| OVERALL VERDICT The Mayflash F500 is an excellent beginner fightstick that isn’t too expensive and can easily be customized. |
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| PROS + Excellent value for money + Customizing fightstick is a breeze + Universal Fightstick | CONS - Parts are non-Sanwa - Buttons feel slightly mushy |
| Check on Amazon | |
The Mayflash F500 is the bigger brother to the Mayflash F300. I’ve already reviewed the Mayflash F300 and found it to be a competent and reasonable entry-level fightstick.
The F500 is more expensive than the F300. The price is justified, however. Not only is it better than the F300 but it’s arguably better value than fightsticks that are twice the price!
Read on to find out why.
Unboxing and set up
Included in the box is what you would expect: the fightstick, manual, micro USB cable and interestingly an octagonal plate. I find it a bit strange that the additional plate isn’t really mentioned in the product description, but whatever; it definitely was a nice surprise.
Swapping out the plate on the joystick was pretty simple, it took about 10 mins.
For the uninitiated, the Mayflash F500 has a square gate joystick by default so an octagonal plate changes that. It just means that the joystick feels different. For some, this is ideal because it’s probably what they’re used to playing in the arcades. For others, it will be strange and they will want to stick with a square gate.
The rest of the setup is pretty similar to the Mayflash F300. On console, you connect the micro USB cable to the controller and then connect it to the fightstick which is connected to the console. On PC you can connect natively. Make sure to put it in the right mode for the appropriate platform using the switch in the top left corner.
For the Xbox 360, you have to connect to a wired controller.
I already mentioned in my F300 review that this setup is a bit awkward and fiddly at first which is no different here. The extra wires can get a bit messy and I don’t appreciate having to do this every time I want to play.
The design and feel of the fightstick
I actually like the design of the fightstick. It’s not as plain as the F300 and has a nice ‘cracked’ design which looks kind of cool. If you don’t like the design however, customizing the stick with your own artwork is very simple. In fact, its even more simple than the F300.
The Mayflash F500 has acrylic plexiglass which makes it easy to remove the old design and put in your own custom artwork. A very nice feature indeed.
Of course, this fightstick is bigger than the F300 which is a welcome plus. It’s also better quality as well. At the top and bottom, you have two metal plates. This makes it feel more secure and heavy.
I also like the fact that there’s a small compartment built into the stick to store the USB cable when not in use. This is something that you only really see on more expensive Fighsticks so it’s a nice little addition.
What does it feel like to play?
I think the appropriate phrase would be good but not great. Like the F300 the Mayflash F500 has third-party parts meaning the joystick and buttons are not Sanwa. The buttons, therefore, feel quite mushy and loud when playing.
This isn’t too big of an issue however as I think it plays good enough, especially for the beginner or casual player. The response times are fairly good, better than the F300 that’s for sure and they are slightly better quality.
Besides, swapping the buttons is a breeze. There are just 6 screws on the bottom panel that need to be removed followed by 4 smaller Philip screws. Even a beginner could easily customize this fightstick to their liking. Adding Sanwa buttons and joystick will make this stick a beast!
I also like the fact that it has a headphone jack, something which the F300 lacks. It’s not a game-changer for wireless headset users but it’s definitely a nice to have.
I already mentioned this sticks universal feature and it’s definitely quite useful. I tested this on a friends Nintendo Switch and Xbox One and, it worked great.
The only issue is using this fightstick in tournaments. The setup is a bit awkward and I would hate carrying around an extra controller just to play. Therefore it’s difficult to recommend this is a tournament-worthy stick.
The Good
- Excellent value for money
- Bigger and better quality than the Mayflash F300
- Headphone Jack
- Customizing fightstick is a breeze
- Octagonal plate included
- Universal Fightstick
The Bad
- Parts are Non-Sanwa
- Buttons feel slightly mushy
- Setup is awkward
Overall Verdict of the Mayflash F500
The Mayflash F500 beat my expectations and is an excellent beginner fightstick that isn’t too expensive and can easily be customized.
Mayflash F500
