The Mad Catz Killer Instinct FightStick Tournament Edition 2 is the first third-party controller for the Xbox One, and it's not a peripheral for casual gamers. It's a tournament-grade arcade stick with a $199.99 (direct) price tag and a design focused on satisfying hardcore tournament fighters and e-sports players more than gamers who want to just kick back and enjoy a brawler. It's sturdy, it's responsive, and it can be taken apart, put back together, and modified to most enthusiasts' content.
The philosophy here is the opposite of the versatile Editors' Choice Xgaming X-Arcade Solo Joystick( at Amazon). The FightStick is a one-system, Xbox One-only piece of gaming equipment modeled after modern Japanese arcade cabinets for use in fighting game tournaments, and non-fighter use is an afterthought. Both are excellent controllers in their own way, but the X-Arcade Solo Joystick is for arcade gamers who spend an afternoon and a roll of quarters plinking away at every cabinet, enjoy a few brawlers and shooters, and have some good-natured competitive play with friends. The FightStick Tournament Edition 2 is for arcade gamers who spend an afternoon and a single credit on the Street Fighter cabinet and destroy all challengers. Then go to Las Vegas and fight Daigo.
Design
Mad Catz has definitely beefed up its tournament stick since the previous generation, and considering its $200 price tag that's a very good thing. It weighs 2.3 by 15.4 by 11 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.6 pounds, slimmer but heavier than the X-Arcade Solo Joystick. It's made of a very solid black plastic, with a clear top panel that shows off Killer Instinct artwork. The cable screws into the back, and features a breakaway right before the USB connection for the Xbox One, so you don't accidentally bring everything crashing to the ground if you trip over it.
The Killer Instinct FightStick Tournament Edition 2 uses a Sanwa joystick and buttons just like Japanese arcade cabinets, and these parts can take a beating because they were built to handle the constant, aggressive attentions of Japanese arcade gamers. The buttons are convex and arranged in a Vewlix-style layout in two rows of four buttons each. The left six buttons are translucent red while the right two buttons are translucent white, and all eight are backlit. The top edge of the fightstick holds the Xbox button and Lock and Backlight buttons, just above the View and Menu buttons on the back side. The Lock button disables the Xbox, View, and Menu buttons when you're playing so you can't accidentally hit them in the middle of a match, and the Backlight button toggles between keeping the buttons lit, unlit, or making the lights flash based on rumble information sent to the fightstick.
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Tournament Grade
A look under the hood will really convince you that this is a tournament and enthusiast arcade stick. I mean this literally; The Mad Catz logo on the front is a latch that lets you open up the fightstick and see what's inside. The components are all exposed so you can maintain, repair, or customize them as you see fit, and you can even remove the clear cover and swap out the Killer Instinct artwork for your own custom art. The inside compartment holds slots for the stick's cable, which unscrews from the back when not in use, and tools. The fightstick even comes with a hex/flat screwdriver so you can get inside without using your own tools.
In my tests, the FightStick Tournament Edition 2 felt excellent under my hands. It's sturdy and the joystick and buttons are all incredibly responsive. It would look right at home in front of a screen at EVO, and has the build quality and customizable aspects that are the hallmark of an enthusiast or e-sports professional arcade stick. I played Killer Instinct, since it's both the game for which the stick was made and one of only a few arcade-friendly titles currently available on the Xbox One. I couldn't quite match the cheap and exploitative tactics of my colleague, software analyst Jeffrey Wilson and his main Jago, but I could string together better combos with Sabrewulf and Orchid with the stick than I could with the Xbox One's dedicated gamepad.
Get ready to play a lot of Killer Instinct if you get the Mad Catz Killer Instinct FightStick Tournament Edition 2, because the Xbox One doesn't have many other tournament fighter or retro arcade games yet. However, if you plan to really get into Killer Instinct, or are looking forward to the system getting other fighting games, or you want to train for the next EVO, it's the stick to go with. The majority of gamers who aren't members of the fighting game community will find the Xgaming X-Arcade Solo Joystick a better controller in terms of price, compatibility, and retro feel, but hardcore FGC players will find the FightStick Tournament Edition 2 to be their best friend when it comes to Killer Instinct and the Xbox One.
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