Preferred gaming controllers among top Street Fighter 6 competitors
Three notable Street Fighter players, Adel 'Big Bird' Anouche, Daigo 'The Beast' Umehara, and Saul Leonardo 'MenaRD' Mena II, each with their unique controller preferences and play styles, have left indelible marks on the competitive scene.
Adel 'Big Bird' Anouche, representing the United Arab Emirates, is renowned for his aggressive yet precise gameplay. As a devotee of traditional input methods, he favours an arcade stick as his primary controller. His preferred characters, Ken and Rashid, allow him to maintain pressure and control space effectively.
On the other hand, Daigo 'The Beast' Umehara, a Street Fighter legend from Japan, is historically associated with the arcade stick, specifically Japanese-style lever sticks. This choice of controller complements his methodical, highly technical playstyle, which emphasizes frame traps, conditioning, and strong fundamentals. Umehara's control precision and execution are enhanced by his mastery of the arcade stick, allowing complex inputs and tight timing.
Saul Leonardo 'MenaRD' Mena II, a Street Fighter player from the Dominican Republic, is one of the few top players to use a Hitbox/leverless controller. This controller, which replaces the joystick with directional buttons, allows faster, more precise directional inputs. MenaRD's gameplay is recognized for aggressive offense and mix-up potential, exploiting the Hitbox’s strengths in rapid, clean inputs to execute high-pressure combos and setups.
While the DualSense controller (PlayStation 5’s controller) is less common among pro Street Fighter competitors due to limitations compared to arcade sticks or Hitboxes, some players adopt it for convenience or preference. None of these three players are widely known to use the DualSense in major competition.
In summary, the core differences hinge on controller design influencing input style. Here's a comparison of the three players:
| Player | Preferred Controller | Gameplay Style Summary | |------------------------|---------------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | Adel "Big Bird" Anouche | Arcade Stick | Aggressive, technical, precise; uses traditional inputs for pressure and zoning. | | Daigo "The Beast" Umehara | Arcade Stick | Methodical, fundamentals-heavy, complex inputs supported by joystick precision. | | Saul "MenaRD" Mena II | Hitbox/Leverless | High-pressure offense with rapid directional inputs and combos, leveraging Hitbox speed and accuracy.|
Adel 'Big Bird' Anouche has been playing Street Fighter competitively since 2014, while Daigo 'The Beast' Umehara began his competitive gaming journey in 1995. Despite the differences in their careers, each player's unique controller preference and play style have contributed significantly to the rich tapestry of Street Fighter's competitive scene.
[1] Detailed side-by-side gameplay analyses using these controllers in current search results are not readily available.
Red Bull, with its association with energy and sports, could potentially sponsor a Street Fighter tournament, celebrating the competitive spirit and skill exhibited by players like Adel 'Big Bird' Anouche, Daigo 'The Beast' Umehara, and Saul Leonardo 'MenaRD' Mena II.
The music pulsing through the tournament venue during the Street Fighter battles could mimic the fast-paced rhythm and precision demonstrated by these skilled players, amplifying the tension and excitement of the competition.
