Customer Reviews

Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV Round 2 Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Uses authentic Sanwa parts. (Along with Seimitsu, these parts are the best straight out of Japan.)
The control offered by this particular stick is phenomenal. Granted, I've only recently gotten serious about using one exclusively, I've been around the bloc a few times with these sort of products.
The Sanwa stick is very responsive and follows a square gate restrictor (stick moves around inside a square). When a gate is activated, you'll know as an audible *click* is heard. It may be a bit loud for casual home users, but it's part of the experience, in my opinion. Nothing to gripe about!
The buttons are also extremely sensitive. Contrary to the construction of the stick, these buttons DO NOT click! In a competitive sense, it's logical to reduce the amount of effort required to trigger the button, so no click. This is not to indicate that they are faulty, but fantastically responsive and dutiful in their purpose of translating your most complex inputs.
For stability, the several pounds that it does way are easily justified. To fanatics, input consistency is very important and they don't need their devices flying around because they're feather-light.
Other reviews may be bashing it, but the thought process in this product is quite legitimate, bringing together some revered names in the target audience and collaborating with them. Now, of course, it's a mass produced item, so there are going to be some business choices that not all of us would prefer. However, what you see is what you get and I've found a fantastic product in this.

Oh, it's also easily customizable with a bit of tinkering around. Even the face plate can be swapped out for one of a different design.

This arcade stick is amazing. It is a must have if you play fighting games such as street fighter or tekken. The stick is very customizable, you can switch out the buttons or create a new template. It uses high quality sanwa parts which is a plus. I think the round 2 fight stick looks way better then the first TE fight stick, the all black and red looks awesome. Overall this stick is great and if you were looking for a stick, get a TE they are cheaper then before and perform great.

Although I am very much a core gamer I didn't really grow up in the arcades. Sure, I was there from time to time, but more often than not I would be play at home on the consoles. Since those days though, arcades have become something of a rarity. More recently, I have found an arcade dedicated to these games of old and purchased an arcade stick to go along with Street Fighter IV among other fighting games.

The Street Fighter IV Round 2 Tournament Edition arcade stick was the one I purchased. Prior to this I also purchased the official Dreamcast arcade stick, so this would be my second stick that I have owned. I also have a review on that stick, if you would like to hear my thoughts on it.

First, I am by no means an expert in arcade sticks. I could not tell you if these are genuine parts, or anything like that, in fact I am still learing how to use the stick. Coming from someone who has stuck with the standard fighting pad for years, I can tell you that there is a learning curve. The D-pad in geneneral is not made for the kind of precision that 2D fighters require. If you have ever tried to do Zangief's 360 degree movement, you know what I am talking about. In today's modern age the D-pad is reserved for things like switching guns and issuing commands. So the standard controller really falls under one size fits most. For the true fighting enthusiast, this is the way to play a fighting game. But then that afore mentioned learing curve compes into play. If you aren't used to playing with a stick it can be intimidating, the size and weight of the stick, the stick itself, and the large buttons make it seem like it's an unapproachable behemoth. But if you take the time to set up your controls properly and pratice it will come more naturally.

The arcade stick is Japanese style, which I prefer. If you are looking for the American style I reccomend the Mortal Kombat arcade stick, if you don't mind the ackward layout. The ball at the top of the stick is about average size, very gripable, and is great on the sensativity. 360 degree movements work well with the stick and I found some moves could be executed more easily. One of the more daunting movements in my books has always been the hyper and ultra combos for Street Fighter. It is a double down to forward movement and one or three attacks. The three attacks can be set to the other buttons so that isn't an issue, but the movement istself it. On the 360 D-Pad it's somewhat of a crapshoot, and while I can't pull it at the drop of a hat on the arcade stick, it does feel much easier to execute. With time, effort, and
pratice it will get easier. On games like Tekken and Soul Calibur the commands are generally more forgiving, making the learning curve much easier. I think the 3D fighter that that really makes the arcade stick shine is Virtua Fighter 5, some movements I found nigh impossible are much easier to execute.

The stick as a whole is rather large and weighty. It's approximately twice the size and weight of the Dreamcast arcade stick the Standard Edition SFIV pad I used at the arcade. I immediatley noticed it from the first time I picked it up. Once it was in my lap it didn't bother me. The other thing that I did notice was that it had an 8 button layout. I know this is a duh moment, but after fooling around with the DC stick and the actual arcade units which don't feature these it came off as a bit odd. Well obviously, they have to accomodate for all the buttons but it was yet another thing I had to get used to. What was nice is that the "extra" buttons are colored grey while the rest of the buttons are white, nice touch. The start and back buttons are on the front of the unit, this is for tournament use so you don't disqualify yourself by acciendtally pausing mid fight. It's the same deal as the guide button, it's on the top of the unit but can be locked off for the same reason. There is also a turbo function for those so inclined. Anyone worried about navigation outside of the game can put those fears to rest. Near the guide button is a 3 way switch for switching from either analog stick or the D-Pad. Don't get me wrong, you wont be playing Halo with this thing, it's meant for functionality across the dashboard. A word of warning though, the LT and RT buttons will not work as triggers with the stick, they are digital not analog buttons, not shocking, but worth mentioning.

The top of the unit is a glossy plastic, similar to that of the Wii or DS lite. Yes, it is a finger print magnet, I much prefer the matte finish of the DC arcade stick, but it doesn't kill the experience. The artwork at the top is a bit different from the original TE stick, it's black a features Street Fighter artwork. There are also screws on the top, which I believe are for adding custom artwork. Like many arcade sticks, this unit is designed to be modified if desired. You can swap out for american buttons or sticks. I cannot say how easy it is, becuase I have not tries, personally I can't see a good reason to modify this stick (voiding any warranty) to swap anything. It really seems perfect as is. The unit is wired, that may seem like a downer but it's actually the better way to go. Let me explain, first, this is a core gamers stick, so lag is not acceptable, I have never had any noticable lag with the wireless 360 controller but I do know that it exists on some level. I also like the fact that I don't have to buy any more batteries for it, this stick is expensive enough already, adding wireless tech and the cost of batteries creates more problems than it solves. The stick has a reasonably lenthy cord that comes out of a compartment on the front near the start and back buttons. It's a bit difficult to stick in such a tight space but it's a nice feature to have for storage. I had no problem sitting on my couch 6 feet away with plenty of cord left over.

Finally, don't be swayed by the manufacturer: Mad Katz. If you have been in the gaming world for a while you know they don't exactly have the best track record for quality video game peripherals. But I must admit this not only the best Mad Katz product I have ever used, it is by far the best quality stick that I have ever played with. Its is officially licensed from Capcom so if you were worried about the manufacturer that should be enough to get you over that hurdle. Overall, this is considered the best arcade stick money can buy. Even with it's small caveats and high price I would still recomend it to anyone who is going to get serious about fighting games.

There comes a point where you just cant go up the leaderboard rankings anymore with the xbox controller, why? because as you rank up you start playing against players who use arcade sticks and theyll own you.. this is were an arcade stick comes in handy and you cant go wrong with the TE.. very well built, durable will last you a long time, a must if you want to compete.

The price is very decent on retail around $149.99. I got mine off of Amazon for $139.99. Big steal!

The stick uses Sanwa buttons, a Sanwa JLF stick, and the famous square-gate that is favored by Japanese arcade fans and tournament pros. Very very nice.

This may be a bit expensive but it is a bit cheaper than those Hori sticks which in my opinion and the majorities opinion. Basically this stick beats the expensive Hori Stick period. And mainly it is not because of the Sanwa parts but the durability, weight, design and how nice and snug it feels on your lap.

This stick has 4 rubber stands on the rear of it to keep it nice a stable when played on a coffee table or something.

The stick has a turbo option which doesn't really make me cry out with awesomeness because it isn't so great and the cheaper SE sticks have them. (Nothing intuitive and turbo buttons are for scrubs!!)

I love how the start and back button are on the front of the stick instead of being on top of the stick with the joystick, and 8 playing buttons. The Xbox or PS3 home button has a lock mode. (Basically you won't hit start or back or the home button and make any mistakes that can get you disqualified.)

And modders unite as I modded my stick. Sure it voids your warranty but you're adding better parts and if something breaks you can fix it with new parts that are quite cheap. This stick is a modders haven, the stick can be modded so easily and all you need is a 3mm Allen wrench/hex key, a Flathead screwdriver, and a Philips head screw driver. Oh and of course you need the parts you're going to replace with on the stick such as different colored buttons, Seimitsu clear buttons, LED's, custom artwork, and the dual-strike mod (Allowing the stick to be compatible with both 360, PC and PS3 systems).

Overall an incredible stick. This thing can literally take a century time worth of beating and not even break. I would recommend this for anyone and I plan on buying a second stick.

Anybody doing the research for one of these probably already knows what they're getting themselves into, so I'll keep it brief.

Great weight, great size, great parts, great feel. It's pretty much the original Mad Catz TE Fightstick with a fresh coat of paint, but there's nothing wrong with that. The Sanwa Parts are incredibly responsive, and I've already played thousands of Street Fighter matches on this Fightstick without any hitches. Oh, and it's incredibly easy to open in case you want to switch out any parts.

Prices seem to be rising on these things and I was lucky enough to get mine cheap, but MSRP is a reasonable enough price. Wouldn't spend more than that, though.

I haven't used an arcade stick since 1999 when I was playing Marvel Vs Capcom 1 on the Sega Dreamcast. Years later I find myself owning many fighters such as Soul Calibur 4, Super Street Fighter 4, Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and Tekken 6. Now I've had a blast with them all. But I've missed that fun feeling you only get when pianoing an awesome combo with multiple fingers, not just your thumb like on a pad.

I had been eyeing a TE stick for 2 years. Though I'd heard good things about them, I was still very leary due to them being made by Mad Catz. And anyone who knows Mad Catz knows their notorious for making junk products. Well this time they showed us all. This hands down is the best arcade stick I've ever used. And I've used A LOT of them. After 2 years of skepticism, I finally gambled with one and it paid off big.

Before even using it, just holding it, the stick feels like it's worth every penny you spent for it. Everything is super responsive. And you feel like every mistake is without a doubt your own fault, never the sticks.

It features

-Sanwa parts for the stick and the buttons.
-Vewlix button layout
-13 ft usb cord
-Door to store cord internally
-Lock switch
-Turbo feature
-Start, Back and Guide buttons just like a 360 controller

The stick also has gorgeous Street Fighter 4 art on it. I love the black on black with a red bezel.(obviously Mad Catz does too since the "new" Marvel Vs Capcom 3 stick is just this stick with different art) It's also pretty heavy so you can play and not worry about the stick moving all around and altering your inputs. I've found myself playing nothing but fighting games lately because they give me an excuse to use the stick more. Now keep in mind that the stick is in no way going to take you from being a novice to a pro in an instant. There is a bit of a learning curve. And those of you who've never used an arcade stick before are definitely going to have to spend some hours in training mode on your fav fighter. But once you get comfortable with it, like myself, you'll wonder why you didn't grab one sooner.

I've been playing SF4 and SSF4 since they've been released on a regular Xbox pad. I had gotten comfortable with the analog stick, but was still lacking when it came to advanced combos and plinking. I finally broke down and dropped the cash for this Round 2 TE, and have come to realize that it's worth every penny.

I could only beat 2 character's trials with the pad, but after about a month of practice on a stick, i've completed 10 other character's trials (to date). Of course the stick takes some getting used to. My online ranking took a major hit while i was trying to use a fightstick for the first time, but after about a month, i was better than i ever was on the xbox pad.

Even if you're not competitive, this stick just makes the game more fun. There's nothing like holding the stick in your lap and nailing a combo you've been trying to land for the past hour. This is basically the closest you'll get to the arcade experience outside of major cities or fighting scenes, and without dropping $350+ for a Hori Premium VLX.

I'm an avid player trying to get into the competitive scene. I've done a TON of research on the best sticks, dual-modding, hori vs. madcatz, sanwa vs seimitsu, etc. and i must say that this is definitely worth the money.

I've noticed that many top SSF4 players were playing with the Round 2 sticks so naturally I wanted to try it out. Having no experience with fight sticks in the past I read the generally positive reviews for Round 2 and made my decision. This product is top quality, no complaints there. And best of all you can use it for other games (so save yourself the money instead of buying the same exact madcatz stick with a different art layout *MVC3*)
For those of you who are reluctant on learning to use a new control scheme do not worry. If you have some sort of decent skill at fighters the learning curve is not bad. Proficiency comes with practice. The worst thing to do is to pay for this expensive (albeit great) stick only to let it collect dust.

I've been wanting to take my game to the next level for a while and after some research this clearly looked like the best choice. And I was certaintly not disappointed, the responsiveness of the button and joystick is incredible, and it feels really robust and has some nice weight in it.

A great purchase!