If you're looking for a very, very good arcade stick, look no further than the Hori RAP VX-SA Kai. I was looking for a new stick to replace my old MadCatz Standard Edition, so I searched around on Amazon and decided on this one after some deliberation. It really came down to this one or one of the newer MadCatz sticks, as I was not only searching for a good stick at the $100-$150 price range, but one I knew I could depend on. I went with this one solely because I really enjoyed the design, not necessarily because I thought this one was 'better' than it's competitors.
The buttons and the stick are all Sanwa and the gate in the joystick is a square gate. For me personally, I don't mind either one, but for others, it might be an issue, but at the very least, you can easily mod this baby and replace gate with an octagonal one if you like. The buttons are spread out pretty well from the stick, so you probably won't feel 'cramped' working it. I'm not sure how easy it is to replace the buttons and art on this, but if you want to do so, remember that you're going to void your warranty.
Now you can't choose to select the crosspad on this stick, as you might have heard (you can only choose between Left Stick or Right Stick), but this has not been a problem for me. I know on the MadCatz sticks, the Left Stick can cause undesired inputs and movement, but I can say with certainty that you will not experience that with this arcade stick. If you were looking for a different stick because of this or if this fact was making you shy away from this one, then again, it's a non issue.
What's really cool about this stick that you can't do on the MadCatz one is shift some of the buttons around. The start button does seem to be awfully close to the other buttons and hitting it on accident and pausing the game can get you disqualified at tournaments. However, you can actually switch the Start and Back buttons on this baby with a lever so Start is at the top and you have no chance of hitting it unless you have gigantic hands or something. You can also switch LB and RB with the Left Stick Button and the Right Stick Button, though I can't imagine why you would want to, as I've had no need to do so. Despite all this, I have never once accidentally hit the Start Button and even unconsciously, it seems you would have a hard time doing so unless, again, you have gigantic fingers or hands.
The VX-SA Kai has a decent weight to it, something I was looking for, as the MadCatz SE had a tendency to fly out of my lap when things got hectic during battle. This one should stay put nicely and it even has pads at the bottom to make sure of it. There are grips on the side too, so the stick is easy to handle and pick up. I thought that was a pretty neat feature, one that isn't necessarily needed, but a novelty I'm enjoying greatly. Finally, you can store the USB cord in a compartment on the top side of the stick, but it's so-so. The compartment should have been bigger. It's not hard to get the whole length of the cord in, but it should have been wider and bigger, like on the MadCatz Cross Tekken sticks, so it would have been easier. A minor complain and my only real one with the stick.
All in all, a pretty great stick. I've been using the RAP VX-SA Kai for a couple of weeks now with no problems. It seems durable enough to last quite awhile, though I have heard the art can begin to come off if you're the type of person that sweats a lot. Other than that, I would most definitely recommend this stick to fighting game fans.
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Product information
| ASIN | B008DDBMSK |
|---|---|
| Release date | August 26, 2012 |
| Customer Reviews |
3.4 out of 5 stars |
| Product Dimensions | 16.93 x 9.45 x 4.92 inches; 0.01 ounces |
| Type of item | Video Game |
| Language | English |
| Item model number | 873124003574 |
| Item Weight | 0.01 ounces |
| Manufacturer | HORI |
| Date First Available | August 21, 2012 |
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2013
- Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2013
- Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2013
Top reviews from other countries
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- Andrew CormackReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2015
One of the best damn made sticks I've ever owned
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