Victrix stands as one of the most storied producers of classic and modern-style arcade fight sticks, with a history of crafting some of the highest quality and premium controllers on the market. This legacy within the peripheral space and the fighting game community (FGC) led to the company partnering with Evo, both to craft a prize for top finishers and showcase its newest line of products, the Pro FS.
On the floor at Evo 2022 , Victrix welcomed players to try out near-finished models of the Pro FS and Pro FS-12 Arcade Fight Sticks, which opened pre-orders earlier this month.
This new set of premium tournament fight line sticks not only provides traditional stick users with a new top-of-the-line product option in the Pro FS but also introduces the company’s first 12-button style controller with the Pro FS-12.
Hands-on impressions of the Victrix Pro FS and Pro FS-12
At the hands-on test, I was able to mess around with both controllers in Guilty Gear Strive’s training mode. And, as many would come to expect from Victrix products, both feature Sanwa Denshi parts that provide an authentic, snappy, and high-quality feel whether you opt to go the traditional route or use the stickless FS Pro-12.
When I use a fight stick, I tend to prefer the traditional layout, but with the new Victrix models, I found myself favoring the FS Pro-12. Whether it was because of the quality components paired with the excellent button layout or simply my recent attempts to better learn to play stickless doesn’t really matter; I was impressed by both.
A large part of that good impression was the build quality, weight, and wrist slope of the sticks.
The body of both sticks is made up of a “durable shell made from a single piece of aircraft-grade aluminum” that provides a perfect amount of heft when carrying it or setting it in your lap to play matches.
Additionally, the 6.28-degree wrist slope makes for a comfortable playing experience without any corners or edges digging into your skin if you put a lot of pressure on those areas.
All of these elements were taken into account when Victrix conducted market research within the FGC, trying to find areas in which the company could provide a product that was capable of winning in each category that matters to players.
“It’s important to us that we not only take the advice of our potential customers, who will eventually be the ones to put our products to the true test at events like [Evo,] but also working with Sony and the companies behind the games to see where we can improve,” Victrix director of product development Trevor Lehr said.
“Basically, we ask everyone for feedback about everything from our layout to our integrations, we find out what is winning through market research, we combine the features, and then we run with it.”
Both models also work seamlessly with modern PlayStation consoles and PC, with a built-in mode switch, a USB-C connection, and a quick-access back panel for easy mods and updates.
The Pro FS line is an officially licensed Sony product too, so Victrix has worked closely with the console-maker, as well as game publishers to ensure the new FS Pro line can provide players with an optimized, smooth experience. And, as fighting games push into the next generation on PS5 with companies like Sony, Epic Games, and various developers working to improve performance, Victrix has tried to future-proof its new products by making them to a standard that will hold up for years to come.
“Every one of our products, dating back to our PS4 stick and into the new PS5 stuff, gets built with low latency in mind. So everything we do when it comes to our custom elements, electronics, or firmware, is built to have the lowest latency input,” Lehr said. “Offering both the Pro FS and Pro FS-12, which are low latency with high performance and high build quality, will take us to the next level. And, that design, paired with Sony and game publishers working together to reduce input lag on their end will just make our stick shine more.”
For anyone who watched Evo 2022, you also probably saw the top three finishers for the main games win a special golden fight stick during the award ceremonies.
This was a promotion with Evo, where Victrix provided exclusive gold edition Pro FS models laser-engraved with the title of each individual title to first, second, and third-place players. And while players won’t be able to get their hands on that golden prize, pre-orders and waitlists for both the Pro FS and Pro FS-12 are now live, with each model running for $399.99.
Published: Aug 25, 2022 01:30 am