We recently reviewed the 8bitdo Fight Stick that while having a very attractive and affordable buy-in price, didn’t really live up to its “ultra-moddable” nature it marketed. The Victrix Pro FS Fight Stick however does solve this issue, though at a heftier price tag. So the question begs, is this $400 fight stick worth investing in?
Victrix Pro FS Arcade Fight Stick
Price: $399 (Victrix)
MonsterVine was supplied with the Victrix Pro FS Arcade Fight Stick for review
First off I’d like to mention we’re reviewing the standard, Pro FS stick and not the Pro FS-12; the difference being that the FS features your usual joystick, while the FS-12 has a set of buttons to control movement instead. Besides that, the sticks are identical and it’s really up to preference.
Victrix Pro FS Arcade Fight Stick Specs & Features:
- Aluminum body
- Sanwa Denshi buttons
- Sanwa Denshi joysticks
- Quick-access back panel for modding
- PS5,PS4, & PC compatible
- Carrying bag
To cut right to the chase, the Victrix Pro FS feels great to use and that’s in part because it features Sanwa parts. If you’re new to the fighting game community, Sanwa is generally agreed upon as an industry standard for fight stick parts. You could buy some equally good parts from someplace like Hori or Seimitsu, but you can never go wrong with Sanwa. The Pro FS in particular features Sanwa Denshi parts but I wasn’t exactly sure which kind. They’re definitely lighter to the touch than some Sanwa buttons I installed on another fight stick, but that’s just a minor nitpick. I just prefer a tin bit of resistance to my arcade buttons, but the lighter touch allows for quicker presses. The joystick (also Sanwa) feels really good and has a satisfying “click” to its movements without being too loud. The fight stick itself is made of a solid aluminum which is cool to the touch and feels like it could take a beating if you were to ever drop it.
Victrix proudly brags about the FS Pro’s mod options, and honestly they’ve earned the brag; the Pro FS is easily one of the more effortless to mod sticks I’ve messed with but at this price point it damn well better be. I’ve seen a few fight sticks claim to allow you to mod every aspect of the stick, but fail to mention some parts are soldered in and god help you if you decide to go down that rabbit hole.
Opening the casing to get to its innards is as simple as opening a latch door, with no need to fuss about with screws which is a godsend. Within the case there’s not a lot, but it’s spacious enough to be able to work in as you take out and replace parts. The buttons are immediately available for you to pop out and replace, with the wire connectors slipping on and off pretty comfortably. I’ve seen a few sticks where those things were so tight it’d almost feel like you were about to snap a pin when messing with that stuff. The fight stick also features a square gate which is alright, but I would’ve preferred an octagonal one. Or considering the price tag, they honestly could have included both. That piece is removed by simply unsnapping it from its locks, pulling out the old one and snapping the new one right in.
The Pro FS features two joysticks: a removable one that can be stored within the fight stick’s casing when not in use (also includes a dust cover to fill the hole when removed) and a “non detachable” joystick (it’s not permanently in there, it just takes more work to remove since you have to open the casing to install it). Now while there’s a hook to hold the detachable joystick within the fight stick, there’s unfortunately no way to do so with the other one. It would have been nice to have a spot to hold that so I can keep it together with the stick as opposed to the current situation where it’s hanging out in a drawer or in the bag where it could potentially fall out. It just seems odd to not include some way to hold it within the case like it does with the other joystick.
The only issue I found with customizing its parts is if you ever want to install a different joystick mount or screw-in buttons. Bigger joystick mounts definitely won’t fit, so verify compatibility before you go buy a new one willy-nilly. And from my experience with screw-in buttons, the casing doesn’t really have a ton of space to fit screw-ins unless you somehow found some ultra thin ones. Unfortunately I didn’t have any on hand to test myself, but I’ve dealt with them enough to tell from a glance it’ll be a tight, if not impossible fit.
Now while the stick feels great to use and is a breeze to mod, what’s perhaps some of its best features are the physical aspects of the stick. First off, I love the stick’s portability. If you choose to opt for the removable joystick, it allows you to easily slide the entire fight stick into the accompanying bag and slide it under a bed, in a backpack, or carrying it someplace. When not in its bag, the Pro FS features carrying handles on both ends that allow for easy carrying when the bag isn’t available and the entire thing is deceptively light, but not in a cheap way. The shape of the fight stick itself is at a slight angle so that when it’s laying on your lap your arms come at a more natural angle which you’ll definitely notice if you’ve used some flatter sticks before. The bottom of the fight stick also features a nice rubber grip across it that helps prevent the thing from slipping.
Some miscellaneous details to point out are its detachable braided cable (why isn’t this standard at this point?) with a removable cable wrap built into the stick. Unfortunately it doesn’t have Bluetooth. Playing wired is obviously the preferred format in the fighting game community, to avoid as much latency as possible, but it’d be nice to have the ability to go wireless if you wanted it. The Pro FS fight stick also features a bevy of additional buttons. You’ve got your standard PS home button, a share button, lighting controls for the stick’s LEDs (which look pretty slick with an infinity mirror effect), audio controls, a touch pad, unfortunately only one programmable button, and finally a tournament/lock-out mode button that when pressed will disable the options button to prevent you from accidentally pressing it while playing. Within the casing you’ll also find a switch that lets you shift between PC, PS4 and PS5 modes.
I will say, as impressive as the packaging is, I was pretty disappointed with its user manual. It’s just a single page that barely really covers most of the machine. I understand this is likely meant for serious fighting game players but considering Victrix encourages you to mod the stick, you’d think they’d include some additional pages to educate people on fight stick modding. It’s just a thing that’d be nice to include, not only to save some folk the trouble of having to google their questions, but also because this is a goddamn $400 fight stick.
The Good Clean, minimalist look Incredibly portable Very customizable Durable
The Bad Costly Buttons can be a bit sensitive User manual is lacking
The Final Word
So is the Victrix Pro FS worth the investment? If you’re serious about the genre I’d wholeheartedly say yes. It’s a great feeling stick with a lot of customization options, and if you live and breathe fighting games I’d be hard pressed to recommend another stick assuming you have the $400 to blow on this.
