At CES 2009, GameCyte had the chance to play "Street Fighter IV" on Mad Catz' lineup of SFIV branded products, including the stunning $150 FightStick Tournament Edition. We came away convinced that the company can turn around their reputation for shoddy gear. Want to know what you're getting for the money? Loads of pics, hands-on impressions and an audio interview with Mad Catz global marketing director Alex Verrey await.
Name: Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition
Price:$150
Impression: Supreme
I've only played on a real Street Fighter IV arcade cabinet once, and can't quite recall exactly how it felt -- but I'll wager that even it, abused by the frantic sho-ryu-ken motions of thousands of play sessions, wasn't as crisp and precise as the SFIV FightStick Tournament Edition -- and I know for a fact it didn't have half the features. The initial production run of 3,000 uses the exact same Japanese stick, buttons, boards and Viewlix layout of the arcade cabinet.
It also features dual programmable turbos for each of the eight buttons, a lock to keep your Xbox Guide or PS Button from ruining a session, rear-mounted Start/Select buttons, and a switch to swap the stick from D-pad to left-or-right analog stick emulation.
Oh, and if Sanwa ain't your cup of tea? The FightStick has a module with individual labels for each replaceable quick-connect button and a custom mounting bracket that will accept Seimitsu or Happ sticks as well.
Name: Street Fighter IV FightStick
Price: $80 ($70 for PS3)
Impression: Serviceable
Having just come from testing the Tournament Edition, the regular-ol' white FightStick was a downgrade. By comparison, the stick is clicky, loose and inaccurate, the buttons imprecise. But it was usable. With mod-friendly bells and whistles carried over from its big brother, this could become the modder's stick of choice.
No cord caddy though, sadly.
Name: Street Fighter IV FightPad
Price: $40
Impression: I asked if I could purchase one on the spot
Forget that the FightPad comes in five gorgeous flavors, and never mind that it's half the price of a stick. If you are competent with a gamepad, you need to preorder one of these puppies right now. We've known for months that Mad Catz didn't just slap graphics on a controller, but the level of quality found in the Street Fighter IV FightPad is remarkable. Each of the six buttons has individually programmable turbos. The six enlarged buttons are perfectly sized and spaced to use fingers, not just thumbs. The back and sides are covered in lush, soft-touch plastic, and the 8-way floating D-pad is a joy to use. While hold maneuvers like Guile's "Sonic Boom" will always be the province of stick, I've never pulled off Fireballs or Dragon Punches with such ease as I had holding that Chun-Li FightPad in the picture above. As reported in November, the PS3 version is wireless 2.4 GHz, and comes with a USB dongle, while the 360 uses a standard USB cable.
Want even more details? In GameCyte's first impromptu podcast, we speak with Mad Catz' Alex Verrey about the entire lineup:
January 12th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Awesome article. I'd get the normal FightStick and mod it except I already have an all-Sanwa stick at home. I'm lucky I put a reservation on one of the FightPads for my friends to use, though; hope it's just as good as when you tried it out when I get it.
January 18th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Nice read & pics.