X-Arcade stick on my mind

A few years ago I wanted one but could not justify the cost since they were practically as much as a new game console. Today they are about half the cost of a new game console. But it's not that the X-arcade stick went down in price. Game consoles are just much more expensive these days.

So why do I want one now? Call it "stars aligning" or whatever but it all gradually started with watching movies with the Marvell characters (ie X-men, Spiderman, Hulk) and the new trailer for Ironman! I remember how much fun I had playing those characters in my Marvell vs Capcom 2 game. So I dusted off my old Sega Dreamcast (yes, it still works great), started playing a bit, and was reminded again just how over the top the game is and also how pixelated the characters look today. Then I remembered why I didn't play the game as much as I wanted to. While the game is incredibly fun, the Sega DC gamepad is a real stinker when it comes to performing special moves . The Sega gamepad just feels awkward when it comes to fighting games, the controller response is hit & miss, and the experience just results in frustration.

I also started to get the Street Fighter itch again! Last week I was in nostalgic mode -> reminiscing the good ol' days in high school cross country where Ansen and I would take a "detour" during practice and go to Roundtable Pizza and play Street Fighter 2. I was never quite good enough to beat a lot of those guys in the arcade but I held my own. For me, the SNES gamepad was spot on for doing the "Hadokens" and "Shoryukens." Street Fighter is making a comeback now with Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Street Fighter IV for PS3!

So the timing just feels right to get a high quality joystick. The Hori Fighting Stick 3 seems to get good feedback but I'm leaning more toward the X-Arcade as it seems to be more true to the original arcade experience. X-arcade also has adaptors for both the DC and PS3 (but PS3 is USB so I'm not sure why an adaptor is needed - need to call) I haven't made up my mind yet as to whether the X-Arcade Tankstick or the Dual Joystick is best for me. I really don't need the trackball of the Tankstick but I was reading a review about how spacing between the player 1 and player 2 controls of the Dual stick can feel a bit too close for comfort.