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One of the main developments taking the FGC by storm is the notion of ditching the stick a part of an arcade or fightstick. We’ve seen it rise in adoption through the years, not simply by casuals in search of an edge at a neighborhood event, but additionally with among the largest names within the scene. So whereas different manufacturers have launched their very own variations of the design, it was solely a matter of time until Victrix did the identical. Is it definitely worth the excessive price ticket, although?

Specifications:

• Body: Aircraft-grade aluminum
• Buttons: Sanwa Denshi buttons and switches
• Connectivity: 3M USB C to USB A cable
• Compatibility: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
• Customizable? Yes
• Weight: 7.8 lbs
• Colors: Purple, White
• Price: $399 on Victrix web site

First Thoughts

Announced at EVO 2022, the Victrix Pro FS-12 is a 12-button stickless fightstick that replaces the joystick often reserved for motion with 4 directional buttons. Taking the teachings realized with the unique incarnation of the Pro FS, the Pro FS-12 makes use of the identical high-quality single-body aluminum and creates a sturdy and engaging chassis to carry all the pieces. The chassis itself continues to be sloped close to the underside, giving a snug curve to relaxation your arms throughout lengthy periods. 

The one factor to notice is that this can be a heavy fightstick. And for good motive: you actually don’t desire it shifting on you throughout tense moments. To assist reinforce this, the underside of the Victrix Pro FS-12 has a rubberized backside to assist it stick in place, whether or not on a tabletop, your lap, or the ground beneath you. 

Immediately my eyes had been drawn to the apparent: that is an arcade stick, with out the stick. This stickless design has been taken up lately due to the adoption of one other product, the Hit Box. Here with my native group, the stickless format has began to overhaul us all, so it was solely a matter of time for me to strive one out. With execs like Daigo “The Beast” Umehara and Hajime “Tokido” Taniguchi each switching to the stickless format, in addition to Kawano’s victory this 12 months at Evo 2022 utilizing a Hit Box, I can solely assume adoption charges will soar much more. 

Victrix feels primed to capitalize on that right here with the Pro FS-12, particularly as the corporate has already constructed a stable status within the FGC for constructing among the best-performing and most stunning sticks available on the market.

The Pro FS-12 has the identical eight reality buttons that make up nearly all of inputs on a controller whereas including 4 directional buttons. One notable design resolution was to reverse the location of Up and Down, with the highest three directional buttons being “Left, Down, Right” whereas a bigger “Up” button is in the direction of the underside of the stick. This is supposed to duplicate the texture of utilizing Spacebar to leap, however as with most issues these are adjustable in-game settings to match your liking. 

The high bar has your Options button, in addition to host of different choices, from the flexibility to lock the bar to cease inadvertent pauses throughout a match, or change the colour scheme of the built-in RGB on the edges. In the center is a trackpad much like the one discovered on the DualSense controllers, giving that degree of management when utilizing the pad with a PlayStation. 

Visually, the Victrix Pro FS-12 is gorgeous, the purple end on our overview unit extremely putting. While at EVO 2022 I used to be additionally in a position to go hands-on with the white end, which is gorgeous itself too, the Victrix purple seems so good. The Victrix Pro FS-12 may also be laser engraved (one thing Victrix tends to do at occasions as nicely in case you deliver yours to their sales space). While I’m certain it might look good (the White Tree of Gondor on my authentic stick nonetheless seems superb 4 years later), I’m undecided I wish to disrupt the look of the Pro FS-12’s purple end. It’s simply too fairly.

The underside itself opens as much as reveal the wiring of the Victrix Pro FS-12. Like its predecessor, the Pro FS-12 is absolutely customizable, so gamers preferring a distinct feeling change or button can simply get at it and swap the Sanwa Denshi elements that come commonplace out. Given the truth that the Sanwa Denshi elements are thought-about to be among the many greatest, it is a honest guess that many will not swap them totally, however the possibility is there do you have to select to.

The Victrix Pro FS-12 additionally comes with a high-quality sleeved USB C to USB A cable for connectivity. This is a wired controller, which means no matter the place you employ it you will should be considerably shut, regardless of the 3-meter-long wire. Additionally, the Pro FS-12 is usable on each the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 (natively), in addition to the PC due to the inclusion of XInput. There’s even slightly change contained in the Pro FS-12 to allow you to set the mode of the PCB.

Using the Victrix Pro FS-12

I’ll admit: I’m not one of the best at combating video games, however the few I’m respectable at (Soul Calibur, Melty Blood: Type Lumina) I discovered sitting down with the Pro FS-12 to be relatively acquainted. This is partly because of the truth that my foremost driver is already a Victrix stick: the unique incarnation of the Pro FS. Given the truth that the stickless variant makes use of the identical physique and construct supplies, it felt like coming dwelling once I sat down for that first match.

From a efficiency standpoint, the Pro FS-12 is extremely responsive and satisfying to make use of. In my first few matches of Melty Blood on PlayStation 5, the buttons sang as I’d anticipate. Sanwa Denshi buttons really feel unimaginable to make use of, very like a satisfying mechanical keyboard.

However, the training curve right here is large as I needed to modify to shifting round with out the stick. The largest hurdle is the reversed placement of Up and Down. Despite telling myself it was only a area bar, I discovered it troublesome to recover from the hump initially of utilizing the best button to leap with, oftentimes shedding me matches. 

However, commonplace combating recreation maneuvers, comparable to a half-circle sweep or the Dragon Punch motions had been a bit simpler and even quicker with simply the buttons. I may fireplace off fireballs with ease, and my anti-air recreation instantly improved. Learning combos had been additionally lot simpler, particularly as soon as I received the cling of the Up/Down swap. This is principally because of the truth that it appears like I’m studying a cheat code or combo on a controller as I did as a child versus an arcade stick I’d possibly use as soon as a month rising up. 

However, it does include some drawbacks. When in observe and coaching modes it was simple to tug off in movement, however it took me a good bit to recollect the right way to management my character fluidly when enjoying different individuals. During an FGC evening at a good friend’s home earlier this month to place the stick by its paces, I ended up going a wonderful 3-26, largely as a result of I’d discover myself floundering throughout tense moments and reversing the Up/Down change once more.

This is not a knock in opposition to the stick itself, however moreso the structure being so overseas to me that it’ll take weeks to get as fluent with it as I’m with the stick itself.

Another side I used to be shocked to search out myself not liking was the ergonimics of the stick throughout lengthy periods. With the fightstick itself, having the ability to relaxation my forearms and simply transfer my wrist to govern the stick felt superb. However, with the 12-button structure, my wrists are likely to loosen up, inflicting the sloping curve of the physique to be a legal responsibility at instances. Instead of my fingers being in a first-rate place to react, I discovered myself stress-free my palms extra, placing me a step behind. Compare this with the Hit Box, which is smaller and fewer ergonomic, however because of this, it forces your palms to be in prime place on a regular basis.

That mentioned, I like the truth that no matter how hectic a match seems to be, or how animated I turn out to be when reacting to a whiff or a punish on display screen, the Victrix Pro FS-12 is not going anyplace. I’ve used lighter sticks just like the Qanba Drone or the Hori Real Arcade Edition sticks and whereas they’re good, they only do not feel stable when in use. The Victrix is motionless, sticking to my lap or tabletop in the course of the top of the sport, protecting my inputs the place they belong: at my fingertips.

Crucially, too, one of many main flaws of the unique Pro FS was its spotty PC assist. While at tournaments you are not going to search out PCs at every desk, at dwelling many people play combating video games there as they carry out higher, whereas additionally guaranteeing a wired connection for many combatants. But the older Pro FS wasn’t at all times natively supported, making it a wrestle to get it to work in video games, particularly when the developer hadn’t programmed for the Victrix stick.

Thanks to XInput assist on the Pro FS and Pro FS-12’s that simply launched this 12 months, this was a factor of the previous. Every single recreation I examined it on, from Street Fighter V, Dragon Ball FighterZ to Final Fantasy XIV (Yes. Yes I did – extra to return on that entrance), the Pro FS-12 labored proper out of the gate. It’s such an important enchancment that simply makes it extra interesting to a wider viewers.

Final Thoughts

The Victrix Pro FS-12 made it simpler to tug off combating recreation motions I’d wrestle to do persistently with the common arcade sticks which have dominated the scene, one thing I hoped for once I first laid eyes on the structure. However, with this degree of accuracy got here a better studying curve. As somebody who’s extra informal than anything, I may perceive if somebody determined to simply forgo the all-button structure for the acquainted arcade stick setup (which Victrix additionally has launched a brand new model of the Pro FS for these customers). However, as somebody who has at all times struggled for consistency with the stick itself, the Pro FS-12 is a breath of contemporary air.

Yes, it is type of a mind-bender studying to make use of the brand new structure and swapping your Up and Down inputs. Getting that all the way down to second nature after a long time of utilizing a stick is the toughest level right here for me, however the stick itself performs admirably below strain. From the exact and satisfying actuation of every of the buttons to the heft of the stick, the Pro FS-12 takes all the pieces I throw at it in every heated match. While the ergonomics of the stick are snug, I can not assist however really feel they’re too snug, at the least for me, with this structure. Forcing my wrists off the stick is a wrestle, particularly as it is so nicely constructed that I simply naturally wish to relaxation them on the physique of the stick. However, your mileage right here may differ – hours and hours of muscle reminiscence will take hours and hours to unlearn. 

Despite this, I felt extra exact and was in a position to pull off difficult combos I by no means may on the common arcade keep on with relative ease as soon as I received used to the button structure. The Victrix Pro FS-12 made me a greater, extra constant participant. And for $399, that needs to be the case. This is not a stick your informal fan goes to purchase evenly, nor ought to they. Victrix merchandise are sometimes offered with the concept this can be a premium system, and actually, it reveals within the design and efficiency. $399 is some huge cash, however in case you’re in search of one of the best you are not going to search out significantly better than the Victrix pad. 

All in all, the Victrix Pro FS-12 is a implausible stickless fightstick, able to competing in opposition to the opposite names by constructing 12-button layouts within the scene. It takes a little bit of re-learning, however as soon as I received the cling of it I felt like a greater participant when armed with Vicrix Pro FS-12. And that alone is a triumph of design.  While it is a bit costlier than the others, Victrix greater than makes up for this with its premium construct high quality, high-quality buttons and switches, in addition to its distinctive efficiency. 

Full Disclosure: The product described right here was supplied by PR for the needs of this overview.