Before You Buy That Cheap Leverless Controller...

Cheap leverless controllers for fighting games have arrived and it seems like there's really no reason to spend any more the $55 now...or is there? Let's talk about the Pros and Cons of making a cheap leverless controller your main arcade stick.

***This is not a review about any specific controller. It's a video to put my personal opinions that relate to many cheap leverless controllers in general since I have reviews coming up in the near future and don't want to repeat the same 20 min of info in every review. Also I don't for this to be some kind of declaration about all cheap controllers. It's just a collection of points worth considering when considering buying one.***

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#fgc #Fightinggames #controllers

0:00 Pros
0:57 Price
1:24 Accessibility
2:37 Faster Distribution
3:07 Pad Controller Pricing
4:04 Open Source
4:30 Pro-PC pt.1
5:33 Not Console Specific
7:59 Pro-PC pt.2
8:52 Cons - Not Always Cheap
9:35 A Race to the Bottom
10:57 Community Sales vs. Mass Production
12:03 Complicated for Newcomers
12:59 Console *Compatibility*
14:29 Brand and Reputation
16:22 TL;dr summary

[cthulhu]

As the lead developer of GP2040-CE, I can guarantee our firmware is staying free forever! Thanks for all the mentions in the video, we're going to keep on trucking making solid firmware with such a great community behind us.

[Spookhousedelver]

Grabbed a Haute42 T16 and it's my favorite controller for fighting games I've used. If you're on the fence, go for it. Bought it, unpacked it, plugged it in to my PC, and got to playing immediately, no tinkering required.

[KusanagiMotoko]

I get you but all the cons are overridden by the prices of Haute's line of products, they're so good and cheap that they're almost a no brainer for your first leverless controller at least.

[HauteGaming]

This is a very detailed and thought-provoking review, we can tell you are care about players a lot, thanks, friend, with all my heart❤

[Plasmacat]

The big problem with controllers is that all the access to them is extremely USA centric. Stuff like junkfood arcade doesn’t do international shipping, same with other smaller brands. As long as Razer or Victrix stuff costs half of my rent in my country it’s not an option. It’s not like I can’t afford it but dropping 8k (my currency) which is like $450 usd is insane. Another factor is that the Haute stuff like the one in the video is mega cheap to repair, guarantee for big brand stuff is basically non existent outside NA.

I seen and played with the Kitsune and there is no justification for why it’s so expensive besides brand recognition. Also not to sound mean but I could care less for a small business charging premium for their custom controller that is clearly cheaply made but since they 3D printed the buttons the price goes $100. Competition is good.

[hajatianaandriamaro]

Got the T13 for 65 $. I'll buy the 15 $ booter for PS5 compatibility. No need to dish out 300 $ for a good leverless

[SpeedyPotato_]

I've been following GP2040 since before the "community edition" days and it's come really far! Also fun fact, the web config of GP2040-CE can be accessed via an iOS device. I was able to change settings while on the tournament floor at both Combo Breaker and EVO.

[nian]

I'm tired of paying premium prices to facilitate ridiculous licensing costs from console manufacturers. My Steam Deck has become my main "arcade machine" for fighting games at home. The games run great and I can use any stick or leverless I want. Not to mention the scam of paying for online.

[HushMySweet]

With tons of options, users can find something that suits their style (buttons, footprint, materials, etc.) and even upcoming mainstream-brand devices like the Qanba Sapphire have taken a page from the controllers with extra buttons beyond the standard. But really, it's these cheap price points that have been so great for the community. The average price point of all-button controllers has dropped considerably from just a year ago, and the influx of these ones also has had a ripple effect on established brands. We see them lowering their own costs to better compete, and new ones into the scene have to keep increasing the value proposition for the consumer. There's no time to rest on your laurels like there was just a couple years ago. Now we've got cooler devices than ever and the barrier to entry is wonderfully low. Lots of people were scared off by controllers worth as much or more than their consoles, so being able to drop $35 or $50 or whatever to try it out, has gotten lots of new people into the hobby. Fighting games lend themselves well to fun peripherals, so more people getting to experience these cool devices and having fun mashing buttons is a huge net positive for the FGC.

[Sentro]

The cost of the namebrand leverless controllers is honestly just theft Lol, some simple switches, plastic buttons, and a simple pcb for 400 bucks? 20 dollars worth of materials

[GZCoo]

I bought a Haute42 aswell, because I wanted to try a Leverless controller for a long time. But I am not ready do dish out 200-300+ Dollar for it, without knowing if I will like it or not.
The Haut42 is also the small one and cost me 65€ and so far it works perfectly fine for me. Since I am just playing on PC and don't plan on going to tournaments it's just plug and play for me and so far had no issues with it.

[rohanreddy]

I actually got that haute42 s16 for 34 US dollars on ali express. Took about 1 and a half weeks to ship to USA East (Georgia). It's my first and only leverless controller and I absolutely love it. I wanted to give leverless a try and felt this was a great option. I just hit Diamond 4 in sf6 (PC) and am planning on getting another haute42 controller for the size upgrade. The only gripe is that you need a converter to play on PlayStation which is more than okay with me since the native controllers are already pushing 250-300 USD. I love my haute42 s16 please give their company a shot if you want to get into leverless!

[CrypticBore]

Glad youre still around first came across your channel when i picked a vita to mod and make my own many moons ago. miss you calming coffee making that came with those videos. The algorithm brought me back and im happy for it.

[Kenoji]

The real video we need is the Haute42 M12 Plus vs. the Razer Kitsune. That is pretty much the comparison that people are looking for now.

[toshikikarukawa]

Been playing SF6 with a Hori Alpha for more than 1000 hours since it launched last year, and a couple of weeks ago I bought a Haute42 R16, and I love it. I've been using it since I bought it, and even with the Booter 5 for PS5 compatibility (I've tried it and works perfect) it was worth the price.

[johnpreston]

In Beijing, China, thr community used to play on PS4 prior to covid. Now everyone bring their laptop or Steam deck and play with myriads of leverless. It's so cool.

[land_walker]

One thing to remember is that you can use the Brooks PS5 Arcade Stick Converter for these and they work just fine with those.

[jacobscott]

When I first heard about the hitbox I was looking into building my own version with keyboard swtiches and a 3d printed case with some basic electronics. I didn't end up doing it, but it's been on the back of my mind. Now they've become so cheap that I bought a small 12 button lever-less on eBay for AU$57; which is probably cheaper than I would have been able to get the parts for. Like others have said, I couldn't get most controllers anyway because they don't ship to Australia.

I'm excited for it to come because I never liked the way a stick felt and I wanted more precision than a pad or stick could offer.

Guess I'll finally have no excuses for why I lose a match XD

[noidsuper]

One thing I’d caution about the Haute controllers, especially if you have smaller hands, is that they generally use 30mm buttons and wide spacing on all of their buttons. As someone with pretty small hands this was a total no go.

[VidVayder]

I feel like no matter who the company is, there's always a risk that the customer can be left high and dry. My memory is hazy but I recall Nintendo taking the p when it was proven their Switch cons had stick drift. They seemed to ignore/sweep it under the rug for a long time.

With these cheap controllers, at least the financial risk is lower than picking up a Razer/Victrix, who could still screw us over. Most of us will likely use the expensive ones for the same period as cheaper ones anyway. I've never used a stick for more than a few months/year before moving on to a new model or just taking some time to play games other than FGs.