Exploring the most creative and unconventional controller setups from EVO 2022’s fighting game championship
Introduction: The Art of Controller Customization
While the majority of EVO 2022 competitors opted for traditional gamepads or standard arcade sticks, a dedicated minority demonstrated remarkable creativity through their unconventional controller choices.
The fighting game community has a rich tradition of controller innovation, with EVO 2022 showcasing players who transformed ordinary peripherals into extraordinary competitive tools.
The Fighting Game Community’s history of unusual controllers spans decades, driven by players seeking either performance advantages or pure creative expression through their input methods.
This year’s EVO championship continued this tradition, featuring several remarkable controller modifications that pushed the boundaries of what constitutes a viable fighting game input device.
The Modified Guitar Hero Controller
Among the most surprising controller innovations at EVO 2022 was a thoroughly modified Guitar Hero peripheral, demonstrating how rhythm game hardware can be adapted for fighting game competition.
The modification preserved the original fret buttons on the guitar’s neck while replacing the strum bar with a full-sized arcade joystick, creating a hybrid input method that blended musical and fighting game control schemes.
THERES NO FUCKING WAY WE STARTED MELTY EVO POOLS WITH A SHIKI PLAYER USING A FUCKING GUITAR HERO CONTROLLER LMFAO
AND HE FUCKING WON pic.twitter.com/2wu2NarwG6
When competitor yohseph appeared in Melty Blood tournament pools using this unconventional setup, the fighting game community erupted across social media platforms each time the controller appeared on stream.
メルブラの予選でギターのコントローラー改造してるやついてんねんけど#Evo2022 #MeltyBlood #MBTL pic.twitter.com/puS4opITqX
As more spectators noticed yohseph’s setup, detailed examination revealed the intricate modifications made to the Guitar Hero controller. While unconventional in appearance, the controller proved surprisingly functional in competitive play.
yohseph achieved several victories in Melty Blood competition before being eliminated on day one of EVO. The competitor entered multiple fighting game tournaments throughout EVO 2022, suggesting this wasn’t merely a novelty setup but a serious competitive tool.
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Novelty controllers have existed for generations, as evidenced by one EVO 2022 participant who competed using a nearly two-decade-old Resident Evil 4 PlayStation 2 chainsaw controller.
For anyone wondering I lost immediately. pic.twitter.com/dLep28XhA1
This controller represents an extremely limited collector’s edition item originally bundled with special versions of Resident Evil 4 on PlayStation 2. A GameCube edition featuring a yellow housing instead of red also exists in collector circles.
Current market values for this collector’s piece range from approximately $500 USD for loose units to over $1000 USD for complete in-box specimens with original packaging intact.
Competitor Ecydis entered Street Fighter V competition using this vintage controller but was eliminated in the opening round. Despite the early exit, they demonstrated remarkable commitment to style and collector culture within the fighting game community.
The Shoebox Hitbox with 50+ Buttons
This Hitbox-inspired creation housed in what appears to be a repurposed shoebox represents one of the most technically ambitious controller projects at EVO 2022. While visually unrefined, the design reveals sophisticated engineering principles.
For those unacquainted with the concept, Hitbox controllers eliminate traditional joysticks entirely, relying exclusively on directional and action buttons. Anklegator1’s custom creation pushes this design philosophy to its logical extreme.
You might not like it, but this is what fight stick perfection looks like. #Evo2022 pic.twitter.com/Ou6UYvSTwa
This specialized controller was meticulously crafted by Anklegator specifically for playing Potemkin, their primary character in Guilty Gear: Strive, demonstrating advanced character-specific optimization.
Instead of relying on button remapping software, Anklegator physically arranged the controller’s numerous buttons to facilitate complex combo execution through ergonomic positioning rather than software configuration.
The controller features color-coded buttons corresponding to specific in-game commands, creating a visual reference system for complex inputs. Multiple buttons have been customized and added during Anklegator’s ongoing quest to develop their ideal competitive controller.
A brief demonstration video shared by Anklegator revealed the intricate process of adding new buttons to the controller, showcasing the complex wiring network hidden beneath the surface.
This EVO contestant clearly invested substantial time and engineering effort into constructing their personalized controller, achieving sufficient competitive success to advance beyond initial rounds into the Top 384 bracket for Guilty Gear: Strive.
Conclusion: The Future of Controller Innovation
These extraordinary controller creations from EVO 2022 demonstrate that fighting game input methods continue evolving beyond traditional boundaries. From rhythm game adaptations to character-specific optimizations, competitors are finding new ways to interface with their favorite games.
The DIY controller community within the FGC represents one of the most innovative segments of competitive gaming, constantly pushing technical boundaries while maintaining the community’s distinctive creative spirit.
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