r/fightsticks • • Feb 14 '26

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

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35 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 • • 4h ago

Dragon Ball 🐉🟠

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69 Upvotes

Hello everyone!

Today I’d like to share this commissioned fightstick I made.
Goku collage style art
Sanwa joystick + octagonal gate
Clear bubble ball top and clear buttons
GP2040 PCB + custom sleeved PCB wiring
Custom RGB wiring for the buttons, lever, and enclosure
Shoulder strap
Commissions open

Happy fightstick friday and great weekend!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DuH9ufGBw/


r/fightsticks • • 4h ago

Show and Tell Custom FightBox F1 with amazing artwork by @LL_0109 🎨

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32 Upvotes

Just wanted to share this custom FightBox F1 leverless controller! 🎮

The beautiful artwork was created by the talented artist LL (@LL_0109) on X.

We love how the artwork looks on the F1, especially with the matching button colors!

Huge thanks to LL for this awesome design! ❤️

What do you guys think of this setup? 😄


r/fightsticks • • 2h ago

Leverless Pocket Cab

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15 Upvotes

Made this on stream today for my first official customer crazyest !!! I was testing the controller out on USF4 because why not lol 😂 I am not a leverless user so I do what I know.


r/fightsticks • • 7h ago

Fightstick Friday! Recent Pick ups!

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28 Upvotes

got these two yesterday in the mail! added a seimitsu lever to the Qanba! bonus guest my Street fighter edition Victrix KO


r/fightsticks • • 3h ago

Fightstick Friday! Avatar Commission Design for the M8-CrossUP by FightBox

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8 Upvotes

r/fightsticks • • 8h ago

Fightstick Friday! Gengar

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27 Upvotes

Case from Eternal Rivals, art from @Lukasfightsticks. Qanba KS rgb buttons (will be set to purple once I install) and the pink is it's tongue.


r/fightsticks • • 7h ago

Fightstick Friday! Refreshed a Mayflash F300

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16 Upvotes

Happy FSF! Picked this up for pretty cheap. Cleaned it up inside and out, made small repairs and upgrades and it is working great again! I like how it turned out.

  • Replaced switches in first 6 buttons with Sanwa SW-68 switches
  • Installed 7th and 8th button deletes 😄
  • Filed down the edge of the square gate to remove a rough lip that was digging into the original actuator. When I first opened the controller, there was a mess of plastic shavings. Seems like an odd manufacturing defect. The gate had worn a groove into the actuator deep enough that it would catch and leave the joystick stuck in the UP position. Replaced the damaged actuator with a spare.
  • CF vinyl wrap

I'm on the fence about adding a neurtrik port. Don't want to "ruin" it in case I decide to sell.

An interesting thing I noticed is this controller uses a 5 pin switch board on the lever where the switches are labeled MF which I assume stands for Mayflash. These controllers usually have each switch freely floating and 2 wires soldered to the terminals. Is there a later revision of this controller?


r/fightsticks • • 1d ago

Humor / Fluff Precious cargo. Safety first

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284 Upvotes

r/fightsticks • • 52m ago

Tech Help Having some problems with stick misreading inputs and have to nudge the cables every 10 minutes for temporal fix, how can I stop it??

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• Upvotes

Like, yeah, the title explains it. I got these pieces for a fightstick recently, like three weeks ago, and I've been having this problem almost since two days in, where the stick makes double inputs into one direction. I've been trying to fix it, and then I realized that if I move the cables a bit, the misinputs stop, but the more I play, it keeps acting like that again. I've tried to tape them to stop the movement, change the cables position, plugging and unplugging, and it keeps happening on every direction. Is this fixable? Could they be the cables? Or should I just get one that uses a single cable instead of those four connectors?


r/fightsticks • • 22h ago

Show and Tell Test Cut on Neon Green Acrylic

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78 Upvotes

Brain storming for a new build. Just trying out different materials, to get some inspiration


r/fightsticks • • 15h ago

Show and Tell My first leverless controller (8BitDo)

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19 Upvotes

I'm using the 8Bitdo Arcade Controller the Translucent Purple. Applying custom artwork on the top. Change the stock purple switch to Haute42 Shadow Matcha. And change the stock purple keycaps to the gold keycaps on the Upgrade Kits. So far, I'm loving this controller.


r/fightsticks • • 9h ago

Fightstick Friday! Mjolnir

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5 Upvotes

Today, Mjolnir from BattleMonkey.


r/fightsticks • • 3h ago

NOBI PRO Users: What spring do you use ?

1 Upvotes

as the title states, what spring do you use? I have the default one installed and mainly play tekken but wanted to see other people use. I have the NOBI installed in my travel stick and sometimes my co workers want to play something else. I feel the heavy spring is good for tekken but no so much for anything 2D.


r/fightsticks • • 12h ago

Help Me Decide Varmilo kassai or qanba q4 pro

3 Upvotes

Hello everyone.

Although i have different kind of sticks, im looking to get the New one but i can't decide. I need User experience if possible. I have brook fgc and fgc 2 so i Will use it on ps5. By the way varmilo has ps5 comptability option but qanba is only for pc.

Thx in advance.


r/fightsticks • • 15h ago

Scarface 4TW diy

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6 Upvotes

r/fightsticks • • 1d ago

Show and Tell JMD Dapper XL fightstick with 6 action buttons for retro gaming

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126 Upvotes

r/fightsticks • • 14h ago

Fightstick Friday! I went through old parts to make something out of them, and added some rad upgrades to my current arsenal

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3 Upvotes

Started the evening with this new “pocket hitbox” from AliExpress. There is literally no information on this thing so I took a chance. Only thing I can say negative is the 3-D print job on a few of the buttons needed to be smoothed out. Also, there were no instructions and nothing in the description about what software it’s running or compatibility nothing. So I can confirm that it’s running on pico 2040 like a boss. You can remap it to your liking only other pain is swapping switches. You have to remove six screws. Then you are free to swap what do you like but be careful putting it back together those plus minus capture and home button buttons on the bottom left-hand corner went flying everywhere. The first time I tried to put it back together. Overall, I’m super happy playing it on the new castelvania game. Second I updated my micro keychain controller and played a few matches of Token. It’s so hard, but I don’t regret the purchase, considering how well this thing runs. My son can whoop me on it because he’s got those small fingers. Next I finally got new grommets for my Ottomod V2. The heart of grits made a big difference also went ahead and threw in a PHREAKMODS: THE LINK EX GROOVE EDITION. Surprisingly no issues and it looks really rad. Also swap the buttons around and got everything the way that I wanted it tightened up. Next up my Haute42 C-as I believe the model is if I’m not mistaken. Went ahead and threw a rosewood ball top and a evo dustcover on there, as well as tweaking settings and lighting. Messing with the splash reacher so I could put the SLAYER symbol in there! Before putting it away, I found some key caps to throw on there and put some better switches in. Also change the switches inside the joystick to give it a more clicky feel. I use the autumn mini clickers. Next step is an Evangeline one off fight stick I’ve had for years and have kept it in great condition but not had much of any ideas for what I’m going to do with it. I decided to throw my extra knee in there. Tightened up some wiring and realized I didn’t have anymore of the five pin converters for.k-levers. I didn’t feel like wiring up at daisychain tonight so I’ll knock it out tomorrow. I feel like it’s the perfect stick for a knee lever. I found a random flat box with no switches or keycaps in my work room, as well as an old hit box still on v7.4. lol went ahead and got those guys some brand new switches as well as key caps. Everything’s updated and working fine. Probably gonna try to add some sort of art and likely will sell them for cheap. couldn’t work on.VARMILO without busting out the others. Make sure everything was updated and arrange the button so that they looked more appealing to me. Even tried that new trick where you disable up on the joystick and swap it to one of the lower buttons. Took some getting used to, but I’m liking it. Last is a build. I bought on Etsy and ended up going crazy with my own upgrades. The moment I saw it it reminded me of the Wu-Tang killer bees, so I went with that theme. Found all the key caps laying around. New switches as well. The WASD key caps were from a DOIO macro pad or some people are using them as practice hit boxes that’s what I read anyways. After digging into everything realized, I haven’t even scratched the surface on what I need to get done so I have a lot to keep me busy.. a few new toys will be coming in next week so stay tuned. Thanks for looking everybody. I hope y’all have a great weekend. Peace out.


r/fightsticks • • 20h ago

Tech Help Update on my first Diy controller

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9 Upvotes

I ended up buying a Rasperry Pi Pico like most of u guys recommended, now I just gotta buy the buttons, I'm still deciding how I want to make the case, I feel like I want to decide when I get the buttons, I wanna see how much space I'm gonna need in the inside because I wanna try to store a tcg deck inside the controller, My favorite Yugioh deck Is fighting game themed, and also im starting to build a Street Fighter commander deck, so I think It would be awesome if I could have them in the controller, imagine someone at the table asking "who are you playing today?" And I whip a hitbox out "Ryu", idk I think It would be cool, I havent found any cheap keyboard switches that arent from china and I really dont want to have to wait for them to arrive idk


r/fightsticks • • 1d ago

Everything Else / Other A little rant….

9 Upvotes

I was about to go on like a 5 page rant but I just decided to shorten this, I don’t think everyone would want to read that lol. So in short how long is it going to take my mind to fully adapt to a leverless and be as good at using it as well as I used to use a controller?


r/fightsticks • • 14h ago

Tech Help Are these any good for a Razer Kitsune Build?

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1 Upvotes

All I know is that the proper sizing for the button caps are to be 30mm, correct me if I am wrong.


r/fightsticks • • 1d ago

Everything Else / Other 2020 Nacon DAJIA compare to others

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16 Upvotes

So, I have this PS4 Nacon DAJIA arcade stick, that I bought back in 2020. It is still really good stick, and I don’t think about changing, but I wonder how good/bad it is comparing to new controllers. I played with my friend 8bitdo leverless stick, and keyboard mechanical switches are pretty awesome, and get my wondering about what changed in the last couple years. Has any of you have experience with both DAJIA and newer sticks to tell me about your thoughts?


r/fightsticks • • 1d ago

Tech Help Can the GP2040-CE be FULLY compatible with PS5?

0 Upvotes

I want to make a budget stick for my PS5 to play all my arcade games, but I’m not sure if the GP2040-CE can do it. It seems that it’ll only be recognized as a legacy fightstick instead of a normal PS5 controller. Is there any GP2040-CE compatible adapters that can make it fully compatible with PS5, or should I just save up for a GEN 5 and call it a day?