Fighting games have seen a huge resurgence in recent years, especially with the boom in the competitive scene.
Most fighting games including the likes of Street Fighter, Tekken and King of Fighters began their legacy in arcades but now find themselves on home consoles.
Even though most fighters were designed to work with Arcade controls, home controllers will still do the job.
Although more and more fighting game purists are opting to use an arcade stick in an attempt to master these titles as they were originally intended.
Arcade sticks do offer obvious advantages, with their superior button layout and responsive joysticks that allow for easier input commands.
With this demand for arcade sticks, a lot of video game companies who make third party products have added them to the roster of controllers.
Nacon is one of these companies, which are known for their high-quality controllers that offer that extra quality of build and intuitive functionality like the Nacon Revolution X Pro.
Meaning it only made sense that they join the likes of Mad Katz and Hori to release an arcade stick but put their own unique spin on its design and function.
Nacon’s Daija Arcade Stick was originally released in 2018 for the Playstation 4 and PC, since then the company has announced that they will release an updated version for the Playstation 5.
But to allow gamers to maximise the use out of the 2018 model, Nacon has updated the system so it now runs on the Playstation 5.
Before the release of the latest model, we wanted to test how the current model runs on the Playstation 5.
Developed in collaboration with pro fighting game player Marie-Laure ‘Kayane’ Norindr, it's clear to see that Nacon were going for a premium fight stick for competitive use.
The first thing players will notice is how robust the fight stick feels, and thanks to a metal plate in the bottom panel it weighs a hefty couple of kilograms that keeps the controller grounded and stable during play.
But this is ideal as it was secure during my entire time with it. The excellent build extends to the un-cluttered surface which has enough space so I can plant my arms at either side of the buttons.
I wasn’t worried about causing any damage by leaning on it too much as the surface is super sturdy and didn’t pick up any scuffs
The Daija Arcade Stick has eight buttons and a joystick on the top which give players full control of their gaming.
It features extra controls at the side which will include buttons like the touchpad, the home button, start buttons and more.
Although I would have preferred them to be placed at the top as this will prevent any random unwanted button press. It uses an industry-standard Sanwa stick that feels so robust and withstood my combative playstyle.
It comes with an extra stick head, so whether you are a fan of a Ball Top or Bat top it has you covered.
The Daija was built with customisation in mind, and players will be able to pop the lid up and change the buttons with ease while following the colour-coded instructions.
Another great feature is that players will also be able to place their own artwork by simply unscrewing the plastic cover and placing a new design. A screwdriver is also provided, which can be found inside the stick.
This is amazing as gamers won’t have to fiddle around with moving buttons. Nacon even has a downloadable template on their webpage to get the sizing right.
The Daija connected to my Playstation 5 straight out of the box via a USB cable, my only issue is that the cable isn’t detachable which means you have to pack it away in the safety compartment when not using it.
I tried the Daija Arcade Stick on several games including Guilty Gear Strive, Granblue Fantasy, The King Of Fighters XV, Street Fighter V and a few more.
It performed perfectly with the different speeds and styles of gameplay, I didn’t experience any input lag either.
Verdict
The Nacon Daija Arcade Stick has a great build and performs like a champ, it truly shines as one of the better devices on the market.
Its study and smart design allowed me to play the games how vigorously I wanted without worrying about wear and tear.
It is truly a remarkable fighter stick that will make a great companion for any fan of the genre.
The Nacon Daija Arcade Stick is out now
