#SoITried Leverless Controller: How Does It Compare to Your Regular Fight Stick

After trying out a lever fight stick and constantly massaging my wrists from awkward claw grips, I figured I’d give something else a shot—something like the leverless fight stick. You know, the one where all movement is done through buttons instead of a joystick. To my surprise, the shift was… surprisingly natural.

When I say “natural,” I don’t mean I was suddenly hitting my strings like a beast. I mean, the layout just felt familiar—almost like typing on a keyboard. There were no awkward wrist angles, no joystick travel, just quick taps. Right from the start, my hands felt more relaxed. It didn’t feel like I was fighting the controller anymore, just to fight in the game.

But to share with you honestly, it wasn’t all sunshine. There’s one quirk that tripped me up…HARD; the jump button placement. In a leverless setup, the “up” input (used for jumping or specific directional attacks) is typically at the bottom of the directional cluster. And in my first few days, my brain just refused to acknowledge it. I play Azucena in Tekken 8, and she has this up-input counter punch. I was thinking of doing the move. I knew the situation called for it. But muscle memory? Gone. The input just never came out.

From Bandai Namco Official GIPHY

Still, after a week or so, it started clicking. My accuracy improved, my fingers adapted, and soon I was climbing ranks like it was nothing. I even hit red ranks without the stress that came with a traditional stick. Yes, I still raged (this is Tekken 8, after all), but I wasn’t blaming the hardware anymore. It felt like the controller was finally helping me play—not holding me back.

Let’s talk about one thing that’s totally underrated: size. Leverless controllers are generally compact, and the one I used was smaller than my keyboard. After each session, I could easily slide it under my monitor riser, and it wouldn’t affect the cleanliness I have going on. 

From Loof and Timmy Official GIPHY

So, personal verdict? Well, I saw improvements, and it felt generally comfortable. If you’re thinking about trying it out, I say go for it. Just give your fingers and brain to recalibrate. 

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