Capcom’s Street Fighter IV was released in stores this week, and with it, a great need for a real peripheral to execute combos, attacks, and moves with accuracy and style. Mad Catz stepped up to the plate and presented gamers with the Mad Catz Arcade Fightstick.
The standard Xbox 360 gamepad controller works well for many games, but when it comes to fighting games that require precise controls and inputs, it simply falls short. The Arcade Fightstick, available in a standard “collector’s edition,” and a “tournament edition,” was designed to provide precision, in a comfortable and gorgeous presentation.
Enclosed in a weighty base that is covered with official artwork from Street Fighter IV, the Fightstick features eight face buttons and a ball-head joystick. The start and select buttons are placed on the front of the base, off of the face of the Fightstick’s base. On the upper left corner of the face are the Xbox guide button, a lock switch, and a switch that allows the user to chose to control either the left or right analog sticks or the d-pad input from a standard control scheme. The resulting button placement design choices leaves plenty of room to for your hands and fingers.
Adding to the ergonomical design of the Fightstick is the angled lower portion of the base. The declined area of the base helps provide relief for wrists during longer gaming sessions.
The joystick itself has the right amount of tension with each directional push, giving way to a nice click. Each of the eight buttons are sensitive, allowing each button press to register, even in frentic jab and short kick attacks. In practice, executing dragon punches and more complex moves and combos has never been easier with the Fightstick, and even after hours with the marvelous Street Fighter IV, this reviewer’s thumb was perfectly safe and pain-free.
With the Mad Catz Arcade Fightstick, gamers now have access to accuracy, comfort, and style, designed with professional parts and with the gamer in mind. Run, don’t walk to your nearest video game store and pick up the Fighstick!
Check out our Unboxing and Hands-on High-Def videos here:
Unboxing the Mad Catz Arcade Fightstick Street Fighter IV
Hands on with the Mad Catz Arcade Fightstick Street Fighter IV
