Pelican Wireless Arcade Stick

For fighting and other arcade-style games, there is nothing like having a joystick in your hand. Sure, standard controllers get the job done, but real fight fans know that for the best gameplay experience you need an arcade stick. Pelican has stepped up and delivered a full-featured stick for a great price. It is not only wireless and compatible with both Xbox and PS2, but it also works really well.

I started my Mad Catz MC2 Universal Wheel review off with a warning about how steering wheels don’t usually improve your performance. They are fun to use, but don’t expect to burn up the track right off the bat. Arcade sticks, on the other hand, actually can improve your performance. Controllers do a good job, but they can’t match the precision you get from an arcade stick and for serious fighting game fans, a good stick is pretty much necessary to really get the most out of your games. Whether or not you need an arcade stick depends on the type of gamer you are. It has to be said that a casual gamer likely won’t be able to tell the difference in control so it isn’t really necessary for them to have a stick. If, however, you are anxiously awaiting the Xbox release of Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, own three or more of the following games (DOA 3, DOA Ultimate, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, Mortal Kombat: Deception, Midway Arcade Treasures 1 and 2, Tekken 4/ Tag, Virtua Fighter 4 Evo, or Soul Calibur II), or have spent $50 or more on one game in an actual arcade, then an arcade stick is definitely for you. If you don’t meet these criteria you probably don't need an arcade stick.

If you are among the hardcore crowd, then the Pelican Wireless Arcade Stick is definitely something you should consider. It is compatible with both the Xbox and PS2, so for multi-console gamers this is a great value. Best of all, it is wireless and has a range of up to 50 feet. Now you can kick back with your favorite fighting game and not have to worry about messy cables. You just plug the transmitter into your PS2 or Xbox, then turn on the base unit and press a couple of buttons to form a connection and off you go. It takes 4 AA batteries and Pelican claims you can get up to 200 hours of playtime from just one set. I haven’t played nearly that much, but if it lasts even a quarter of that estimate it will be outstanding as far as I’m concerned. The whole unit only weights a couple of pounds and has little rubber feet to keep it from sliding on a table, but the bottom is flat so it is very comfortable to just sit it in your lap as you play. Other features include a nice rubber pad for the heel of your hand to rest on and the overall design is very comfortable. It is also very solidly built and the shaft of the stick is made of actual metal, so I think that it will hold up well in intense gaming sessions.

All of those features are meaningless if it doesn’t perform, though, and I am happy to say that the Wireless Arcade Stick has met and even exceeded my expectations. I would say that I’m good at fighting games, not tournament caliber but good, and the stick has done everything I have asked of it very smoothly and very precisely. If you are one of those people that has arcade sticks custom made and have to have everything perfect then this stick probably isn’t for you, but for the vast majority of fighting game fans I think that the Wireless Arcade Stick will be just what the doctor ordered. The stick itself has a ball type top that is 1 ½ inches in diameter. There are eight buttons on the unit where the four face buttons (A,B,X,Y for Xbox and X, Circle, Square, Triangle for PS2) are in the middle with the shoulder buttons and/or black and white buttons off to each side of the four main buttons. The buttons are all ¾ of an inch in diameter and are fanned out in such a way that your fingers naturally fall on them. Everything is right where you expect it to be and it is very easy and comfortable to use. It has performed very well with every game I tried and instances where connection was lost were few and very far between.

Overall, the Wireless Arcade Stick from Pelican is a solid purchase if you are a big fighting game fan. It also works great with arcade game compilations and is a great way to get the arcade experience without actually going to the arcade. The stick is easy to set up and has worked great with every game that we tested on it. The $40 price tag is very attractive considering that this stick is wireless and works with both the Xbox and PS2. It isn’t really for the low end (casual gamers who don’t need something like this) or the high end (very skilled players who are willing to pay a lot more for a stick), but there are a lot of us in the middle that will really appreciate everything that the Pelican Wireless Arcade Stick brings to the table. I highly recommend it.