Mad Catz talks up SF IV peripherals

By Tom Bramwell Published 8 January, 2009

Pads and sticks detailed.

Mad Catz has officially unveiled its range of Street Fighter IV peripherals for PS3 and Xbox 360, which includes regular and tournament sticks and a reconfigured control pad.

The FightPad, as it's called, boasts an enlarged, circular, eight-way floating d-pad, along with six buttons in two lines of three for arcade-style easy access. There's also a switch so you can tell the pad to pretend the d-pad's an analogue stick. Judging by retailer listings it comes in a range of colour schemes including flirty Chunners and honourable Ryu.

The sticks, though, will be where it's at for a lot of beat-'em-up fans. The vanilla FightStick is impressive as it goes, with eight-button arcade configuration, a switch to tell the stick it's a d-pad or an analogue, dual-speed Turbo functions for each button (with LED indicators), concealed start and select/back buttons to avoid accidents, and inserts for the top panel that list special moves.

But the king of the line is the FightStick: Tournament Edition, which has been overseen by the game's producer Yoshinori Ono, apparently. Its main virtue is that it's almost identical in form, function and components to the Vewlix cabinet that houses the game in Japanese arcades, with the same "Japanese style ball-handled joystick and 30mm Action Buttons" and the same exact layout.

Like the vanilla stick, it also has the d-pad control switch, dual Turbo functionality and discreet start/select buttons, but it also has a locking mechanism so you can avoid accidentally switching Turbos on during tournament play, and screw-on rubber feet to avoid it shifting when it's on a desk or whatever.

There's no immediate word on how much either stick will cost in Europe, but US pricing on Amazon.com is USD 39.99 for the FightPad and USD 69-79.99 and USD 149.99 for the regular and tournament editions of the FightStick. Amazon's UK outlet only lists the FightPad at the moment, for GBP 25 (down from an RRP of GBP 35). It says it will be released on 20th February, the same day as the game.

We've contacted Mad Catz for more on pricing and availability, so we'll let you know. In the meantime, you can check out the pads and sticks in our Mad Catz Official Street Fighter IV peripherals gallery. Be sure to check out Monday's Street Fighter IV console hands-on preview while you're at it.

Oh, and if you're into that sort of thing, there will also be faceplates and "Console Skinz" for Xbox 360 and PS3. We're not.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (37) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Vice.Destroyer #1 3 years ago

    Getting that fightpad might mean that I will finally be able to finish SFII on one credit on the 360. I need that bad boy. Anyone that wanders into my loby if I have that in my hands, log out. I will destroy you.

  • Ignatius_Cheese #2 3 years ago

    I'll have one pad and one arcade stick please. Preferably wireless on 360 :o)

  • Miths #3 3 years ago

    I just bought a Hori Fighting Stick 3 a couple of weeks ago. Maybe I should have waited.
    Then again, I'm crap at fighting games (but obviously hoping to be better, what with investing in that stick and all :)), and cheap as it was, the Fighting Stick 3 was certainly a huge step up from using the DS3 - now I can actually pull off most of the specials in Street Fighter 2 Turbo Super Duper Something HD Remix with some consistency.

  • Erinan #4 3 years ago

    For once, good design.

  • Miths #5 3 years ago

    Except that the PS3 players who go for the pad looks like they'll have to settle for Ryu's ugly mug shot, while the 360 owners get Chun Li. That's just not fair :).

    Edit: No, my mistake - they are both PS3 pads in those pics. Apparently those skins aren't just for the sticks.
    Edited by 1 at 08/01/09 @ 10:28

  • andywilkie35 #6 3 years ago

    very tempted by the arcade stick, looks great!

  • seasidebaz #7 3 years ago

    urgh floating d-pad = made of fail.

    That's the reason the 360's d-pad is so shit in the first place.

  • muscleblade #8 3 years ago

    I easily got all 200/200 achievement points on SSF2THDR with the regular 360 controller so im good.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #9 3 years ago

    I dunno about this... I actually prefer the playstation pad to a fighting stick for fighters.
    With the stick resting on my lap, I cannot seem to do much of anythingn :(

  • optimusprym8 #10 3 years ago

    Are there no plain ones available? I don't want some shitty graphic all over it

  • kinky_mong #11 3 years ago

    See I'm very tempted by the pad so I can relieve the days of playing Beat 'em ups on the SNES but at the back of my mind there's a voice screaming "MADCATZ PRODUCTS ARE ROPEY SHIT!"

  • DFawkes #12 3 years ago

    I've alway thought the 360 d-pad was fine. I do love the look of that pad thought, I might have one.

  • skillian #13 3 years ago

    What's it like playing Street Fighter HD Remix with the 360 pad?

    I hope to play Street Fighter IV on the PC, and I have two 360 pads, but there's no way I'm buying another two pads or sticks just to play this game.

  • Toothball #14 3 years ago

    @kinky_mong:

    That was initially my reaction to Mad Catz products, but the kit they've been making for Rock Band has been decent. Their bass guitar in particular is a nice piece of work. The sticks here sound alright, but I'd still be apprehensive about a controller

  • Onny #15 3 years ago

    N-N-N-N-NOW! FIGHT A NEW RIVAL!

    @kinky-mong: The SF controllers have been made using the consultation of top SF players, so they won't be shit. They will be GOOD. The top-end stick, especially, uses high quality Japanese arcade parts. Winnar!
    Edited by 1 at 08/01/09 @ 11:00

  • quantumsheep #16 3 years ago

    "I've alway thought the 360 d-pad was fine. I do love the look of that pad thought, I might have one."

    Might get one myself too, but it's because the 360 pad is a bit rubbish for me.

    Also, I keep accidentally hitting the home button when trying to do special moves!

  • skillian #17 3 years ago

    Stick a Z on the end of your name and you'll always have the reputation of cheap and tacky ;)

  • seasidebaz #18 3 years ago

    Stick a Z on the end of your name and you'll always have the reputation of cheap and tacky ;)

    OI! I'm not tacky!

  • peteb #19 3 years ago

    I really hope the FightPad is as good as the Saturn pad for Street Fighter. I have the feeling it won't be though, but I remain hopeful!

  • KujiGhost #20 3 years ago

    I'll need to read a review from someone using the pads/stick to play SF2/SF4/Soul Calibur/VF5 before I am sold. That said, I am highly tempted as it is. The "floating" dpad is off-putting however...

  • Beano #21 3 years ago

    The d-pad on the SF4 controller looks terrible... wow.

    EDIT: Mad Catz products blows so I'm not surprised.
    Edited by 1 at 08/01/09 @ 11:26

  • skillian #22 3 years ago

    OI! I'm not tacky!

    Heh, I even checked the previous commenters first to see if I would offend anyone :p

    Anyway, it's more about using the Z for plurals, rather than just a Z.

  • asphaltcowboy #23 3 years ago

    Will be getting a FightPad for SFIV methinks!

  • FenderMaster #24 3 years ago

    tempting... very tempting...

  • Beano #25 3 years ago

    @farticusmaximus : Wait... You are playing SF with the standard 360 controller?... I'm surprised it's possible :)

  • muscleblade #26 3 years ago

    The 360 d-pad works perfect for me with both SSF2T and UMK3 so i dont know why people are complaining. I pull off shoryukens and super finishes without any trouble at all.

  • seasidebaz #27 3 years ago

    The main problem with the 360's dpad is that over time the directions stop responding. It's always been the case. My old console did it with Right, my new pad (about 4 months old?) has done it with Down. Requires a lot more force on the one direction to get it to register.

    I think it's cos I'm proper old school though and refuse to use the analogue stick to navigate menus, hence the dpad getting quite a bit of wear...

  • quantumsheep #28 3 years ago

    On a serious note, I think a few people would really like reviews of the pads/sticks as soon as possible after SFIV release - preferably before!

    Getting a new pad specifically for a game isn't cheap - some guidance would be appreciated I reckon!

    How about it EG? ;)
    Edited by 1 at 08/01/09 @ 12:42

  • neonxaos #29 3 years ago

    I agree with Quantumsheep... The Tournament stick might well be more than £100, so it would be very nice to know about its quality in advance.

    I'm surprised that nobody ever mentions the absolutely sublime Mega Drive 6-button pad in connection with fighting games. That is the best pad I've ever owned. The standard 9-pin connector also works with the PC in many cases.

    Other than that, I played DOA4 to death on the 360 pad, and was never able to go above A+ in rank. After investing in a Hori EX3 stick, I honestly believe I could have gone a further with that. It is simply a joy to use, but I do get the feeling that it may not be incredibly durable. Still, at the relatively low price, it's a real bargain, so I got two :)

    I do want the Tournament stick, though. It just looks so classy.

  • chessboxer #30 3 years ago

    Got the Collector's Edition pre-ordered, looking forward to watching the anime which hopefully will be in 1080p (you can guess which version I'm getting).

    I too would like a review of the arcade stick, specifically the Tournament Editions. Whether or not the sticks have a square or 360° base and if they are of decent build quality.

  • miiiguel #31 3 years ago

    Hori EX3 is quite good. I could only pull out all the moves in VF5 after getting one.

    This Tournament looks realy good, but I don't think I can put another controller (I must have 5 or 6 + the Hori) in my living room without having major problems with missus (and I'm the one who owns the freaking place!). I'll pass.

  • 5lectro #32 3 years ago

    Are there any good multi-platform sticks out there?
    I don't feel like buying on of these and not be able to use it on Alpha Anthology & all those SNK compilations on the PS2.

  • strelok #33 3 years ago

    The sticks are both square gate, as is the standard in Japanese sticks.
    The TE edition stick uses Sanwa stick and Sanwa buttons.

    The d-pad on the original 360 controller is a complete joke. Nothing can be worse for fighting games. And these pads at least have 6 face buttons, so even if the d-pad itself sucks, it is still better than the MS controller.

  • Santino #34 3 years ago

    getting the TE stick for sure, need a ps3 stick for fighting games to go with my 360. NOBODY i play with likes the 360 dpad so its ps3 for fighters from now on. (except for hd remix which is taking forever and a day to come out here for some reason!)

  • Robyrt #35 3 years ago

    Am I the only one who DOESN'T plan on getting a Tournament Edition stick? For me, the $70 price difference is ridiculous. I've been doing just fine with my Hori EX2 so far, I just want one for when it inevitably breaks.

  • strelok #36 3 years ago

    @Ace Grace: yes, it will work on PC.

    @Robyrt: The price of the TE is probably determined by the bigger case, the cost of the original Sanwa parts, and the mere fact that this is a high-end item which in itself alone usually screams "higher margins".

  • chessboxer #37 3 years ago

    @ Robyrt

    It depends how much you're into fighting games. I've been a massive fan of Street Fighter II since it came out in the arcades and SF4 looks like it's going to be awesome, so spending money on a decent arcade stick (for me) is only money well spent to maximise my enjoyment out of the game.

    As the TE sticks are square based (thanks for the info strelok), I probably won't get one as I already have the Hori Stick 3, I just want a decent arcade stick with a 360° base. I might have to get a custom one from arcade in a box for my PS3.
    Edited by 1 at 08/01/09 @ 23:25