Fightpads?

[Custle]

Well that sounds intresting. Are there major differences between DualShock 2 and DualShock 3 then? I know that trigger buttons feel crappy DualShock 3 and it is bit heavier.

[DarKaoZ]

Well that sounds intresting. Are there major differences between DualShock 2 and DualShock 3 then? I know that trigger buttons feel crappy DualShock 3 and it is bit heavier.

The triggers are great for fighters, since they are really sensitive and you only need to tap them to make the attack happen. Something that you can't really do that well on the 360 controller. So I would say the triggers on the PS3 are awesome for fighters.

Besides that the PS3 controllers aren't pressure sensitive. In the DS2 you could press the button slowly or heavily in some games to do different things. The PS3 controller doesn't have that anymore, so the buttons feel more responsive.

Same happens with the D-pad, the DS3 D-pad feels more responsive because of that. But it's not a huge difference ones you get used to it.

Besides those differences there aren't any really. The SIXAXIS is damn light and the DS3 feels slightly heavier than a DS2, but that is because of the lithium battery it has.

[Custle]

Guess I'll go with DualShock 3. Easy to find and feels so familiar. And if I ever buy PS3, I have second controller already (my next purchase is PC).

[Ashspiralingblood]

How good is the PDP pad, I know it has micro switch on the stick and on the button trying to emulate a arcade stick

[Cibernetico]

Any thoughts on the MvC3 fightpad? Is it anygood or is it garbage?

And maybe it's just me, but I always loved the Dreamcast controller for fighters. DOn't know why but I just did.

[DarKaoZ]

Any thoughts on the MvC3 fightpad? Is it anygood or is it garbage?

And maybe it's just me, but I always loved the Dreamcast controller for fighters. DOn't know why but I just did.

If you are on the 360 only, then the PDP FightPad might be your best option. Here is a video review I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0Sb3wl0w08

For what I read, is kinda hard to get used to it, hard to do dashes. But that gives me the impression of the learning curve of a stick, which dashing can be hard to pull. It seems it's not the same as the NeoGeo Pad, the PDP tries to reproduce a stick on a Pad size controller.

If you want a good pad, I heard that the 360 Rockband MIDI controller D-pad was amazing. But the controller is not comfortable, since it's just a rectangle (like the NES).

I have yet to see one and try it, but I would like to hear someone else input on this too. Hope the review i show helps a bit.

[the_judge]

PDP pad is a definite learning curve, but a good pad (only had maybe 45 mins with one).
I imagine certain things like hyper hops and Rage of the 8 Maidens kind of motions are kinda easier on the PDP pad.
My personal fav pad is a simple PS1 pad w/ converters (non-dualshock version). But I have just racked plenty of hours on that pad, so I am attached to it.
In terms of recent pads, only one I really like is the Hori Fighting Commander 3.

[Nikolai VolKOF]

This pad is the best if you do not have access to a 6 button sega saturn pad: http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-zl-49-en-70-3py6.html
Here is a brief review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUQZHdS9WXE&feature=channel_video_title

The PDP pad was OK, but it feels like there's too much dead space between neutral and directional inputs. Could be just me, but i stopped using it after a month. I did a brief review on that one too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0tpLrTREXM&feature=related

[the_judge]

Well, I decided to pick up a PDP Versus Pad at gamestop to get more time with one. I'll admit, it is actually not a bad fightpad, just not exceptional. The buttons being very low on the face make the 3 finger grip shown in the Hori Pad video above not work so well. All the microswitches on the pad are very easy to actuate. One annoyance of the dpad on it is that it is very difficult to consistently perform command motions without accidentally hitting Up-Forward or Up-Back. This is because the Pad gives you absolutely no cues as to where you may have the dpad positioned, because the restriction gate is a perfect Circle.
If you were to try this pad, I would highly recommend learning how to determine which directions you have the dpad orientated when you input a specific direction.
In terms of improvements, they should have just kept the legs of the controller symmetrical, part of the reason I am uncomfortable with most grips on it. An Octagonal restriction gate would have been better for those who can't keep a consistent sense of what direction they are inputting. And in terms of the asymmetrical grips, the face buttons on the right could be about 1/4 inch higher to place your thumbs in a symmetrical position and effectively fixing the initial comfort issue of the shorter grip.

Overall, I give a 6/10. Would not recommend it.

[JennyCage]

Does anyone have some good recommendations for 360 controllers with a good dpad?  For reference my baseline of what's good is the Hori Ex Turbo 2, which I consider amazing... but I think it's out of stock now, at least every website I've checked including Hori USA say it's out of stock and I just bought one of the last ones available on Amazon for $80 (ouch).  I need something with 6 face buttons and a traditional dpad.  I know about the SF4/WWE fightpads but they're pretty cheaply made and I don't like the floating dpad.  The PDP pad analog isn't good for me either.

[Cibernetico]

Truth be told, I think the 360 gets the shaft a lot when it comes to pads for fighting games. I know some people have bought the Hori Commander Pro and dual modded it but that will rack up the bill on the pad big time if you want to go that route.

I recently tried the Mad Catz pad and it was alright. Almost felt like a Saturn pad but I've heard bad things about it. And speaking of Mad Catz, they are re releasing that same pad but it will be aparently 15% smaller although the dpad seems raised on it. It looks kinda goofy but I'll wait and see when it comes out to see if it's a good alternative.

And btw let me say one thing. I've been playing a lot of MK9 recently and I have to play with a PS3 pad. I really don't know why people give that controller so much crap. The one I play on is very responsive and everything I do comes out perfectly. The only thing that I would say about it negatively is that the triggers do sometimes feel very sensitive and sometimes I have to mash on them to get the input out.

I tried out the PS2 pad recently and I honestly could not deal with it. Since I play with the majority of my thumb on the dpad, I could feel that it would have ripped my thumb in due time if I kept going with it.

[hiltzy85]

I've been playing on xbox using a MadCatz brawlpad (the WWE branded one...Couldn't find any street fighter pads) since like early May, and I like it a lot.  I used it for Mortal Kombat, and continued to use it for KOF.  I've never had any problems with the d-pad being stiff, and the fact that it's a floating d-pad doesn't bother me.  It took me a little while to get used to it at first, but I haven't looked back. 

As far as its durability goes, I've been using it pretty much everyday for several hours a day, on average for the better part of 10 months, and it hasn't had any issues...

[Running Wild]

I love my Hori Fighting Commander 3 for the PS3 for Mortal Kombat, and I started using it for Soul Calibur V, I actually pefer it to using stick, I may start using it for 3D fighting games in general. Much easier for sidestepping and various dashing techniques.

[LouisCipher]

To be quite honest I still feel like the best overall controller is still the Logitech Dual Action. Only problem with that controller is that the D-pad will die in about a year's time with moderate to heavy use. The D-pad is perfect and I've never had issues with the buttons.

The Hori Fighting Commander is pretty good. And if you have to have a pad that has 6 face buttons and 4 shoulder buttons than this is the one you have to use. But, the D-pad isn't as good. It feels a little stiff compared to the Logitech especially when you try to short hop in KOF. And for some reason it's harder for me to do Kara-throws in 3S with the Hori.

Biggest problem I have with the Hori is that for whatever reason Hori decided that D-pad can be manually turned slightly where you can set Up on the D-pad to be where you would press Up-Right, and etc. There's a lock that prevents the D-pad from being easily twisted around but that lock very easily breaks.

I would still rate the Hori over any Madcatz pad because the D-pads on those things feel stiff as fuck. Hitting any angle with that D-pad just feels weird as fuck. Add to it that the Shoulder buttons are pretty stiff too. The buttons are superb though. So if you play with your fingers as opposed to your thumbs like me you might get more out of this than the Hori, maybe.

The PS3 pad is actually pretty good, except if you use characters that frequently use Half Circle motions. It just feels awkward to pull off, and the D-pad has a rough texture on it that wears down your thumb.

I've never used that remodeled 360 pad that supposedly has a better D-pad.

[Running Wild]

If only Sega could officially re-introduced their six button pads for the PS3. These knock offs on ebay are junk.