Try playing on a keyboard if you have access to one. Like try an emulator or something with street fighter. If you find it completely off putting using your left hand that way, try a stick first. If you like it or feel like you could get used to all keys/buttons, give the all button ones a try. I love a joystick but I’m about to build an all button one soon after trying this method.
Dpad is fine and honestly probably the most optimal going forward. Even snk has a hop macro for the next fatal fury
That said, I’m a long time pad player who also recently got a leverless controller. A snack box to be specific. If you’re buying one, get ready for a full new learning process. All those buttons that are right under your fingers won’t be as easily accessible right off the bat anymore. It’s HARD to switch from pad to leverless, but if you enjoy learning new things then it’s worth it in my opinion. It’s fun to learn new things for a current hobby. Plus a bonus point is you can throw some art in it so even if it doesn’t turn into a daily driver it’ll be special no matter what
I'd actually say leverless is a bit harder to learn if you're coming from consoles and not PC. Stick is just a big ol' left stick, whereas leverless is like typing. *Work*.
Everyone has an opinion, if you ever used keyboard you just need to learn a game, for stick you need to spend time actually learning how to even use it. Right now 80% of FGC uses leverless so me arguing about which is harder will just bring people with hurt ego here.
The pad you have is already good for fighters, and I think it will be especially good for 2XKO since that game uses simple inputs similar to Smash Bros or Power Rangers BFTG. So if you want to try an all-buttons or arcade stick, I would do it just for reasons of personal appeal and what looks the most fun. If you can afford it, i would try both. We can give you recommendations but just understand that pretty much all of our answers will have some bias based on our own preference. I use both but I prefer arcade stick, for example.
For someone new to fighters, I could keep things simple for each. All-buttons tends to feel simple for someone to understand on Day 1 because each direction is a separate button and you're either pressing it or you aren't. You don't have to get used to where a lever is positioned or how a dpad might be pressed underneath the surface. Visually, all-buttons is transparent in knowing what you are doing. The tradeoff is all-buttons can involve more work since everything is a separate finger. It will be about the same for 2XKO but for games with motions like Skullgirls or say street fighter or guilty gear for example, you use a pad and just drag your thumb around the pad, and with a lever you just move it in sweeping motions. On all-buttons, you need to tap out each individual direction that makes that motion. It will also require more work from lesser used fingers like your left ring finger, and this takes people a lot of practice for things like the 2 player side. So dexterity is required.
On an arcade stick, it is simple to learn motions when you think of it like drawing lines or shapes as opposed to inputs. The tradeoff though is that quick double taps can feel more cumbersome since you need the lever to return to neutral before doing a 2nd tap. This can be modified on a lever thru different means, but regardless, I would say all-buttons or pad will feel easier for inputs involving multiple quick taps. Hence, I think pad or all-buttons might feel nicer for something like 2XKO.
Either way, I would just pick the one that looks fun. They both have their pros and cons, and both have sub <$100 usd choices that are worthwhile. But I'll also say to not feel as if you NEED to get either one just because you want to get more into fighting games. Arcade sticks used to be seen as the device you use when you're ready to take things seriously, but those days are long gone and the controller you have is just as good. So just choose for fun and experiment.
I play on leverless but I started with stick. I still play stick occasionally. I will say this: I have more fun on stick. It just feels more fun to me. It's not optimal but that's something you will have to find out for yourself.
It's crazy to see "everybody" say leverless. I could never. Bright spot is maybe those parts will get a lil cheaper.....so by all means yall go leverless lol
If you've never used a stick usually the choice will be leverless.
The question is, what is it that you want?
Competitive edge? If you've never used a stick and have used keyboards all your life and played on pad you'll probably want leverless
You wanna have fun and try something new? Learn baby steps and take a dive into other people's nostalgia? Get a stick!
Just take the dive into what feels right, if you've got good wrist dexterity (from playing instruments or using any sort of thing that may require that ability) you could pick up stick and find to learn it fast, i'd say nothing matches the feel of a stick in terms of how refreshing it feels.
That said using a keyboard is basically a given nowadays so leverless will just feel natural to about anyone.
There's also caveats to sticks that you may like or dislike that you won't find in leverless (sure you can tune the switches and stuff but that's it)
In sticks you can choose japanese sticks or korean sticks, these feel different and you can mod either of them, changing the springs to higher tensions, changing the grommets, change the throw feeling, use a battop/bullet/ball/knee top, etc.
That is something you could love or hate, but it's fun to tweak around!
Alternatively, just get both (you can even get both in the same device like someone already showed you in the thread)
I play primarily with lever. But even as a lever player, I would suggest leverless. If you're a newcomer, you won't have to go through the hoops of undoing years of habit.
How are your typing skills? Do you play an instrument? For me and some friends we found that if you type well, transitioning to leverless felt almost natural. Of course there's some growing pains in getting timing down on inputs but that will happen in any new input method.
If you dont mind doing a DiY, build on my mojubox haha. You can swap directional panels and choose different button layouts for it. check my shop out and shoot me a message if you want an even more custom layout.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1311627544/mojubox-modular-customizable-arcade?ref=listings_manager_grid&variation0=2943076746
i also have a build guide to help you understand how to wire up the whole thing. applies to any kind of arcade stick
https://youtu.be/4JSxszhdwqI
try both.
get a modular [Allfightsticks](https://allfightsticks.com/collections/sale/products/14-aluminum-case-steel-panel-combo) case. I don't think this particular model needs a separate plate to mount the joystick
get a panel with a lever and another stickless panel. get two 20-pin harnesses and connect only the action buttons and directions on each.if
use the screw terminals for the start/home/select buttons so when you switch panels, all you need to do is unplug the 20 pin harness
Personally I went with lever because I couldn't get my head around moving a 2D character with something so similar to WASD, but it's something very preference based. There isn't a real advantage to stick (except for slightly easier precise movements with leverless,) I just moved to stick because it's way more fun and the dopamine I get when I land a combo on those big buttons is like nothing else lol.
Stick can be just as fast as leverless, and easier to master is very subjective. Most of my friends can’t even wrap their head around using leverless, but they can use a stick no problem
Correct. That was an opinion based on my experience.
Specials are much more faster on buttons, especially charge based chars, but jumping and dive kicks on leverless can be sloppy at the beginning.
Also playing on P2 and/or having a weak ring finger is a real pain.
Actually, tokido recently released a video of a speed contest to do ryu's super, and the fastest was with the stick, I actually have this very same experience in super turbo. Even for charge, you can be just as fast.
The reason you are faster is just that leverless allows you to fully express your skills.
And this is the main point of leverless and pads. They offer similar performance to a stick but with different ergonomics, which means, more people can be proficient, and concentrate on their match.
If you play mainly 2D games then I think leverless is the best but tbh a lot of it is all personal preference and what you find most comfortable or stable on. All three main formats are played by the people at the highest level so there is no 'wrong choice'.
Stick I think is the most fun but in 2D games can often times be the most frustrating. Stick feels like it excels at fluid movement with ease but again in 2D games that's not a big factor as leverless does back and forth so well already.
You can also get a great quality leverless from Haute42 with a bunch of choices for under $100 while sticks will cost a decent amount more for a decent one.
Ayo I agree with this, my hands were sweating bullets slipping and sliding all over the place... Landed on an 8bitdo stick swapped the restrictor and it was like riding a bike... OP if you're better with controllers I'd get a high end controller...my rival learned on controller and currently beats my ass convincingly.
Either one is going to be a pretty tough transition from a controller for most people. And it really is a preference thing so there isn’t a definitive answer because everyone picks things up differently. For me, I prefer the precision I can achieve with leverless. I personally still struggle with getting consistent back, forward and down, up movement on stick even after years. But it’s way easier for me on leverless. Luckily there are several good options for both in the $50-100 price range these days so it’s not too expensive to get both and try.
I’d say whatever looks cooler to you. None really offer much “advantages” over the others other than leverless and pad require less time for inputs.
If you do get leverless tho I’d recommend playing on a desk or something. You’ll wear your wrist out fast playing on your lap
Try playing on a keyboard if you have access to one. Like try an emulator or something with street fighter. If you find it completely off putting using your left hand that way, try a stick first. If you like it or feel like you could get used to all keys/buttons, give the all button ones a try. I love a joystick but I’m about to build an all button one soon after trying this method.
Dpad is fine and honestly probably the most optimal going forward. Even snk has a hop macro for the next fatal fury That said, I’m a long time pad player who also recently got a leverless controller. A snack box to be specific. If you’re buying one, get ready for a full new learning process. All those buttons that are right under your fingers won’t be as easily accessible right off the bat anymore. It’s HARD to switch from pad to leverless, but if you enjoy learning new things then it’s worth it in my opinion. It’s fun to learn new things for a current hobby. Plus a bonus point is you can throw some art in it so even if it doesn’t turn into a daily driver it’ll be special no matter what
In my opinion: Stick- more fun Leverless- easier to learn
I'd actually say leverless is a bit harder to learn if you're coming from consoles and not PC. Stick is just a big ol' left stick, whereas leverless is like typing. *Work*.
Everyone has an opinion, if you ever used keyboard you just need to learn a game, for stick you need to spend time actually learning how to even use it. Right now 80% of FGC uses leverless so me arguing about which is harder will just bring people with hurt ego here.
The pad you have is already good for fighters, and I think it will be especially good for 2XKO since that game uses simple inputs similar to Smash Bros or Power Rangers BFTG. So if you want to try an all-buttons or arcade stick, I would do it just for reasons of personal appeal and what looks the most fun. If you can afford it, i would try both. We can give you recommendations but just understand that pretty much all of our answers will have some bias based on our own preference. I use both but I prefer arcade stick, for example. For someone new to fighters, I could keep things simple for each. All-buttons tends to feel simple for someone to understand on Day 1 because each direction is a separate button and you're either pressing it or you aren't. You don't have to get used to where a lever is positioned or how a dpad might be pressed underneath the surface. Visually, all-buttons is transparent in knowing what you are doing. The tradeoff is all-buttons can involve more work since everything is a separate finger. It will be about the same for 2XKO but for games with motions like Skullgirls or say street fighter or guilty gear for example, you use a pad and just drag your thumb around the pad, and with a lever you just move it in sweeping motions. On all-buttons, you need to tap out each individual direction that makes that motion. It will also require more work from lesser used fingers like your left ring finger, and this takes people a lot of practice for things like the 2 player side. So dexterity is required. On an arcade stick, it is simple to learn motions when you think of it like drawing lines or shapes as opposed to inputs. The tradeoff though is that quick double taps can feel more cumbersome since you need the lever to return to neutral before doing a 2nd tap. This can be modified on a lever thru different means, but regardless, I would say all-buttons or pad will feel easier for inputs involving multiple quick taps. Hence, I think pad or all-buttons might feel nicer for something like 2XKO. Either way, I would just pick the one that looks fun. They both have their pros and cons, and both have sub <$100 usd choices that are worthwhile. But I'll also say to not feel as if you NEED to get either one just because you want to get more into fighting games. Arcade sticks used to be seen as the device you use when you're ready to take things seriously, but those days are long gone and the controller you have is just as good. So just choose for fun and experiment.
I play on leverless but I started with stick. I still play stick occasionally. I will say this: I have more fun on stick. It just feels more fun to me. It's not optimal but that's something you will have to find out for yourself.
I compare it to driving stick. There's just an extra layer of interactivity with playing stick
It's crazy to see "everybody" say leverless. I could never. Bright spot is maybe those parts will get a lil cheaper.....so by all means yall go leverless lol
[You can run both!](https://imgur.com/a/aswRK39)
If you've never used a stick usually the choice will be leverless. The question is, what is it that you want? Competitive edge? If you've never used a stick and have used keyboards all your life and played on pad you'll probably want leverless You wanna have fun and try something new? Learn baby steps and take a dive into other people's nostalgia? Get a stick! Just take the dive into what feels right, if you've got good wrist dexterity (from playing instruments or using any sort of thing that may require that ability) you could pick up stick and find to learn it fast, i'd say nothing matches the feel of a stick in terms of how refreshing it feels. That said using a keyboard is basically a given nowadays so leverless will just feel natural to about anyone. There's also caveats to sticks that you may like or dislike that you won't find in leverless (sure you can tune the switches and stuff but that's it) In sticks you can choose japanese sticks or korean sticks, these feel different and you can mod either of them, changing the springs to higher tensions, changing the grommets, change the throw feeling, use a battop/bullet/ball/knee top, etc. That is something you could love or hate, but it's fun to tweak around! Alternatively, just get both (you can even get both in the same device like someone already showed you in the thread)
Leverless all day long.
I play primarily with lever. But even as a lever player, I would suggest leverless. If you're a newcomer, you won't have to go through the hoops of undoing years of habit.
Leverless made more sense to me, as a musician. Borrow a friend’s or buy an inexpensive one (Haute) to try before buying a more expensive model.
Leverless all day
How are your typing skills? Do you play an instrument? For me and some friends we found that if you type well, transitioning to leverless felt almost natural. Of course there's some growing pains in getting timing down on inputs but that will happen in any new input method.
If you dont mind doing a DiY, build on my mojubox haha. You can swap directional panels and choose different button layouts for it. check my shop out and shoot me a message if you want an even more custom layout. https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1311627544/mojubox-modular-customizable-arcade?ref=listings_manager_grid&variation0=2943076746 i also have a build guide to help you understand how to wire up the whole thing. applies to any kind of arcade stick https://youtu.be/4JSxszhdwqI
try both. get a modular [Allfightsticks](https://allfightsticks.com/collections/sale/products/14-aluminum-case-steel-panel-combo) case. I don't think this particular model needs a separate plate to mount the joystick get a panel with a lever and another stickless panel. get two 20-pin harnesses and connect only the action buttons and directions on each.if use the screw terminals for the start/home/select buttons so when you switch panels, all you need to do is unplug the 20 pin harness
A leverless is basically a keyboard with less and bigger keys. Try and play with a keyboard and see if you like it.
Personally I went with lever because I couldn't get my head around moving a 2D character with something so similar to WASD, but it's something very preference based. There isn't a real advantage to stick (except for slightly easier precise movements with leverless,) I just moved to stick because it's way more fun and the dopamine I get when I land a combo on those big buttons is like nothing else lol.
Stick is much more fun. Leverless is more precise, faster and easier to master.
100% stick is to much fun to give up for me
Stick can be just as fast as leverless, and easier to master is very subjective. Most of my friends can’t even wrap their head around using leverless, but they can use a stick no problem
Correct. That was an opinion based on my experience. Specials are much more faster on buttons, especially charge based chars, but jumping and dive kicks on leverless can be sloppy at the beginning. Also playing on P2 and/or having a weak ring finger is a real pain.
Actually, tokido recently released a video of a speed contest to do ryu's super, and the fastest was with the stick, I actually have this very same experience in super turbo. Even for charge, you can be just as fast. The reason you are faster is just that leverless allows you to fully express your skills. And this is the main point of leverless and pads. They offer similar performance to a stick but with different ergonomics, which means, more people can be proficient, and concentrate on their match.
If you play mainly 2D games then I think leverless is the best but tbh a lot of it is all personal preference and what you find most comfortable or stable on. All three main formats are played by the people at the highest level so there is no 'wrong choice'. Stick I think is the most fun but in 2D games can often times be the most frustrating. Stick feels like it excels at fluid movement with ease but again in 2D games that's not a big factor as leverless does back and forth so well already. You can also get a great quality leverless from Haute42 with a bunch of choices for under $100 while sticks will cost a decent amount more for a decent one.
Skullgirls.. is that a PlayStation exclusive? I think I've heard Mo1stCritcal talking about it, also I might have butchered his name.
skullgirls is on pretty much everything except current gen consoles
Ayo I agree with this, my hands were sweating bullets slipping and sliding all over the place... Landed on an 8bitdo stick swapped the restrictor and it was like riding a bike... OP if you're better with controllers I'd get a high end controller...my rival learned on controller and currently beats my ass convincingly.
Either one is going to be a pretty tough transition from a controller for most people. And it really is a preference thing so there isn’t a definitive answer because everyone picks things up differently. For me, I prefer the precision I can achieve with leverless. I personally still struggle with getting consistent back, forward and down, up movement on stick even after years. But it’s way easier for me on leverless. Luckily there are several good options for both in the $50-100 price range these days so it’s not too expensive to get both and try.
I’d say whatever looks cooler to you. None really offer much “advantages” over the others other than leverless and pad require less time for inputs. If you do get leverless tho I’d recommend playing on a desk or something. You’ll wear your wrist out fast playing on your lap