Customer Reviews

Real Arcade Pro V3 SA

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The build is of decent quality, doesn't feel cheap for the price at all. Works fine right out of box, plug and play. All buttons and stick have the same arcade stick feel. Best money I've spent. Local store has the Mad Catz SF IV TE stick, but the design looks childish, looks like its trying too hard in terms of looks and actually turns me off. I like the simplistic tone on the Hori stick.

Only wish it was maybe a couple of lbs heavier, otherwise it's been a joy to use.

This was a really great stick! This is my first fighting stick ever and I am happy it is. It feels pretty sturdy and the buttons response is great. Plus the item came 1 day earlier then expected which was awesome.

I've been playing fighting games for many years but never once owned a fight stick. Then I decided to take the plunge and buy the Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 SA, and I don't regret it one bit. It feels sturdy, the buttons and stick are responsive, and overall it just feels like a great product. It has a good weight to it that makes it feel durable but also comfortable to use on the lap. It has a turbo function for every button and a handy cable compartment on the back. It also has little "wings" on the sides that let you pick it up and carry it easily. I don't have a lot of experience with other brands but I have tried a friend's Madcatz TE (which is well regarded) and I think the HRAP V3 SA performs comparably. As a first time fight stick owner, I think this product is well worth the price!

I think this fight stick is pretty sweet. I'm not a pro or anything I just love playing fighting games the way they were meant to be played. This is the cheapest one out of the higher quality controllers I've seen. It seems to sell out fast and take months to restock to snag one while they are available or by the time you get one for the game you want to play the super alpha championship version of the game is already out.

This is my first purchase and my first arcade stick. Not necessarily the best idea, I know, but I only wanted to spend money for one arcade stick and make it a good one.

This is a really good stick, especially for its price. Other than the square gate (which will probably take a long time for me to get used to), everything else is in working order and lives up to its reputation. Buttons are responsive, turbo function is always nice, and cable is reasonably long (and just long enough for my room, actually). I plan to take the square gate out for an octagonal gate at some point, but I'll keep the sqaure gate around for a bit longer. It's only my first day!

Update Jan 25th 2012: My second week of owning the stick. I'm slowly getting used to the awkward square gate. After playigng around with my GCN Controllers and my Classic Controller Pro (both of which have an amazing feel, and restrict their sticks to 8 directions), I think I'll eventually replace the square gate with an octagonal one. It's still a really good stick, and I don't think it'll fall apart anytime soon.

I own both this and the VX SA. While they have taken some getting used to, I can say without a doubt that this is the way fighting games are meant to be played. The stick and buttons are very responsive, and once you've settled on a grip and whether you will play either with the Japanese curved layout or the American style straight layout you're good to go. Just a warning for those who are accustomed to American style octagonal gates - this stick uses a square gate, which may make circular motions challenging for some. Fortunately if you so choose this can easily be changed, as can all the buttons and the balltop.

Beyond all this, owning a fight stick does not automatically make you good at fighting games. If you've never used one before you need a lot of practice. Stick with it and the results will be very rewarding.

I've been using this stick for a couple of days now and it's simply put amazing. The buttons as well as the joystick are all Sanwa-parts so you know they will last long while keeping their accuracy during the run. The stick feels very precise and nailing any sort of move is a breeze compared to that piece of junk Madcatz SE stick one of my friend has. It also feels durable and appear to be made of tough plastic. The weight of the stick is good but looking at it you'd think it's much heavier. The rubber stand are screwed in the chassis so they probably will never wear off the case. There is also a wire compartment in the back of the stick to make it easier to transport this big toy around. My only gripe at first was that the start button was too close from the others buttons but now that I feel less stressed executing my combos, I don't mash it by error anymore so it's all good. Overall I am incredibly surprised with this one as I expected something good but it turned out awesome. I can now execute commands I could only wish I did before.

I will probably order a Madcatz TE stick in order to compare them both and see how it goes.

UPDATE:
FEB 18 2011
Today the stick pretty much died.
It does light up when plugged in at times, but it won't work at all.
Stick and buttons all don't work.
Will be returning the stick on Tuesday after Family day (Monday)
Thankfully, Amazon has amazing return/exchange policies.

FEB 16 2011
After playing it for about 10 hours on solely Marvel 3, it started having problems.
It wouldn't start up a couple of times, it would also freeze on inputs.
I might've gotten a lemon =\

FEB 15 2011
I've owned 2 V3 SAs, the original and this re-release.
They're both identical and they're both well made.
I'm actually more fond of the HRAP model of premium arcade sticks (I've also owned an EX and VLX) compared to the Madcatz TE sticks (I've owned a couple of TE RD1s and I have a Chun-Li S stick)

All premium sticks HRAP, Madcatz, Qanba, etc. All have Sanwa parts, the same exact layout other then the start button placement.
They're all practically the same, 'cept for the shell of the stick and design. I prefer the newer HRAP sticks and I do like how light-weight the V3 is for it's model/case, but I do prefer the VLX if I had to choose from all the sticks that I've ever owned.

The only thing I wish the V3 SA had was a longer USB cord, it's a bit shorter compared to the Madcatz TE sticks.
Other then that, the V3's been good so far. Everything is working flawlessly out of the box, buttons are extremely responsive, JLF square-gate (4gate) is great. Very easy to transport if necessary. (Tournaments, casuals, etc)

I would recommend this arcade stick to everyone who's looking for an amazing, affordable, light-weight and fully-loaded arcade stick.

The Hori RAP V3 SA is an excellently crafted arcade stick that will provide a durable and authentic alternative to playing at an actual arcade machine. It's got toggles for turbo settings (a separate one for each key, no less) and is made from real Sanwa parts. The storage compartment in the back for the USB cable is an excellent touch, making this a great stick to bring with you to a friend's home or to tournaments. The buttons are responsive and feel great when tapping out combos. All in all, a great looking, feeling, and playing stick that's worth every penny. You can expect to find similar sticks (in terms of build quality) for roughly 150% of the price of the Hori RAP V3 SA, so you're not going to find a better mid-high end fight stick for any cheaper than this!

The Hori RAP V3 was a great pick up! This was my first real arcade stick and I wasn't fully sure if I would be getting my money's worth. All of my doubts ended as soon as I got it out of the box. The RAP V3 is sturdy and of a solid make. The buttons feel and play great and the hardware in general is excellent, worthy of the Hori name. The stick itself has eight distinct positions and there is a small clicking noise as it moves. As a new comer to fighters the positional clicks really have helped me get a feel for the stick movements and it has developed my muscle memory. All in all I felt that the RAP was a good pick up. While it is on the pricey side the quality truly seems to have been worth it. It only took five days to show up :3 Happy Shoryukens