Yes, arcade sticks are easier once you get used to them. You may have gone to the arcades when you were younger and used a joystick to play games that do not require a lot of dexterity. You may have even played fighting games at the arcades like Street Fighter, but it is unlikely that you played enough to familiarize yourself with joysticks.
You likely spent most of your gaming time playing with a controller, which is still a good option for gaming in general, but not fighting games.
What makes arcade sticks easier?
Once you familiarize yourself with arcade sticks, you will likely find joysticks and big buttons so convenient that you never return to controllers. Fighting games often require complex directional inputs and button presses, so when you use your entire hands instead of just your fingers, you have more control.
With an arcade stick, everything is bigger than on a controller, so you can be more precise with your inputs. If you get nervous and sweat when competing, it is easy to make a controller slippery and mash buttons frantically, but not with an arcade stick.
Which technique becomes easier?
An example is wavedashing in Tekken, which can be described as pressing forward and then quarter-circle forward. Using an entire hand to move a joystick is easier than using just your thumb to move an analog stick.
What are some beginner friendly arcade sticks?
While there aren’t necessarily arcade sticks that are easier than others, there are arcade sticks that are easier on your wallet if you want to start out.
If you would like to enter the world of arcade sticks, consider getting a budget arcade stick to test things out before taking the plunge and investing in some serious hardware. That said, we recommend that you check out our list of the top budget arcade sticks and top budget hitboxes.