Should you get a leverless controller? Trying out the QRD Maestro 3 with SF6, Granblue, Melty Blood, and more.

Fighting games demand a great controller, so I recently put the QRD Maestro S3 leverless to the test. I’m no stranger to leverless controllers, as I own two or three of them, for various purposes. While I’m still very much a casual fighting game fan at the end of the day, I’ll get into zones where I grind out combos and matches, to try and improve. There are plenty of options out there these days, from standard controllers, arcade sticks, and now the hitbox-style leverless that are growing in popularity.

To see if it’s worth it for you, the fighting game player, I ran a gauntlet of titles on this controller to see how it holds up. This controller is tournament-compliant, lightweight, and has a plethora of options for new/veteran players - the QRD Maestro S3 is definitely worth buying.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

---

Using the QRD Maestro S3 leverless controller on modern fighting games felt excellent

Street Fighter 6 felt amazing on this controller. Grapplers remain challenging, but that's a personal issue (Image via Capcom)

As the fighting game I play the most, I put the QRD Maestro S3 to the test in Street Fighter 6 first. The only thing I really had trouble with was at first, SPDs (Spinning Piledriver). That’s pretty standard because I’m known to be a bad grappler.

But, like with similar controllers, it became quite easy to do. The buttons are taller, so it’s harder to Slide 360 on this controller, but they are incredibly easy to replace if that’s what you need.

While most of the fighting games I actively play are also on PS5 (SF6, Tekken 8), there are games I mostly play on PC - Granblue and Melty Blood, for example. Those kinds of 2D fighters are fantastic with this kind of controller, in my estimation. The inputs are easy enough, and the buttons are a little larger than normal.

I know Dragon Ball FighterZ isn’t as hot as it used to be, but it’s still an incredibly fast-paced, fun 2D fighter. This type of controller is built for that kind of game, that’s for sure. I don’t have to worry about ridiculous inputs - just pick a team and start going to it. I didn’t really feel any input delay, wired or wireless. That does lead me to one of this controller’s important settings.

One neat thing the QRD Maestro S3 does is that it has a variety of latency settings. Some games may require different latency settings to perform well, so it defaults to Automatic. But there are other settings you can use in the manual.

---

The QRD Maestro S3 leverless controller works well on older consoles and games

Even classics like Melty Blood feel so good on the QRD Maestro S3 (Image via ArcSysWorks)

I have a wealth of classic fighting games, thanks to Capcom releasing content like the Capcom Fighting Collection and my PS4. There are also other outlets like Fightcade that I tested it on, just to make sure it will work efficiently. Now, with Capcom Fighting Collection, I ran into a problem, and the solution was in the manual.

The QRD Maestro S3 only uses Xinput “for now” while in wired mode. As I prefer wired mode, I should have read the manual more thoroughly. I couldn't use the directional buttons when playing Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo until I realized I could change the inputs to Xinput.

One thing I love about leverless controllers is that they make Tri Jumps in games like UMVC3 feel easier, and more satisfying. That was certainly the case here. I didn’t notice any particular input delay - when I rolled between down/forward+punch, I got a fireball every single time. Charge inputs were great, too. You still need the skill to buffer a Flash Kick as Guile while doing other inputs, but that comes with practice.

---

PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X|S owners will need a separate attachment to use on their console

Sorry, no Tekken 8 practice for me on this controller yet (Image via Bandai Namco)

The only real downside to this leverless controller is the same as many - it doesn’t have built-in PS5 functionality. This is likely due to the cost of the part that allows you to play this controller on a PlayStation 5.

However, you can get a converter from companies like Brooks. Considering this leverless costs about a hundred dollars less than a Hitbox, it's not a particularly distressing notion. But for people who play on multiple platforms, this controller’s a real treat.

---

Final Thoughts: Should you purchase the QRD Maestro S3?

Playing Castlevania-likes this way has a bit of a learning curve, but it's worth it (Image via 505 Games)

If you’re a fighting game fan and are interested in the world of the leverless controller, the QRD Maestro S3 is a great entry-level option. Like their Switch controller, it is comfortable, reasonably priced, and comes with a wealth of options. It’s also remarkably lightweight and isn’t especially huge - the controller can very easily be packed for travel to tournaments or other events. It also comes with a phone mount, if you want to game on your phone with it.

The QRD Maestro S3 is also Capcom Cup compliant, at the very least. You can activate SOCD cleaner on this leverless controller to prevent SOCD from triggering (Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions). This means you can’t use left/right, or up/down at the same time. This is a big deal since you don’t want to get disqualified from a tournament for being able to do inputs that aren’t legal.

I’m a fan of this not just for fighting games, though. 2D Metroidvanias like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, or the recently released Castlevania DS collection really shine with a controller like this. I even tried it with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Alucard’s spells never felt easier to hit. While it’s mostly for fighting game players, other gamers can find a use for it, as well.