FIGHTING COMMANDER 4
This is basically the Fighting Commander 3 Pro with added PS4 support. It retains the exact same design and features as before. The only difference being the Start and Select buttons getting replaced by Options and Share. Like most 3rd party controllers, it has no mic port and trackpad.
Despite being quite bulky, the controller is very lightweight, not because it was made with cheap parts, but because it has no internal battery and vibration. The left side of the controller is slightly longer than the right and it gives you a solid grip. As far as fight pads are concerned, this is by far the most comfortable one to hold.
It comes with a traditional cross shaped d-pad. It's very smooth, you shouldn't get any blister after long periods of gaming. However, it does feel a bit slippery when your thumb is sweating. The d-pad is ideal for fighting games that have special moves requiring simple inputs, it handles quarter circle motions and charge attacks very well. I found the d-pad not as effective for fighting games like Guilty Gear XRD and The King If Fighters XIII, games that have more half circle motions.
They made the d-pad adjustable, that might seems like a good thing at first, but it does lead to problems afterwards. Diagonals sensitivity is useless to me, there are 3 settings (Stiff, Normal and Loose). First off, the d-pad is unusable when sets on ''Stiff''. Set it on ''Normal'' if you need more precision or ''Loose'' if your prefer a floaty d-pad, mine is always on loose.
There's a switch allowing the d-pad to emulate the left analog stick if you need to do that for some reasons.
You can also rotate the d-pad to either direction, up to 20°. There's a lock below the d-pad that keeps it in place after adjustments have been made, you do that by turning the lock all the way to the right. I've never used that feature, I like to have my d-pad properly centered. After a while, I started noticing that the d-pad was rotating a little bit to the right on its own and that used to bug me.
The rubber membrane under the d-pad breaks off after heavy use. I wouldn't suggest you this controller if you're not willing to buy another one after a few months. I went through 4 Fighting Commander Pro in 2 years.
http://forums.shoryuken.com/discussion/186826/suitable-conductive-contact-rubber-pad-replacement-on-the-hori-fighting-commander-pro-3-dpad
Mortal Kombat (2011) got me back into fighting games, I had not been so passionate about one since The King Of Fighters XI and Capcom VS SNK 2. In fact, it was the main reason why I finally bought a PS3. I didn't like playing with the DualShock 3, I thought the d-pad was too stiff and I just didn't like the trigger shaped shoulder buttons. Rain was my most played character at that time and I was having trouble doing his b2, 1+2 string constantly, because my thumb wasn't big enough to press 2 buttons simultaneously. I needed a controller that would fix those problems and the FC3 Pro did.
There are 6 large buttons on the face with just the right amount of space between them, I rarely found myself pressing the wrong ones. You can play using only your thumb or 3 fingers claw-style. I must point out that I don't always use the default controls in every game. For example, I like having the last 2 buttons on each row on the front as my main attacks buttons in MK9 and GG XRD, I do that with every 6 button controller though.
The shoulder buttons are square-ish, I'd compare them to those on a DualShock 2, maybe not as thick. There's a switch at the top allowing you to reverse the shoulder buttons, meaning that you can now have your L1 and L2 on the right instead, making it possible for your right hand to reach all the buttons.
The buttons may not be first party quality, but they held up pretty well. You have to be really rough with them to get them to stick. Turbo mode can be enabled for all the buttons.
The FC4 is a good alternative to the DualShock 4 if you're looking for a controller better suited for fighters. It does have its own set of problems. I felt like Hori went a bit too far with all the customizable features. At the end of the day, I just want something responsive, ergonomic and durable.
I will review the MKX PDP Pad when I get it. In the meantime, check out my other fightpads here
http://testyourmight.com/threads/my-fightpad-collection.45892/
