The best controller for Street Fighter 6 and other fighting games (and a cheaper alternative)

Jan 04, 2024

Controllers

Street Fighter 6 is here and a lot of people are wondering what controller to use to get the most out of the game. In this article, we won't go into detail about devices like arcade sticks or hitboxes, this is just for those who want to play with an old-fashioned controller, something that has proven to be totally viable in the fighting genre for quite some time now. For us, the Victrix BFG Pro seems to be the best controller for Street Fighter 6 (and other fighting games) without a doubt, and it also seems to be one of the most powerful pro controllers you can find on the market. We tell you about its benefits.

The first and most outstanding thing about this type of controller is that it is a modular device. This means that we can customize the position of almost all the actions that a traditional controller has: placing the crosshead in the upper or lower area (depending on whether you like the DualShock or Xbox controller design) is one of its main features, but not the only one. On the other hand, we also have the possibility of modulating the position of the buttons and the right stick, with a very top addition for fighting games: it has a piece dedicated to six buttons in line, like the fightpads of yesteryear and which is intended precisely for titles like Street Fighter.

This allows us to customize the controller in a very flexible way. In terms of grip and general appearance, it is very similar to the classic Xbox controller, very comfortable and light, with good grips so that it does not slip. However, its lightness has a downside: it has no vibration, and that's probably the only negative point we found.

In addition, and before we get to Street Fighter 6, it has four rear buttons, an application that allows you to reassign all sorts of buttons and triggers to which we can cut the path manually from the controller itself. It is a very complete product with three types of crossheads, a pair of sticks of different sizes and shapes and a generous USB-C cable. The smoothness of the analogues and the feel of the buttons are beyond doubt. Although it looks a little simple in some finishes (such as the triggers), in terms of performance we find it a top pro controller.

The key for fighting games is to choose the D-pad you like best (we recommend the eight-way D-pad, although the four-way D-pad is also responsive) and place the six-button module. Note that these buttons do not have the usual feel of the others, but are mechanical and much smoother, as well as being larger. It is easy to move from soft to medium and hard, pressing two at a time for overdrive attacks (the classic EX) and you can easily adapt to what it offers. Considering that Street Fighter 6 also has several actions that require you to press soft, medium or hard at the same time (grab, parry, drive impact), this layout is ideal for the game.

Finally, note that it has a very generous battery life and multiple profiles if you want to have a different layout for other games that are not fighting. It works on PC, PS4 and PS5 and is priced at $179.99. Since we’ve had it, we’ve used it more than the DualSense Edge, although the PlayStation one still has a more durable finish and has the unique haptic vibration and adaptive trigger features that the Victrix doesn't. If the price seems steep despite what we’ve said (you’ve had a pro controller for years), read on.

Another option that we recommend if you want a good controller to play fighting games is the Razer Raion Fightpad. It is a bet of Razer to create a quality fightpad and that right now has a price of around $119.99. The controller, as you can see in the picture, is specifically designed for fighting games as it only has a D-pad, the six main buttons and the top buttons. No left or right stick: it does what it does and does it well.

We fell in love with Raion for two main reasons. The first is the D-pad, which is just perfect. It's a mechanical eight-way D-pad, and that means you can feel every direction you press perfectly, allowing you to be much more precise and make fewer mistakes. It doesn't sag or wobble. On the other hand, the buttons are also with mechanical switches and very smooth that allow you to press quickly and accurately. To all this, it comes with an option to disable extra buttons that could be a problem if pressed unintentionally.

It is a controller that is worth a lot of money for fighting, but it has the obvious disadvantage that it will only be useful for this type of games (and surely for other 2D platformers as well, you understand), so its purchase is totally dedicated and specific.

Capcom

Capcom

To be able to comment you must be registered and logged in. Forgot password?