We not too long ago reviewed the 8bitdo Struggle Stick that even though having a very beautiful and reasonably priced obtain-in value, did not truly live up to its “ultra-moddable” character it promoted. The Victrix Professional FS Combat Adhere having said that does resolve this concern, nevertheless at a heftier selling price tag. So the dilemma begs, is this $400 combat stick truly worth investing in?
Victrix Pro FS Arcade Combat Stick
Cost: $399 (Victrix)
MonsterVine was supplied with the Victrix Pro FS Arcade Struggle Adhere for assessment
Initial off I’d like to mention we’re examining the normal, Professional FS adhere and not the Pro FS-12 the change currently being that the FS features your standard joystick, while the FS-12 has a established of buttons to regulate movement instead. In addition to that, the sticks are similar and it is genuinely up to desire.
Victrix Professional FS Arcade Fight Stick Specs & Capabilities:
- Aluminum body
- Sanwa Denshi buttons
- Sanwa Denshi joysticks
- Fast-obtain back again panel for modding
- PS5,PS4, & Pc compatible
- Carrying bag
To cut proper to the chase, the Victrix Pro FS feels wonderful to use and which is in component simply because it functions Sanwa pieces. If you are new to the combating video game group, Sanwa is frequently agreed upon as an market common for battle stick parts. You could purchase some equally great pieces from someplace like Hori or Seimitsu, but you can never ever go wrong with Sanwa. The Pro FS in specific characteristics Sanwa Denshi sections but I was not precisely confident which kind. They’re certainly lighter to the contact than some Sanwa buttons I installed on one more struggle adhere, but that is just a slight nitpick. I just desire a tin little bit of resistance to my arcade buttons, but the lighter contact enables for more rapidly presses. The joystick (also Sanwa) feels seriously great and has a fulfilling “click” to its actions without having becoming much too loud. The fight adhere itself is produced of a strong aluminum which is cool to the contact and feels like it could acquire a beating if you have been to ever fall it.
Victrix proudly brags about the FS Pro’s mod selections, and truthfully they’ve attained the brag the Professional FS is effortlessly one particular of the extra effortless to mod sticks I’ve messed with but at this price level it damn nicely superior be. I’ve noticed a couple of struggle sticks assert to permit you to mod just about every factor of the adhere, but fall short to mention some pieces are soldered in and god assist you if you make a decision to go down that rabbit gap.
Opening the casing to get to its innards is as basic as opening a latch doorway, with no have to have to fuss about with screws which is a godsend. Inside of the scenario there is not a lot, but it’s roomy ample to be in a position to work in as you just take out and exchange sections. The buttons are right away accessible for you to pop out and swap, with the wire connectors slipping on and off quite easily. I’ve viewed a couple sticks wherever those matters were so restricted it’d almost come to feel like you had been about to snap a pin when messing with that stuff. The battle stick also functions a sq. gate which is alright, but I would’ve most popular an octagonal just one. Or considering the price tag, they actually could have provided the two. That piece is eliminated by simply unsnapping it from its locks, pulling out the aged one particular and snapping the new a single right in.
The Professional FS capabilities two joysticks: a detachable 1 that can be saved in the combat stick’s casing when not in use (also features a dust cover to fill the gap when removed) and a “non detachable” joystick (it is not completely in there, it just can take additional work to clear away since you have to open up the casing to install it). Now whilst there is a hook to maintain the removable joystick within the combat adhere, there’s however no way to do so with the other one. It would have been nice to have a spot to hold that so I can hold it collectively with the stick as opposed to the latest situation where by it’s hanging out in a drawer or in the bag wherever it could possibly fall out. It just looks odd to not include some way to keep it inside of the circumstance like it does with the other joystick.
The only situation I identified with customizing its areas is if you ever want to put in a distinctive joystick mount or screw-in buttons. Bigger joystick mounts certainly will not match, so confirm compatibility ahead of you go buy a new one particular willy-nilly. And from my working experience with screw-in buttons, the casing doesn’t definitely have a ton of house to match screw-ins unless you in some way uncovered some extremely thin types. Regretably I did not have any on hand to test myself, but I have dealt with them sufficient to convey to from a glance it’ll be a limited, if not impossible fit.
Now even though the adhere feels fantastic to use and is a breeze to mod, what is maybe some of its very best features are the actual physical areas of the adhere. Initially off, I really like the stick’s portability. If you opt for to opt for the detachable joystick, it enables you to conveniently slide the whole battle stick into the accompanying bag and slide it underneath a bed, in a backpack, or carrying it someplace. When not in its bag, the Professional FS functions carrying handles on both ends that allow for effortless carrying when the bag is not out there and the overall thing is deceptively gentle, but not in a cheap way. The condition of the fight stick alone is at a slight angle so that when it is laying on your lap your arms come at a extra normal angle which you’ll definitely observe if you’ve utilized some flatter sticks in advance of. The bottom of the battle stick also options a great rubber grip throughout it that assists avert the issue from slipping.
Some miscellaneous particulars to stage out are its removable braided cable (why isn’t this typical at this stage?) with a detachable cable wrap created into the stick. Sadly it doesn’t have Bluetooth. Playing wired is naturally the desired structure in the battling activity neighborhood, to stay away from as much latency as possible, but it’d be great to have the potential to go wi-fi if you desired it. The Pro FS struggle stick also options a bevy of extra buttons. You have obtained your typical PS house button, a share button, lighting controls for the stick’s LEDs (which appear pretty slick with an infinity mirror result), audio controls, a contact pad, sadly only a single programmable button, and ultimately a tournament/lock-out manner button that when pressed will disable the solutions button to avoid you from unintentionally pressing it when participating in. Within the casing you are going to also locate a change that lets you shift between Computer system, PS4 and PS5 modes.
I will say, as extraordinary as the packaging is, I was fairly let down with its consumer handbook. It’s just a solitary website page that hardly actually handles most of the machine. I comprehend this is possible intended for severe battling recreation players but thinking of Victrix encourages you to mod the adhere, you’d imagine they’d consist of some more pages to educate persons on fight adhere modding. It is just a detail that’d be great to involve, not only to help you save some folk the difficulties of obtaining to google their queries, but also due to the fact this is a goddamn $400 combat stick.
The Great Clear, minimalist seem Incredibly transportable Pretty customizable Long lasting
The Undesirable High priced Buttons can be a bit delicate Consumer handbook is missing
The Final Word
So is the Victrix Professional FS worth the financial commitment? If you’re major about the style I’d wholeheartedly say of course. It is a wonderful experience stick with a whole lot of customization alternatives, and if you reside and breathe combating online games I’d be difficult pressed to endorse another adhere assuming you have the $400 to blow on this.