The new Series X|S controller made me love fighting games again

[Jeans]

Look at that beauty !

So a few months ago, I decided to try some fighting games on my Xbox Series X, as I hated playing with the horrible D-pad of the Xbox One controller. I loved playing Street Fighter games when I was younger and I played some Street Fighter IV on 360, but even back then the 360 D-pad was not that great. Those Xbox D-pad hurt my thumb which was on fire after just a couple of matches. Sometimes, I just went through the pain as I loved the game. I even bought a 3DS (a 2DS actually) and played SF IV on there and it was kind of the definitive version for me.

Sam Sho. It’s a great feeling to be back.

But then I heard about Samurai Shodown coming back and I had other fighting games I wanted to try for a long time (I tried some, like Injustice 2 and Marvel vs Capcom Infinite before, but it wasn’t that enjoyable due to that D-pad…), so I finally pulled the trigger (no pun intended) when they launched the new X|S version. I can’t tell you much about the game, as I’m not quite happy with the perfomance on Series X. Sam Sho suffers from some terrible screen tearing and I don’t know why (sadly I don’t have a 120 FPS screen), but WOW, it’s so good to play now !!

Injustice 2 is one of the best fighting games. It’s true.

The feeling of the plastic, the diagonals, the clicky sound, it’s just SO good. It’s definitely the best standard controller for fighting games now. I even tried Street Fighter V recently on PS4, but I hurt my thumb again, rubbing the corners of that cross D-pad. The parabole like D-pad is just so comfy and offers the right amount of feedback to my thumb silky skin, it’s just unparalleled. And I played guitar for a while when I was a teenager, so I’m used to finger pain. The D-pad from the Series X|S controller is even better than the one from the Elite controller, which has a metal parabole with no hard edges, so the diagonals were kind of floaty. Series X|S controller is just perfect, like “just-don’t-touch-anything” perfect.

So yeah, I downloaded and played a few games : Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (chief’s kiss), Soul Calibur VI (GP), Tekken 6 and 7 (720p hurt my eyes, but hey), Injustice 1 and 2, Virtua Fighters V Final Showdown, Killer Instinct, Marvel vs Capcom Infinite and Samurai Shodown. I have the time of my life playing these games with my left thumb now crying tears of joy ! It’s just the best feeling !

I get it now ! KI is great !

And I can finally enjoy some of the most button-mashing games (which was impossible before), like Killer Instinct, and I can confirm : it’s great !

So have you tried some fighting games recently ? How do you found the new D-pad ? Do you find fighting games more enjoyable on Series X|S controller ?

[GamepadX]

New controller is great, I agree. Love the d-pad, I could do without the clicking noise but not a deal breaker because everything else on controller is perfection.

[nrXic]

I really like the D-Pad on the Xbox One controller because it reminds me of the PS Vita D-Pad that had a positive (arcade switch-like) click to each input. So I didn’t mind it at all for fighting games.

I’ve hurt my thumb on PlayStation keypads for decades now, heh. And I also disliked the 360 d-pad (the one with the modified pad where you can switch it was not bad).

But I’m really happy to hear your impressions, as I was curious this whole time about how the new controllers would fare for fighters. I was skeptical when I saw it at first.

I also use the d-pad for Metroidvania games, So the fact that it’s good for fighters means that it’s great for 2D games as well. Good to hear.

[Jeans]

Yeah, it’s really great. I love the fact that they made improvements on the controller during last-gen with special editions and the Elite controller and then added some to the standard Series X|S controller, just because they could. It’s the small tweaks that make this new controller the best, especially for fighting games.

[BRiT]

Now if they could make that last revision to actually fix the bumper issue so many encounter.

[BradWardFight (Brad Ward)]

FACTS. Its a great controller and the Dpad is the closest thing to Sega Saturn if not better. Also the improved latency helps. However it got me to buy an Arcade Stick.

[SpiderLink]

I will never really get fighting games, I don’t think. That said, your enthusiasm and joy are infectious and wonderful. I’m happy for you, and I hope you get more out of it! Do you have any interest in Dragonball FighterZ?

[BradWardFight (Brad Ward)]

I just play games solo these days, like most online games the hardcore base takes over the online modes

[Jeans]

@BradWardFight

FACTS. Its a great controller and the Dpad is the closest thing to Sega Saturn if not better. Also the improved latency helps. However it got me to buy an Arcade Stick.

Oh yeah, the Sega Saturn D-pad was a bit like that. I never owned one myself, but I recall it was great for fighting games too.

@SpiderLink

I will never really get fighting games, I don’t think. That said, your enthusiasm and joy are infectious and wonderful. I’m happy for you, and I hope you get more out of it! Do you have any interest in Dragonball FighterZ?

Thank you for the kind words. I just love gaming and Xbox and try to be a positive person and share my enthusiasm when I can.

I was stressed and didn’t had much time to play for a few months, so getting back into fighting games was exactly what I needed, as fighting games are perfect for short sessions. I don’t play online, as I’m not great, but it’s just fun learning a character’s moves and fighting style.

It’s sad that some japanese fighting games skip Xbox, even though they could be as popular here as they are on Playstation, like Samurai Shodown. And I will probably buy most of them !

I have to admit that I never played a Dragon ball game before…Maybe I should try Fighter Z. I put it on my list and see when it gets cheaper. Thank you for the suggestion.

[Searsy82]

The jury is still out for me. I played a bit of MK11 after it got the Series X|S upgrade and was having some trouble doing moves that I did with ease on the XB1 D-pad. My thumb was starting to hurt too. I go back and forth about whether I think its a bit too clicky.

[Thanathorn]

Tekken 7 feels much better with the Series controller. I hope Microsoft can make sure we don’t miss out on things like Street Fighter and Tekken this generation.

[Jeans]

@Searsy82

The jury is still out for me. I played a bit of MK11 after it got the Series X|S upgrade and was having some trouble doing moves that I did with ease on the XB1 D-pad. My thumb was starting to hurt too. I go back and forth about whether I think its a bit too clicky.

Yeah, it’s clicky, but personnaly, I’m not distracted by it. On the contrary, I think it adds to the feedback I was talking about, but as they say : “your mileage may vary”.

For me, doing moves with that new D-pad is just so much easier. I just move my thumb slightly like it’s a joystick. I have no problem getting out some of the more complex moves and much much less misses in my experience.

[Searsy82]

@Jeans

Yeah, it’s clicky, but personnaly, I’m not distracted by it. On the contrary, I think it adds to the feedback I was talking about, but as they say : “your mileage may vary”.

For me, doing moves with that new D-pad is just so much easier. I just move my thumb slightly like it’s a joystick. I have no problem getting out some of the more complex moves and much much less misses in my experience.

There is a good chance I just need to get acclimated to it. I put about 60-70 hours into MK11 prior to the series x release. So muscle memory wise it just doesn’t feel the same so it throws me off a bit.

[Jeans]

@Searsy82

There is a good chance I just need to get acclimated to it. I put about 60-70 hours into MK11 prior to the series x release. So muscle memory wise it just doesn’t feel the same so it throws me off a bit.

Oh yeah, there could be some adjustments needed. It’s another type of D-pad that doesn’t need much movement, so it can throw you off.

[Searsy82]

@Jeans

Oh yeah, there could be some adjustments needed. It’s another type of D-pad that doesn’t need much movement, so it can throw you off.

I might buy another fighting game like Sam Sho and learn that one with it. See how it goes.

[Jeans]

@Searsy82

I might buy another fighting game like Sam Sho and learn that one with it. See how it goes.

There’s not much combos in Sam Sho, really, the timing and parrying is key, but it’s still a deep fighting game. But you should know there’s some heavy screen-tearing in this game in cutscenes and finish moves on Xbox Series X. I didn’t see people talking about it, but it’s there since day one. It’s still a great looking game and I like it a lot though.

[Searsy82]

@Jeans

There’s not much combos in Sam Sho, really, the timing and parrying is key, but it’s still a deep fighting game. But you should know there’s some heavy screen-tearing in this game in cutscenes and finish moves on Xbox Series X. I didn’t see people talking about it, but it’s there since day one. It’s still a great looking game and I like it a lot though.

Ill keep an eye out for a sale. I just want to play something that I have no idea how to play so I can get a clean look at this D-Pad.