You'll want one after reading this

Before home consoles took over the world, arcades were the place to be for the most advanced gaming experience. To play these coin-operated systems, you didn’t use a gamepad. Instead, the arcade stick was the control design of choice. Today, you can have the same arcade controller experience in your own home by purchasing a USB arcade stick.

While there is some variation, modern arcade sticks have roughly the same basic layout.

There is the stick itself, which consists of a rod with a ball on the end. While there are different grip styles, the most common is to grip the ball between the base of the middle and ring fingers, with the palm facing up.