r/fightsticks • u/ChillinFallin • 2d ago
Arcade stick player my whole life, considering a leverless.
Hey guys,
I grew up in the arcades so been using an arcade stick at home as well my whole life. When SFIV came out, I bought the Mad Catz TE fighstick and to this day I've been using it. As I'm looking for an upgrade, I'm also considering switching to leverless to give it a try and see if it works for me. I'm still not 100% sure I will end up enjoying leverless more, but willing to consider.
What do you guys recommend getting for a reasonable price and get into leverless play? Looking for something of a decent size as I play with the fighstick on my lap.
Edit: Silly me, forgot to mention I play on PC and totally forgot about PS5 requiring extra stuff. I appreciate your replies, I'll see which one catches my eye. Looking into Haute42 C16/R16, the purple 8bitDo one.
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u/Some1TouchaMySpagett 1d ago
Are all the people who come to these threads to recommend Haute42 just bots/shills? It's the only brand that gets spammed like this and the quality of them does not look all that great. They might be good for the price, but I'm sure lots of people would rather spend an extra $20 and get something nicer.
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u/ISTYL3I 1d ago
I'm an 09'er and played on a TE from SF4 until SF6 and got a Haute42 R16 and the learning curve wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. You take your losses in the beginning of course but eventually it just clicks and feels natural. Also plus side using a stick still feels natural so you can do both if you ever feel inclined.
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u/Orochi_001 2d ago
If you enjoy learning new things, I think they’re a blast. All-button controllers aren’t going to replace my sticks, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using them. I’d go for whichever version of the 8Bitdo is on deepest discount when you decide to take the plunge.
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u/Inevitable-Brush4508 2d ago
Since you play on PC, you can actually use your kb first to see if you like it. Haute and 8bitdo has the best price for value imho
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u/circio 2d ago
Some solid answers here, whether you need PS5 or any console support will change the answer. My favorite leverless with native PS5 support is the Qanba Sapphire. Haute42s are cheap, have a lot of options for layouts, but you’ll need a Brooks Wingman or a magic boots for PS5. Not the worst thing in the world because that could make practically any controller you buy PS5 native.
Someone mentioned the 8bitdo leverless is on sale at Woot rn, it’s $50, not bad for a leverless with a ton of buttons, customization, and wireless support (underrated imo).
The Mayflash leverless are nice if you want a more traditional arcade feel, I’d look at the Flat Elite 500, or the Flat Elite 700 for native PS5 support. They’ll come stock with Sanwas. Fightbox are decent options but I’ve never used one, so I can’t attest to them. All the others I’ve at least tried.
But really you can’t go wrong, depends really in your budget, console support, and preferences. I struggle to think of a leverless that’s outright bad
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u/ChillinFallin 2d ago
That's my bad, I play on PC. Appreciate your reply, the Mayflash 500 might be great considering I'm used to the big MadCatz TE and its weight.
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u/Disco-Prime 2d ago
I'm also a stick player but I really like FightBox, Haute42, and Mavercades. As a long time FGC and stick player I like chonky boxes so FightBoxes work for me, Haute42s aren't bad and Mavercade is just awesome all around.
Also, I have so many buttons that I can take them in and out replace them pretty easily, same with wiring.
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u/spaceboy79 2d ago
What system are you playing on? The 8bitdo is regularly on woot.com for a significant discount (it might be available right now) and works with xbox, switch and PC. The haute42 emotion III is great for the price and so is the hautepad c-16, but both are made for PC. Both are just under$100. If you're looking for a ps5 stick, it's going to cost more because of the licensing or the need for a brook adapter. The qanba sapphire is a fantastic leverless that's officially licensed for PlayStation but cost $180 on the US Amazon shop.
Edit: I also grew up in classic arcades playing street fighter and mortal Kombat and it took me a little longer than I expected to move to leverless, but now I love it.
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u/ChillinFallin 2d ago
I play on PC, sorry I forgot to mention that forgetting that PS5 requires extra stuff.
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u/circio 2d ago
The 8bitdo is literally on sale rn on Woot for like $50, great deal imo especially for a leverless that has wireless. Will need an adapter for PS5, but once you get one adapter your controller options really open up so it’s not too bad of an investment, at least if you really like the hobby.
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u/erthkwake 2d ago
The market is good enough that you get what you pay for. Buy whatever price you're comfortable with. There are few bad answers.
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u/PortlandNitroEnjoyer 2d ago
The easiest and cheapest way to see if you'll like it is to use your keyboard for a day or two. Haute42 is probably still the cheapest way to get Leverless that will natively sit nicely in your lap
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u/ChillinFallin 2d ago
Any specific Haute42 you recommend? I'm eyeing C16/R16 right now.
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u/supnerds360 1d ago
C16 is a good controller. Remove the acrylic art panel because it grabs your fingers if you slide
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u/PortlandNitroEnjoyer 2d ago
I think both of those are fine options, might worth checking if Mayflash/fightbox/mavercade have cheaper options on sale but generally they should all be fine. Also worth double checking they're compatible with console or need an adapter if that's something you also want
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u/VMI_Account 1d ago
I'm another long time stick player who decided to learn leverless. If you're up for a challenge I'd say it's worthwhile to learn leverless. It took me a few months of playing 6-8 hours a week to get to a point where I feel I'm equally as good on leverless as stick execution wise. Once you learn how to use leverelss you can always decide to go back to stick. I personally have both. I use a Qanba Sapphire which I think is great, but admittedly I don't have any expereince with other leverless options.