controller vs fight stick

[Greenel]

I know that a fight stick is much better than a ps4 controller and I was thinking of buying after getting my butt destroyed over and over. I was wondering if its worth it though. Or can I just get better with the controller?

[Violence King]

Fightsticks are arguably more effective for super hardcore god-tier players and even THEN I've seen people who are like "Nah it doesn't matter what you use."

Using a fightstick doesn't inherently guarantee more wins. You still gotta git gud first.

[Brandon]

Of course you can get better with a controller, but the design of one is such that the d-pad uses a squishy membrane, which can be annoying for many different moves. Design-wise, it is the inferior option because of that, but that's not to say that you can't improve at the game when using one. The exception to this may be the SNK controllers with microswitches in the thumbstick, but I haven't used one myself and they have to be imported.

[Muro]

As a guy with hundreds of hours in Skullgirls with nothing but an Xbox360 pad, I'd say "whatever works for you".

[Donny]

Originally posted by GoyoElGringo:

The exception to this may be the SNK controllers with microswitches in the thumbstick, but I haven't used one myself and they have to be imported.

Those actually aren't that good, the switches in them break extremely easily. The Sega Saturn controller is (arguably) the best pad ever made for fighters since it uses a d-pad design not seen on most controllers that allows for much smoother motions with the thumb.

I would say that, somewhat, it matters what you use but that depends entirely on your opinion on what the best choice is for you. What I mean is that "good" controllers for some people are "horrible" for others. For example, I hate the Dualshock d-pad, but many people love it.

[JELIFISH]

Considering the game is a 6-button game with 6 macros (throw, assists, tags, dash), I say a stick is the best option. You won't need one if you're playing something like solo Parasoul but it will come in handy when you need to do more complex things. Plus, it's good to play stick when it comes to other fighting games.

[Bahnana Toast]

It's all up to you if you feel investing in a fight stick is enough to justify the time put into learning and playing versus the cost.

I used to play a lot of fighting games with a 360 controller (using the d-pad) and could hold my ground against a lot of people who used fight sticks. Nowadays, I use a Hitbox, and while my reflexes aren't as fast as they once were when I was younger, I still manage to do well now and again.

It took awhile for me to get used to the layout with no longer using thumbs to control a character, but down the line, I don't miss going back to controller; I feel less constricted.

When buying a fight stick, make sure you're buying with full awareness that you might or might not stick with it. And depending on how long you plan on playing fighting games, even more so.

[Murkytea]

i like the fightstick but for me ive gotten used to the xbox controller for my pc version of skull girls

[Murkytea]

so ya fight stick

[Mantis]

I would recommend a fightstick,but if they're too expensive or cumbersome for you a controller works just fine (at least for this game)

[ChillinLikeKrillen]

The only thing a stick will do is a little better controlling the mobility of your character and nostalgia feel. Other than that it really depends on the person i play on controller and do fine but when i play a different game like street fighter I need a stick. It really just depends on the person.

[Bapabooiee]

I've played nearly 200 hours worth of SG with an Xbox 360 controller, and I have to say that if you can invest in a fight-stick / hitbox-style input, jump on it sooner-rather-than-later.

Skullgirls is playable with a controller, and it's been fine for me with players at my level or even players are very-considerably better than me. But against people who really know what they're doing -- especially people who're masters of rushdown characters & tactics, eager to give you steady servings of mixups, crossups, and instant air-dashes -- a controller will leave you feeling really frustrated.

Maybe this isn't true for (good) d-pads, but the thumbstick on my 360 controller just can't keep-up with really good players, and I will eventually tilt in an unintended direction by accident most of the time - and it's mentally-taxing having to be so conscious of how I'm tilting the stick as I'm trying to play mind-games and such. So if I'm blocking a bunch of crossups/mixups, there's a good likelihood I'll lose my orientation of where I'm actually tilting and block mid when I wanted to, and tried to, block low.

I'm also reaching a point where one thumb and an index finger just aren't enough to execute the way I'd like to play, so it feels like the only combos are the ones that let my thumb slide easily from one button to the next, and in which I don't have to alternate between high & low normals in the chain. So I'll always opt for, say, c.A->c.B->c.HP over c.A->s.B->c.HP even though the latter may have been more-optimal for a given situation, because it's infinitely-easier to do consistently on a controller. Push-blocking is also problematic because I have to put very explicit effort into pressing both X+Y (PP) with my thumb. (I should also note that I don't use the left bumper/trigger because it's too wonky to use them at the same time as the thumbstick.)

With all this, I've actually played Skullgirls with a fight-stick when I borrowed a friend's for a week. After a few days of practice and just getting used to this new style of input, I was already experimenting with doing high-execution things that I could have never imagined doing on a controller. The difference was unbelievable, and in addition to just freakin' being able to do basic things consistently and with little-to-no-effort, pulling off things that'd have taken an insane amount of time & practice with a controller were accomplishable in a very short amount of time.

So yeah, the controller might tide you over for a while depending on your level-of-play. But if you're like me, it'll eventually drive you mad as your skills improve and you play better and better players, and feel that you cannot genuinely ascribe your crappy performance to yourself alone.

tl;dr: My thumbstick and not being apply to apply the full-dexterity of my right hand makes me cry, and I regret investing so much time into a controller.