This NEW Secret Button Could CHANGE Controllers FOREVER

Controllers are evolving and arcade sticks are being left behind but not anymore! Thanks to this new, secret button the humble arcade stick could possibly return as the best way to play fighting games again! Let's take a look at this controversial mod, The Antagonist.

***THANKS to Bit Bang Gaming for providing this review unit of The Antagonist***

Should this button be allowed or should we ban it? Comment below!


Tags: Evo, EVO Japan, fighting games, arcade stick, #controller #streetfighter6 #fightinggames

[Midori_Hoshi]

I think the problem is that it's a single button doing more than one function, without even the need for a shift button. The fact that it can do up, down, left, and right automatically based on context might make it against the rules. If it was strictly an up button, then it would probably be within the rules since that would be a total of two up buttons, which is allowed.

I think configuring a pad to work sorta like a button box is still the best way to go, however, despite being technically tourney legal, you wouldn't actually be able to use it in an offline tourney since it's a PC software only thing. For offline tourneys, especially on console, a button box is probably best.

[AkibanaZero]

This may be a bit reductive but if we're going to these sorts of lengths to give ourselves input advantages, we might as well just skip to the part where all FGs use simple inputs and get it over with.

[mkylem]

100% cheating for two reasons:
1. The board uses an ESP32 which is extremely easy to program for and flash firmware on, so you can't ever be 100% that it is running the firmware that the developers released. I can make software that does macros which are, indisputably, tournament illegal.

2. The inputs are deterministic, BUT they are not utilizing a reasonable or legal way for generating the output. The single button can generate two different signals depending on the state of the inputs beforehand. That means there is no static remapping available in-game or in-console.
This breaks the EVO rules for controller inputs: "1. The controller may not activate multiple game inputs from a single input mechanism."
EVO uses an analog example: "NOT OK. An analog push-button which sends either game input A or input B depending on how hard it is pressed."
The Antagonist PCB doesn't use an analog signal, just a digital one.

[mr.gamingz]

Thats why Capcom added modern controls (motion or not) into the game.. People dont want to do moves normally anymore. Easier here, shortcuts there, advantage over advantage. Miss the old times.

[akaiakumai]

honestly the antagonist button wouldn't be so much of a problem if it didn't allow for it to have multiple inputs. If it only could press up if you are holding down or only press forward while holding back it wouldn't be that strong. The reason the hitbox crossup stick is nice is, yes it combines the benefits of having a stick while also giving the benefits of a all button layout, but you still have to press a separate movement button to take full advantage of its potential...its not just a 1 button does everything kind of thing. The same goes for all button layout pads as well. You have to press each individual movement button to take full advantage of it. The antagonist button just does way to much for way too little which is why i don't see it becoming tourney legal anytime soon since it provides tons of potential inputs all on the same button.

[ignap]

I wouldn't mind just having it as an extra up input vs hitbox controllers, but if we continue modding controllers in this way, eventually, we might as well not have motions for specials attacks, as we would basically skipping every single one

[dizzygunner]

IMO it should be allowed but only for the up command, because hitboxes and the like aren't allowed to have anything but neutral come out if left and right are held, so should be the same for this.

[ShineChromatica]

From the sound of it, this can do things that proper SOCD cleaning prevents so I cannot imagine it being legal to use in any tournaments at all. It probably won't change controllers at all, I mean the Pizza Box didn't and that is some true innovation lol.

[madnessobserver]

How is having an antagonist button that effectively works as a macro that reverses your inputs and trivializes a lot of execution not cheating? SOCD cleaning is preprogrammed on hitboxes precisely to keep most of the usual execution requierements expected of a fighting game (e.g: back + forward = neutral, so you have to release your back input to do a sonic boom), and as you've mentioned, to use pad + joystick on a controller you need to master a very weird grip in order to take advantage of the game not having native SOCD.

Mind you, I don't have a problem in programming an extra button as an additional Up input in games were Down + Up = Up in order to keep it on par with pad/hitbox for certain things, or even to make TK or 360 inputs more consistent, but instantly reversing your current input is pure nonsense and shouldn't be allowed for ranked or tournament play. If you can do Guile's [4]646 super by just holding back and tapping a button twice, at that point why not just program a macro button that does multiple input supers for you?

[GFClocked]

Don't touch my arcadestick. It's perfect just how god imagined it. You can pry it off of my dead hands, until then - I'll be using an 8 button stock sf4 TE stick.

[luckybunny]

This will go over super well in the loving caring community of tournament players

[vowel]

If you allow this, you may as well allow fully programable macro buttons. Push the rules too much and too often and eventually only be allowed to use certain models of sticks/controllers.

[bogartwilley]

Leverless Sticks are 1 thing... But at this point one has to ask themself "Why even both booting up the game at this point" cuz this is LITERALLY just a Macro.

[kurufuioriNOSB]

12:09 This point annuls peripherals such as the hitbox-crossup but it is unfair because the ps4 controller has more than 2 times the addresses, one group with the cross and the other with the left analog, we will have to wait for it to be approved

[allzofeel]

At that point, might as well just make the game simple to play. e.g Guile just needs to hold charge direction and you press the P for boom or K flash.
Zangief just needs to press F + 3 P for SPD or F + 3 K for suplex, etc.

[dsdante]

Is funny how we all complain about the dev's balance teams but we keep bringing this "innovations" to bypass balance design.
At this point they should just consider SF6 modern controls style as the main type of controls for balance, and ending up being a non-plataform smash bros clone.

[striderzer]

Looks like EVO will be banning leverless controllers that dont SOCD clean up+down=neutral

[KeepaSkateboard]

I have never see a controller inspection at a tournament

[ITNoetic]

The smash box has a similar button, but it only flips left and right. It's for a very specific technique that is otherwise easy to do on a regular pad (turning around right before a jump so you can do a Bair while maintaining forward momentum).

This should not be allowed. It's a macro. A context-sensitive macro.

[gxmcdg]

at @2:10 where is the "down" input for the shoryuken? I only see back, forward, up... I didnt see down anywhere.