| OVERALL VERDICT You kind of get what you pay for but the Mayflash F300 is a great beginner fightstick that offers excellent value for money |
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| PROS + The price – Excellent value for money + Customization – Can easily be customized + Universal stick – can connect to almost any platform | CONS - Buttons feel mushy - Maybe too small for some people - Setup is a bit fiddly |
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The Mayflash F300 fightstick is an ideal beginner stick that offers good value for money.
Built by the Chinese Mayflash Limited company, the F300 a budget stick that isn’t going to break the bank.
Perhaps its most appealing feature is the ability to play on almost any platform. That’s right, it’s a universal fightstick which means you can play it on PS4, PS3, XBOX ONE, XBOX360, PC, Nintendo Switch, and even Android.
That’s all well and good but what is it like to play? Is it worth getting a cheap fightstick? Read on to find out what I think.
Unboxing and set up
Unboxing the fightstick is pretty simple. Included in the box is the fightstick, a micro USB cable, and the manual. Nothing too exciting here, but it’s the setup that’s more interesting.
I mentioned in the beginning that this is a universal fightstick that works with pretty much any platform. How does the fightstick achieve this? The micro USB cable that comes with the fightstick is used to connect an Xbox One or PS4 controller to the Fightstick which is then connected to the console. Acting almost like a bridge between the two.
It’s a similar setup on other consoles except for PC which you can connect straight into without messing around with any controllers, extra wires, etc. Oh and make sure when connecting to a console that the controllers are switched on. I connected to mine and couldn’t get it to work until I realized that the controller had to be switched on.
Also, one more caveat if you have an Xbox 360. Make sure to have a wired Xbox 360 controller. The Micro USB doesn’t work with an Xbox 360 controller and therefore doesn’t work with a wireless setup. A bit annoying but that’s the price you have to pay with a universal stick like this.
Apart from the Xbox 360, the setup is pretty simple and you shouldn’t have any problems. However, what I found a little annoying is always having to connect to a controller every time when playing on a console. I tend to put my controllers away after a gaming session and having to always connect a cable to the controller and then to the console is a bit of a chore. It also makes my room look a mess with all these wires.
The design and feel of the fightstick
The Mayflash F300 has a simple design which is fine for this price. Besides, you can easily customize this stick so that isn’t really an issue.
In terms of size, I think it’s a decent size and feels quite sturdy which, again, is surprising for the price. Because of its compact size, it can be stored quite easily and won’t take up a large amount of space.
The joystick and button layout is typical of what you would find on an arcade stick. The stock buttons and joystick are non-Sanwa. In addition, the joystick is a square gate.
What does it feel like to play?
Having non-Sanwa parts does let the arcade stick down a bit, but it’s understandable for the price.
The buttons are mushy and don’t feel great when you’re hitting them. The response seems fine and if you’re a beginner who’s never had an arcade stick before, you won’t notice anything.
However, going from a Sanwa stick to this Mayflash does feel like a step down in terms of response time and joystick maneuverability.
Also, the size of the stick is a bit too small for me. Even though it does have some weight to it and feels solid in my lap, the button placement, due to the size, feels slightly off. As a result, it feels slightly uncomfortable for my above-average hands to hold. Then again, it may be because I’m used to playing on larger fightsticks.
These minor issues are negated by the fact that this fightstick can easily be customized and the parts easily replaced with Sanwa buttons and a joystick.
Spend a bit more on Sanwa parts and you have yourself a decent fighstick that will last years.
The Good
- The price – Excellent value for money
- Customization – Can easily be customized
- Looks and feels sturdy
- Universal stick – can connect to almost any platform
- Great beginner fightstick
The Bad
- Buttons and joystick are non-Sanwa
- Buttons feel mushy
- Maybe too small for some people
- Setup is slightly fiddly and the extra wires are annoying
Overall Verdict
You kind of get what you pay for but the Mayflash F300 is a great beginner fightstick that offers excellent value for money. The fact that’s it’s a universal stick and can easily be modded is a large plus.
If you’ve never had a fightstick before and want to get one, but at the same time don’t want to break the bank then get this fightstick!
Mayflash F300
