I'll be honest, I prefer dpads, they are more compact, more tactile and more precise. If I could I'd not use an analog stick in smash bros and just use dpad.
As with most, depends on the game. 2D I generally prefer D-pad, even if the game has 8 directions. For 3D, there's really no choice.
My cursed option: I like playing fighting games with the d-pad.
Also a stray opinion: I hate games that mix the two on moment to moment gameplay. Using D-pad for pause menus while moving with the Analog, fine. Using d-pad to use items during live gameplay, like in soulslikes? Terrible.
I would have thought Dpad was the obvious choice for fighting games due to combo button combinations. Is it more common for players to use the joystick?
A fightstick is the ideal for anyone wanting to invest in the genre, as it provides both precise control and a wide array of movements that neither d-pad or analog can reach.
It was a joke-y cursed option because d-pad are not only wildly uncomfortable but also quite inefficient when it comes to the high speed sequences
@AdellcomdoisL@overload there are plenty of top players using gamepads in the fighting game community these days. As it transitioned online and arcades sort of disappeared entirely there is less bias toward fightsticks emulating the arcade cabinet experience. Not to say they aren’t still the popular choice but gamepads aren’t considered garbage like they were.
Yeah I play fighting games on both an 8bitdo fight stick and a PS4 d-pad. I'm still not sure which I prefer. Fight stick feels more accurate but I can react much faster with a d-pad.
I'm still not very good at these games though, so I can't speak for people at a high level!