Month: August 2017

A silent stick that feels like it isn’t.

For some players, the loud click of joystick microswitches is part of the arcade stick experience; for others, that same clicking is a constant annoyance. There’s a bit of a niche market for the latter group, offering levers and pushbutton pads to quiet those noisy fightsticks down. There’s a strategic motivation as well: some opponents may be paying attention to your inputs as you play, and the sounds your controller makes only aids that approach — although that’s more a concern for the pushbuttons, rather than the lever.

Sanwa Denshi, a longtime arcade parts manufacturer and fan-favorite of the FGC, is usually the company that provides those noisy arcade components for your higher-end fightstick — commonly used by Qanba and Razer, and formerly MadCatz. They’re durable, reliable parts that generally justify their ubiquity. But Sanwa Denshi themselves have tried to offer noiseless levers for those interested, utilizing both optical technology and silent microswitches to accomplish the desired result. However, these prior levers have sacrificed the tactile resistance of the classic Sanwa microswitches in exchange for their silence; that’s where the latest 3rd generation silent JLF lever comes in.

Too little resistance in a lever can really throw your inputs off. You need to be able to feel that your execution is where it should be, especially without auditory feedback! So, the goal: offer a silent joystick that feels just like the good ol’ clicky ones. And Sanwa’s new “high tension” lever accomplishes exactly that.

Now, as a player, I didn’t consciously rely on the sound of my lever’s microswitches to aid my execution. So I didn’t think I would really notice any difference. But after installing the 3rd Generation Silent JLF sample (provided by Arcade Shock) in our HORI RAP.N, I was in for a bit of a surprise.

Installation was simple: it’s a Sanwa Denshi JLF in all regards except the new switches, so it’ll fit wherever you can mount a JLF without any modification, and has the usual five-pin connector. It’ll pop right into most HORI, Qanba, Razer, and MadCatz cases with no fuss.

In testing the lever, I was actually taken aback by the absence of the microswitch noise. The lever feels exactly like a typical JLF: same resistance, same springiness, same range of motion (using a default square gate) — but without the clicks, it was just… spooky! The joystick is effectively noiseless, save for the base of the lever itself hitting the gate edges. How much noise that makes will vary based on how rough you are with your lever, and how well sound carries through the inside of your fightstick’s case.

I tried playing Street Fighter V and Tekken 7 with the silent JLF installed, and as soon as I stopped being weirded out by the lack of sound, there was no perceivable difference in performance. It felt exactly like using a standard Sanwa JLF lever. You can hear the difference as demonstrated in Lemagicdude’s video below:

Is this lever for you? If you’re in the market to quiet down your fightstick, absolutely. The cost is significantly higher than a standard JLF however, currently $54.99 USD at Arcade Shock, as opposed to a mere twenty bucks for a basic JLF. Replacement gates (if you prefer an octagonal or circular gate) will fit on this model the same way they would on the basic JLF. You could even still use Phreakmods’ The Link custom shaft with this lever. Those a bit handier in their modding experience — and willing to drop about another fifty in extra cash — may instead want to look at the high customizablity of Paradise Arcade Shop’s “Project Magenta” optical lever; the extra work and cost will offer many more options in return. But if you like the feel and performance of a Sanwa JLF, this is a fairly economical and satisfactory option.

Pros:

• Easy installation
• Microswitches are completely silent, as advertised
• Identical performance to the standard JLF model, with the same parts/installation compatibility

Cons:

• Costs more than double the price of a standard JLF model

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Additional source: Lemagicdude via Arcade Shock

Gamescom 2017 has been an extremely newsworthy event for fans of the upcoming Dragon Ball FighterZ. We received a new gameplay trailer showing off new challengers Krillin, Piccolo, Android 16, and Android 18; we also got our first glimpse at the game’s original, “forbidden” story mode, in which it appears an army of android clones of the Z Warriors — seemingly lead by a revived 16 — have to come to exterminate our heroes (and possibly our villains). We also learned that the title will be released in February 2018, and will be receiving both a CollectorZ Edition and a second open beta test (geared towards stress-testing Bandai Namco’s servers for the game, while the initial closed beta will focus more on balance testing).

After an extremely hype ESL tournament, Bandai Namco Entertainment revealed our first look at gameplay for two more new characters, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Goku and Vegeta.

After the events of Battle of Gods, the last two pure-blooded Saiyan warriors have both internalized the divine power of the legendary Super Saiyan God form, becoming Super Saiyan God Super Saiyans, or “Super Saiyan Blue,” as Whis dubbed them. These alternate forms of Goku and Vegeta take up their own character slots, similar to Evil Ryu and Oni in Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, or their previous appearance in Extreme Butoden for the 3DS. Boasting unique normal and special attacks, these two Saiyan deities will play extremely differently than their original Super Saiyan counterparts. They even boast unique Meteor Attacks, in the form of the Kaioken X10 God Kamehameha and the Final Flash Attack, a single punch infused with the full power of a Final Flash — recently used against Goku Black in the Future Trunks Arc of Dragon Ball Super. Translations of the latest Jump scans reveal that SSB Goku has a move for every situation, including a Command Grab and an aerial rushing attack, but is so blindingly fast that he may be difficult to properly control. While SSB Vegeta foregoes any sort of defensive options to specialize in a powerful offense that includes extremely strong striking attacks, along with smashing his enemies into the ground, giving me the impression he could be the Akuma or Millia Rage of DBFZ. Given the developers commitment to having no clone characters in the roster, it’s likely that the SSB forms will not completely outclass base Super Saiyan Goku and Vegeta. You can see the full trailer for yourself below.

Source: Rhymestyle

By looking at the gameplay footage captured at Gamescom, we’ve got some idea of how Android 16 will play in Dragon Ball FighterZ, but we’ve seen very little of him since he and the androids were first announced. Fortunately, Max was able to get a hold of him at Gamescom, and provide this comprehensive breakdown video for the jolly green robotic giant.

Since Android 16 is a heavy-hitter with a pro wrestler’s physique, it comes as no surprise that he is a grappler, and he’s got more than a few satisfying command grabs up his detachable sleeves. Max describes 16 as a “hybrid grappler,” — a well-rounder and his favorite character so far — and from the footage provided, it’s not hard to see why.

Arc System Works has been complimented on their eye for detail when it comes to matching this game’s characters with their anime and manga counterparts. Just like every other character that’s been revealed so far, Dragon Ball FighterZ‘s version of Android 16 has some of the same iconic moves that made him popular in the beloved Dragon Ball series.

Check out Max’s breakdown below to get a good look at his full arsenal of attacks, and if you’ve yet to experience it, check out the new gameplay footage of the androids, Piccolo, and Krillin from Gamescom 2017.

Woolie also breaks down Android 16 in this video via Bandai Namco Entertainment:

Sources: Maximillian Dood; Bandai Namco Entertainment America