Hitbox changed the landscape of competitive fighting games, but not only... What is this controller all about?
Controllers evolved greatly over time, just like a lot of other gaming hardware. While some players prefer gaming controllers, many older people in the fighting game community have gotten used to arcade sticks. Most arcades feature such a setup, where a bunch of big buttons and a lever control the movement. Thus, many competitors and casual enthusiasts would buy portable arcade sticks.
However, in 2010, a new type of "arcade" controller started coming up: the Hitbox. A couple of enthusiasts who wanted a better controller for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 started working in their garage to create a new "arcade stick" but without the "stick," if you get what I mean. Instead of a lever, it featured buttons for movement, with a separated button for jumping. Just like in old school Mortal Kombat cabinets.
Recently, the Core-A Gaming covered it on their channel on YouTube, talking about the history of Hitbox, which has had quite an impact on the competitive fighting game scene. But not only.
A lot gets easier with a Hitbox. The 8-way joystick or lever takes time and effort to move, as you need to use your wrist for it. Even if the motions are quick, they are still "bigger" than just pressing buttons under your fingers. There's less distance and exertion with a Hitbox. Your inputs for a shoryuken motion will ultimately be more precise, since it will be exactly three button inputs, rather than motions of a stick that may not be so exact.
Then, because jumping is no longer tied to your left hand (or the movement motions), a whole subset of techniques opens up as the jump is over to your right.
Lots of motions can be easier, and also some things that weren't possible before can be done thanks to SOCD: simultaneous opposing cardinal directions. This is because you can keep holding one direction but also press another.
Easier dash cancelling, backdashing. Fastest dragon punches you can enter. Charging moves while walking forward. You name it.
In fact, the Hitbox is so good, it's often called "Cheatbox" as a joke. However, it remains tournament-legal, and it is endorsed by famous players such as Daigo Umehara and Tokido.
The design was finalized for the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, since the humble creators basically wanted a better control for those type of games.
You can also use Hitbox for Minecraft, as SOCD will be helpful in competitive PvP servers, similarly to how it works in shooters (by the way, if you're looking for how to enable hitbox view in Minecraft, it's F3+B).
Get SOCD with an Apex Pro keyboard
Some fighting game players use keyboards! And if you want to try what it's like to fight with SOCD, you can use an Apex Pro keyboard with Rapid Tap. You can replicate the Hitbox feel with a keyboard, since you won't be using a lever anyway.
I have personally encountered fighting game players who prefer to use a keyboard. The feel is the same, and with how fast OmniPoint switches are, you know you'll have a flawless controller.
Apex Pro keyboards feature Rapid Tap, which lets you configure up to 5 button combinations. This way, you can make the exact setup you want to create your own Hitbox from an Apex Pro keyboard!
We recently updated our main keyboard lineup to Gen 3, which features all-new builds, greatly improved typing feel, and switches that leveled up to OmniPoint 3,0. They're packed with more software features than before, such as Protection Mode and QuickSet, the latter giving you game-ready settings. So whether you want to play fighting games or other titles, your Apex Pro does it all.
You can get these Gen 3 keyboards:
