Over the last few years, the Smash community has seen the rise and fall of both the SmashBox and Boxx controllers, but recently a new type of controller has entered the fray - the Smash Stick.
The Smash Stick is an arcade stick designed for both platform fighters and traditional fighting games. The arcade stick is designed to solve the issue of its predecessors through the inclusion of an analog joystick and ergonomic button layout. It also has a wide variety of features that cater to different smash games.
What makes the analog joystick unique?
- The smash stick features a 100% analog joystick. It can perform all the angles and values that a traditional Gamecube controller can.
- Its octagon gate gives players easy access to commonly used angles, working similarly to notches. In fact, the bottom-corner “notches” of the joystick are aligned to perform shield drops straight out of the box.
- The Smash Stick uses non-contacting analog sensor for inputs. This will prevent performance degradation over time.
A closer look at the Smash Stick’s buttons
- The button layout on the Smash Stick is a “home-row” layout, meaning that players won’t have to move their hands to reach all the buttons on the controller, minimizing the stress put on their hands.
- The Smash Stick uses modified Sanwa Denshi buttons that absorb impact, speed up your inputs, and are almost silent while playing.
- Each button on the Smash Stick is raised. This reduces finger movement considerably compared to Gamecube controllers and lower quality arcade sticks.
The Smash Stick comes complete with 3 detachable cables for Nintendo 64, Gamecube, and PC, and features two separate button layout settings - one for platform fighters, and another for traditional fighting games.
Their Kickstarter has pledge options ranging from $225 to $475, and features rewards like early access to the controller. You can visit their Kickstarter today to learn more and pledge!
Author’s Note: I’m genuinely a pretty big fan of this type of controller, largely because I played a lot of Street Fighter on arcade sticks before coming to the Smash community. What's your opinion on the Smash Stick? Is it better, worse, or about the same as the other Gamecube controller alternatives?
