Qanba Q4 RAF Review (PS3, 360, PC)

As someone whose been fairly big on fighting games for the past few years, I saw that it was finally time for me to get an arcade stick. I did some research, got recommendations, and my final choice was the Qanba Q4 Real Arcade Fightingstick. I thought that getting a stick would help me improve my skills and add a whole new experience to playing the game. While the choice in controller is all up to preference, the Qanba Q4 is definitely worth a look.

I decided that, in order to see just how well the stick worked, I'd need to get the most precise inputs possible, and be able to make sure it had no input lag. So I started up my good buddy, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus. Now, if you've ever played this game, you would know that it's near impossible to find any fighting game more mechanically advanced than it. Guilty Gear players are known for their incredibly precise inputs. To fully test the precision, I used 4 characters: Chipp, Jam, Potemkin, and Axl. Chipp is a mobility and speed based character, Jam is more of a rushdown, Potemkin is a grappler, and Axl is a charge character. It followed everyone's moves exactly. There were no problems at all. Hit confirming was just as easy on the stick, along with catching up and getting away from the enemy. Blocks responded perfectly; in fact, I think it's easier to block on the stick. There is literally nothing the stick doesn't do well in terms of inputs. As for lag, well, since I knew I could pretty much do everything I could before the stick, I set it to hard mode and fought my best. Now, I may not be amazing, but I'm still a good player. If there was any input lag, I would've lost immediately. Guilty Gear is nowhere near an easy game. The inputs had no lag whatsoever. Everything responded perfectly. In the tests of precision and lag, it passes with flying colors.

Now onto the stick itself. Let me tell ya, this stick is freakin' ~fancy~. First up is the awesome fact that it's triple-modded. Triple. Modded. This thing can work on the PS3, 360, and PC. No extra parts needed, just plug it in and you're good to go! Do I even have to say how cool this is? You don't have to worry about the console factor at all! Also, it already comes with Sanwa parts installed. So if you happen to prefer Japanese parts, you don't even have to mod the parts, aside from maybe replacing it's square restrictor gate with an octagonal one. So right there you've got a stick ready for anything with professional parts already installed, as opposed to others that are console specific and have those crappy generic buttons.

Now on to the extra stuff that just makes it more awesome. This stick has a felt bottom. That means it'll never move when you put it on your lap. It's also got a compartment for its cord so you don't have to wrap it around the stick all the time.

And that's not all. It's also got a carry handle. A carry handle. Do you know how cool that is?! Arcade sticks are insanely awkward to carry around! The handle makes it comfortable. Now you can carry it around wherever you go, like a fighting game businessman with a little suitcase about to give a presentation on the economics of whoopass.

 Also, if you don't like the design, you can change it whenever you want. You can take the plexiglass cover off, remove the artwork underneath it, and put in a new one! That's just plain cool. Though, I won't be doing that any time soon, since I actually like the design it has.

The only negative thing I can say about this controller is that the cord could be a little longer. If you're playing in your living room, or just a big room in general, you probably won't have a long enough cord to reach the system without moving something closer. Though, that's just a minor complaint.

Now I know exactly what you're thinking: "But Dan, for a stick this ~fancy~, there's got to be a catch, right? It's has to be at least $250, right?" Well you're completely wrong! This fantastic work of art is only $140. And if you're talking about prices for an arcade stick, that's a steal! There's also the Ice Blue and Ice Red versions, but they run more around $180, but that's just because the frame and buttons are made of translucent plastic, which is more expensive than solid colors. Just keep in mind that regardless of what version you get, there is no difference in quality.

I can't recommend the Qanba Q4 RAF enough. When it comes to arcade sticks, you get what you pay for. The Qanba Q4 goes far beyond that. Not only is it a high quality, ~fancy~ stick, but it's probably the most affordable one on the market. It's definitely worth a look next time you want to get an arcade stick.