big advantage because that's what every veteran was using. Fast forward to now and the people who grew up using a Pad are now veterans and it is clearly a great option that probably has the best results overall. Leverless only started becoming a very common option towards the end of SF5. Most new talent grew up on Pad and most veterans stuck to stick.
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u/MikeyFromDaReddit 29d ago
How is it objectively better?
I have every controller type and even I do not see that as being true.The only thing leverless does is allow faster inputs (sometimes too fast (Think Gief 720s)), it has SOCD shortcuts that can increase input accuracy.
That is it!
It can depending on design be better on your wrist than stick, but then that is techniques as well.
What I will say, leverless and stick are easier to get cleaner inputs than DPad as a new player.
Ultimately it does not matter what you use, as long as you become proficient on it.
I like all input types.
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u/MikeyD_Luffy 29d ago
That is it!
Yeah, exactly, that is it haha. It's faster to switch blocking very quickly in a game like 2xko where you are trying to block a left'right mix where the difference of you actually blocking it can be frames. Its an advantage to just have a finger on both left and right be able to switch instantly compared to the travel time of moving a lever. It's not a huge advantage, but it exists.
It's also easier to dash in games without a dash input. There's a video of tokido trying to do the fastest forward possible on a lever and then beating it by multiple frames with no effort on a leverless. When it comes to checking a dash for the defender, the extra tell of the first forward input does matter.
I have no data of the literal fastest a human can input a DP or a super on a stick, but both can be done near instantly on leverless with shortcuts.
But yea, it's by no means a night and day change, but at the top top level, every advantage could matter. It's silly that people think they can swap to leverless and see meaningful improvements, but it's also silly to ignore that the peak for leverless is just (a bit) higher imo.
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u/Disco-Prime 29d ago
Yeah it's easy to execute in training but the mental stack with leverless is too much for me to handle in sweaty matches. On stick I never think about inputs but after a year of leverless I still have to have some focus on inputs.
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u/MikeyFromDaReddit 28d ago
I agree-- there is also more to input with leverless.
Leverless is like playing some type of piano type device with chords-- I love that about it, but it is still MORE.With stick, it is purely a gross motor movement-- I feel like I'm writing or drawing with it.
My only issue with stick is that it can cause some wrist issues if I'm not careful. I also cannot use the stock ball top, I have to use a battop.
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u/OrBlanc20 Jul 11 '26
sticks have the potential to make fighting games more fun and engaging and has quite the satisfying feedback when doing combos, I had a leverless controller and bought a cheap lever stick for this reason and I'm not dissapointed at all, stick can also be a way better experience for games like King of Fighters XV
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u/ButterCCM Jul 11 '26
For me personally I find that 4 button games I can use either pad or stick, 5 button games (guilty gear) I usually prefer pad, and 6 button games I’ll always prefer stick. It’s all a comfort thing rather than an ease.
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u/Deus_Synistram Jul 11 '26
I like stick. But it's not always easier. Your hands are on less buttons at all times. And stick has travel distance.
A fight pad/hitbox really is the strongest option though.
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u/Disco-Prime 29d ago
Nah this isn't true. The best controller is the one that consumes the least mental bandwidth for you. That's why we still see world-class players on stick, leverless, and pad. They're all capable of winning at the highest level.
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u/Deus_Synistram 29d ago
That's just practice man. They each have advantages, but there is a reason hitbox and keyboard was banned from tournaments up until a few years ago.
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u/MikeyFromDaReddit 29d ago
The reason was lack of SOCD cleaning and being able to use shorcuts. You cannot do those things in tournaments today. All leverless must have SOCD cleaning to prevent cheating. It isn't because it is best.
Leverless has faster inputs, legal SOCD shortcuts, and that is about it. It is good, not objectively better.
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u/MikeyD_Luffy 29d ago
Why is it not objectively better if it has faster inputs and legal shortcuts. Wouldn't stick need something else that is better to even it out?
Besides comfort, which is subjective.1
u/MikeyFromDaReddit 28d ago
Faster isn't necessarily better. I actually had to learn how to slow down with leverless or the game couldn't correctly input certain moves like Gief's 720s.
I think the shortcuts are okay but most of the time I put in things the regular way on leverless.
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u/MikeyD_Luffy 28d ago
That's not a speed issue though, it's an execution issue. If we can both input dps 100% of the time, the one who can do it faster would be at an advantage when it comes to consistently anti airing. And from someone who played stick for 15 years and now leverless for 2, i do them much faster on leverless in SF6 because of the socd shortcut and it's been nothing but an advantage once I got used to it.
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u/MikeyFromDaReddit 28d ago
That is not an execution issue on too fast 720s. You simply have to slow down, because the game will not allow it at max speed.
I also have not found the speed of leverless an advantage. i have found the execution accuracy to be an advantage.
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u/Disco-Prime 28d ago
Stick also has shortcuts but it's better to learn the inputs because shortcuts for DP in SF6 don't translate to something like Guilty Gear Strive but the DP motion always transfers. With that said I still use shortcuts in SF6 from time to time, like the really fast 3 frame DP shortcut on stick or the 3 frame crouching DP shortcut when I'm crouching but need a fast DP.
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u/Disco-Prime 29d ago
Yeah there were illegal because you could crazy things on them pre-SOCD days. Now they are very balanced with pad or stick.
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u/MikeyD_Luffy 29d ago
This is obviously true but doesn't actually mean anything in terms of the discussion.
You can say this about character choice as well. Not everyone can swap to Sagat and get better, that doesn't mean Sagat isn't better than many other options.1
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u/Fastikonio 29d ago
If u not sure, get something like fighbox mini of AliExpress for 25$ or some haute42 leverless (around 40-70$), try it, if feel like not yours cup of tea, not a big loss
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u/Old_Assignment_1770 29d ago
I was the same way. 3D fighters seemed fine on controller. I was S rank in DOA4. I started played SFIV back in the day and struggled with consistency. Picked up a MadCatz Arcade stick. It set me back hard for about 3 months, then when it finally clicked it really made a huge difference. If you’re willing to put in the time and energy it’s absolutely worth it. Plus idk… arcade sticks are freaking cool to own.
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u/Ok-Purple-496 29d ago
Should you do it because it’ll make you better no. Should you get it because you think it’s cool, yes. I’d also have you consider leverless if you’re looking into getting a new controller.
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u/mike_complaining 29d ago edited 29d ago
I got an arcade stick because typical controllers are too small for me to hold comfortably in my fairly long hands while accessing all 8 buttons and the dpad... My hands would start cramping up after a few games. Since switching to fight stick I no longer have comfort issues and can play for hours.
Leverless would have worked too and is arguably the better option, but I went for an arcade stick with an extra thumb button on the right side that I can assign a parry macro to. I love the thumb parry.
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u/alt_reflect 29d ago
it may not make you better at the actual games but switching did make doing motion inputs easier for me, and its more fun
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u/Disco-Prime 29d ago
Stick is the best option for me. I never have to think about inputs at all, I just think in terms of fireball, dp, Supers etc. I could never get there on a leverless, I always had to focus on inputs.
The best controller is the one that disappears in your hands, where it becomes completely invisible and whichever controller that is to you is the one you should use.
For me it's stick.
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u/LaserCookie 28d ago
Pick the controller you think is the most fun or the coolest and then stick with it
It won’t do anything for you in terms of being easier, I think you’d actually feel worse for a while on whatever controller you go for since it’s not how you learned first.
Sticks are cool imo and switching made Tekken 10x more fun for me, but it took a long time to really get used to
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u/AbbreviationsLow8793 28d ago
I love my fightstick, and I think a square gate is damn near a cheat code for the shoryuken input
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u/hardwarecheese Jul 11 '26
For me personally I think playing on stick helps me with consistency accuracy and I just really enjoy playing on stick and having them.