Customer Reviews

PS3 Street Fighter IV Round 2 Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Case in point: The TE Stick round 2 is a very well built stick. As you probably already know, its made with high quality Sanwa parts. I has a decent weight and just about the perfect length to fit in your lap.

Round 2 TE vs. Round 1?

When I bought this stick, I was wondering if there was any difference between the TE round 2 and the TE round 1, but for some reason, I couldn't find any info on this. Sadly, I've never even used a TE round 1, but if you're concerned about build quality and functionality, this stick is almost perfect in that respect. Looking at the pictures of both of these sticks, the button layout/stick proximity to the buttons looks basically the same, as does the shape of the box. I can't confirm that they're exactly alike, but I'd definitely bet money on it.

A note on the compatibility of this stick with PC

This stick works with my PC, as opposed to the several reports that the TE round 1 didn't work with the PC. Now, I'm not guaranteeing that the round 2 is going to work with your PC, but it seems that there's a possibility that the round 2 TE stick might work. I'm running XP Media Center Edition 2005, in case you're wondering. When testing this stick for compatibility with your PC, make absolutely sure that you don't plug it into a USB hub, as it didn't work when I did so. I'm guessing that the reason for this might be that they changed something about the innards of the round 2 to make it compatible with PC, or perhaps its just my own setup.

PROS:
-Stick is pretty meaty, making it not move around very much.
-Made with high quality Sanwa parts
-Good button layout
-Possible PC compatibility (See above!)
-Aesthetically very pleasing to look at
-Comes in a pretty nice case w/ COA, making it easy to store if need be.

CONS:
-Might not be an issue for you, but the joystick itself is placed very low, which is pretty typical of most sticks. Not sure how hard its going to be to change this, but I know there are shaft extenders out there is this is really an issue for you.
-Less expensive to build a custom, but ONLY if you have the tools and knowledge to do so. $134.99 is still a bit much, but considering what you get its very worth it.

Conclusion:
Don't be afraid to buy the round 2 TE just because there are more reviews for the round 1! This thing works like a charm.

Chances are, as a gamer, you know someone personally that has had a bad experience with Mad Catz. I'm not going to lie, to this day I will never buy a Mad Catz product and actually use it (they're usually good to padhack for making specialized controllers though). But this isn't some low budget junk that costs a ton because it's got Capcom and Street Fighter logos on it. This is one of the best arcade sticks you can buy for the money.

The buttons, including Start and Select, and the joystick are made by Sanwa, using the exact same parts that go in SSF4AE cabinets. It's sturdy. It doesn't slip around. It's comfortable in your lap.

I totally wore out my original Tekken 6 Hori stick between MvC3 and SSF4 in about 2 months of regular usage, maybe 10 hours a week total at the time - now it almost never registers down-left, kind of important for playing chargers - so honestly, if you intend to seriously play fighters with an arcade stick, this (or any Mad Catz TE - just keep in mind the BlazBlue and MvC2 TEs have a slightly different button mapping) is the one to get in my opinion. Just make sure that you're actually serious enough about learning to play on a stick before you spend this money, but they retain their value well if you need to resell it later on, and the parts will last quite a while. If you do manage to kill a button or the joystick, you can buy replacements easily online. I prefer Lizard Lick Amusements but there are other reputable companies as well, and you may even have a local arcade with a few you could buy (not likely since most US arcades use Happ hardware, but you never know).

***There's also tons of mods you can do to the stick if stock isn't cool enough - anything from simple stuff like changing the balltop for one of a different color, to replacing the buttons and joystick, to custom artwork (helps a lot if you play tournaments where you're expected to provide your own stick, or so I'm told - have yet to attend one). Not to mention the 360 version can be (relatively) easily dual modded to work on the PS3 as well, with a ChImp board from Lizard Lick and little (if any) soldering required (the PS3 version can be dual modded as well but it's a pain compared to the 360 version).

If you play fighters seriously, or are planning to get into them and know you'll stick to the arcade stick, this is a great investment. It's definitely not cheap, but it's a great product, and you'll save money in the long run from not constantly replacing lower end sticks as they die on you from use. The higher end Hori sticks are also supposed to be great, but I've never used one so I can't say one way or the other.

*Cracking open the case of the stick will void your warranty, obviously. I'm just pointing out what you could do if you wished. YMMV with stick modding depending on your experience, but simple mods like replacing buttons or the joystick is a simple swap out that is slightly more difficult than changing a flashlight's batteries. If you break your stick doing something silly to the PCB, enjoy your $150 Street Fighter-themed doorstop. But for the more adventurous types, there's a ton of stuff you can do with a little know-how to make your stick stand out.

These sticks stand with the very best arcade controles you can buy from a brick and motor store. Second only to Hori's premium model arcade controllers. Comes with top of the line japanese sanwa parts (buttons and joystick). Very good stick.

The arcade stick is an extremely well built product. The weight is just about right for it to sit on your lap and give it some abuse or rough play. I can honestly recommend it to anyone who wants to play fighting the proper way. It is one of the best arcade stick that is out there.

Great HW to play Capcom's SF and SSF4. Any fighting game will be easier to manage as long as human skills are present to0. :)
If you have the money... then buy it. Little bit overpriced though.

I got this arcade stick to improve my gaming experience with SSTF4 and other fighting games. So far all I can say is the only thing keeping me back from doing just that is my level of skill at the moment. I love the stick, it's great, does exactly what it says it's going to do. The only thing is some of you may not be used to playing on a square gate, it's easy to replace, just check [...] for a GT-Y Octagonal Restrictor Plate. Other than that I Love the graphics and layout of it. It really gave me that arcade feel. I gave it a rating of 4 because I only have it for few weeks so am waiting to see how it stands up to the abuse and test of time.

Advantages:
1. Very stable, stick doesn't go flying all over the place.
2. Very visually pleasing, great graphics, just a bit dark.
3. Very responsive play.
4. Minor mods was simple, changed my square gate and bubble top to a bat top.
5. Seaming-less response times between action presses and on screen display.

Disadvantages:
1. Joystick shaft is just a might short and the bubble top kinda made my shoulder hurt with extended play.
2. The compartment for the usb cable is kind of cramped.
3. Modding is kind of a hassle because of the amount of screws and this is minor mods am talking about.

So if you're looking to raise you level and got the cash. I highly recommend this product.

It is an awesome experience to go back to the early 90's and feel the arcade once more. This fightstick is just what is needed to enjoy any fighting game. Forget about specs, suffice it to say it is worth the money!!!

PERFORMANCE: Excellent. Good to know that this stick uses Sanwa parts. A common gripe with Madcatz in the past was that their products didn't perform well and/or hold up well. Alleviate your fears, this stick holds up well when put to the test and it performs with the precision of being at the arcade.

VALUE: At $150, this isn't "cheap" for gamers. However, if you are even remotely serious about fighting games, then the $150 price tag is well worth it. Consider how many quality fighters have come out and are scheduled to come out this generation: Street Fighter IV, KOFXIII, Soul Calibur 5, Street Fighter X Tekken, Blazblue Continuum Shift Extend, etc. PLUS, I also use this stick for playing retro games on PSN/XBL. You know, "old school" games like Double Dragon, R-Type, etc. It's great as a throwback to when I actually stood at an arcade cabinet in the late early 90's and played these games.

Hesitant about the purchase? My advice is to give it a shot. Worst case scenario is that you don't use it as often as you though...which in that case you can put it up on Ebay and get most of your money back. I used a TE Fightstick for my Xbox360 for about 2 years until I sold my 360. I got $130 for my used TE Fightstick on Ebay. I just purchased another TE Fightstick for my PS3 now and have zero concerns with anything regarding the purchase. Go for it!

Absolutely superior to the standard version. The buttons are far more durable and the expanded size and weight helps for when you play characters in fighting games that require rapid stick movement so the whole thing doesn't move around nearly as much. Great feel to it as well. It'll take some time to get used to if you're new to sticks but after a few months it'll fit your hands like a glove. Worth the money for any fighting game enthusiast.

On a side note, if you intend on using this on your PC for any gaming there please note that this DOES NOT work on any mother board that use an nVidia chipset. You would have to purchase a USB expansion that runs the Intel drivers.

This was my very first arcade stick and overall it's a very solid stick for the playstation 3. I have noticed that at some tournaments they only have xbox 360 setups so you might want to dual mod this stick but it costs around $100 to do this by an experienced modder. Overall i would go with a custom stick since it costs less to build all the parts together and have it dual modded at the same time, but this stick is okay just a little on the expensive side.