FGC: Are Hitboxes cheating? Past, present, and future of Button Controllers
sportskeeda.comThe FGC is a little sub-group of gaming fans with a particular fascination with the tech used to compete. From deliberately broken GameCube Controllers for Melee tournaments to painstakingly constructed fight sticks, controllers are a hot topic for the community.
The fightstick has been a central part of the fighting game experience for as long as competitive Street Fighter has existed. New tech occasionally comes along and completely changes up the scene. Though it's far from new, the all-button fight pad has been causing something of a stir throughout the community, prompting accusations of cheating from some.
Early game consoles didn't have the power to faithfully recreate the experience of playing at the arcade. This issue gradually led to the development of home-use joysticks for various home systems.
One of the most notable moments was SNK's Neo-Geo in the early 90s. As an SNK console, that system was dominated by games like King of Fighters and Fatal Fury.
The most significant leap forward came in 2008, when Mad Cats created the Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition. This was the first fightstick available in North America to feature real arcade parts.
Two years later, Dustin and Shawn Huffer formed a company called HitBoxArcade. Their central products were the HitBox and the SmashBox, designed for the Smash Bros. community.
The USP of both controllers is that they feature no joystick. Directional inputs are achieved with buttons. This allows for specific unique techniques that would otherwise be impossible.
In May 2019, Daigo Umehara, one of the best-known FGC players, courted controversy using a HitBox-style controller. Borrowing a design from fellow Street Fighter pro Gafro, Daigo raised concerns when he
Read more on sportskeeda.com
