As someone whose time spent with shmups as an adult started with keyboard and is now on stick, and as someone who has played with both input devices pretty extensively, I can say I
definitely prefer stick.
awry wrote:Keyboard has the lowest travel time for each directional input,
Incorrect on the right type of lever (hint: use an LS-32 for shooting and save the JLF for fighting.)
tactile feedback that I personally prefer
Entirely subjective, and kinda strange at that.
the ability to hold two opposite directional keys at once to repeatedly press one of them for precise zigzag motion
...Exactly when would this ever be useful?
the least hand movement and thus the least strain
Less hand movement doesn't mean less strain. As someone who has played with both methods, my "direction hand" cramps much worse after a long STG session on keyboard than it does on stick. Hell, on stick, with buttons that are lighter to press than keyboard keys, my button hand cramps faster than my stick hand, which wouldn't make sense if movement equalled strain.
and of course affordability.
Keyboards being cheaper than sticks has no impact on which is better for playing. Besides, if you're buying a good keyboard, it's probably a less than $50 difference.
Meanwhile an arcade stick has... uhhh... ummm... well... that retro feel?
Better control during the kinds of large sweeping motions you'll need in large hitbox games, better buttons for playing any kind of game, faster diagonals. Pretty sure that actual input time from neutral to movement is actually faster on a Seimitsu LS-32 than it is on a mechanical keyboard with Cherry Blues as well (those switches have too much resistance for any kind of fast action gaming).
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