tsphan

A lot of reviews of this controller were from YouTubers that did not look like they played fighting games seriously. NihongoGamer was the one YouTuber that actually tested it in multiple fighting games. So I figured I could provide a review for future users looking to upgrade.

I got this gamepad in order to play on PS5s at my local FGC events. I've been using a Hori Fighting Commander 4 since SF5. I play with a standard controller grip with my thumbs on the face buttons. I’m a Master ranked Chun-Li player on SF6 and execution is essential in getting those serenity stream combos done right.

I’ve tried a lot of gamepads for playing Street Fighter. What I liked about the Fighting Comander most was its excellent cross dpad, and 6 face button layout. I’ve used a floating dpad in the PowerA Fusion and knew I did not like that; it’s harder to do down-to-up motions without accidentally hitting a diagonal.

I want my dpad to not have too sensitive of a dpad. This makes it better to perform a straight neutral jump from crouching block (down-back, then to up, or 1 to 8 on a keypad). I also need to hit the orthogonal directions when performing a super (d,df,f,d,df,f; or 236236). If the diagonals are too sensitive, it’ll come out as d,df,f,df,f and will miss the input.

I also want my dpad to be sensitive enough to perform a particular Chun-Li special attack. Her flip-kick is df+HK (3+HK). This is often done after using a drive-rush dash forward, which is f,f. So I need to slightly adjust the thumb from forward to down-forward quickly. Otherwise it becomes a sweep and can get punished. And most importantly, I need to easily crouch-block from any position and switch to a standing-block for basic defense. If it’s not sensitive enough, I’ll easily miss the block.

For the Hori Octa, I updated to the latest firmware and installed the Hori software to manage the device for all 3 consoles. I knew that it was crucial that I adjusted my diagonal sensitivity to hit the sweet spot. I’m happy to say that the Hori Octa works well for me after adjusting the sensitivities. Its dpad feels stiffer than the Hori Fighting Commander and is a bit smaller. But the orthogonal directions stick out and provides a similar-enough cross pattern. The face buttons feel better than the Hori Fighting Commander, a bit louder due to the microswitches, but I know it’ll last longer as well.

I made my bottom-diagonals more sensitive than my top-diagonals, but less sensitive overall compared to the balanced input. After a week of playing and testing, I can confidently use this controller when I go on ranked and know that I’ll be playing my best. I do not play with the analog stick but appreciate having it there.

The last time I had local FGC tournament experience was SF4 a decade ago. Time has gone and so I decided to try my first local tournament at the local FGC.

One thing I forgot was just how nerves impact your play such an incredible amount. And having not played in a tournament or even at the local group, I was definitely shaking at each match.

My last double-elimination match, I had a lot of mistakes on combos that I know I am consistent on in ranked matches. I sensed my opponent was in the same situation and dropping his combos too. On Game 3 Round 3, both in CA stage, he dropped a combo that would have finished me and I then dropped the punish combo that would have finished him. He deserved that win.

I still had a great time. If you haven't looked up your local FGC yet, they're starting to come back up again after the pandemic and I would encourage you check them out. The only thing that will calm tournament nerves is more local practice.