If you want to up your Tekken 8 game, try this stickless controller

With the release of Tekken 8, I’ve been at a bit of a crossroads. I had no clue what controller I wanted to use to learn and beat the rest of the competition. A standard Xbox controller? PlayStation’s DualSense? A fightstick? Or maybe it’s time I looked to the future and tried out a hitbox controller? That last option is the one I’d ultimately go with, thanks to the Razer Kitsune.

Released last year, the Razer Kitsune is a hitbox-style fighting gamepad with no joystick. Its selling point is that it is sleeker than most hitbox controllers on the market and features high-quality buttons. It’s a great option for those who love that style of control, but don’t love carrying around a big, boxy gamepad. The true question, though, was whether or not I would prefer it over a classic gamepad, my Tekken comfort zone. I decided to take on a fighting game gauntlet with a day of matches with my little brother in just about every fighter I own to find out.

What is a hitbox controller?

A hitbox controller is a stickless arcade pad. It retains all the classic attack buttons but replaces the directional stick with buttons. I would compare it to playing on a keyboard but with more comfortable buttons to press and the up button placed where your thumbs rest. You may have heard of it a few times due to the controversy it causes in the fighting game community over it being the “easy way” to play fighting games.

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While this isn’t quite the “cheatbox” many call it, hitbox controllers offer plenty of advantages over gamepads and traditional arcade sticks. That’s because replacing a directional stick with buttons gives you more precise control over movements. While you may mistakenly hit an extra corner when doing a special move or going for advanced movement in a game on a stick, a hitbox allows you to simply press the directions instead of moving