Should I get a Hit Box ?

[Beuzer0]

Hi,

I'm currently questioning myself about getting a Hit Box, but I didn't try one and the price makes me hesitate, so I am relying on Hit Box users to help me decide.

The reasons I am thinking about buying one are:
- I still miss some quarter circles and DP on the stick, as a result I sometimes miss doing a DHC, a double snap, etc. and while I get better with time, it's still annoying.
- I have a terrible time doing motions on other games, like double quarter circles, double half circles, or half circle backward then forward on Guilty Gear. And i wonder if a Hit Box would help me to do these inputs easily.
- Doing motions on the stick to a side is harder for me than another: I find it harder to do QC & DP to the right and I have to put more effort on my arm for this purpose.
- After a day full of playing fighting games, I fear I might be forcing on my left wrist. I honestly don't know if I am taking any risks, but as I am really concerned about this question, I don't want to do any harm on my wrist because of fighting games on the long term (actually, this point alone could make me decide to get one)
- I also wonder if having smaller buttons would be more helpful for combos. I often miss Fortune's j.HP>ADC>j.HP despite a lot of training. I actually don't have very long fingers (mine are usually smaller than other men) so I wonder if smaller buttons would more do the trick. Also, I guess it would be possible to do air dashes with the left hand very easily on a HBox.

Are those points relevant, does a Hitbox really helps doing flawless motions? Are the small buttons really handy? How long does it takes to get used to it, especially with jumping with your thumb?

(bonus question: this looks also nice for playing Metal Slug, isn't it?)

 

[DukeMagus]

Hitboxes won't make miracles. Many pro players get into tournament finals with standard dualshock controllers.

The ideal scenario would be testing multiple controllers for at least an hour each. A good arcade stick, a Hori FC3 (or a Madcatz Fightpad/Brawlpad)and then the hitbox.

 

[SanoBaron]

I'd say get a hitbox if it sounds like fun.
"optimal" doesn't mean "best for you"
I play on stick and controller, I can tell you personally, neither are optimal for me, it's just personal taste.

 

[Aden]

Controller preference really is just a preference thing, though Hitboxes are more optimal in theory when it comes to fighting games.

When I made the switch from stick it didn't take long at all and I was almost immediately better at doing certain things than I had ever been on a stick.

I think it's a really fun controller and would recommend it in general, but not because it will magically make you better, it requires practice too, same as anything.

And yes, Metal Slug plays fine with it.

Also, for help from someone else with one who can probably better explain things @Liam

 

[OP8]

A lot of your issues with a stick are also potentially problems with a hitbox.
I find motions like double quarter circles, half circles and Guilty Gear's 632146 motion to be more difficult on a hitbox. I also find certain moves more difficult to do when facing left. For example: when I'm doing DP's while facing right I'm using my middle and index finger. When facing left I'm using my middle finger and ring finger. I just have a little less dexterity with my ring finger than my index finger.
Also, I don't find the hitbox to be very comfortable. I don't think they put a lot of thought into the ergonomics of the controller. Holding the hitbox in my lap causes me to have an unhealthy wrist posture, and I can definitely notice it in my execution during long play sessions. It's not that big of a problem now, but when I first started I would feel the strain after about an hour.
I really like the small buttons. I use assist buttons in SG, and having those two buttons a little closer is a big help. Even in Guilty Gear. They just feel really nice.
The hitbox definitely doesn't give me flawless motions, but it does give me flawless directional inputs. As a Bedman player, that is absolutely crucial for his 8 way air movement and his 1/2/3 HS.
It doesn't really take all that long to get used to hitbox. There's definitely a learning curve, tho. I've heard a lot of people say that the transition periods for hitbox and stick are about the same.
I have a hitbox and a stick. I only use hitbox to play Bedman and SG. Bedman basically only has quarter circle moves, and SG doesn't have any half circle or double quarter circle moves. To me stick is just better for most of the common fighting game motions...and charge motions. I prefer to play charge characters with a stick (even tho hitbox is probably superior for charge motions).
You could easily set your keyboard up to mimic the hitbox layout to see if you like the feel of it. I learned SG on keyboard, and when I got my hitbox it was a very simple transition. You could also try an octagonal gate in your stick to see if that helps with your execution. It's one of the easiest, cheapest mods you can do. It helped me with my execution.

 

[Aden]

632146

This is the only one I have a problem with, @Ktulu gave me a pretty good solution for when facing right; do the half circle back with your left hand and press 6 with your right pointer finger and the attack button with whatever finger lines up on your right hand (for Pot buster I use my middle finger).

The thing is, with how the layout is designed if you have trouble with stuff you can actually use both hands for a solution.

I don't think they put a lot of thought into the ergonomics of the controller.

You're wrong on this, there is precedent for people switching to Hitbox specifically to avoid (further) wrist issues, and the makers have posted at length somewhere about the ergonomic design.

My wrists are pretty fucked up, it's part of why I bought one and it's made long sessions something I can do at all, let alone without issues.

 

[OP8]

Very little design went into the case of the hitbox. It's a rectangular cube made from folded sheet metal. This was probably the quickest, cheapest way for them to make cases.
The problem is that the bottom of the case is parallel to the top. When you play with it in your lap, it's always going to match the angle of your legs. It mostly depends on the height of your chair, but I've found that with better posture I have more strain on my wrists.

 

[Beuzer0]

Thank you for your insights,

Controllers are indeed about personal preferences so I think it's best I try somebody's Hit Box at Bavaria Burst this march to get an idea. Maybe try SG on the keyboard as well in the meantime to get a bit of an idea.

I have an octogonal gate at home but removed it right after the first try as I was completely messing up my inputs (doing jumps instead of left and right) I may try again, why not, especially that I planned to put it on a second stick for shmups, so I would have the choice between both gates.

Speaking of Bavaria Burst, maybe I should wait for this event not only to try a Hit Box but also see if I feel I am forcing on my left wrist after 3 days of intense fighting game sessions. Because if that happens to be the case, I should definitely switch to a Hit Box then.

Speaking of ergonomy and pressure on wrist, I am confident about the Hit Box because my right wrist prefers way more the arcade stick rather than the controller as in a long run, mashing buttons can be unhealthy and add stress to my wrist.

I think I'm going to stay with my stick right now, but you can still give your opinion about the topic.

 

[Sydoh]

I would say the Hitbox gives you the most freedom of being precise with your inputs because input is laid out individually, so there are several tricks you can use with the directions to get specific inputs quickly.
For example, if you hold left and right, you get a neutral input, so if you hold left and double tap right, you get a double left input.

If you want to experience a hitbox-style input without committing to buying an actual Hitbox, I recommend setting up your keyboard controls to match the layout of a hitbox.

I recommend using the following layout:

Directions:
ASD = left, down, right
spacebar = up

Face Buttons:
UIOP - Square, Triangle, R1, L1
JKL; - Cross, Circle, R2, L2

-OR-

YUIO
HJKL

Menu Buttons:
Home = 8 (keyboard)
Select = 9 (keyboard)
Start = 0 (keyboard)

The biggest thing that throws people off is having UP on the bottom between your directions and buttons, but if you stick through it you'll get used to it.

This won't be a perfect hitbox experience since you are at the mercy of your keyboard's potential ghosting, and however a game decides how it wants to read simultaneous directions, so you won't be able to get away with some of the things you can do on a hitbox, but it gives you a good enough idea of how it will be without having to buy one. Borrowing someone else's would be best if you have the opportunity, but for the times you don't you might want to give this a shot when you're at your PC.

 

[Red Witch]

Hitboxes are great. If you're having ergonomic issues, you might be resting your wrist on the box. Don't do that. Use it like a piano and keep your wrist elevated. That also allows your fingers to have max dexterity when pressing inputs. And if you're struggling with 2P 623's, there is a hitbox specific work-arounds that make miracles happen. You abuse SOCD and instead of making your ring finger work hard, you can just do this:

Hold forward with your ring finger

Press down and back at the same time
(you're holding all three buttons that aren't jump. Hitbox sees this and cancels right AND left)

Let go of Back
(you're now holding forward and down! Thems the DP!)

BAM! P2 DP!

In numpad notation, P1 perspective, it would be 4(hold)>2+6>2


If that made no sense, here is a video!

 

[HiroProtagonest]

Geez, the only hitboxes I can find are just the main site's, one for PS4 and one for XBone (and one trying to replace the Gamecube Controller). Are there any compatible with PC? Or does Liam just practice with keyboard?

I can pull that Dragon Punch trick with my keyboard, but it's still different ergonomically...

Edit: Aaand I've got ghosting. It refuses to let me grab while moving horizontally. Which is odd, since I swear I'm holding three buttons for the dragon punch. And it works when holding spacebar and grabbing, but that may not count because the spacebar is no longer active.

I don't want to pay for both an expensive keyboard and a $200 hitbox. Perhaps the product I desire will be available... IN THE FUTURE!

 

[Fizzxwizz]

A ps4 controller will work on PC, at least for Skullgirls. It should be just plug and play, but a hitbox player might need to hop in and correct me if there's some extra fiddling required. In any case, if you only want one or the other, it'd probably be cheaper to get an inexpensive mechanical keyboard to play with at home if you just want one of those. The main issue with using a mechanical keyboard is that you need a convertor if you ever plan on playing on ps4, which will introduce input lag, and you need to make sure its tournament legal.

 

[HiroProtagonest]

A ps4 controller will work on PC, at least for Skullgirls. It should be just plug and play, but a hitbox player might need to hop in and correct me if there's some extra fiddling required. In any case, if you only want one or the other, it'd probably be cheaper to get an inexpensive mechanical keyboard to play with at home if you just want one of those.

...Huh, I was not aware I could just plug in the PS4 controller without any additional software, since unlike XBox it's not Microsoft. That does solve the issue then, barring any unforeseen issues. I'd get the hitbox for ergonomics and PS4 support.

 

[Red Witch]

A ps4 controller will work on PC, at least for Skullgirls. It should be just plug and play, but a hitbox player might need to hop in and correct me if there's some extra fiddling required. In any case, if you only want one or the other, it'd probably be cheaper to get an inexpensive mechanical keyboard to play with at home if you just want one of those. The main issue with using a mechanical keyboard is that you need a convertor if you ever plan on playing on ps4, which will introduce input lag, and you need to make sure its tournament legal.

No extra fitting required. PC SG doesn't care whether i'm in PS3, PS4, or XBox360 mode with my PS360+

And when I was still using Cthulu, no problems in either mode.

 

[Aden]

Are there any compatible with PC?

I have a PS3 hitbox and it works on PC perfectly with any fighting game that has dinput. Skullgirls takes almost anything in general. I know for a fact the PS4 one works on PC as well, and I can't imagine the Xbox One one not working on PC since Windows.

At worst there are work arounds, like I used joy2key for SFV before it had dinput.