PS3 arcade stick suggestions

[boxhead]

Hello!

I wondered if anyone had any advice for me. I want an arcade stick to play street fighter 4 with basically. I don't really have the money to buy anything over the ?80 mark so that sort of cripples me really i guess. so the best i could do with my limited funds in a nut shell.

Thanks

[J0e Musashi]

TE for that kinda monies.

[boxhead]

TE? tournament edition? is that the madcatz one? is it any good or just a waste of my cash?

[boxhead]

http://www.thehut.com/games/platforms/ps3/tekken-6-arcade-stick-edition/10049919.html

Is this crap?

[Decider-VT]

It's not great. Might be OK if you're getting used to learning how to play with a stick but for an ?80 budget I'd suggest a second-hand Namco PS1 arcade stick with an Inpin adapter for you to connect it to your PS3. TEs are good for Street Fighter but the internal build quality is appalling next to the Hori sticks, really. A lot of people swear by them but I think that they should have been better constructed for the type of money they were being sold for and the second-hand prices they command.

[speedlolita]

I wouldn't say that the build quality of TE is appalling. Just as good, if not better than, any HRAP.

VSHG is the king of PS3 sticks imo.

[Decider-VT]

They're unlikely to be had for ?80 or under. I'd like to try a VSHG, though.

I wanted to like the TE but the way that MadCatz used cheap screws and hot glue to hold things like the locking nuts for the allen bolts in place was just shocking, really. I shouldn't have to disassemble a ?120 stick and use epoxy putty to secure them so I can put it back together after a simple swap from JLF to LS-32-01. By comparison my HRAP1b was simply and solidly built, even if it's lighter and more difficult to open. I certainly wouldn't say that my Round 2 TE was better built. Just my personal perspective and experience of the TE but I wouldn't be in a rush to buy another one in future.

[speedlolita]

I bought mine for ?80 posted.

That "glue" is in place as a means of preventing people from modding them.

The HRAP is just a single piece of plastic - with the TE being many pieces - giving the impression of not being solid I guess.

And dissembling a VSHG or early HRAP is ridiculous.

[Decider-VT]

I'd argue that you got a great deal on that VSHG, judging by the prices they tend to go for on eBay- hence me saying that it's unlikely that they can be had for that price. I'd buy one for ?80, frankly! The Omni stick from Etokki looks like a promising alternative, though.

Also: I didn't suggest that the TE isn't a solid stick by any means, but I stand by my comments regarding the build quality. When I first opened it up and heard the nut fall off inside, my first thought was "really? I just paid heaps for this" and I just couldn't believe that the locking nuts were melted into the plastic chassis and held in place by the glue. It seemed like MadCatz had gone out of their way to consult players about the type of stick that they'd want to have, included the genuine arcade parts and cut corners elsewhere. Intentionally gluing parts into place to prevent modding just sounds petty on their behalf if that's true- not exactly a foolproof deterrent.

And dissembling a VSHG or early HRAP is ridiculous.

It's a tedious task but thankfully it doesn't have to be done too often.

[speedlolita]

It's the general consensus really. There's no reason to cover screws with that gunk. I'm not sure if you've fully dissembled a TE but the screws under the bottom cover are solid as anything.

And yeah, I did a button swap on my HRAP2 - never want to open that again! EX-SE has hex like a TE top panel.. Nice improvement.

[Decider-VT]

Indeed. I've wanted to try Seimitsus in place of Sanwas on my HRAP but the thought of opening it all up again after the initial mods and painting is enough to make me dismiss the idea entirely. As huge and impractical as they are, I sort of want a VLX now after seeing how easy it is to pop one open. Oh dear!

[speedlolita]

I've got a JLF with a seimitsu spring in my HRAP2. Perfect!

[Decider-VT]

Interesting. Did you do that to get around mounting plate issues?

[speedlolita]

No mounting plate issues with my stick, I just prefer the JLF for fighters but the resistance of the seimitsu spring is better for me too..

For shmups though the LS-32 is much nicer yeah - got one in my TE.

[boxhead]

ok... this is pretty confusing. HRAP is a hori real arcade pro right? whats this HRAP ex like? its cheaper but is it crap? these HRAP 3 sticks cost about ?130...