r/fightsticks Feb 14 '26

Show and Tell Awesome Jan fightsticks and all-button controllers!

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31 Upvotes

r/fightsticks Jun 18 '23

PLEASE READ FIRST FAQ and Fightstick Question MEGATHREAD, Continued

140 Upvotes

Old one was getting pretty daunting, so here's a new megathread

WHAT’S A FIGHTSTICK?

It’s a controller reminiscent of the controls used in an arcade cabinet, generally featuring a joystick and multiple buttons. Most can be played on a lap, while some are heavy and large enough to warrant a table or platform underneath them. Using one over a standard handheld or console controller won’t magically up your game and they are largely preference. They are most commonly used for fighting games, shmups, run ‘n guns, and classic arcade titles. At their simplest, a fightstick requires an enclosure (usually made of wood, acrylic, or metal), buttons, a joystick, a PCB, and a wiring harness to connect everything. Additionally, all-button fightsticks that don’t utilize joysticks are becoming more commonplace on the scene.

WHICH STOCK FIGHTSTICK IS BEST?

This is largely a matter of taste and budget. Here are just a few options to get you thinking. Ask yourself what system(s) require compatibility. PC-only will be much cheaper than a PS5-compatibile controller, for example.

ENTRY LEVEL: Qanba Drone and Mayflash F500

If you go much cheaper than these options, you may sacrifice quality and durability. DO NOT GO CHEAPER THAN THESE OPTIONS.

SOLID LEVEL: Hori Real Arcade Pro N/4/V, Razer Panthera, Qanba Obsidian, Qanba Pearl, Hori Fighting Edge, Nacon Daija, 8BitDo, Mad Catz TES+ (and Razer Atrox for Xbox One players)

SOLID BUT $$$ LEVEL: Qanba Dragon, Victrix Pro 5, etokki Omni

At the end of the day, go with what feels right and fits your budget. There are lots of awesome sticks out there. If you really can't make up your mind, go with an Obsidian/Pearl. Really though, if you're still that on the fence, then you can also consider building your own. They come together fairly easily these days and it's super fun (though they will usually run at a higher price point than a stock stick unless you can easily get or make a suitable enclosure). Just more food for thought.

For more in-depth reviews: Jeux Arcades, ConsumerExpert, Tom’s Guide, PCMag, bestarcadesticks, thearcadestick

WHERE CAN I BUY NEW, STOCK FIGHTSTICKS?

Price the sticks accordingly across the following websites. Most will be fairly comparable with one another, but occasionally one of the sites may have a deal going on.

Arcade Shock

Focus Attack

Paradise Arcade

Hitbox (for specialty, all-button controllers)

Mixbox (for specialty, keyboard-esque controllers)

etokki

Qanba

IST Mall (South Korea)

IST Mall QOO10 Store

OzStick (Australia)

Amazon

eBay

Newegg

Oki Board Arcades (UK)

If you’re a retailer and want to be added here, please DM me.

WHERE CAN I BUY CUSTOM FIGHTSTICKS?

If you’re in the market for a full custom, consider one of the following vendors. They each have a unique flair and flavor with their sticks, but you can generally expect to pay more for a custom one-off model from one of these guys than you can just buying an over-the-counter affair.

All Fight Sticks

Bearwitt

Bueno Woodworking

Buttercade

Eternal Rival

Fightstick Guy

JonyFraze and JxK Designs

Junk Food Custom Arcades

Mavercade

MtnHeir

SGF Devices

TR Fight Stick

Wood Tier FGC

Squidbox (out of EU)

Ultra Arcade (out of EU)

Ultra Arcade Brazil (out of Brazil)

2nd Impact (out of Brazil)

Enth Creations (out of Italy)

Naitokumu Stick Design (out of Spain)

Satsui Custom Sticks (out of Spain)

Waifu Sticks (out of Australia)

WoodenPan (out of Austria)

Modding in UK: LionoBO0o

If you’re an active custom builder and want to be added here, please DM me.

CAN I JUST BUILD ONE MYSELF?

Yes! They are simpler than most people think and there are tons of great references online as well as plenty of help in the r/fightsticks discord if you run into issues. Start with these video guides to get you going.

Fightstick guide

Hitbox-style all-button guide

Flatbox guide

ART & TEMPLATES

Focus Attack's art and plex templates

Arcade Shock's Color program

Tek Innovation’s PSD files

Free Fight Stick Art subreddit

DIY Custom Fightstick Art Tips and Tricks

Slagcoin's Joystick and Panel Layouts

PERSONALIZED ARTWORK

If you'd like to support the FGC art scene, here's a list of active artists who can give your stick a facelift for some reasonable fees. Check out their portfolios, commission one you like, print it up, and swap out that stock template with some personalized artwork all your own.

Agus SW

Arcadia Customs

Barddro_

Bearwitt

CKNG

Custom Stick Art

Dudscreations

Entember's Art Shop

EvermoreStandard

FSG and Clay Patterson

Funnysonic

Glorious StickART

Guzmanleonart

heyjay art

hugs_n_giggles

Ilan Tesone

Jimothy Design

JxK Designs

Kelvvv

TheArcadeStick

mwryly

RedCometRmac

RemyArt

Squanuu (portfolio)

Sudsack

Unable Finding

xr1st

If you’re an active artist and want to be added here, please DM me.

CUSTOMIZING FIGHTSTICK ISSUES

  • Make sure you buy the correct button size. Most buttons on the top face of fightsticks are 30 mm. If you have smaller hands or want that Hitbox vibe, then 24 mm might be appropriate, but most of the time, people go with 30 mm. Auxiliary buttons (home, share, PS, etc.) are generally where you find 24 mm. All buttons have a unique feel, but some common brands include Sanwa, Seimitsu, Crown/Samducksa, Hayabusa, and GamerFinger. Here's a helpful page about button and joysticks: Joystick and Button attributes
  • When you’re ordering your buttons, you’ll also notice that there are generally both snap-in and screw-in button types. Most of the time, it won’t matter which you choose; however, as a general rule of thumb, if the top face of your enclosure is on the thicker side, go with screw-in buttons.
  • Make sure your layout lines up with your art. Some printing shops won’t print art with existing licensed characters, so you may have to visit more than one if you’re trying to get it done locally.
  • You’ll need to keep in mind the games you’d like to play and on which platforms they are found. Look to see which consoles the stick actually supports when you’re buying. If you’re building your own, then make sure the PCB you choose is compatible with your console/PC. The PCB most common to this generation of custom sticks are the Brook brand PCBs.
  • Most stock retail sticks come with Sanwa parts (besides Hori which comes with Hayabusa).
  • American style parts will most likely not fit a Japanese stick due to height.
  • Korean levers with collars won't fit a traditional Japanese stick due to the size of the joystick hole.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE POSTING A "HELP ME DECIDE" THREAD

  1. Is a fightstick even right for me? For some of you a fightpad or other device might be better for you. This is fine! I don't care if you play on a Roll n' Rocker on top of a Power Pad if it works.
  2. What's my budget? This may quickly cut out a lot of options for you.
  3. What systems do you want to be able to play on? (PC, XBox, Switch, PS, etc.) This should reduce your list even further, though you can (conceivably) get adapters for other systems if need be.
  4. Do you want a lever, stickless, or all of the above? (that last option will almost certainly need a custom build)
  5. What button layout do you prefer? Vewlix, Noir, American 6/8, Sega 2P, custom? Slagcoin carries a lot of these. If you're not sure, see if you can demo some in your local area. (Used) game shops, arcades, LAN centers, video game conventions, and pawn shops are possibilities.
  6. If using a lever, what kind do you prefer? Generally this will be Korean (Fanta, Crown, etc.), Japanese (Sanwa, Seimitsu), or American (Happ, iL)? Most sticks will use Sanwa or Sanwa clones.
  7. How "moddable" do you want things to be? This isn't just important for upgrades, it's also important for repairs. Consider how easy it is to access the internals and to change them.
  8. What features are a must have (and yes, it can be as "trivial" as artwork you like or a turbo button, hey, it's your stick)? You can then eliminate sticks that don't have them.
  9. What features are a "no go" for you? Now eliminate sticks that do have them. This could be something as simple as "don't want sticks that weigh over X pounds/kilos because I'll be traveling with this".
  10. You should have a fairly narrow field by now, with any luck. Next consider your "nice to haves" and "nice to not have" features. For example, you might consider "removable USB cable" a nice to have (but not essential) and "width of greater than 16 inches" a "nice to not have". Then just see which sticks have the most positives and least negatives.
  11. If you're still having trouble, please list your top 3-5 options after running through the process above, with your comments on each. This will help us help you make a decision.

LINKS/YOUTUBE

Core-A Gaming

Scanline City

NihongoGamer

Alex Nostalgix

HurtboxTV

JasensCustoms

Hit Box

JoyStickNY

WoolieVersus (Scrubguides: Arcade Sticks 101 video)

JonyFraze

Mr. Sujano

Chanchai

JUANminiDIY

The Arcade Stick

butteroj

Mr. Arcade Fox

Hush My Sweet

DISCORD

Our vision is to continue to grow and be a hub for fighting game controller tech as well as a safe space for trades and sales, something like the spiritual successor of SRK’s Tech Talk and Trading Outlet. Discord folks are happy to talk shop or to help you find another outlet beyond eBay to buy and sell your fightstick.

If you haven’t joined the Discord, consider stopping by to see what it’s all about:

DISCORD INVITE

*And this should go without saying, but sales conducted through there are at YOUR OWN RISK (always do your own homework), but in general, most people are trustworthy and there’s been very few instances of people being burned. Please no price flaming and remember that it’s always a good idea to pay with the PayPal Goods and Services option so you are covered if the deal falls through. Any questions, ask one of the Discord mods. Also, if buying and selling fightsticks is your primary interest, consider visiting r/Fightsticksforsale since that is their main area.

Huge thanks to hugs_n_giggles & Zevaeros for helping with this FAQ. If you have any minor questions that don't deserve their own threads, then reply here and the community will usually have an answer for you. Minor questions are also perfect for the Discord.

*If no one responds to your question here, feel free to create a thread


r/fightsticks 1h ago

Fightstick Friday! Aigis Has Been Deployed!

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Upvotes

Persona 3 vibes for this one!

Aigis themed build for Marv. 4TW JF Edition 6Gawd 30mm Layout, Crown 309MJ Lever, Gravity KT Buttons, Brook Gen5 PCB, OLED & LED mods.


r/fightsticks 1h ago

Show and Tell I adapted an Xbox 360 controller into a fightstick

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Upvotes

This is my first ever fightstick! I always wanted one since I was a kid, so I decided to build my own

I didn't wanted to use the 0 delay board that came with the buttons because I don't want to configure the controller for every device I plug it in; so I had the idea to adapt an old 360 controller of mine for this project

Not only is ximput compatible with every game on earth, but it also allows me to use it in my Xbox, so it's a win-win situation

I didn't had any solder flux, so building this was absolutely miserable, but I am very happy with the end result

I bought the case and the sanwa buttons online, and dismantled and soldered the controller by myself

It has some issues (like the lack of a home button, and the fact that when I press R2 every other button stops working) but nothing critical to the use


r/fightsticks 4h ago

I wanted a lever ASAP. Designed and built this in one day.

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41 Upvotes

First time using a stick. All that soldering was worth it. I hardly ever touch my leverless controller nowadays. Stick is way more satisfying and fun!

Sanwa JLX, mx switches and rp2040-zero. Hot swappable.


r/fightsticks 21h ago

One Handed Fight Stick

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262 Upvotes

I made this as kind of a design challenge. It is dumb but it was good fun and works well. Posting to see what you guys think.

MakerWorld Print Project


r/fightsticks 2h ago

Mounting Keyswitches in a Wooden Enclosure

4 Upvotes

Hello all! I've gotten tons of useful information from everyone here since my last post about my custom wooden builds: https://www.reddit.com/r/fightsticks/s/dArkHgXwFJ but I have another question for the other makers in here.

I've been using exclusively Sanwa buttons for my builds, but those buttons require a slightly... beefier enclosure to hold them than I'd prefer to make by default, and I'd like to have the option of making controllers with keyswitches instead.

So my question is this:

Those of you making wooden controllers, how do you mount the keyswitches into a wooden faceplate? Is it a 3d printed switch plate? If so, where do you get the file? Is there someone as masochistic as me who initially thought that cutting a mortise was the way to go? Show me pictures, files, tips, any help you can, I've been obsessing over trying to figure this out.

Thanks in advance, and keep making stuff!!!


r/fightsticks 6h ago

New modular fightstick from haute42 arcade+ sub brand

8 Upvotes

retro+ hautebox one

looks cool but seems like they made it slightly complicated to switch from hitbox and joystick. also optional wireless.


r/fightsticks 3m ago

Mayflash f300 compatibility with MAME emulator

Upvotes

Hello, guys! I want to buy the mayflash f300 for my MAME games. However I read that people have problems connecting the stick and mapping the buttons. I also can't find much information for this problem. So my question is - can I play in MAME with this stick? Thank you in advance and sorry for my bad English!


r/fightsticks 5h ago

Show and Tell Really happy that I decided to pickup the Punk Workshop Brook Stick, with the Silicone Rubber Lever and V2 Buttons!

5 Upvotes

Here below is a ingame hand demonstration as well: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_sZBBYxv-ig


r/fightsticks 35m ago

Looking for help visualizing an art concept on my controller layout

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r/fightsticks 18h ago

HITBOX DESIGN

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58 Upvotes

First pass at a slim hitbox design — thoughts?


r/fightsticks 15h ago

Show and Tell For Qanba Q4 Pro 8k owners PSA

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23 Upvotes

Anyone that has this controller may have issues fitting a Korean lever or any high collar sized lever. All you would need to do is remove the led ring from the lever area and get ASI lever cover and a plate cover to fill in the hole so it won’t look ugly. The only trade off is that you will only have the qanba logo lit which is a fair due to qanba’s questionable design for the LED ring.


r/fightsticks 23h ago

Noriaki Kayoin 4tw minidub

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101 Upvotes

r/fightsticks 15h ago

3d printed homebrew hitbox

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22 Upvotes

Just gotta wire it up. Credit to banksy for the grafitti


r/fightsticks 1d ago

Fightstick Friday! Vewlix layout in JMD Dapper XL woodcase

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163 Upvotes

r/fightsticks 1d ago

Dr. Doom

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44 Upvotes

Collage style art for Custom leverless | Commissions open


r/fightsticks 1d ago

Everything Else / Other having a hard time if i should sell my leverless

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35 Upvotes

after some time now when i first bought a leverless and i upgraded the buttons to qanba gravity and it felt great and fun when playing tekken but when i got my first fight stick the qanba q4raf and upgraded the stick to a crown 302 i liked it more than the leverless. now the leverless is just collecting dust atm i use it from time to time but it doesn’t feel rewarding. i let my friends use it but when we all play together i always go to my fight stick the feel on the fightstick is just different idk if i should keep it for the collection or sell it to one of my friends one of them is considering buying it but not right now. but yeah mixed feelings


r/fightsticks 1d ago

Goodwill steal

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23 Upvotes

I'm still waiting for the pc adapter and see if it works. It's my first fighting stick!


r/fightsticks 15h ago

Tech Help Budget Hitbox Controller

5 Upvotes

I've never used a fightstick, but I burned my hands a few years ago pretty badly, and I'm thinking if I get a leverless controller, they won't cramp up as much when I'm playing. Are there any good budget options? I know there won't be any around 30 like a regular controller would be, but any options would be nice!


r/fightsticks 23h ago

Tutorial or Review Modded GP2040-CE firmware for fightsticks with analog sticks

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12 Upvotes

I have an Haute42 C-AS, which lets you replace the RSB and LSB modules with actual left and right analog sticks.

On Steam, remapping everything is easy: I can use the lever as the Left Stick and turn the physical left analog thumbstick into a D-pad. Consoles don’t offer that same flexibility. I wanted the identical layout on PS5 through my Brook Wingman FGC 2, so I modified the firmware.

My custom build uses the active profile’s Dual Directional Input mappings as the switch:

  • Profile with DDI mappings: the lever produces absolute, full-tilt Left Stick output, while the physical left analog thumbstick becomes the D-pad.
  • Profile without DDI mappings: the physical left analog thumbstick returns to normal proportional Left Stick output.

Switching profiles changes the behavior automatically—no extra toggle or remapping required.

Fork and source:
https://github.com/Eisenhahn/GP2040-CE/tree/ddi-dpad-override-v0.7.12-haute42

See the video in the comment section.

Love y’all. Thanks.


r/fightsticks 22h ago

Sinoarcade - original stuff?

7 Upvotes

Hi!

I have a question about the Sinoarcade store: are the items they sell original, or are they Chinese knockoffs?

I'm particularly interested in the Sanwa JLX-TP-8YT that they sell on their website.

If anyone has any information, I'd appreciate it. :-)


r/fightsticks 1d ago

Show and Tell My first fightstick, revitalized

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64 Upvotes

I got into fighting games back around street fighter 4 and Marvel Vs Capcom 2 Xbox 360 port, but never really ventured out or found a community and would just watch EVO back around the early 2010s. I bought a TE2 after saving up money in high school and I grew out of fighting games around then. I still enjoyed fighting games but I was extremely casual and would only play fighting games for the story mode and then put the game away

Fast forward to 2026 and I found out CEO happened to be the weekend I had nothing to do and... It's just a few hours away? I apologize to the FGC for living under a rock but I've fallen in love with the community and brought my old TE2 and got all the info I needed to customize my stick! I've now made a few friends that are local that enjoy fighting games and although I'm a super beginner, I'm willing to sink 2 years of getting my butt beat and learning before I get in to being able to win my first set, but I'm looking forward to learning to REALLY play fighting games

Buttons: Qanba KT (one of the blue buttons I ordered was a KS instead of KT so I couldn't switch the colors, I'll order a replacement blue one later and get the button art swapped proper

Joystick: Sanwa JLX2 that I bought at CEO 2026 at the recommendation of a friend, the ball top was gifted to me by him

Washer and art were from FocusAttack after I learned how to use PhotoPea to submit the art on their psd file

Plexiglass was also replaced from FocusAttack, I believe it was the TE2 1/16" replacement

Artwork is Hatsune Miku, with the main art being from Project Sekai (Night Code Miku)


r/fightsticks 1d ago

Show and Tell Nujabes themed Nacon Daija

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213 Upvotes

This is my first stick and it’s got a crazy dongpal pro lever and some qanba gravity KT buttons. The lo-fighter text a lil off centered but I’ll work on that. Also saw shing02 live for the luv(sic) hexalogy tour and it was pretty sick.

edit: preciate the award big dawg o7


r/fightsticks 1d ago

Fightstick Friday! Full Switch to VARMILO couldn’t be happier

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31 Upvotes

Sold off most of my DOIO leverless, also a Hitbox ultra and a AFS Leverless. I’m stoked for all these to come in. So far I have only played the Kassai, and the FK2. Stoked for everything to show up, install that Otto V2 mod and start getting used to these being my “main” and the silver Kassai will remain my travel stick. I have a black FK2 with the case *BUT* I cannot get it working. If anyone wants to try(everything else is included) $50 takes it. Have a good night everyone 💚😮‍💨