Daija Arcade Stick Review

Manufacturer: Nacon
Where to Buy: Nacon
RRP: £299.99

I’ve always been a fan of extra peripherals in my gaming, oftentimes they allow me to enjoy a game or genre I may otherwise struggle to. Be it steering wheels, plastic instruments, or fight sticks, they can give a more tactile feel to the experience. Today’s subject is Nacon’s Daija Arcade Stick, an updated take on the 2018 original developed in conjunction with e-Sports champion Kayane.

It’s been an admittedly long time since I’ve used a home-based fight stick (probably around the Dreamcast days) but I remember the general quality of them being somewhat subpar. Not so with the Daija; from the off it’s obvious this has been built to last, with a very sturdy and solid feel to the unit. It’s also a lot bigger and heavier than I was expecting, with ample space for my wrists and arms to rest on while I played, and it remained solidly in place on both my lap and table with no concerns of slipping or sliding about.

Those properly into the fighting game scene will no doubt be pleased to hear that Nacon have used Sanwa components for the Daija, though players can use Seimitsu should you fancy swapping out to that brand (hopefully that makes sense to those in the know!).

What I can say with certainty though is that the Daija put up with my noob-ish flailing and bashing of the buttons admirably. Across multiple rounds of MK11 and Dragonball Fighter Z the only thing failing was my ability to be any good at fighting games these days. Long gone are my early Mortal Kombat and Last Bronx skills I’m afraid. Each of the eight face buttons felt sturdy to press, with a satisfying click to each, while the stick (which comes with both ball-top and bat-top versions) held up just as well. This, along with the rest of the Daija, can be customised to suit your play style, recognising both left/right and eight-way inputs with the flick of a button on the side.

Also on the side are the menu buttons for Xbox as well as L3/R3 clicks, and the option to flick between Xbox and PC mode easily. Finally, two latches that click in to allow us to open the unit up, allowing us to begin customising things. For both the reasons that a) I need to send this back and b) I’ve no idea what I’m looking at, I chose not to play around with the innards here, though the tools needed are provided within.

Back to the usage and I’m still struck by just how easy it was to set up and play comfortably. The included 3m USB-C is of high quality, and the covering that lines the front edge of the Daija when in use helps hold our hands and arms in place without feeling too grippy or uncomfortable.

It’s possible to set up to four profiles on the unit to save setting per game or per style as well. Again, those really into the fighting scene have a lot to play with and personalise when it comes to the Daija Arcade Stick. You can even change the face plate to one of the included extras or design your own using the template on nacongaming.com.

It’s not the cheapest purchase in the world, coming in at around £299.99, but if you’re serious about fighting games or looking to get that extra edge in a competition, the Daija Arcade Stick is a solid choice.

Conclusion

With plentiful customisation options on top of solid build quality, the Daija Arcade Stick made my first foray into fighting games in ages far more enjoyable. It performs excellently, is sturdy in use, and can be personalised to your hearts content.

Hardware provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.