Arcade Stick or controller? (for MK9 and past MKs as well)

Marvlous

Marvlous

New member
I searched the forums for this topic and could not find anything. If there already is a thread like this I apologize but I could not find one. Anyway, I recently just got fed up with Super Street Fighter and decided to go back to my roots, Mortal Kombat. I have a Hori (4gate) and Madcatz (4gate) stick that I used for SF and I am having a HARD time playing all my MK games with these. Now I am no noob when it comes to arcade sticks. I've been using one for about 3 years now. I know when MK9 comes out I want to use a stick no matter what. Do any of you veterans of MK, that play on a stick, have any preferences or suggestions? Is an 8gate really needed? I ask because I know that the vintage MK arcade machines used 8gate sticks. Thanks in advance guys.
 
Marvlous said:
I searched the forums for this topic and could not find anything. If there already is a thread like this I apologize but I could not find one. Anyway, I recently just got fed up with Super Street Fighter and decided to go back to my roots, Mortal Kombat. I have a Hori (4gate) and Madcatz (4gate) stick that I used for SF and I am having a HARD time playing all my MK games with these. Now I am no noob when it comes to arcade sticks. I've been using one for about 3 years now. I know when MK9 comes out I want to use a stick no matter what. Do any of you veterans of MK, that play on a stick, have any preferences or suggestions? Is an 8gate really needed? I ask because I know that the vintage MK arcade machines used 8gate sticks. Thanks in advance guys.
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I have a 8 way on my TE stick and love it more then the 4 way. Ill admit it did take about an hour to adjust to it seeing how I was getting used to the 4 way.
 
Even though I grew up playing in arcades, I suck ass at using sticks. I've never seen much of a benefit for using a stick in MK considering the tap-based movements, but maybe that's just me. I'm more used to a D-pad, so I stick with that.

I'm sure a number of people here can help you with your situation, though.
 
Im gonna have to agree with DCR on this one, im terrible at using arcade sticks... I dont understand, do people really find it easier to use a stick, rather than a D pad, i mean its much easier isnt it...? Can someone please tell me the benefits of a stick over a D-pad cuz frankly i cannot find any.
 
Taj Gill said:
Im gonna have to agree with DCR on this one, im terrible at using arcade sticks... I dont understand, do people really find it easier to use a stick, rather than a D pad, i mean its much easier isnt it...? Can someone please tell me the benefits of a stick over a D-pad cuz frankly i cannot find any.
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I can't see the benefits either, but then again the last time I used a stick was playing the actual arcade MKs. I do remember liking the console controllers better though, and I played the megadrive and snes more than arcade. Maybe it's for people who want that true old school arcade experience? I've long thought about setting up my own mame cabinet, but always with a controller setup, specifically ps3. So basically like the MK9 cabinet. May still end up doing it one of these days.
 
Sticks are hard to get used to at first, but once you've gotten them down, they're a LOT better than pads. Plus having the arcade layout is great, too.
 
The real benefit from an arcade stick is that you have access to all the buttons with your whole hand as opposed to just your thumb. The thing I want to know is what type of gate the veterans recommend for my stick and why. Anyone?
 
Marvlous said:
The real benefit from an arcade stick is that you have access to all the buttons with your whole hand as opposed to just your thumb. The thing I want to know is what type of gate the veterans recommend for my stick and why. Anyone?
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See thats the thing, ive grown up being used to playing fighters with either just my thumb, or with two fingers - my middle and ring finger. It will be impossible for me to adjust to an arcade controller now, i already struggle enough as it is playing mame with a keyboard.
 
I haven't played MK in the arcade since UMK 3.
For me it was always been the 6-Button controller (for Genesis), and Regular PS controller (for PS1, PS2 and PS3).
 
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View of back side of the stick..

Good thread! I built my first arcade stick last month, specifically for MK2011 and the rumored HD MK Classics thing that seems to just a dream...
Anyway, I was wondering the same thing as far as benefits of an 8gate vs. 4gate. The stick I made is a square gate (4gate), and it works very well for MK2 (on PS3). The commands are pretty accurate. I used a Sanwa JLF joystick on my MK stick...I know, should have gone for the Happ parts, but I'm gunna give Sanwa and Seimitsu (buttons) a go! As far as stick vs. pad, I have always been better with a pad, but using my stick on MK2 feels tight! I can pull off Kitana's square wave punch at the end of her levitate, kick, fan toss, much better on a stick, and sub/rep slide is very fluid.

I'm about half way through my second stick (maple). The button spacing was a little tight on the 1st stick, so I'm going to spread it out a bit...hard to make a stick without playing the game yet, but it should work out okay for the classic games, and hopefully MK2011.

NOTE: If any of the veteran arcade stick crowd (Tim_Static) have been tinkering with ideas for the best MK2011 setup, I'm all ears! I haven't drilled the button holes on the second stick yet, so hit me up if you have any ideas!
 
Taj Gill said:
See thats the thing, ive grown up being used to playing fighters with either just my thumb, or with two fingers - my middle and ring finger. It will be impossible for me to adjust to an arcade controller now, i already struggle enough as it is playing mame with a keyboard.
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Man you have to ditch that keyboard for mame, that's what I used to do also and it was a pain. If you have a ps3 or xbox pad, it's pretty easy to hook them up to your pc. If you're interested just google it, I've been playing mame with my ps3 pad for ages. Otherwise you can buy various pc pads, I like to stick with the console ones though.
 
jarvis653 said:
Man you have to ditch that keyboard for mame, that's what I used to do also and it was a pain. If you have a ps3 or xbox pad, it's pretty easy to hook them up to your pc. If you're interested just google it, I've been playing mame with my ps3 pad for ages. Otherwise you can buy various pc pads, I like to stick with the console ones though.
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LOL yeah i know, i have a pad for my Macbook. But im really not in the mood to look like a total lunatic at university when im bored by pulling out a gamepad in the cafeteria and go crazy playing MK. Thats when i use the keyboard :P.
 
Taj Gill said:
LOL yeah i know, i have a pad for my Macbook. But im really not in the mood to look like a total lunatic at university when im bored by pulling out a gamepad in the cafeteria and go crazy playing MK. Thats when i use the keyboard :P.
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If I saw you doing that I'd cheer :D
 
For me, I'd prefer the Sega Dreamcast and PS1-PS3 controls. For arcade, I'd prefer to have that for the Street Fighter, King of Fighters, and sometimes Tekken series. Any game that has the command of "quarter circle forward" for a special move. But for a game with forward, forward, punch, I'd play a Playstation game.
 
It's hard to go back to pads anymore. I guess using an arcade stick is a bit nostalgic for me.

I use a SFIV TE with a Seimitsu LS-32 joystick (instead of the stock joystick). With the sanwa buttons it's a perfect combination for both fighters and STGs in my opinion:

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But, if you're used to MK cabs, here's one of the first sticks I built specifically for MK and SF, back when I still used American joysticks and buttons (don't mind the soul calibur artwork):

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Nice custom stick mdsfx! I went with the Sanwa JRF joystick (with bat top) with Seimitsu buttons...kinda the opposite of your modded stick haha...love those Japanese parts though!

To the OP, I don't know that there is a huge difference in 4-8 gate (or square-octogonal)...I have read that the 8gate is a little better, but I haven't first hand knowledge of this. I use a 4gate, and it gets the job done. Are you able to switch out your gates on your joysticks? I know Sanwa joysticks give you that option. It's pretty easy to switch the gates out.
 
red5iver said:
To the OP, I don't know that there is a huge difference in 4-8 gate (or square-octogonal)...I have read that the 8gate is a little better, but I haven't first hand knowledge of this. I use a 4gate, and it gets the job done. Are you able to switch out your gates on your joysticks? I know Sanwa joysticks give you that option. It's pretty easy to switch the gates out.
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Yea, it's really easy to switch. What I want to know is if Mortal Kombat 1-4 is easier with an Octogonal 8 way stick, because right now I am having trouble getting out moves consistenly on my square gated sanwa stick.
 
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