Click here for our review of the Hyperkin joystick.
I ordered the Combat King Joystick from Ebay when I was looking around for fighting sticks. The Combat King Joystick seemed like a decent quality stick and the price was affordable. This particular stick was shipped to me from China and the delivery was quick and reliable. The joystick and buttons on the Combat King controller felt very tight to me and I liked that. I mentioned that the Hyperkin fight stick I bought felt very loose, the opposite is true for the Combat King. Everything felt very tight and in place. The quality of the parts is very good. I originally thought that this fight stick was the best of the three that I tried and this was mainly because of how tight the controller feels. I later realized that this is only a matter of preference when a friend mentioned that he actually prefers a loose stick and that the Combat King felt a bit stiff. I thought the stick and buttons felt great when they were nice and tight but my friend preferred the loose controls of the Hori Fighting Stick 3 which I will be reviewing as well.
Another reason I chose the Combat King when shopping online was because it came with a cool Street Fighter IV picture on it. Most higher quality joysticks that I've wished for have those graphics so when I saw that I could get something like that myself at a low price I just had to get it. Unfortunately this backfired on me a little because the graphic and the plastic cover protecting the picture were'nt very well made. After only a short while playing, the protective plastic on the Combat King started peeling off. It started with only one of the corners at first so I put a bit of duct tape on it; then a while later I more started peeling off on the side. I had to duct tape a big section of that as well and the picture is still in tact but the tape ruined the original esthetic and it was dissappointing to have to patch up an otherwise good arcade stick.
There are some things worth considering if you're thinking of buying a Combat King. It looks like a decent arcade stick, something you would take to a tournament. There are turbo and macro settings on it but they are located on the front panel facing you, not on the face of the controller like they are on the Hyperkin and Hori sticks. This could be a good thing if you're always playing on a table top. The suction cups are pretty good too and they really stick well to plastic surfaces. The downside to having these buttons located there is that if you're playing with the controller on your lap in a more casual setting then there is a risk of accidentally pushing these buttons. This has happened to me and my friends while we're battling each other. The button that functions as the PS button is also located there so funny things can happen in the middle of a fight. You could accidentally hit the macro button on the joystick and program a set of moves to one button without even knowing it.
The Combat King fight stick I ordered is the same model as the one below. That's the graphic that it comes with. The plastic cover on graphic is hardly noticeable in the picture. Mine first started peeling off at the corner where it says SSFIV and then it happened again along the side where you see Cammy and Vega. Notice the 3 buttons on the front panel and that none of the buttons (start, select, square, triangle etc...) are labelled.
The last thing worth mentioning with the Combat King is that the buttons are not laid out in the standard way for PS3 users. Both the Hyperkin controller and the Hori 3 controller are clearly laid out. You know exactly where L1, R1 and all the other buttons are and should be. The Combat King is the only stick out of the 3 controllers that does not have the button layout of a typical PS3 controller. This isn't really a huge deal and you get to know the controller with a little time but it can be annoying. Getting the buttons to match the kicks and punches where you want them isn't as straight forward as with the other two sticks and I have to fully customize my settings in Street Fighter IV instead of choosing premade arcade stick settings that are in the game.
You can order the Combat King with an extended joystick for the same price as the regular sized stick so if you prefer the longer controller then this is something worth considering. I'm happy with my Combat King controller. It has a stick on the side that says professional fighting joystick. Is it a professional fight stick? I say yes, but it's certainly not perfect and it has it's a little quircky. I was looking for something good, something professional, but I was also on a budget and looking for something affordable. The Combat King is what I was looking for, even if it's not perfect.
Overall:
Responsive controlls with good quality parts
Controlls feel tight when it is new
Comes with turbo and macro settings
Comes with a Super Street Figther IV logo
Plastic cover peels easily but it this can be prevented easily with some tape
The controller can be ordered with a regular sized or extended joystick
The buttons are not laid out in the standard way for PS3 users
I ordered the Combat King Joystick from Ebay when I was looking around for fighting sticks. The Combat King Joystick seemed like a decent quality stick and the price was affordable. This particular stick was shipped to me from China and the delivery was quick and reliable. The joystick and buttons on the Combat King controller felt very tight to me and I liked that. I mentioned that the Hyperkin fight stick I bought felt very loose, the opposite is true for the Combat King. Everything felt very tight and in place. The quality of the parts is very good. I originally thought that this fight stick was the best of the three that I tried and this was mainly because of how tight the controller feels. I later realized that this is only a matter of preference when a friend mentioned that he actually prefers a loose stick and that the Combat King felt a bit stiff. I thought the stick and buttons felt great when they were nice and tight but my friend preferred the loose controls of the Hori Fighting Stick 3 which I will be reviewing as well.
Another reason I chose the Combat King when shopping online was because it came with a cool Street Fighter IV picture on it. Most higher quality joysticks that I've wished for have those graphics so when I saw that I could get something like that myself at a low price I just had to get it. Unfortunately this backfired on me a little because the graphic and the plastic cover protecting the picture were'nt very well made. After only a short while playing, the protective plastic on the Combat King started peeling off. It started with only one of the corners at first so I put a bit of duct tape on it; then a while later I more started peeling off on the side. I had to duct tape a big section of that as well and the picture is still in tact but the tape ruined the original esthetic and it was dissappointing to have to patch up an otherwise good arcade stick.
There are some things worth considering if you're thinking of buying a Combat King. It looks like a decent arcade stick, something you would take to a tournament. There are turbo and macro settings on it but they are located on the front panel facing you, not on the face of the controller like they are on the Hyperkin and Hori sticks. This could be a good thing if you're always playing on a table top. The suction cups are pretty good too and they really stick well to plastic surfaces. The downside to having these buttons located there is that if you're playing with the controller on your lap in a more casual setting then there is a risk of accidentally pushing these buttons. This has happened to me and my friends while we're battling each other. The button that functions as the PS button is also located there so funny things can happen in the middle of a fight. You could accidentally hit the macro button on the joystick and program a set of moves to one button without even knowing it.
The Combat King fight stick I ordered is the same model as the one below. That's the graphic that it comes with. The plastic cover on graphic is hardly noticeable in the picture. Mine first started peeling off at the corner where it says SSFIV and then it happened again along the side where you see Cammy and Vega. Notice the 3 buttons on the front panel and that none of the buttons (start, select, square, triangle etc...) are labelled.
The last thing worth mentioning with the Combat King is that the buttons are not laid out in the standard way for PS3 users. Both the Hyperkin controller and the Hori 3 controller are clearly laid out. You know exactly where L1, R1 and all the other buttons are and should be. The Combat King is the only stick out of the 3 controllers that does not have the button layout of a typical PS3 controller. This isn't really a huge deal and you get to know the controller with a little time but it can be annoying. Getting the buttons to match the kicks and punches where you want them isn't as straight forward as with the other two sticks and I have to fully customize my settings in Street Fighter IV instead of choosing premade arcade stick settings that are in the game.
You can order the Combat King with an extended joystick for the same price as the regular sized stick so if you prefer the longer controller then this is something worth considering. I'm happy with my Combat King controller. It has a stick on the side that says professional fighting joystick. Is it a professional fight stick? I say yes, but it's certainly not perfect and it has it's a little quircky. I was looking for something good, something professional, but I was also on a budget and looking for something affordable. The Combat King is what I was looking for, even if it's not perfect.
Overall:
Responsive controlls with good quality parts
Controlls feel tight when it is new
Comes with turbo and macro settings
Comes with a Super Street Figther IV logo
Plastic cover peels easily but it this can be prevented easily with some tape
The controller can be ordered with a regular sized or extended joystick
The buttons are not laid out in the standard way for PS3 users
i also have this arcade stick the plastic cove never peeled on me but the maco buttons and tubo and home buttons are ok i never hit them it depends were you have the arcade stick overall it is a great item i love it.
ReplyDeleteI've ordered the same stick with the same artwork but with a Green Joystick/buttons.... I actually like hearing that the cover peels off easy because the reason got a Green one was to play my classic TMNT games on Mame(on my PC). I plan on removing the labels and making my own TMNT artwork to place on it, based on the old Arcade Cabinet design. So this stick seems to have been a good buy.... Even if I don't decide to replace the art, it will still be cool.
ReplyDeleteI knew I should have googled before ordering. I believed they were from a well known Japanese manufacturer. Oh well, you won this time, Chinese eBay seller.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete