Stick vs MixBox vs Hitbox for beginners

Flash forward to today, and I now own the perfect little arcade controller that I’ve wanted for a year, a Flatbox, which I got from Etsy.

The Flatbox is essentially a Hitbox but more compact, and easier to carry around. It’s ergonomically excellent, feeling like I’m effortlessly typing away on my keyboard. And, just like the Mixbox, your directional inputs are always perfect.

Also, I chose to use Linear Buttons, which don’t require much pressure. It was weird at first, but now I can’t go back!

Not all was good though, this small controller was very loud. So I decided to take my advice and modded it to make it a bit quieter, and now it’s perfect.

But, with this controller, it took a couple of days for my brain to adjust to the fact that the up button was placed down near my thumb! But, after some weeks of playing, I can now perform some more intricate combos without pressing the wrong button.

When it comes to customizing it there are a few available options but you need to be careful with what you’re purchasing. 

First, let’s talk about the switches. The Flatbox comes with hot-swap switches meaning you can replace the keys for any of your choosing. As I’ve mentioned I chose Linear Keys which have no clicky sound when pressing it.

I also got some Tactil to experiment and although the response and cliky sound you get when purchasing is great it still requires more pressure for the input to register. In the end, it all comes down to preference and you can always purchase a couple of each type to experiment!

Then there’s the case and buttons. Almost everything you’ll find will be 3D printed.

In my case, I went on Etsy and despite everything being 3D printed the quality is solid. But, if I wasn’t as impulsive I probably would’ve gone with Ultra Arcade Europe where I could’ve bought a Flatbox with an acrylic case and a custom artwork!

For more details about the Flabox Read my Review!

This would be where I’d stop talking about Hitbox-style controllers, but while writing this I bought a Haute42 G16 which has the same processor.. and my first impressions are amazing.

I bought it on a whim because I wanted a Flatbox but with more buttons. And, for now, I can safely say the only thing the Flatbox has better than the Haute42 G16 is the size of the buttons and button distance. Because of this, it loses in terms of ergonomics.

And that’s all I have to say about it, once I have more time with it I’ll post my review here, but for now, it’s a great controller to contemplate, you can buy it cheap here.

Flatbox Pros:

1. Compact and portable design, making it easy to carry around.
2. Ergonomically excellent, providing a comfortable typing-like feel.
3. Accurate directional inputs, akin to the Mixbox.
4. Customizable switches with Hot-swap functionality
5. Good quality, even with 3D-printed components.
6. Suitable for intricate combos after a brief adjustment period.

Flatbox Cons:

1. The Flatbox is very loud.
2. Up button placement may take time to adjust to for some users.
3. Limited options for customization compared to other controllers.
4. Dependence on 3D printing for case and buttons may affect overall quality and aesthetics.