Tuesday
Oct182011
Pad VS Stick for Fighting Games
BY 
Aris ON Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 4:10PM
Aris ON Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 4:10PM 
I made a video discussing which I think is better and why. Feel free to post your opinions on this issue in the comments here or on Youtube. If you are interested in more videos like this one, subscribe to our Youtube channel.
Reader Comments (39)
All just interface devices, really doesnt make much difference in the end aslong as you happy with what you use and stick with it.
3D Games (tekken, SC, DOA, VF) - Pad
2D Games (SF, MVC, GG) - Stick
MK9 - Pad
Both control options have their own advantages. Most 3d Games usually use between 3 & 4 core buttons and have a 8 way or sidewalk movement axis, making pad a better choice for me.
2D games like SF have a 6 button attack scheme which takes up a lot of real estate on a controller and require precise joystick inputs. An arcade stick layout makes these a bit easier on the hands.
A small addition to button inputs on pad playing: there are secondary grips one could use instead of just thumbing the face buttons. I tend to "claw" the buttons: have my index and middle fingers resting on 1 and 2, right side of the controller supported by the thumb underneath.
The fingers can easily strike any of the face buttons, and standard throws simply require a small rotation of the palm/wrist. Three-button combinations are fairly easy, but some are more awkward than others (1+3+4 and 2+3+4 are a bit taxing).
I think the build of the face buttons on pad still don't allow for easy drumming of inputs - the pad buttons seem way more firm and hard to depress than my stick buttons, so I suppose the advantage there is still for stick.
why do they not make pad ports that don't lag? Is that like super expensive o.r something? If they can solve that problem we can "compete with the best in the world."
I know that Tekken is an "arcade game", but since the technology is present to allow the use of both stick and pad, it's just in my opinion dumb to say we can't compete with them. They already get the games before us and get to play them longer, and for the most part stay ahead of us in terms of ability anyhow. This may be the inner cockhead in me to say this, but maybe they are afraid to allow the use of such peripherals with ease. Isn't GM a pad player? I watched him take a shit on Knee. It's not that we can't compete with them, it's just that we do not have the hardware to compete. lol.
All the movement stuff about pads and tekken is pretty relative. Look at the rarity of pad users capable of achieving light dash. By the way Tekken Crash royal rumble 7, laggy ports or not...that shit was ugly
pad ftw
If anything it depends on your playstyle. Pad is better if you are a safer player intent to block and punish, where stick is better if you are a more flashy movement oriented whiff creator and punisher. I agree with Aris here that because arcade sticks ensure that you can play where the people play-- and that you will require no special treatment in order to do so-- the arcade stick is advantageous. (especially the korean ones).
- For Tekken, I think pad is probably better because most of the advanced techniques that have emerged are easier on a pad (maybe not wavedash/lightdash though, don't seem to see many pad Mishima players of any quality). Plus the advantage of being able to bind multiple buttons to the shoulder buttons gets around the difficulties of pressing 2 buttons at once (this seems kind of underhanded, I mean stick players don't bind 1+3 to extra buttons or anything, but whatever)
- For 2D plane games, I think stick wins hands down. Even something like shoryuken motion is hard to do on a pad, which lead to SF4 and its easy inputs, now any scrub can do an SRK without any practice on their terrible Xbox pads.
- The point Aris made about pad players not being able to play stick players; thing is, they easily could, but the top Tekken players never seem to choose to come to EVO or anything. In 2D games, the top 8 is dominated by stick players; the only pad player who has had any lasting impact is Wolfkrone in SF4, and he's never won anything big. He's nowhere near the level of Justin Wong, Daigo, etc. who have consistently won majors in multiple games. Even the majority of the "next level down" players are stick players. And with the 2D games, the Japanese and Koreans are out in force at every EVO, and they always place well. There needs to be more of a push to get the Koreans and Japanese Tekken players to console events (which typically means U.S. events) so the U.S. pad players can confront them.
- At the end of the day however, I think the advantages of either method can be outweighed by sheer practice; once you have something down, the the top players are the ones who don't mess things up when it matters the most. Part of being a good player is just playing the game tons and dealing with what your opponent does, as well as what you're capable of.
I don't think anyone can deny that overall, stick players dominate in 2D games, and in 3D games, even outside of Japan they hold their own (Mr. Napps and Ryan Hart are both non-Japanese/Korean Tekken stick players who place highly consistently) In Tekken I think the advantages and disadvantages of stick or pad don't matter so much; 5 pad players to 3 stick players is a decent top 8 split, whereas in SF4 only 1 pad player made top 8, and in MvC3 I don't think any did; same with Blazblue (though I can't find full top 8 results), with MK being the odd child it always has been. Overall, stick players are dominant, even in countries where arcades are dead, so there's something there I think.
Oh you know I gotta speak on this. obviously, stick for Tekken. I dont play SF. Don't play MK anymore,so I don't really care about those games. Stick all the way as far as Tekken is concerned for better movement as well as competing at a high level. You can't go to Korea orJjapan Arcades or tournies with a pad.Lleave your pad at the door ladies...learn stick.
Also Tekken is an Arcade game. I would hope players would choose stick bc it give's you that authentic arcade experience anyways.Iisnt that important?......Now flame on!
I agree with you Aris all the way. I use a pad but not just a pad a broken in pad. I would use joy stick again if I had time to play Tekken. The point you make about the hearing the buttons of someone your are playing is very relevant. Does anyone use the hitbox? I was just wondering if the neutral is pretty instant.
i understand what aris says about pro's using sticks in japan n kor, but then again there is another problem Japaneses and Koreans sticks are not the same either.which means one just dont need to learn how to use one stick but need to master both types of sticks to be the best in the world.by both i mean the ball top and the bat top sticks on the other hand the pads are the same everywhere what are your thoughts on that aris ?
@Ejaz, It is very simple to change out the panel of the T6/TTT2 cabinet. When Koreans play in SBO in Japan they use K sticks and when the Koreans invited me to play in Tekken Crash they said they would easily put Sanwa sticks in. Not an issue, unlike Pad VS Stick.
Aris hunting that 120+ postlimit with this topic haha
Pad is so gay!!!
ROFL binding buttons is CHEATING!
Great comparison! I play fighting games competitively here at Hungary, and my good old pad is pretty much fine for me.
got it thanks Aris.
@Infamousminded
not trying to pick a fight or start another debate here, but do you really enter any tounaments? if you do what handle do you go by, cause dont think i've ever heard of you or seen you in any of the tournament streams. yet your always there talking about tournaments like your the shiznit. jus sayin
@ Aris - Great video and insight. I'm gonna try to make another vid tonight or tomorrow night in response to this one. As someone who made the jump from pad to stick after about 5 years of competitive pad play, I'd like to point out a few factors that I think you might have overlooked in this discussion. I'll try to get it made and you can let me know what you think. Good shit.
Interesting video and layout on the differences between pad and stick. However, I think it is not such a easy task for anyone to afford such round-trip plane tickets to Japan or Korea, so it really can be a preference or one can simply just master both.
It is ashame that Aris has already decided in his mind without knowledge to ban Hit Box. I have learned the way of the pad and the way of the stick to a level that I can easily play both to my potential. However, there is a new controller on the block that is called Hit Box.
I am a Hit Box player and I enjoy using it more than pad or stick. I believe that the Hit Box is a nice middle ground of sorts between the stick and pad, especially in Tekken. It would be nice if Aris gave the Hit Box a chance, but he has likely heard rumors from non-Hit Box players about what the device can do and banned it outright. As a Hit Box player, I challenge anyone who says the Box is an unfair advantage and should be banned. HitBoxArcade.com