Keyboard or controller

[JohnOver]

What do you guys use?
Which is better?

[LynXsh[kiv]]

I personally use gamepad.
as for your second question, there's no answer xcept "What you're more comfortable with". some use keyboard. some - gamepad. others - arcade stick or hitbox.

[LynXsh[kiv]]

more technical info:
a gamepad would be the less preferred choice as you only have thumb to control four buttons at a time.
an arcade stick is as authentic experience as it could be. and you could use all your five fingers to control buttons.
mechanical keyboard and hitbox are the way to go, too. just no stick for movements.

[Lysamus]

I use a 6 face button gamepad for fighting games. It's how I've largely played them growing up and more comfortable to me than an arcade stick.

The general consensus is that hit box style controllers are superior because they allow for inputs that aren't available on other controller options and have reduced travel. However, unless you plan to compete in EVO or the like, odds are that you and most of the people you play against aren't really accessing whatever advantage those controllers could provide (and plenty of top level players still play with pads/sticks, suggesting those advantages may be negligible even at that level).

Use whatever you like.

[1.2M | Missingno.]

The one caveat to note is that if you ever wish to enter offline events, you will need something compatible with PS4. Consoles do not accept keyboard.

[Sstavix]

Fight stick. It gives me the feel of actually being in the arcades. Ah, nostalgia....

[Lysamus]

Originally posted by Missingno.:

The one caveat to note is that if you ever wish to enter offline events, you will need something compatible with PS4. Consoles do not accept keyboard.

Out of curiosity, do you know if offline events are standardizing SOCD inputs with hitboxes (I.E. do they require that those inputs be read as neutral or last input or something like that to be permitted?) I have a friend looking to get into locals with his hitbox in the near future and would hate for him to run into any surprises in that regard.

[1.2M | Missingno.]

https://www.evo.gg/rules

The controller may not send simultaneous opposite cardinal directions (SOCD) game inputs. SOCD inputs include Left+Right and Up+Down. This is typically enforced by adding “cleaning” firmware to the controller which removes one of the inputs before passing to the game. “Stock” gamepads (e.g. the PlayStation DUALSHOCK®4 or PlayStation 5 DualSense) are explicitly exempt from this rule.

Evo rules don't specify anything about any one specific type of SOCD cleaning, just that you gotta have something. Though this really shouldn't matter anymore because every modern game should have its own software cleaning anyway - only a concern for older titles that may have had SOCD bugs. After all since PC ports are a thing, devs have to be doing this for keyboard now already.

https://sf.esports.capcom.com/cpt/rules/

If up and down directions are input at the same time, both inputs must be maintained or both inputs must be rejected.
If left and right directions are input at the same time, both inputs must be maintained or both inputs must be rejected.

On the other hand, Capcom Pro Tour explicitly requires either SOCD = neutral, or no cleaning at all and the software will handle it.

Nearly every PCB on the market these days should offer some way to configure the firmware.

You didn't hear this from me, but no one is ever checking or enforcing controller regulations anyway. Way too difficult to check everyone, really. Unless you're Daigo, no one's gonna notice.

[Lysamus]

Originally posted by Missingno.:

Helpful tournament info regarding SOCD cleaning

Thank you! I wasn't sure if there's been momentum one way or the other in regards to SOCD cleaning (and thanks as well for that term! I didn't know what to search for in Google). Sounds like not yet.

[Red]

Originally posted by Lysamus:

Originally posted by Missingno.:

Helpful tournament info regarding SOCD cleaning

Thank you! I wasn't sure if there's been momentum one way or the other in regards to SOCD cleaning (and thanks as well for that term! I didn't know what to search for in Google). Sounds like not yet.

IIRC for some time the "default" SOCD cleaning accepted in tournaments was Left + Right = neutral and Up + Down = Up, namely by Capcom; this changed with Street Fighter 6's release though, now it must be neutral.

[drh]

Arcade stick; I use a TE2+, modified with custom buttons, a 2lb. spring, and an oversized actuator (so it has a slightly stiffer and "crunchier" feel compared to stock) but any good fightstick feels right. If that isn't an option, a fightpad comes close enough with its button layout.