What is SOCD Cleaning on Hitbox & Fight Sticks? (Rules & Modes)
Simultaneous Opposite Cardinal Directions explained: Neutral, Absolute Priority, and Capcom Pro Tour tournament compliance rules.
What Simultaneous Opposite Cardinal Directions (SOCD) Means
On traditional analog thumbsticks and arcade levers, it is physically impossible to press Left and Right simultaneously. On all-button arcade controllers (such as Hitbox, Snack Box Micro, and leverless pads), each direction is mapped to an independent button, allowing players to press opposing directions at the exact same instant.
SOCD Cleaning is the firmware logic that decides how the controller resolves simultaneous Left+Right or Up+Down input collisions.
The Three Major SOCD Cleaning Modes
Neutral: Opposing inputs cancel each other out completely (Left + Right = Neutral; Up + Down = Neutral). Neither direction registers.
Absolute Priority / Last Input Priority: The most recently pressed button overrides the previously held direction, allowing seamless instant direction changes.
Up Priority (Traditional Hitbox): Left + Right = Neutral, but Up + Down = Up (giving jump inputs absolute precedence over crouching).
Capcom Pro Tour (CPT) Tournament Rules
Official tournament rules for Street Fighter 6 and major fighting game events strictly mandate Neutral SOCD cleaning: Left + Right must equal Neutral, and Up + Down must equal Neutral. Controllers using Up Priority or Last Input Priority are illegal in premier sanctioned competition.
Testing SOCD Resolution in Your Browser
Connect your all-button fight stick to our Fight Stick & Hitbox Tester. Press opposing directional buttons simultaneously to visually verify how your firmware resolves SOCD states in real time.
Quick Answers
What happens when you press Left + Right at the same time on a Hitbox?
Under standard tournament-legal SOCD rules, pressing Left and Right simultaneously results in Neutral (zero movement), as if neither button was pressed.
What SOCD cleaner mode is tournament-legal for Street Fighter 6?
The Capcom Pro Tour requires both Left + Right = Neutral and Up + Down = Neutral. Up-Priority is no longer permitted in official competition.
Can standard D-Pads or thumbsticks trigger SOCD faults?
Generally no. Physical D-Pads use a central mechanical pivot that prevents opposite contacts from touching simultaneously, though worn membrane pads can rarely misfire.