The new Nacon Daija Arcade Stick takes aim at the current-gen consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, as well as PC, boasting updated features that, at least on paper, set it apart from the competition. With the release of both Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 on the horizon, Nacon has timed it well to release a new fight stick. After putting it through its paces in Street Fighter 5, here’s my Daija Arcade Stick review.
Upgraded experience
Built with feedback from professional player Marie-Laure “Kayane” Norindr, the new Daija Arcade Stick offers an improved design both internally and externally.
On the outside, there’s a textured palm rest, a generous amount of space for the user’s hands, fantastic feeling and sounding buttons for in-game controls and configuring functionality, and a new “button lock system” that prevents accidental button pushes.
It’s also a hefty bit of kit when compared to the other fight sticks I’ve used. This, combined with the grippy base, means that it’s trickier to accidentally move when placed on a table or lap. It’s heavy in a good way, not to the point where it might be fatiguing on the legs during couch play.
Look inside
On the inside, there’s storage for the replaceable 3-meter USB-C cable, an alternate stick type (both ball and bat tops are included), and two tools for quick and easy customization. You can also store replaceable face plates here and it would be great to see Nacon offering some high-quality custom options sold separately.
Opening the Daija up also reveals the Sanwa components that Nacon has used. The Sanwa brand is renowned for being high-quality and many professional fighting game pros swear by them. However, for those who want to swap them out for Seimitsu, that is perfectly possible with Nacon promising full compatibility.
The dedicated app is also worth a mention, as it provides an easy way to keep the Daija updated and makes it easy to customize the four different profiles available to each platform.
Let’s fight
In use, the Daija Arcade Stick works very well. When you’re paying a premium price for a fight stick, you’re hoping for flawless performance and I’m happy to say that this fight stick never missed a beat. My inputs were consistently captured and any errors or mistakes were mine and mine alone.
The stick and main set of buttons feel great and it’s always very obvious that you’ve actuated them. As speed is the name of the game in fighters, it’s good to see Nacon striking a balance between a good overall feel and quick reset times. The buttons are easily pushed in and rapidly fire back out, ready for attacks that require some heavy spamming.
My only negative when it comes to functionality is the location of the L3 and R3 buttons. Once you get used to them they are fine, but it took me a good week to learn the muscle memory of which is R3 and which is L3, as they are on the right side and out of sight.
Daija Arcade Stick review sample provided by Nacon.
Final Verdict
At ~$300 (€279.90), this fight stick is clearly targeting pros/enthusiasts who have a good chunk of change to invest in their profession or hobby. For those that do put down the dollars, however, they’ll receive high-quality components that provide a flawlessly consistent experience and quality-of-life wins like internal storage and replaceable components, all inside a reassuringly weighty frame.
Positives and Negatives
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High-quality, easily-replaceable components.
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Feels great to use.
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Satisfying heft and great construction.
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Pricey.
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L3 and R3 take some getting used to.
