Let’s Talk About the Qanba Q4 RAF

Jett

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about fightsticks on my blog. Most of the conversation revolves around the Mad Catz TE (which I love) and the Hori line of fightsticks (which I’ve had mediocre experiences with outside of the V3-SA). However, there’s one particular brand of fighstick I haven’t talked about, which is Qanba. I don’t really know much about the brand, but I’ve seen a number of positive things about their Q4 RAF. What makes it so special?

Based on what I’ve read from select online retailers and user reviews in message boards, the Qanba Q4 RAF is a fightstick worth looking into. For one, I’ve read that it has a sturdy base so that it doesn’t slide around your lap. It also features Sanwa parts, which are the same parts found in a Mad Catz TE or a Hori HRAP V3-SA. While those are great bullet points to have on the back of the box, the killer feature that sets the Qanba Q4 RAF apart is the fact that it’s compatible with the XBOX 360, PS3 and PC out of the box. If playing fighting games across multiple platforms is important to you, this is a huge selling point.

Odds are, I won’t be touching a Qanba Q4 RAF anytime soon. I own multiple Mad Catz TE fightsticks already, and outside of canadianjoysticks.com, I wouldn’t even know where to go to buy one without having to break the bank on shipping. Have you had a chance to try this fightstick? If you haven’t, does this one appeal to you? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

10 thoughts on “Let’s Talk About the Qanba Q4 RAF”

  1. yamazaky96 January 3, 2012 / 2:44 AM

    im using Qanba Q4 RAF and I can assure you its amazing
    the buttons dont make noise…
    i like how u can handle the qanba like a bag
    but i noticed that the headphone jack is not working when playing on XBOX360

    Reply
    • Jett January 3, 2012 / 6:50 AM

      Thanks for the comment yamazaky!

      Glad to hear that for the most part, you’re happy with the Qanba. I saw a surprising number of people with them at the last tournament I was at.

      As for the quiet buttons, I hear Sanwa is developing quiet buttons and a quiet joystick http://shoryuken.com/2011/12/26/sanwa-developing-quiet-stick-and-buttons/

      If they work as advertised, I would definitely consider investing in the set.

      Reply
  2. TooSense January 4, 2012 / 11:22 PM

    I know this is an old post and you probably have already tried it out, but I’ll put in my thoughts.

    I have both arcade sticks, and they are both amazing. Both arcade sticks are essentially the same regarding the joystick and 6 button layout. I prefer the Q4’s start button though, and the fact that it has multi-platform compatibility which the TE doesn’t have in some cases. Honestly, being the same price, the Q4 is the stick to buy for most people.

    Reply
    • Jett January 4, 2012 / 11:56 PM

      Thanks for the comment!

      I actually still haven’t tried the Q4 yet. I have two Mad Catz fightsticks, one for PS3 and one for XBOX 360, so I’m not really in the market to buy one. However, cross-console compatibility would be ideal for me.

      Out of curiousity, have you tried any other fightsticks besides those two? And if so, were those other sticks any good?

      Reply
      • yamazaky96 January 5, 2012 / 12:45 AM

        as for me I have used many and I own 6 arcade sticks now
        1- Madcatz sf4: nice stick but very bad buttons and they can get stuck in while u are playing
        2- Hori Soul calibour 4: very light wieght and small size but its great.
        3- HORI RAP2 (ps2 cuz I play KOF02UM alot): very good but the buttons are so muchsensitive.
        4- Mayflash (ps2, PC, Ps3, Xbox360): the stick is good and cheap but the buttons and the stick are so heavy.
        5- Future sky: very bad and no start button (6 buttons only).
        6- Qanba Q4 RAF: the best stick I played on so far after the HORI VLX.

      • Jett January 5, 2012 / 6:53 AM

        For the Mad Catz SF4 stick, are you referring to the TE or the SE? The TE uses Sanwa buttons and I’ve never had that problem with the three TEs I have in my house. However, I did have problems with buttons getting stuck on the Hori EX2 (same as the SoulCalibur 4 stick).

        I’d love to have a VLX just to have it, but the steep price and unwieldy size deter me from actually buying one.

  3. yamazaky96 January 5, 2012 / 7:25 AM

    I meant the old white SF4 LE stick

    Reply
  4. Brian Hooper June 12, 2012 / 8:24 AM

    I own the Qanba Q4 RAF in the ice blue edition.
    It is the best looking fighstick I have found without it being custom modded,
    It feels great to use and is the most responsive peripheral whilst not being over sensitive.
    I hope to be using qanba for any future gaming and will have a hell of a job adjusting to any other controller than this beautiful piece of equipment.

    Reply

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