Customer Reviews

Xbox360 Fighting Stick EX 2 - Soul Calibur 4 Limited Edition

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this joystick so I could really enjoy the arcade feel of playing fighting games as well as the Xbox Live Arcade games I own. The description for the product isn't that great so I thought I would provide some more information on this product. The stick itself feels pretty responsive although it does make a clicking noise when it is pressed against the edges. I'm assuming that was done to let the player know they are successfully pulling off motions. I personally don't mind it, especially with the game volume on.

The joystick is indeed wired but it is very long so I don't see it being an issue for most people. Wireless would of been nice but I guess at least this way you have zero chance of losing a signal in a heated match (although I've never lost a signal with my normal 360 controller). The cord does have a release in case you tug too hard on it just like the older Xbox controllers. You connect the joystick via USB (flap by power button on console).

The joystick itself feels pretty sturdy and is responsive. It does not include any special features such as slow motion or turbo in case that's your thing(like the old school NES Advantage). The only reason that I have not given this joystick a full 5 rating is because the joystick is not compatible with a lot of non-fighting games. The stick is mapped to the directional pad and does not support Analog control. What this means is you can't use it for most other non-fighting games like Lost Odyssey that support movement with the analog stick. Not a big deal since I got this stick for fighting games only but I thought everyone should know.

I can't speak to it's long term durability at this time but will probably update this review in a month's time to indicate whether the stick becomes too loose or buttons become non responsive.

*Update: Well, I've been using this joystick for about a month now and it's still good as new. The stick is not loose and the buttons are still very responsive. Overall, a very nicely made joystick.

This is the same stick that was issued as the Dead or Alive 4 joystick; the non-decorated version is known as the Fighting Stick EX2. The joystick has a nice soft feel -- very good for rolling quarter-circle moves. I've used it in Street Fighter Anniversary Collection as well as DOA4 and Soulcalibur IV; it's well worth the money and the build quality is quite good -- other EX2s I've used have had no problem over the long term with durability. Also, it's small enough to fit on your lap if you don't have a coffee table or TV tray.

However, while this stick is excellent for fighters, it's not so good for classic arcade games like Ms. Pac-Man or New Rally-X -- the soft-springed joystick doesn't feel accurate in those games, which were designed with stiffer four-way sticks in mind. But if you use it with the games for which it was built, you'll be quite happy.

Historically I've liked Hori sticks. They're affordable and they work fairly well. This one though was a completely bust.

I've known a few people to own an EX2, including the re-branded SoulCalibur. The problems we've had varies from stuck buttons to bad buttons and almost always terrible stick design for anything that's not a 3D fighting game. 2D or anything that plays on a 2D plane like Street Fighter, good luck with hitting those corners 100% of the time while playing normally.

We've taken one apart and even my friends that work with arcade parts as a career were commenting how poorly the stick was constructed and badly the circuitry was designed. Modifying is very difficult (but possible with a lot of unnecessary work), so trying to put a different stick is almost not worth it.

I barely owned my SoulCalibur stick for a year, used it once in a while (since I had another stick I'd switch off with) and problems just kept piling up. Now one of my buttons is stuck down and another stopped working altogether. And replacing them are a pain because the contacts are difficult to get to without unscrewing a whole bunch of stuff, and of course soldered to a control board (WHY???).

tl;dr: It wasn't worth the money I paid for (and I bought this on Amazon for a very short-lived deep discount, brand new). Save your money for a Hori Real Arcade Stick Pro or a MadCatz FightStick TE. If you're strapped for cash and still want an affordable Hori stick, get the Tekken wireless stick.

I'll be brief with this review, as the product does speak for itself. A year ago, September, 2008 I purchased this Hori EX2 fightstick. I bought it as an introductory stick, figuring it may breakdown soon or be unreliable after a few months.

Well, a year later it is still going strong. The buttons are working as they did the first day, the joystick still clicks feverishly during all my fast paced games, it's great. It's nice and small to fit in one's lap, but not too light as to slide around. It's a great fit, a wonderful stick- at an excellent price ($40 at the time).

There are only a couple drawbacks! One, the stick and buttons aren't as high a quality as I would have liked, but they work well enough. (I have a Madcatz TE stick for the PS3 also which is beautiful, sanwa buttons and stick. However, I also have a madcatz Standard Edition Fightstick- the buttons are horrid, some have already stopped responding). To rectify this, I cracked open the unit and found it will be semi-difficult to mod out the buttons myself (No quick disconnect)!

Other than this, it's great. I still use it over my Standard Edition stick, and will continue to use it until I purchase another TE stick for my Xbox 360. Very well made, and very happy with this product.

The Hori arcade (or "fighting") stick consists of Sanwa parts (I believe). It's based on Japanese Game Center cabinet designs, with the Sanwa ball-top joystick and Sanwa convex buttons (which are setup with a curved finger layout). The quality of the product is very high. The base of the arcade stick is plastic, but there is weight to it. You can use it on a table or just hold it in your lap.

The stick works great for most Xbox 360 fighting and arcade games - any game that doesn't require the use of both analog thumbsticks and/or the left and right triggers of the standard 360 controller.

It allows you to setup your own arcade at home - it works great for fighter games (such as Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Dead or Alive 4, Virtua Fighter 5, Soul calibur 4); shoot'em ups (such as Ikaruga); puzzle games (such as Super Puzzle Fighter 2 HD, Puzzle Quest); and action/adventure games (such as Bionic Commando Re-armed, Mega-Man 9).

There is a lot of versatility you can get out of this stick. It's a great product at a good price, I highly recommend it.

There's really no other choice when it comes to arcade fighting sticks for your 360, this is it. The controls are responsive, the unit itself is quite sturdy, even after my wife played on it constantly mashing the buttons as fast as she can, the buttons hold up well. No complaints on it although wireless would be nice, but not necessary.

Most people who are serious about fighting games will tell you that you've got to have one of these. After playing fighting games with a standard controller for a long time, and then playing with this, I have to agree. The joystick is big, making execution ridiculously easy. The ability to use three or four fingers while attacking (instead of only your thumb) makes p0wnage like child's play.

The controller is bigger than I expected, which is great. The controls seem to be identical in size and layout to what you would actually find on a fighter in the arcade. The construction is solid and well-built; this thing is made to last.

I ordered from this page, using free shipping, and the controller came in three days (one day earlier than expected). Impressive.

My only recommendation is if you love fighting games, and someone you know loves fighting games, you'd better order two, because you won't want to share. :)

I purchased this stick around two months ago. Not much to say other than it's cheap, and it works just fine. Makes playing Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix a lot more fun. With Street Fighter 4 just around the corner, these things should be selling like hotcakes.

I purchased this arcade stick to play Soul Calibur 4 as well as other fighting games for the xbos 360 like Virtua Fighter 5 and Street Fighter. This product is a great value is the closest you can get to a real arcade feel without buying parts and making a custom built stick. I would highly recommend this arcade stick to anyone who enjoys arcade style fighting games but doesn't have the means to custom build a real stick.

This is a great stick for fighting games, honestly i wouldn't play a fighting game without it. the downside is that the "gate" for the movement of the stick is in the shape of a square which makes doing dragon punches on streetfighter a bit difficult. this can be fixed by purchasing a octagon gate and doing a little modding to get that arcade feel. other than that the response and everything else is outstanding!