Review on 🕹️ PS4 and PS3 Mad Catz Arcade FightStick Alpha by Katie Johnson

For $40 it's not that bad, but I'm a little shocked at how much the Mad Catz components degrade over time. Inexpensive Mad Catz sticks tend to break easily and usually feel subpar compared to their Tournament Edition sticks in my experience, but the feel of the detail is actually a SIGNIFICANT improvement over the original Standard Edition Street Fighter IV sticks, which they released in 2009. The resistance of the stick varies depending on the direction, with the greatest difference being between the down and the up-right. Even beginners will feel it if they pay attention. This is perhaps the worst thing about my device. As for the buttons, I like their elasticity, but they feel oddly loose. With sanwa keys, pressing any part of the key causes the entire key to be pressed almost equally at once. This doesn't apply to the Alpha, where I can press one side of the button in the case myself. It feels *really* awkward if I'm not pressing the exact center of the key. Longevity remains to be seen, but I can't help but think you can find a better stick elsewhere for not much more money. I'm not up to date with the newer budget sticks but I still have the Hori Fighting Stick 3 and it beats this thing in terms of part feel and you can find this old stick online for about the same price.