Fighting game enthusiasts have been spoiled for choice over the last couple of years with the wide variety of fight sticks available.
This has been mainly due to the growth of the competitive fighting game scene which has seen a massive resurgence in popularity.
Third-party companies such as Hori, Mad Catz, and Mayflash to name a few have endeavored to elevate the player’s fighting game experience and performance.
Companies have taken different approaches to fight sticks, creating various designs, but one of the most unique controllers on the market is the Hit Box Cross Up.
A Hit Box is a fight stick that forgoes the joystick replacing it with four additional buttons.
This new all-digital control scheme certainly threw seasoned fighting gamers. That being said it has proven to be very popular due to its stellar design utilizing Sanwa buttons which somewhat improved accuracy and reaction time from traditional fight sticks.
The Cross Up is a hybrid that blends the traditional fight stick style with Hit Box’s new design.
It successfully smashed its Kickstarter which shows there is an appetite for this new style of digital controls.
The Cross Up is a stunning fight stick that has a sleek steel case with a plexiglass top. Its stellar steel casing feels sturdy and robust making it great for transportation, my only issue is that the plexiglass top is really susceptible to scuffs and scratches.
It’s slightly longer than your average fight stick measuring 16.8″ x 8.6″ x 2.4″ but weighs much lighter than most making it a dream for transportation.
It may not be as hefty as other fight sticks but the Cross Up comes with a felt material at the bottom that keeps it secure, which is way more ideal than having a heavy controller on your lap over long periods of time.
The Cross Up comes built with a whopping sixteen buttons, eight specifically for gameplay and four control buttons.
My only issue with the buttons is that they are really close together which can make it harder for players with bigger hands to utilise all eight buttons.
Also, the four control buttons are situated in front of the fight stick, which is nice as it keeps them out of harm's way, but I found myself constantly pressing the wrong button, like hitting the picture button instead of home.
This isn’t a deal breaker at all but with the ample space on the face of the fight stick, these extra buttons could've been situated in a more accessible position.
The Cross Up is built with Sanwa OBSF-30 arcade buttons which are of the highest quality. They are smooth and low allowing for fast reaction times.
These are the go-to buttons for some of the biggest fight stick developers such as MadCatz and Qanba, which will please enthusiasts who will already be accustomed to their quality.
When using the Hit Box directional buttons over the Joystick I was very impressed with how they streamline the experience and allow me to input commands so much faster than before.
This was especially prevalent in how it allowed me to evade moves by side-stepping in 3D fighters or back dash in 2D ones.
I found that the Cross Up really shone when using rush down characters such as Cammy in Street Fighter V, as it allowed me to play more aggressively with much more succinct reaction times than the joystick.
I’m not saying that players should forget their joystick but the Cross Up clearly elevates the functionality of specific fighting game archetypes when in the hands of a competent gamer.
Having both options is great as it allows players to really fine-tune their playstyle with the direction buttons granting players the ability to be much more allusive and destructive during matches.
The Cross-Up will allow players to switch between three different profiles on the fly by flicking a button.
What was interesting to see is that the fight stick has a Super Smash Bros. profile out of the box.
I have never opted to use a fight stick for SSB as the Gamecube controller was always more than enough, however, I was thoroughly impressed with how the controller performed.
Using the four direction buttons to execute Smash Attacks worked a charm allowing me to dish out so much damage in quick succession.
I won’t say that I am fully converted as the positioning of the right stick buttons did throw me off at times, especially with the Up smash attack being mapped to the lower direction.
That being said, the Cross Up is a great alternative or good starting point for those who want to play Super Smash Bros with a fight stick.
Some of the buttons may have initially thrown me off when playing Super Smash Bros but the Cross Up has amazing companion software which allows players to remap their buttons how they see fit.
Another feature that is amazing in principle, but I wasn’t able to test during this review is the Wii Nunchuck port, which allows players to use the Wii’s joystick.
This is an interesting feature to have, as it grants players a very unique gameplay option that I personally really enjoyed on the Wii, which I feel most gamers would’ve too.
The Cross Up is compatible with PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, which is great as it covers a good range of consoles.
Players will also be able to connect it to the PlayStation 5 but only be able to play PlayStation 4 games, this isn’t a deal breaker but an update is needed as a lot of fighting game developers are shifting their focus to the current generation of consoles with the release of Street Fighter VI and Tekken 8 on the horizon
Verdict 4 / 5
The Hit Box Cross Up is an incredibly well executed fight stick that challenges traditional design conventions.
The hybrid fight stick grants players so much versatility elevating their gaming experience and competitive ability.
Its uniqueness allows players to finally have a dedicated fight stick for games like Super Smash Bros that works well.
My only issue is that the control buttons could be positioned in a more accessible location and all the buttons could have been spread out a little bit more utilising a bit more of its large surface area.
Hit Box Cross Up can be purchase from their website
