When it comes to choosing the best arcade stick for your PS4, PC, or Xbox One, there are a lot of considerations to make.
For starters, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. The best arcade stick for me might not necessarily be the best arcade stick for you. Different players like different types of gates, different art styles, different sizes, and of course there is also the consideration of different price points.
So to make this list of the best arcade sticks we’ve taken different considerations into account, ranging from price to size to the quietness of the buttons.
So let’s get to it. Here are the very best arcade sticks you can get for your PC, PS4 or Xbox One.
The Best Arcade Sticks out there
Mad Catz Street Fighter V Arcade Stick (Price: $230 approx.)
Markman has done a great job in creating his Mad Catz arcade stick line. They have been some of the best arcade sticks for years. When you buy a Mad Catz stick you know you’re getting a very, very high quality piece of equipment, and the art styles are beautiful too.
The Mad Catz Street Fighter V arcade stick uses Sanwa Denshi parts, which are some of the best parts out there. You will also be able to mod the stick easily because the chasses opens for easy access to the inside.
If I had to pick one arcade stick to use in my next Street Fighter V tournament, it would probably be this. Because all the parts are accurate and reliable and youre not going to be let down when you get into that top 8.
And id you’re not a Street Fighter player you get a variety of different sticks to choose from, all of which have the same parts but different art (like the Killer Instinct Tournament Edition 2 stick).
Mayflash Universal Arcade Fighting Stick ($70)
If you’re not looking to break the bank buying your arcade stick then one of the best arcade sticks for you is the Mayflash Universal Arcade Stick, which works on a whole bunch of different systems.
This is a very basic arcade stick that has everything you need but with absolutely zero flare and without the accuracy of the Mad Catz sticks. The art is absolutely minimal too. It’s just black. So you definitely won’t be styling at tournaments with this.
One of the nice touches about this stick is the fact that it has rubber feet. They help to hold the stick in place.
If you buy this stick be warned: it wont last forever. The build it cheap to match the price point. You get what you pay for.
Mad Catz Street Fighter V Arcade FightStick Alpha ($120)
This is a fantastic stick for new players to start using. If you’ve never used a stick and want to get a feel for what it’s like before you drop the real dough then this would be a smart choice.
This is another simple stick, but one thing that separates it from other budget fight sticks is the style It’s distinctive and will make people look twice. Another good bonus is its size. It’s small and lightweight. If you travel to a lot of tournaments you will be pretty happy with this portable stick.
Finally, for a stick of its price it is pretty accurate. The square gate is decent and the buttons are responsive. Honestly, you couldn’t ask for a lot more from a fight stick of this price.
HORI Blazblue: Chrono Phantasma Extend Stick ($139 approx.)
Where’s all my anime boys? You guys love Blazblue so here is one of the best arcade sticks for you, the HORI Blzblue: Chrono Phantama Extend Stick. And yes, it does have a surprisingly long name
The square gate stick is well crafted and it comes with turbo buttons and USB connection.
One of the distinguishing qualities of this stick is its art style. It definitely looks significantly better than a lot of other sticks of this price.
The buttons are not as responsive as more expensive sticks so you will definitely find yourself smacking the buttons, which could in turn reduce durability. The stick itself, however, is high quality and durable.
HORI Arcade Stick Mini ($40)
We really do have a lot of choices in arcade sticks these days, with sticks ranging from $400 all the way down to this, the HORI Arcade Stick Mini for $40. But despite the very cheap price, this stick is surprisingly good.
As you would expect from the name this is a small stick which is easy to travel with but in my experience harder to play with (I find it slips when I’m going for high execution combos). Still, for the price the quality is surprisingly good. The buttons are flat and elegant and very responsive. There are very few times when your presses wont register. The square restrictor gate stick is responsive too.
If you’re just after something cheap and basic but that will last then this is a solid choice.
XBOX 360 Arcade Hori Official EX 2 ($40)
For whatever reason, this is the budget arcade stick that I see most frequently at tournaments. That might be because it’s cheap but durable. It has everything you need in a stick, it’s just a big of an eye-sore.
The buttons are Japanese style with the action buttons on top and the start, select, left button and right button, and they can be customised. The layout is pretty neat for playing Street Fighter and other games that need 6 buttons. And those buttons are also well built and responsive.
I find the stick to be a little too small for my taste, but again that can be a benefit if you’re doing a lot of travelling. IT’s easily transportable. Another nice touch is the gate for headphones.
Qanba Q4 Q4RAF Black Arcade Stick ($170 approx.)
This is one of the most popular arcade sticks ever and one of the best. It is a beautifully designed stick with a light handle made of strong plastic. The stick is a Sanwa JLF joystick and the buttons ae OBSF-30. These buttons are some of the most responsive ones out there. There are also buttons ofor home, turbo, mode and select, which are situation at the top of the stick.
A slider also allows you to choose between consoles and PC.
One of the best things about this arcade stick is that it’s super durable. The construction is top notch and even if you drop this down the stairs you won’t have a problem.
HORI Real Arcade Pro 4 Kai Fight Stick ($150)
This arcade stick doesn’t have the flair of the Mad Catz line but is definitely a very solid stick that will hold up nicely in tournaments. It is also the best selling arcade stick ever made. You will see this arcade stick at tournaments all over the world. That’s probably because it has a nice balance between affordability and quality.
The stick itself is a HORI Hayabusa with a square gate, which is incredibly accurate and will never let you down. One of the best things about the joystick is its return rate. It returns to neutral smoothly and quickly.
If you’ve ever played on this you’ll notice how it feels different to other sticks. That’s because the joystick is situated lower down, making the overall stick shallower.
The buttons (8) are Hori Kuro. This are highly durable and very responsive. You may find yourself having to press quite hard on the buttons as they’re quite heavy. This, in turn, makes it a little challenging to use the stick until you get accustomed to it.
Overall, this is one of the best arcade sticks out there and at a very reasonable price.
And there we are. The best arcade sticks your money can buy.
Have I left anything out? Leave a comment below and let me know
This was a guest post written by Sarah Roberts. Submit your own story / content HERE.
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