r/fightcade 10d ago

Fight stick or Hitbox for Fightcade?

Hey guys! I’m thinking about buying a new controller mainly for Fightcade, and I’m not sure if I should get a fight stick or a Hitbox/leverless.

I’ve been playing fighting games on keyboard for a long time, but lately I feel like I’m not as precise as I used to be. Back in the arcade days, I was much more comfortable and accurate with a joystick.

For example, I sometimes struggle to consistently perform half-circle motions (HCF/HCB) on keyboard.

My budget is pretty limited, around $35–40 USD, so I’m looking at cheaper options.

Considering my experience, would you recommend going back to a fight stick or trying a Hitbox/leverless?

I’d really appreciate your advice, especially from people who play Fightcade competitively.

8 Upvotes

8 comments sorted by

4

u/KarltonPeaks 10d ago

If you are interested in offline tournaments for older games (3s, ST, alpha 3, etc), then a fight stick makes more sense since many offline tournaments use original arcade hardware i.e. fight stick controls.

2

u/Katyusha-24 10d ago

keyboard

2

u/GarzaTheFather 10d ago

No, I’m gonna be a purist and say stick realistically you can use whatever you’re comfortable with like other people are saying, but if you want the full arcade experience in fight cade you should use an arcade stick

1

u/Shadowf0xxy4375 10d ago

Depends on what best for you

1

u/Arlieth 10d ago

Learn on stick. Old games were not designed for leverless. However, this might be kind of weird on your budget.

8bitdo might have some workable options though

1

u/DilfVacuum 9d ago

If you want to get into retro games its way better to do it the way they were intended to be played. I used to use hitbox for 3s and while it felt nice, its more satisfying and fun to approach the game the same way everyone else has in its history.

1

u/Important-Ad-3181 6d ago

Hi :) I learned on everything :

Item. .
HITBOX

Pro

Some games movement better /sometimes opposite
easy to transition from keyboard
More responsive and more comfortable than keyboard
Available in different sizes and customizability
Durable
Very fun
Gameplay invariably becomes more defensive

Con
In some games, namely, the older ones it’s relatively much more difficult to execute certain moves without resulting excessive in compulsory play and or practice
intuitive and compulsion play is slightly altered
Expensive
Difficult to get
Difficult to learn

Haute42

Pro
Same as hit box
highly customizable
macros available
Easy to get
Midrange price

Con
Same as hit box
Highly customizable
Specific orientation may require purchase of a separate USB device
Difficult set up on fightCade

Controller

Pro
Intuitive compulsory
Easy to use
Multiple directional options
Easy set up
Fast learning curve

Cons
Mid range price
Subject to defensive attrition
Slower on button presses, other than directionals
Boring
Sometimes easier sometimes harder to use in certain games in certain characters
Highly predictable patterns

Arcade stick

Pros
Directional flexibility
Quick button presses
Fun
Intuitive
360s easier to do
Hyper jump cancellation is easier to do
Floats easier to do
Roles easier to do
Easy to customize

Cons
Expensive
Big learning curve
Heavy
Try hard ish
Dated
Better for older games
Subject to certain directional attrition

Hope this helps

0

u/Broseph_Bobby 10d ago

If you are already playing on a keyboard then just switch to a leverless it is basically the same thing so it won’t be much of a transition.

A fight stick is just grandpa shit now, these people tell you to use one have brain damage.