Why an All-Button Controller Should Be Your Next Gamer Purchase

When you deliberation "arcade stick" good you people deliberation of the "stick" part, which is really referred to arsenic a "lever". That seems similar a important bit, but determination are successful information arcade sticks without the stick—leverless all-button controllers.

At archetypal it mightiness not beryllium evident wherefore immoderate players curse by these power pads, but erstwhile you recognize the unsocial advantages they offer, you mightiness beryllium a caller person to the cult of the key.

Leverless, Button Box, oregon All-Button Controllers Are a Cool Fight Stick Alternative

These gadgets spell by assorted names, and you mightiness person to benignant them each into a hunt motor to spot what's connected offer, but what's wide is that ditching the lever for a grid of buttons tin level up your gaming. The warring genre successful peculiar has seen immoderate important adoption here, but determination are different genres that tin payment arsenic well, and here's why.

They Provide Faster Inputs

Just similar analog thumbsticks oregon immoderate benignant of joystick, the lever connected a accepted combat instrumentality has inherent lag built into it. This is simply from the carnal clip it instrumentality for the instrumentality to question from dormant halfway until it activates 1 of the directional microswitches.

On a leverless pad, you activate those switches without the intervening lever, truthful that level of input lag is reduced significantly. Of course, this mightiness lone marque a diference astatine the pro level, but if you aspire to beryllium competitive, this mightiness beryllium 1 borderline of galore that tin assistance erstwhile each framework matters.

In genres similar 2D platformers and slug hellhole shooters, precise directional power is paramount. All-button controllers radiance here, since you tin input precise commands without needing to conflict with a joystick's sensitivity oregon scope of motion. For 2D scrollers, wherever you whitethorn request to execute quick, circumstantial directional inputs (like down-left oregon up-right), an all-button controller ensures accuracy, helping you debar mistakes and execute amended power implicit the action.

I really archetypal saw these controllers not with warring crippled players, but YouTubers playing insanely hard Mario Maker levels wherever conscionable the smallest mistake means failure. So I deliberation that speaks to the advantages. It's fundamentally a D-Pad connected steroids wherever you person a digit connected each 4 directions astatine once.

The Ergonomics Are Better for Some Players

Button-box controllers tin beryllium much comfy for players who acquisition manus oregon wrist strain with different types of controllers. The buttons are placed successful an accessible pattern, allowing for a relaxed manus presumption that reduces the strain connected the wrist and fingers, making them a coagulated prime for those who crippled for extended periods.

There are plentifulness of radical who simply can't marque the wrist movements needed to usage a lever, truthful these tin besides beryllium considered an accessibility instrumentality successful immoderate contexts.

They Allow Simultaneous Inputs

One of the standout features of all-button controllers is the quality to registry simultaneous fastener presses. In games that necessitate complex, multi-button combinations oregon rapid, consecutive inputs, the plan of the all-button controller makes these actions effortless. Obviously, a lever tin lone activate its microswitches successful 1 absorption astatine a clip and successful series arsenic you rotation it around.

You Can Customize the Switches

Some fastener container controllers, similar the Haute42 B16 above, are intimately related to mechanical keyboards, and often usage the aforesaid hot-swappable switches you'd find successful a gaming keyboard. This means you tin instal the switches and keycaps that champion suit you and your budget. Considering however agelong it took maine to find the close mechanical switches to benignant on, astir superior players volition astir apt illustration a wide assortment of switches earlier uncovering what works for them. Heck, you mightiness not adjacent privation the aforesaid switches for each absorption oregon enactment button.

Other models usage mean arcade instrumentality buttons connected the question broadside of the deck, wherever you besides person a prime of what benignant of buttons you'd similar to swap successful oregon out, conscionable arsenic you would with a accepted stick.

What’s the Catch?

If these pads are truthful great, wherefore doesn't everyone conscionable usage them? For 1 thing, if you've been playing with a lever each your life, the learning curve tin beryllium brutal. Levers are ingrained successful my DNA since I've been hitting the arcades since property six, truthful I can't ideate idiosyncratic who has enactment thousands of hours into becoming competitory having a bully clip starting astir from scratch.

Second, successful immoderate competitions they mightiness not beryllium allowed, oregon determination person to beryllium immoderate limits connected the pad. Notably, that it's not allowed to bash things that are intolerable connected a lever, specified arsenic providing input successful 2 other directions astatine once, oregon letting you cancel an input successful a mode that a lever wouldn't allow. That benignant of happening volition beryllium successful the rules of immoderate competition, and truthful you'll request to signifier with a pad acceptable up to beryllium compliant.

These pads (like the Razer Kitsune) are besides amazingly expensive, which I deliberation is mostly down to economies of scale. There are millions of arcade instrumentality components, specified arsenic Sanwa levers, retired determination connected the marketplace for conscionable a fewer dollars each, and a batch of radical are adjacent playing with self-made fastener boxes cobbled unneurotic with parts and a 3D-printed shell.

---

While leverless pads are beauteous niche, and not for everyone, if you play warring games, oregon immoderate genre that would usually enactment champion with a D-pad and doesn't necessitate 3D movement, past you should astatine slightest beryllium alert that these controllers exist. Even if you ne'er usage 1 yourself.