*EDIT FOR CLARIFICATION* The Hitbox / Leverless controllers, Hitbox is indeed a brand name. None of the controllers shown in the video except the Crossup are Hitbox branded, Snackbox, Furin, Victrix etc, are Leverless Controllers. Been asked about this a lot since SF6's launch so... well time to make a video! There is no right or wrong answer really, but that said each controller type certainly has strengths and weaknesses so lets talk about it in this video! You should always go for what you personally prefer, but it never hurts to be armed with some knowledge!

Inb4 "the best controller is the one you have/use"

For me personally I have been stubborn, if it wasn't for my issues with my left arm I would have never left Arcade stick honestly. Thankfully we are entering the age of ergonomics in FG controllers and with that in mind the Rooflebox proper (not just the prototype thats in the video, one you can buy if you want) is getting much closer to being a reality so I will update you on that when we get there!

I was about to break into gold when my pad developed stick drift, so I built and wired myself a leverless to replace it. Dozens of designs, several failed 3d prints, a week of waiting on parts, and lots of hand soldering later and my hard work has gotten me to low silver! Let's goooo 😂

Didn't expect this video to answer some of my recent issues with doing 360 motions, but thanks a lot for explaining how those work. I'm playing leverless and have indeed just been doing the motion too fast. Just knowing that should help a lot with future consistency on those moves.

Got into fighting games when GGST came out after years of not playing. Couldn't get the stick down so I started playing on a Hitbox, but felt it was lacking some the more I used it. Especially when I saw all the new leverless ones coming out, but I was so inspired by the Rooflebox that I had to make my own. Been working with it the last couple days and my hands are thanking me.

There's a bit of a "leverless" effect if you use a game pad with back paddles. For example: Assign a back paddle to DOWN. Now you're using 2 fingers to do quarter/half circle motions(your index on the back paddle, and thumb on the Dpad) for faster reaction time.

My HP button on my Qanba Crystal recently gave out and I've despaired over the thought of returning to pad... this video has motivated me to jump back in and learn it already. Thanks as always for the killer content roofle ❤

Note: Even without sliding your finger across the d-pad since the dpad buttons are monolithic it can still result in an up/down input. Separating the buttons can help with accuracy and precision but you may still hit up due to user error especially on reaction

Thanks for mentioning the thumb travel on pad. That was one of my biggest gripes too. Also, I tried to play lily on leverless and ended up just using stick because I kept missing cardinal directions. It's super annoying when you get a jump by mistake. Half circles in GG also required cardinal directions making leverless more of a pain because most characters used half circles. Overall I think stick is the best when it comes to playing all different kinds of fighting games though.

5:19 as a blanka player i remapped parry to triple kick so i can spam blankas foward hop which is TREMENDOUSLY important to blankas screen traveling. For example, 2 hops will NEGATE JP’s zoning and his little rift thing wont even pop, youll be well past them and in his face. It also goes thru one of his ghosts but not all of them

Great tip for charge characters on the game pad. I've been struggling to get consistent with sumo heatbutts and butt stomps with Honda, I'm gonna try this technique and see if it helps.

Keep the content rolling my dude! Top self quality content as always.

I was actually inspired by your *Rooflebox* to develop my own custom leverless controller with its own unique button layout. I'll be putting it together next week, so wish me luck! I decided to go leverless because I'm too imprecise with both the pad and the stick for directional inputs (I need that instant Cammy dive kick). Since I work typing all day long, though, I'm good with buttons that just need pushing. A good ole fashioned keyboard can just as good as a leverless controller (and even more comfortable if you go the ergonomic route) but my GPU's old and so I play on PS5. It's a shame SF6 doesn't natively support keyboards on it, and that Sony's support for keyboards and wireless peripherals in general is somewhat lacking.

Awesome content! Feel like you come up with videos that I’m exactly thinking about l. Thank you!

I've played all 3 for years except for the snackbox micro, which I've only gotten about 2 weeks ago. The snackbox micro is hands down already the best! My execution consistency is already better than with and pad, not to mention I have virtually no user fatigue (which is apparently an exceptional experience). The only difficulty is getting used to the movement, actually. I'm diamond with Chun Li and almost Plat 5 with juri. So, no master yet, but switching to leverless has not taken me 6 months or whatever to get used to. However, I, fortunately, did not have to limit my play time to 15 min at a time. I've never felt any pain and have played with it for hours at a time since the day I got it. Everyone is different though so keep that in mind. One more note the drive rush mechanic was the reason I wanted to switch to leverless and I was correct. It's much easier to land those now

I will always dig the leverless controllers just due to the fact that I play a lot of piano and its a fun controller to use. I have both the Hitbox and the snackbox micro xl and love them both.

Rooflemonger thank you for all of the vids your pumping out. I've been hooked since first finding you when SF6 released. A suggestion though, I think it's time for an actual like 6 second intro intro. I'm trying to go into these hyped!

I use the victrix fightpad which I recently got despite the high price. You get 6 face buttons so you can use all the triggers and shoulders for throw, DI, parry, and simulataneuous button assistance macros. Putting parry as r2 is rlly good for me to as an NRS main too gimme my block button. then I put the 4 back paddles as the 4 directions which I haven't fully implemented but I get faster dp interactions. If I played a character that needed tiger knees it would also help with that. Some hitbox shenanigans.

I've ordered a Furin leverless (some time before this video came out)... can't wait for it to arrive!

the newest xbox controller, the xbox series X, has such an amazing dpad imo. its got very good tactile responses where u can hear the click and feel it on each direction. And, its like the old sega controlers with grooves in the diagonals.

I'm looking forward to when your box goes up for sale. I was thinking of designing a leverless myself, but I don't mind rocking the stick a little longer

Recently switched to stick from pad because it's much easier on my hand health, and the travel time is actually a much, much larger disadvantage than I realised.

A tip for doing 360s on leverless, you can slide your finger on the directions of the left hand and then do up + P/K with the right hand. Since you are using only 1 finger in the left hand is guaranteed to avoid diagonals

I really like that you put up the pros and cons of each type. i tried all three, and where i really like the movement of my character on a leverless controller, i massivly prefer the button layout on gamepad. im also really happy with the options that SF6 is giving me with controls. at the moment im still using modern, but at some point io wanna swap to classic just because it feels like i have more control over my character.

Thanks for the video Rooflemonger. My thoughts as a long time pad player who started on Super Nintendo and Genesis. 1. My biggest issues with the stick were leftward movements, espcially dashing left. My wrist got tired of it and I dropped a lot of things and switched back to pad. 2. I also found the right-most buttons too far off and didn't like hitting both MP/MK together for SF5. 3. Main reason I even tried switching to stick was health, as I hurt myself on the left thumb at one point for several days. 4. Biggest issue I have with Pad is hitting the L1, L2, R1, R2 buttons. I can't use L2 at all as I need my 2nd, 3rd and fourth fingers resting behind the left handle. Also, accidental supers lol. 5. SF6 definitely makes me feel like I can use more buttons, but I hesitate to buy an expensive pro pad, but will likely move to all-button for the health reasons you mentioned. 6. I noticed Razer is planning an all-button this year that will likely be closer to $300 as opposed to Victrix' $400 which has me thinking ...

I actually do use analogue, once you learn it it is an improvement over d pad in some areas but you also sacrifice precision, which means you need to practice more often to stay sharp in your inputs. Advantage is that its better and faster for almost every motion input except the longer ones where you need extra precision. Disadvantage is dashing takes some practice to get used to and will not be as consistent. Learned it because it was better in GG strive, too used to it now so I have been adapting it for SF6 Also, tip for playing on pad, don't keep your middle finger on the trigger, only bring it up when needed. Your index can take care of the shoulder and trigger buttons by itself, and you will never need to press both together, as HP-HK is bound to your left shoulder button. Your index can be kept between both the bumper and trigger and go to one on reaction. If you keep both fingers there you might make a habit of mashing instead of making a concious choice between DI and parry. Also I recommend parry on left bumper and DI on trigger because DI is always pressed, while parry is tapped when trying to get a perfect parry on a fireball. A bumper simply makes more sense for something you want to sometimes tap instead of press down.

I personally use the fightstick. A few month ago I bought a hitbox and I do like it but honestly, I prefer the regular fightstick. Still nice to have tho. Great to have when friends come over and they forget their sticks. I can let them use mine and use the hitbox.

thanks for the tip on how to do a 360 on hitbox! I was struggling with that alot for the reasons you mentioned and it was very inconsistent.

I went from gamepad to keyboard 3 weeks ago, now it's way easier to do motion or even charge inputs. It was easy for me on the left hand side cause I have thousands of hours playing shooters, right hand side took me getting used to but now it's all good. I'm planning to get a hitbox style latter but for now keyboard is plenty good.

Sliding your index finger across the directional buttons is the most consistent way to do an spd. I mained lily on the snackbox week 1 and almost never missed a 360

Great video and good analysis

I built a leverless controller using the AFS stickless layout, and I love it.

Good breakdown regarding the main choices! Pad seems really solid for this game (which hurts my heart a little since the other options are so much cooler and more fun imo). Oh, and it's always nice to see the Rooflebox make an appearance!

Thanks for the info bro. ❤

I was primarily a stick user for 2D and pad user (claw style) for Tekken and 3D. For SF6, I’m actually having an easier time on pad because it’s easier for me to drive rush cancel consistently on pad. Also I find it easier to use the triggers for drive impact (I use the actual command). This is the first time I’m using my thumb to play with the face buttons (lights and mediums )

Great video and learned new things to try. The one thing I was missing a little bit are 6 button controllers. Most of the things you are explaining in the controller part is true for these controllers. But I was thinking maybe there was sonething I am missing by using a 6 button controller :)

I bought a nice arcade stick to try with fighting games, but I can't get over how much quicker a dpad feels to me for inputs. I'm sure it's something I could practice for months and get better with, but the super short travel of my thumb seems so much simpler and easier than using more of a wrist grip movement for a stick. I did get a Hori Octa PS5 controller though which I mostly prefer over a PS5 DualShock however both are definitely usable and good enough for me.

After the demo i got a snackbox micro to test it out. It made drive rush cancels way easier to do and over all i am 100% satisfied with the switch

Unreal been watching this guy for what seems like years and I'm still learning new things I've yet to ever learn b4 now the only thing you can do about that is respect it so much so I had to give it a like its so damn respectable 😂

Ive been using pads all my life, I recently switched to fight stick and I love it. My inputs are so much cleaner. I will get a snackbox micro soon just to test it out and judge for myself.

Great video!

If your on PC, Keyboard isn't a bad option. Works just like a leverless controller does and you have enough keys to map what ever scheme you want. I personally use the num pad for atttacks and asd keys and space for movement.

Hi Rooflemonger, Such a well done informative video, thank you for it. Back in the early nineties I had a Commodore Amiga which came with Python Joysticks. Used them all the time but they were very temperamental. They worked when they did but had a knack for breaking on you. Since I bought the Super Nintendo in 1994 I have been a pad player. I am now predominantly a fighting game player and more specifically a Mortal kombat player. In MK motions aren't as strict as Street fighter so pad has served me just fine. As Street fighter 6 came out I thought I would try a fight stick. I ended up returning it because even though I think I could have learned it given time personally I wasn't seeing any real benefits, plus it wasn't working with my headset for some reason. I believe there is a leverless controller maker here in the UK, thinking of contacting them and giving that avenue a try.

Leverless is very similar to playing on keyboard. In fact some of the leverless controllers actually use actual switches that are found in keyboards and you can even swap out other types of switches in some of them which is nice since keyboard switches can come in many many different flavors but the big 3 are linear, tactile and clicky switches with varying switches for each of those 3. I do find it weird how some of these leverless controllers cost $200-$300 when they're essentially just keyboards but with less switches lol

I grew up playing fighting games at home more often than at the arcades. So after all this time, I still stick with Pads, never tried investing into Sticks or Leverless. It was tricky to play a 6-button fighter with this since 2 of 'em need to be in the shoulder buttons, but thankfully my time playing these game this way has prepared me for SF6. Additionally, using the left shoulder buttons as macros, especially for Drive Impact, helps tremendously. ^^

Thnx for the charge tip!

I have seen a few comments already, but in my community (which has a ton of musicians) they all prefer leverless. They say it feels the most rhythmic and instrument-like. I play piano and agree, there are some parallels.

I've played on all three: first pad, then stick and now leverless. I do like the feel of the arcade stick lever, but hands down my go to is leverless! On pad my thumbs would hurt after a while and my hands would cramp up, while on stick my wrist would get tired. But on leverless I don't feel any fatigue and can play for longer sessions

Good video! For the rooflebox, will it be usb c? Extra long usb c cables are important. Also, can it do both snap in & screw in buttons. Im thinking of all the different buttons available, especially ones that work with different mechanical switches. How soon until its available?

I'm a stick player but my right hand is slower and more often in pain, so I bought a leverless controller and I'm having so much fun. Takes time to fully get used to, but boy is it great to finally be able to dash or Drive Rush properly.

same age same story and same reason just got myself a fight box and my wrists have thanked me for the change arcade stick will always hold a special place and i can still use it for fun but the hitbox, fight box, snack box, whatever your preference there just so much more relaxing and accurate its hard not to love them i was on the fence but dropped 220 on fight box ps5 compatible and i hated it for first week but stuck with it and now i love it. but i think all three have plus and minus charge characters and 360 i prefer stick shotos and mixed i think hitbox is better for so many reason might have to do this video myself i have had one planned for a while with my thoughts but this is a great bit of content matey !!!

there's also the L3 and R3 button on the pad (pressing the analog sticks). so you have more buttons than an arcade stick and a baseline leverless. maybe that's the reason i'm seeing some leverless with 10 buttons that are still legal (if i recall correctly, it's Gachikun's) thanks for the heads up for 360 on leverless! i've been trying to do piledriver on keyboard. on world tour mode, i have both Manon's half circle grab and Gief's SPD equipped. i did the inputs by going half circle then up + punch together but i seem to get Manon's more often than Gief's (or just whiffed jabs if i'm doing the half circle the other way). i am probably doing it too fast as you mentioned. down up charge has also been a minor beef for me. never seem to be able to do that consistently. the minigames in World Tour has been helping me a lot with practising the inputs in a safe yet not boring environment.

I’m planning to build an all buttons controller within the next few months, but in the meantime I picked up a hori fighting commander pad (the newer octa one), and while it’s taking some serious getting used to, it’s starting to feel pretty good after nearly a week of use. The dpad is stiffer than I’d like, but the buttons are quite nice - if the dpad were more like the xbox series controller, this would be maybe the best 6 face button alternative to the stock xbox controller, but the dpad on the series controller is actually pretty darn good. Still, I’m 45 and even though I’m an old head, I want to play fighting games as far into the future as possible, and pads and sticks are just too hard on the hands/wrists, so just like Rooflemonger, the obvious solution is leverless. If it ends up being a bit faster as a side benefit, well hey, I need all the help I can get in my practically geriatric state or I’ll be hard stuck at platinum rank for the life of SF6 😂

@rooflemonger, I know this video was 4 months ago but here goes... I have a MadCatz fightng game stick that was for the PS3 for the Street Fighter x Tekken game and a stick-style pade with the six buttons on top and only 2 bummper buttons. Is there a way to make them work with Steam on the PC? Thanx I'd really appreaciate it if you could help me figure this out so I can get SF6.

Hi Roofle, do you know if Furin FRS offers an option to move the direction input buttons to the right and then have the action buttons on the left. Mailed them but had no feedback.

I'm using a solid mechanical keyboard which allows to press more than 4 buttons at the same time. It works surprisingly well and is not very expensive. I never tried a dedicated leverless controller though.

Rob under me mentioned it already, but I'll reiterate that sliding a finger across the directional buttons on a leverless controller with your left hand, and using your thumb and a finger to hit Up + P is a shortcut for an SPD motion. It can get a little rough on your wrist if you're going for it a lot every game, but it's very consistent. It completely changed my game with Zangief.

Used to have a fight stick back in the SFIV days, picked up SF6 and been going back and forth on stick and pad. My biggest issues with pad are what you mentioned (the squishy thumb going between different directions) and thumb pain😅. I know I can fix the first issue with better awareness of lifting my thumb and the second issue can be fixed by not pressing so hard, but both are habits that are hard to break. That would take some time and dedication to get those habits out of my hands, time idk if I want to spend because ultimately i'm not trying to go pro, this is purely for fun, so right now I'm leaning towards stick.

I got so excited for sf6 when it came out I went out and bought all forms of controller. Ended up back on the ps4 controller

I use the Qanba pearl for Street Fighter 6 but I'm selling it to get the Qanba Titan. The Titans extra space between the stick and buttons look comfy and the viewlix layout seems better for the way I play with the stick on my lap.

I use a pad with 6 face buttons . So I can use the extra bumpers and triggers for parry,Di and EX(OD) macros

Wanting to pick up fg after a while. I’ll start with my ps5 controller and go from there. Thanks man

Honestly, as a Gief main, 360s and 720s are SO much easier for me on pad than on stick. The idea of doing them on hitbox confuses the crap out of me

A disadvantage I've found for gamepads is the bumper buttons aren't really geared for fighting games. This is coming from a PS4 controller, but I've found that pressing HK + any other button for stuff like OD can be awkward for timing because you have to press HK AFTER the other kick button. Now this normally isn't an issue for some characters, but if you play characters like Juri where you HAVE to press HK for the OD version of a move, then finding that sweetspot can be finnicky. However, the advantage is you can map button inputs to L3 and R3. Don't want to press all three punch buttons for Yoga Teleport? Map it to a button. Want an OD button? Go for it. Want to taunt? I don't see why not. Also, thank you for the tip about using charge characters. Might make my inputs more precise.

I love playing on stick, but I still have inconsistencies with canceling DR from crouching normals (looking at you cr mk). I wish it were as easy as double tapping a button

I want that rooflebox man, it looks sweet

Damn can’t believe he didn’t mention my favorite and most widely available leverless controller, the keyboard

Leverless is my absolute favourite. Just moving my character is so much more comfortable and precise on it.

If you are going to go Leverless, I would recommend all your Buttons to be Keyboard Switches for your Buttons. I find them more accurate with your Inputs than like using traditional Arcade Buttons for your Directional Buttons. I recommend MX Cherry Speed Silver Switches for all your Buttons. So if your not liking your Leverless as much, that might be the reasons why.

I got the hori octa and honestly i love it. I hated the ps5 controllers d pad and how it felt so i got the hori and i have been having a lot less miss inputs. I kinda wanna get an arcade stick soon just cause the look like a lot of fun to use and i am open to any reccomendations to ones i can get.☺️

For leverless - what if I have pain in my knuckles? And have shorter fingers? Would they still be okay or agitate those issues?

I've been playing SF games for a long time and i'm loving SF6. I been using the ps5 controller but i hate it. The R2 and L2 triggers just feel gross. Been thinking of switching to a hitstick or pad for awhile. Glad you showed the difference between the joystick and the leverless controllers in game esp with Ryu. I'll probably go leverless now.

I built a hitbox about 3 weeks ago and honestly the first week was rough thought I wasted 200 to built it because I just couldn't get it but after about 2 weeks I was already where I was with controller and now after 3 weeks I'm so much better then I was with controller execution is so much easier and honestly it's a lot of fun and it's awesome to be some to customize it the way you want it... First week my left hand and fingers were pretty sore after long sessions tho 😂

When using the pad on ps5 controller, my thumb tends to hit the large , capture button In the middle of the controller. Can this button be switched off ?

For SF5 and 6 I've been using a Hori pad. I might do leverless soon, though.

thank u dude

I was always bad on stick at the arcades, pad was the way until i discovered leverless controllers. I love leverless controllers, my inputs are so easy now. No accidently jumping lol

Keyboard is my preferred controller atm. I have a TKL so I use the nav keys (home page up page down all that jazz) for punches and kicks as there are 6 buttons. Right control for drive impact, asd space for movement and jump, parry on left shift. It feels super optimal (for me) as you also have more binds for other things like 2 kicks or 3 punches or whatever. It's basically a hitbox with unlimited buttons for you to find the optimal hand placement.

The pad allows you to use even more binds, I have LK+MK+HK on L3, LP+MP+HP on R3 and taunt on the select (share) button.

Rooflemonger, I tried to find any way I could to input a 360 on leverless, but I ended up settling on the slide input, where you just slide a single finger across the direction buttons and hit up+punch with the right hand. It's much more consistent, but I really only need it for SF6. Skullgirls and Strive don't care if I'm sloppy with my 360 inputs.

Great video but I think you should have made the controller cam smaller

I just got a leverless last week and my game has 100% improved. I very rarely get missed inputs now compared to stixk

18:48 the fastest DP on leverless for me is left/right (hold) down (instant release while holding left or right) punch

Doing a video about the DNF Duel patch? Tons of great changes for that game yesterday.

Whoah, thanks for telling me why i couldnt get spds very often with my snackbox. My only tip i found is hit the attack button and up both with my right hand and it helped a bit.

I've just switched over to leverless, and it's amazing. 👍 So much more ergonomic than my DualSense or my Hori FS3. I have to rewire my brain because my left hand is used to manipulating a joystick rather than buttons but the more I practice, the less I have to actively think about it. It's like learning touch typing on a keyboard. Yes, leverless is more expensive, but my Razer Kitsune was just a tiny bit more expensive than upgrading to a Nacon Daija and as I already have a Hori FS3 and not much room to store a large controller, the Kitsune was a no-brainer for the PS5.

What do you recommend for 3 buttons OD special moves? Like Lily and Zangief?

I would've appreciated you talking about keyboards as well. I know they aren't a popular choice, but they're very good for fighting games IMO.

Do you think the Hitbox (leverless) type gonna be good for Mortal kombat 1?

Is a hori fightpad no good anymore? Mine is breaking. An old xbox one version that doesnt exist anymore.

new to stick and there's nothing like the feel of stick once you get the hang of it.

Keyboard! Or I guess whatever you have that's convenient and you enjoy. I wish I enjoyed standard controller play because that's usually the most convenient and portable between platforms.

why i cant use normal keyboard? its like the last controller idk. I can A S D and the NUMPAD for the attack buttons its like the same or not?

I still use diamond layout with fierce punch on L1 and kick on R1, I own many fight/arcade sticks but can still only play at my best on a pad I can't unlearn the split second muscle memory when it comes to clutching a match back from the last moment

TLDR: You can use what you want to use. As someone who has used all three of these types of controllers, the one thing I will say is that anything will work. I put off getting a stick and a leverless for years because people made it seem like it would take forever to get the execution down. When I bought a leverless (Victrix FS 12) about a month ago now I went into training mode and immediately did Guile's level 3 first try. On pad I would only be able to get charge supers like 30% of the time. I also have issues sometimes with accidentally pressing the triggers on pad which is not good. That's a me thing, but I know I'm not the only one out there. I have a Hori RAP stick as well. I love it, but I did not like having to use the actual arcade stick even though I grew up in the 90s and have had my fair share of time with arcade cabinets.

Going against the mold here in that I tend to play most FGs with pad (I mainly play anifighters, where there's usually a lot less button bloat) but for SF, I've been using a stick and it's easily been my go-to. I hate that the heavies are on the shoulders on pad so having all punches and kicks neatly laid out next to each other is a lot easier for me to grasp and it makes EXs and other multi-button presses far more manageable for me. Plus I find the charge motions more intuitive due to the more pronounced feedback of a lever, which is very handy as a DJ player. I just can't imagine playing classic on pad because even if it has its advantages, the style is still very clearly made with stick as a base, and the latter feels much better to use as a result.

I was a pad player since Ultra, I bought a stick and barely used it then, now I'm using my fight stick for SF6

What about wasd bro? I need that mixbox yesterday.

It’s definitely a skill issue on my part, but I have an issue consistently getting a drive rush to come out on stick vs it’s real easy on pad