Presentation of the Nacon Daija arcade joystick

There’s very little you can do to revolutionize arcade drives, but Nacon has some ideas that could change the game with the Nacon Daija arcade drive. I have been using arcade joysticks since Street Fighter 4 was released and I can tell you that not much has changed since Mad Catz launched the joystick market in 2009. This joystick was designed for tournament level gamers. provides combatants with everything they need for battle at home or on the road.

Designed with fighting game expert Marie-Laure “Kayane” Norindre, it’s clear her expertise shaped this controller. With Sanwa hardware, tool-less access to arcade joystick components, and a detachable 3m USB Type-C cable that can be stored inside the case, Nacon has everything important for esports-focused gamers covered. If you are having trouble with a faulty button during preheat, you can use the supplied tools located inside the Daija to quickly replace it. None of these features are new to arcade controllers, but these additions have clearly been enhanced with Kayane’s knowledge to leave no stone unturned.

If you want to play like the pros, you’ll have to shell out £270 to play with this state-of-the-art arcade joystick. You may already have a combat stick from the last generation of consoles that will do the job, so should you upgrade to the feature-rich Daija? While all those extra bells and whistles are nice, when it comes down to it, you still have the same eight-button Vewlix joystick and layout you’re probably used to.

Nacon Daija arcade joystick design

One of the downsides to arcade sticks is that after countless hours of gaming, the buttons and joystick will need to be replaced at some point. While tool-less entry has been seen before, the Daija’s internals have been arranged in a way that makes the button-switching process less of a hassle. The quick release cables for each button are highlighted on a diagram inside the box and you have all the tools you need to make sure you don’t accidentally break anything.

Daija is available in black and white, but these colors are exclusive to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series, respectively. Unfortunately, if you want a black arcade joystick for your PS5, you’re out of luck. Daija’s artwork isn’t particularly impressive, but it does come with alternate artwork (artwork from a different console variant), a printable PDF online to create your own art, and a plexiglass overlay.

If you still have your favorite arcade joystick you bought back in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 days, there are some quality-of-life changes you’re definitely missing out on. The Daija features a textured, grippy wrist rest on the front of the arcade stick, as well as a rubber mat on the bottom of the case to prevent it from slipping off your lap. At the time, these types of updates were not common, and most players preferred to create their own solutions.

You also have access to the L3, R3, and Touchpad buttons (exclusive to the PlayStation 5 version), three often overlooked buttons that can be very useful in practice mode. In fighting games like Street Fighter 5 and Tekken 7, these buttons are used to access hotkeys in practice mode, saving you time navigating game menus. , secondary buttons and switches are placed on the right side of the case. You also have a button lock switch to disable the use of any button.

Introducing Nacon Daija Arcade Stick

At 3.4kg, it’s far from the lightest arcade stick and you’ll definitely feel it when it’s stuck in your backpack. In action, the stick is incredibly strong and its weight doesn’t interfere with the long game. The Daija looks just like any other Vewlix eight-button arcade joystick, but little additions like a textured grip and rubber mat help enhance the overall experience.

Daija also comes with software for Windows and MacOS that can be used to create up to four user profiles. It might not seem like much at first, but it’s really useful if you play different fighting games. The default buttons for each game tend to be different, but that’s where the software comes in handy. You can change the button layout on your arcade controller to match the default profiles for each of your favorite games. It’s not an essential feature by any means, but it’s definitely nice to have, especially in a tournament setting where you can play multiple games.

Nacon Daija Arcade Stick Price

The £270 price tag is the Daija’s only real issue. You can get a lot for your money in the fighting game market, especially if your focus is solely on PC fighting games. When you break down an arcade stick into its main components, you don’t need to spend anywhere near that kind of money to build something that can be used in an esports event.

You can’t buy the Daija in the US right now, as there’s no word on Nacon availability or pricing yet. If you want to get your hands on the Daija as soon as possible, you can always import one of these fighting sticks from abroad. You don’t have to worry about incompatibility issues with arcade joysticks, so if you import one, you won’t have a problem using it at home.

Nacon Daija Arcade Stick Verdict

The Daija is one of the most expensive arcade joysticks available today, but that’s understandable when you consider all that gaming has to offer. £270 is a lot of money to pay for something like this when you factor in the competition, like the Hori PS5 Fighting Stick, which is just $200/£200.

That being said, you won’t find anything on the market as feature-rich and high-end as the Daija Arcade Joystick.

Advantages:

• Superior and exquisite build quality.
• It has all the features that any fighting game player needs.

Less :

• Darling

Where to buy the Nacon Daija arcade joystick

The Nacon Daija Arcade joystick is currently not available in the United States, but it can be imported.

Alternatives to Nacon Daija Arcade Stick

Check out the best PC controller guide for Nacon Daija Arcade Stick alternatives.