Our first glimpse at next-gen’s fighting game accessories
Accessory manufacturer, HORI, has its first set of accessories designed for Xbox Series X|S consoles available for purchase and pre-order. Those eagerly anticipating new designs for fighting game accessories like arcade sticks and fight pads are in luck. There are plenty of options for every kind of gamer with new headsets, necksets, controller chargers, and driving wheels too.
The long-awaited prototype has finally taken its final form. First showcased at Evo 2018, and then again at other events over the years, players can finally get their hands on HORI’s latest design. The Fighting Stick α (or alpha) is a mod-friendly stick that opens up for easy access to parts and a top panel designed for replaceable art. It includes the HORI standard Hayabusa buttons and arcade stick lever that fans have come to know and love. The Fighting Stick α is priced at $199.99, right next to their Fighting EDGE for PlayStation 4. This price also puts it in direct competition with the Razer Panthera Evo, which offers a similar ability to swap out custom art, but loses its predecessor’s easy access to parts, and the Qanba Obsidian and Qanba Pearl which puts its focus on build and aesthetics as opposed to customization. The Fighting Stick alpha is set to release on February 27, 2021! There is a listing on Amazon if you’d like to pre-order.
- Hayabusa buttons & stick lever
- Chassis opens for easy maintenance and customization
- Switch out top housing artwork with your own
- Assignable buttons, Share Button, Profile Button, Key Lock Mode, and more
- Compatible with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10
- Officially Licensed by Microsoft
HORI’s legendary fight pad gets a radical redesign with the Fighting Commander OCTA. The latest iteration of the controller is priced at $49.99 and comes with an overhauled form factor that appears more in-line with standard controllers. The traditional 6-button layout is accompanied by both an adjustable D-Pad and a short-throw analog stick with an 8-way gate. This will give players plenty of options when it comes to how they prefer to throw out their inputs. The shoulder buttons and triggers also got a redesign which makes them look much more ergonomic as opposed to the rectangular buttons used in the past. It does appear that an older feature isn’t making a return though as it looks like there is no longer a switch at the top that alternates that the shoulder buttons and triggers are designated as. This is most likely due to the customization available through HORI’s new companion app. The Fighting Commander Octa is set to release on March 29, 2021! You can pre-order it on Amazon now.
- Wired Pro Controller optimized for fighting games
- Features a six-button layout, micro switch buttons, and adjustable D-Pad
- Customize and save up to four profiles with the Companion App and easily switch between them with the Profile Button
- Short Throw Analog Stick with 8-way gate for increased accuracy and execution speed
- Headset input and onboard audio controls
- Compatible with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10
- Officially Licensed by Microsoft
HORI is also updating its HORIPAD Pro line with a new model designed for Xbox with more features than ever before. Players will be able to customize many aspects of the controller like the sensitivity of the analog sticks, dead zones. LR Triggers, and the amount of vibration feedback that can be found in the controller itself and the triggers. The HORIPAD Pro is available now for $49.99. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, you can order one on Amazon here.
- Fine tune the sensitivity for the analog stick, dead zone, and LR Trigger
- Comes equipped with the Share Button and adjustable vibration feedback in the controller and triggers
- Customize and save up to four profiles with the Companion App and easily switch between them with the Profile Button
- High quality parts and precision analog sticks
- Fully programmable & adjustable, with Snipe Mode & more
- Onboard audio controls & headset jack
- Compatible with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10
- Officially Licensed by Microsoft
All of HORI’s new controllers come with the ability to connect to their new companion app. This lets users create up to four custom profiles per device that can be switched between through the Profile button. Having an app will make keeping track of customizations and settings so much easier. It is great to see more accessories come with the capability to be customized through software.
Thanks to the “Designed for Xbox” philosophy, all licensed Xbox accessories that are either wired or connect wirelessly via USB will work on the current Xbox One family of systems and the next-generation Xbox Series X|S devices. This goes for headsets that connect via your controller’s 3.5mm port as well. This means that nearly any accessory that you purchase will work forward and backward depending on where you are at with your next-gen console purchase planning.
What do you think about the new accessories? Will you be pre-ordering the Fighting Stick α, the Fighting Commander OCTA, the HORIPAD Pro, or another of HORI’s new peripherals? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: HORI