Buttons feel so nice. If you play street fighter this is essentially a required peripheral. I play guile so the default configuration is perfect. For the price though they should include a bat joystick and a round restrictor plate. If you play a non charge character (most every other character) ur going to want to get the round restrictor plate, or you'll have to listen to your friends complain about how they cant do a fireball (and they'll blame ur awesome joystick and make fun of you for spending 150 bucks!).

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Case in point: The TE Stick round 2 is a very well built stick. As you probably already know, its made with high quality Sanwa parts. I has a decent weight and just about the perfect length to fit in your lap.

Round 2 TE vs. Round 1?

When I bought this stick, I was wondering if there was any difference between the TE round 2 and the TE round 1, but for some reason, I couldn't find any info on this. Sadly, I've never even used a TE round 1, but if you're concerned about build quality and functionality, this stick is almost perfect in that respect. Looking at the pictures of both of these sticks, the button layout/stick proximity to the buttons looks basically the same, as does the shape of the box. I can't confirm that they're exactly alike, but I'd definitely bet money on it.

A note on the compatibility of this stick with PC

This stick works with my PC, as opposed to the several reports that the TE round 1 didn't work with the PC. Now, I'm not guaranteeing that the round 2 is going to work with your PC, but it seems that there's a possibility that the round 2 TE stick might work. I'm running XP Media Center Edition 2005, in case you're wondering. When testing this stick for compatibility with your PC, make absolutely sure that you don't plug it into a USB hub, as it didn't work when I did so. I'm guessing that the reason for this might be that they changed something about the innards of the round 2 to make it compatible with PC, or perhaps its just my own setup.

PROS:

-Stick is pretty meaty, making it not move around very much.

-Made with high quality Sanwa parts

-Good button layout

-Possible PC compatibility (See above!)

-Aesthetically very pleasing to look at

-Comes in a pretty nice case w/ COA, making it easy to store if need be.

CONS:

-Might not be an issue for you, but the joystick itself is placed very low, which is pretty typical of most sticks. Not sure how hard its going to be to change this, but I know there are shaft extenders out there is this is really an issue for you.

-Less expensive to build a custom, but ONLY if you have the tools and knowledge to do so. $134.99 is still a bit much, but considering what you get its very worth it.

Conclusion:

Don't be afraid to buy the round 2 TE just because there are more reviews for the round 1! This thing works like a charm.

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This is a very well built stick by mad catz and this is my very first arcade stick, i used to play only on controllers for marvel vs capcom 2 and street fighter, but i am moving up to arcade sticks now, since the transition of arcade games going from an actual arcade to one in your home, its very helpful to have a stick of your own, you can execute better moves and combos in fighting games, i am aware of this stick not working well on pc but you can fix that by buying a pci usb card with a VIA chipset on it, not expensive at all maybe around 5 dollars on ebay, works with MAME and of course PS3, its also easy to mod the stick and buttons, graphics, etc. buy this stick, i highly recommend!! *Here is a tip: to change the controls in MAME to make it work with your arcade stick simply press "tab" while you are running a game you are playing then go to inputs,then select the input,press enter and then press the button or movement inputs you want* easy! =)

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I got this arcade stick to improve my gaming experience with SSTF4 and other fighting games. So far all I can say is the only thing keeping me back from doing just that is my level of skill at the moment. I love the stick, it's great, does exactly what it says it's going to do. The only thing is some of you may not be used to playing on a square gate, it's easy to replace, just check [...] for a GT-Y Octagonal Restrictor Plate. Other than that I Love the graphics and layout of it. It really gave me that arcade feel. I gave it a rating of 4 because I only have it for few weeks so am waiting to see how it stands up to the abuse and test of time.

Advantages:

1. Very stable, stick doesn't go flying all over the place.

2. Very visually pleasing, great graphics, just a bit dark.

3. Very responsive play.

4. Minor mods was simple, changed my square gate and bubble top to a bat top.

5. Seaming-less response times between action presses and on screen display.

Disadvantages:

1. Joystick shaft is just a might short and the bubble top kinda made my shoulder hurt with extended play.

2. The compartment for the usb cable is kind of cramped.

3. Modding is kind of a hassle because of the amount of screws and this is minor mods am talking about.

So if you're looking to raise you level and got the cash. I highly recommend this product.

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I've got a couple joysticks I used for both Tekken 6 & Street Fighter 4 such as this one, version 1 (white end pieces w/different artwork on top panel) Sony PS3 Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition , Hori HRAP3-SA PS3 Real Arcade Pro. 3-SA , an old school Namco arcade stick (PS1 w/a controller converter) & a Hori Tekken 6 wireless Tekken 6 Limited Edition Wireless Fight Stick Bundle . These two (round 1 & 2) are the best by far!!! While you do pay a hefty price for both, they're mos def worth it for the weight (6+ pounds so doesn't move around in your lap and/or on a table), arcade quality Sanwa parts & since I've got big hands, there's so much room on the top so I can lay my hands on there when playing instead of an awkward position usually found in the physically smaller joysticks.

I'm actually selling the round 1 joystick (look for it on craigslist in Dallas) b/c this one looks much more stealth & cleaner due to the all black casing & more lowkey artwork on top. I was kinda embarassed to have the round 1 stick lay around in my media room (I usually put it away when not in use) however with this round 2 version, this looks fitting & upscale in my media room matching other a/v components. Yes, I know it's just color scheme difference but that's just me.

I got lucky b/c these are hard to find locally & out of 15 Gamestop stores witin a 50-mile radious of me, only 2 stores each had 1 in stock. If you just want a joystick that's reliable & aren't willing to fork over one-hundred-thirty plus dollars then I recommend getting the Tekken 6 limited edition package (w/the wireless joystick from Hori) since it's under seventy-five dollars & includes the game also! Not the greatest joystick but there's no discernable wireless lag & the buttons aren't too bad. Only thing negative about that stick is that it's VERY light (~2-3 pounds at most).

Anyway, if you're looking for the best (mass produced) hardcore arcade joystick then this (or round 1) would be it. I would mos def recommend this product! In this case, it's true...you get what you pay for!

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Pros:

- Close to arcade experience though not quite the same.

- The weight is quite light compared with its size. Still stable on a surface or my lap.

- Both the stick and the box have good look and color.

- The red seam cover protects my skin: the reason I bought this instead of the edition S.

Cons:

- Can't justify $150 MSRP price tag. $99 seems reasonable price.

- Madcatz needs to pay more attention to details. I can easily tell the product build quality is not on a par with official Sony products.

- Out of new box, the rightmost two buttons already had some scratches.

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