Owners report Mad Catz SFIV FightStick defects
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Feb 16th 2009 at 5:10PM } 
Other users are reporting that the controller may fail to register certain directions on the stick or certain button presses, with at least one user reporting that the stick stopped registering all inputs entirely. Certain users have attributed the stuck joystick inputs to a metal washer that actually grinds away at the inner workings of the stick while in use.
In a statement to Joystiq, Mad Catz Global PR & Communications Manager, Alex Verrey, said, "There are no major problems with the Street Fighter range of products. Customers can buy with complete confidence."
"As with all complex precision-engineered products, there is always a chance that a tiny percentage of product may exhibit a fault," said Verrey, adding, "This is TOTALLY normal and not at all unexpected. Usually this is due to circumstances beyond our control but this does NOT mean that there is any kind of inherent fault with the design or manufacture of the product." Verrey advises all customers who have encountered a problem to contact Mad Catz directly for a repair (visit this link for Mad Catz warranty information).
For those that already have a standard FightStick, have you experienced similar problems?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Spike @ Feb 16th 2009 5:15PM
i KNEW mad catz couldn't make a working peripheral
flanker22 @ Feb 16th 2009 5:47PM
mad catz strikes again.
dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Feb 16th 2009 6:06PM
I got downvoted for telling people the same shit some weeks ago.
Maybe now you can hope for the best... and brace for the worst.
7egend @ Feb 17th 2009 2:16PM
I have never bought anything from MadCatz that was of any value. Heres to hoping MS and Sony release a fight stick controller for their consoles. I know I would love to have a sleek black FightStick with pretty little triangles and squares on the buttons.
DCBlack @ Feb 17th 2009 1:28AM
I don't have one and don't plan on getting one, but just thinking long back to the old days when I used to frequent arcades...wouldn't Mad Catz actually be making an authentic arcade experience by making an arcade style controller that sticks in various places and at times doesn't register? Happened to me all the time because of people's spilled soda and whatnot...
kobebryunt @ Feb 16th 2009 5:15PM
I thought Madcatz got their act together. Here's hoping my TE stick isn't affected
Evi1d33d @ Feb 16th 2009 5:15PM
It's MadCatz, what did you expect?
Sanwa parts or GTFO.
InfinityPlusOne @ Feb 16th 2009 5:20PM
Uh... They ARE using Sanwa parts.
Richard Mitchell @ Feb 16th 2009 5:28PM
Actually, these problems are affecting the standard FightStick, which does not use Sanwa parts. It's the Tournament edition FightStick that has Sanwa parts.
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Feb 16th 2009 5:40PM
I agree ive never used anything from madcatz that worked properly. maybe the z in the name makes is suckz.
Xeones25 @ Feb 16th 2009 6:11PM
I was going to say the same thing minus the Sanwa part.
Madcatz makes horrible products. I had a Madcatz N64 controller and it broke within a month, complete piece of crap.
Foetoid @ Feb 16th 2009 5:16PM
They just don't make em like they used to...
Strategy_Panda @ Feb 16th 2009 5:41PM
except it sounds like they are, in fact, making them like they used to
o.0
Dave @ Feb 16th 2009 6:38PM
No, they aren't making them like they used to. The Panther XL was the best FPS controller that has ever existed...and it was made by MadCatz. Look it up and you'll see that there are still dedicated users of this controller out there. Too bad they never made a USB version.
lee @ Feb 16th 2009 5:18PM
what do you expect from madcatz?
its probs held together by chewing gum and the buttons are made of bottle caps
Spike @ Feb 16th 2009 5:30PM
store-brand bottle caps at that
nakedatthecomp @ Feb 16th 2009 5:20PM
Well obviously... EVERYTHING I've owned by Madcatz have all broken soon after I got 'em, and some didn't even work out of the box. I'm never buying anything from them again, and I've told lots of friends not to, either. Congrats guys, maybe that'll teach you to test your crappy peripherals before shipping them out.
Shadsy @ Feb 16th 2009 5:21PM
So it doesn't work for one person. Their explanation is totally understandable. When anything gets released in big numbers, even if 15 people have problems with it, those are the big "CONSUMER SCAM REPORT" stories that go up on all the blogs.
Popfrogs @ Feb 16th 2009 9:12PM
...says the Madcatz employee.
ganz @ Feb 16th 2009 5:25PM
Anything I've ever owned from mad cats has broken.
Duke @ Feb 16th 2009 6:02PM
And strangely, everything my mad cats have ever "owned" have been broken. Hmmmmm
Strategy_Panda @ Feb 16th 2009 8:29PM
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Danny F. @ Feb 16th 2009 5:24PM
"This is TOTALLY normal and not at all unexpected. Usually this is due to circumstances beyond our control but this does NOT mean that there is any kind of inherent fault with the design or manufacture of the product."
But of course!! We all like to buy products to find defects on it to be compleeetely normal..... Hopefully its a very small handfull that are experiencing this, though if it continues then it's obvious they have a problem with the manufacturing process that they say is not related to the issue... lol
Norm @ Feb 16th 2009 6:38PM
My TE Stick is fine. I did have a problem with my standard edition fightstick not registering button presses though. I replaced the buttons with sanwa parts, so basically it works just as well as the TE stick. I'm happy with the quality, seems like it will be much more reliable than my Hori stick, which didn't last me a month!
Oh, BTW - the pictured stick does NOT use sanwa parts-though it's VERY easy to replace both the stick and buttons with Sanwa.
HamalSharatan @ Feb 16th 2009 9:34PM
Where would be the cheapest place to get those buttons and how much are they?
Vidikron @ Feb 16th 2009 11:04PM
http://lizardlick.com/
allen @ Feb 17th 2009 11:54AM
The problem is that if you want to replace the parts in the standard madcatz stick with Sanwa parts you're looking at:
8 x $3.50 for the OSBN-30 push buttons
and I think lizardlick has the Sanwa JLF sticks for $25?
add on $5 for shipping and you've just bought yourself a slightly cheaper smaller TE stick with a voided warranty.
Norm @ Feb 17th 2009 12:02PM
I already have tons of parts so it's fine with me. You have a valid point though- it's more effective to go with a good custom stick, although for the ease of use, buying the madcatz stick is the easy option. The quick disconnects are easy to pop off and place on the new stuff, no soldering involved.
I got a good deal on parts from akihabarashop.jp, but lizardlick is a great site for parts for those in the states.
juangrande386 @ Feb 16th 2009 5:24PM
Oh madcatz will you ever make good products, ill just use my Hori EX2 controller thank you very much
Ravnos @ Feb 16th 2009 7:29PM
Does Hori make a controller for the 360 comparable to the FightPad? I want a controller for 2D Live Arcade games, too, not just Street Fighter 4.
WiNG [XBL&Steam: WiNGSPANTT] from lifeinagame.com @ Feb 16th 2009 5:28PM
Madcatz always sucked and always will suck. If you buy a product from them, prepare for it to suck.
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Feb 16th 2009 5:42PM
you mean suckz.
Bran @ Feb 16th 2009 5:36PM
hey, yea, I was noticing the number of forum posts popping up in places about people's SFIV fight pads not being so hot.
Wubbytoes @ Feb 16th 2009 5:31PM
Now that's more like it! It is the same ol' Mad Catz that we all know and love after all!
psaumur @ Feb 16th 2009 5:33PM
Shoryuken ?? Shoryu-Can't !
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Feb 16th 2009 5:42PM
win.
nil @ Feb 16th 2009 5:49PM
Or a hadou-can't.
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Feb 16th 2009 6:22PM
groan...
Ghen @ Feb 17th 2009 6:50AM
lol ;)
dphizzle @ Mar 17th 2009 11:51PM
no can , do ken?
Jeff @ Feb 16th 2009 5:37PM
don't trust companies that end with Z's
NGF @ Feb 16th 2009 5:38PM
The FightPads have serious problems too in almost 50% of the shipment, at least. It's sad, I had finally started to get faith in Mad Catz, but this is pretty inexcusable
Eggman @ Feb 16th 2009 7:13PM
Uh...what problems? I haven't seen anything. If you're talking about the one guy on gamefaqs complaining about how he's terrible at diagonals with it in Virtua Fighter 5, that isn't a problem.
The FightPad has zero problems and I know that for a fact.
Chase @ Feb 16th 2009 7:20PM
I agree with Eggman. I have used my FightPad quite a bit over the last four days, and it has operated well the entire time. =/
NGF @ Feb 16th 2009 8:01PM
Chiefly, there's been reports of huge problems with the diagonals not registering, aproblem mine suffers from as well
Eggman @ Feb 16th 2009 9:09PM
The diagonal thing isn't a problem. That's how the controllers work. They still work 100% fine. I can still crouch-dash and blah blah blah every move in VF5 just like I normally do.
People are just trying to find something, anything, to pick at.
NGF @ Feb 16th 2009 9:39PM
Diagonals not registering is not how a pad works, and if it is, it's a shitty pad. Hell, the standard 360 pad works better than the pad I ahve a(and the second one I got on an exchange) and the others apparnetly going around.
Amath @ Feb 16th 2009 5:38PM
I seem to be having no problems right now with mine, very happy with it
Works great with SFIIHD and my emulators on the pc.
FreshJulius @ Feb 16th 2009 5:40PM
My NES Advatage works pretty well with SFIV, but I can only seem to do slow shoyukens and quick kicks... what gives!?
tmmoore_nc @ Feb 16th 2009 5:41PM
Yeah, I've been having problems with the FightPad as well. About 20-30% of the time, the d-pad does not recognize my action.