The Best in Tekken 7 Gamepads and Fightsticks
When it comes to a game like Tekken 7, chances are you'll be able to get away with using a cheaper 3rd party controller for the first ten or twenty hours of online play. However, you'll quickly find yourself struggling in the mid to upper ranks without a solid gamepad or fight stick. Through this list, you'll be given a general idea of what works best and why in Tekken 7.
#3. DualShock 4 Wireless Controller (PC, PS4)
Out of the assortment of controllers issued standard with today’s current-gen consoles, the DualShock 4 serves as the only option closest to replicating the input efficiency found on fight sticks. Ergonomic design and all, the DualShock 4 exists as a staple gamepad, evermore purposeful when utilized with Tekken 7.
Pros:
● Incredibly comfortable to the touch; ergonomic grip and design
● Ability to quickly process directional inputs (e.g. Korean Backdash technique)
● Durable build quality
● Can generally accommodate most techniques and skills properly
● Numerous skins and color options
Cons:
● Lack of specific directional input precision (four cardinal directions as opposed to an arcade stick
that surpasses this two or more-fold)
● Inability to quickly rattle off button reliant combos without alteration of the way you hold the controller
DualShock 4 Price: $64.99
#2. Real Arcade Pro. 4 Kai by Hori (PC, PS4)
The Real Arcade Pro. 4 Kai by Hori serves as the ultimate middle-ground in terms of budget, build quality and accessibility. Built with a wide and angular frame accompanied by sturdy architecture, the beast that is the RAP4 serves as a dietary staple within the competitive Tekken community. Its serviceable parts and included quality stock assets serve to further the RAP4’s reputation.
Pros:
● Quite the bang for your buck; price is inversely proportionate to product quality (for the better)
● Stock parts are like what would be found in a modern arcade machine
● Reduces input lag and reduces input error in comparison to a standard gamepad
● Slim profile overall
● Legacy console support with X-Input
Cons:
● Control stick is gated (not preferable)
● Cord compartment is flimsy, arguably cheap
● Not friendly to heavy modification
RAP 4 Price: $135.99
#1: PS4 HITBOX (PS4, PC)
You may have found yourself at a local fighting game tournament thinking you’ve become familiar with your surroundings when suddenly you spot someone who wields some strange sort of “Pandora’s Box”. Even stranger is that as your eyes begin to focus on the object, you realize that this apparatus has no directional inputs, but only buttons slathered across it! Ladies and gentlemen, present to you, the HITBOX. The HITBOX functions objectively as the most versatile gaming peripheral in the entire fighting game community.
Pros:
● Pad/Stick replaced with directional input buttons (optimal means of play)
● Efficient input registration with statistically lessened human error
● Trivial to rock between left and right directions (no additional frames spent in neutral, as is on
stick or pad)
● Input methods that require pressing left and right at the same time are viable (impossible on
stick/exclusive input methods)
● With each button being reduced to a “button input”, all inputs are cleaned up rhythmically
frame by frame in comparison to stick or pad (easier to count frames)
● Allows for the most flexible input manipulation of any game peripheral or control
Cons:
● Sizable learning curve (button layout, lack of d-pad, quarter-circle inputs)
● Difficult to service parts
HITBOX Price: $199.99
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