this post was submitted on 23 May 2026
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What happened to (arcade-type) Joysticks? (piefed.zip)
submitted 1 day ago by 1Fuji2Taka3Nasubi@piefed.zip to c/pcgaming@lemmy.ca
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I realized I haven't gamed with arcade-type joysticks for a long time and kind of missed them.

It seems to me gamepads are way more popular than large joysticks nowadays, when joysticks used to be a popular gaming accessory.

Is it because they take up too much space?

Is it because they lack the modern gamepad features (analog sticks / triggers / buttons, side / back buttons)?

Do you still use joysticks for gaming, and what kind of games do you play with them? What do you like about them?

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

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[–] Sickday@kbin.earth 16 points 1 day ago

Check out any of the recent FGC tournaments and you'll see a pretty even spread of Controllers vs Fight Pad/Fight Stick users. Lots of pro players in Fighting Game circuits either buy pre-built or build their own pads and sticks to this day. There's still a whole debate between which is better, but as always it typically falls to personal preference. Pads and Sticks never really went away, they were just adopted into a niche that could appreciate their design and make good use of them.

I personally started with a Xbox 360 Controller, then moved to a Hori Alpha FightStick, then eventually settled on a simple FightPad specifically for Fighting games (Guilty Gear, Skullgirls, DBFZ, MKX, a handful of indie fighters). I've never taken time to build my own, but I've also only ever been to a handfull of tournaments and don't really have the friend group I used to play fighting games with today. For me, sticks offer greater precision and it's a lot easier to pull off complex strings and combos with a more responsive device, but I just personally never got the hang of certain motions with sticks and end up whiffing a lot with them. Pads just work better for me.