It’s been quite some time since I’ve had to genuinely “re-learn” something when it comes to gaming, but the Victrix Pro KO Leverless Fight Stick has made me feel like I’m starting all over again when it comes to fighting games.
For those who grew up in my generation there were two ways to play arcade games, and indeed fighting games. You either invest in a decent arcade stick (which in fairness, Victrix also makes) or you get good at using either the D-Pad or the Analog Stick on a modern controller. The trouble is that modern controllers haven’t always had the best D-Pads, and the throw on the sticks varies, and (for me anyway) never feels like the right way to play. A leverless stick then, is exactly what it suggests from the name: no lever, or rather: no stick, all buttons.
What this means in practice, is the aforementioned re-learning process. Despite having played fighting games all my life, the biggest hurdle here is retraining your brain to accept that now your left hand is doing as much work as your right hand when it comes to movement. Positioning-wise, if you’ve played on any modern stick, the face buttons are going to be familiar to you. On the left side, though, is (in order) left, down, right, with an up (or jump, I suppose) button that is where your left thumb will rest.
Ergonomically, the Victrix Pro KO is a dream. It absolutely makes sense to have the buttons positioned where they are, though it’ll take a bit of getting used to that your left wrist is as close to the right now, if you’ve jumped from stick to leverless. What this means in actual practice, though, is that a tried and tested move like a Hadouken goes from a quarter circle to a “middle finger-index finger” combo. That said, there’s a huge positive to this. If you’ve ever tried to get a move off and felt like somehow you just didn’t get the stick motion to register, you have no stick now. Having all buttons means mistakes are, well, they’re on you, not the non-existent stick. You’re essentially swapping years of experience for a faster input method here.
The buttons themselves feel about as good as you could hope for. Cherry MX Speed switches are included, and like much of the Victrix Pro KO, they feel minimal and small. That may sound a complaint but it’s far from it. While you may be used to larger buttons on a traditional stick, it feels like in an effort to keep the real estate of the leverless down, while also minimising the risk of cramp when learning how to play this way. The buttons are short without losing that “feel” you want on a stick, but you also can get combos off quickly enough: this feels like a happy medium.
You might also note that there are four odd-looking spaces on the front near the other buttons, and this is just how customisable the Pro KO is. The entire top plate comes away (via four small switches) with ease, revealing the components and the switch puller to remove or connect new ones. If you find, for example, the square button just isn’t in the right place, move it and adjust accordingly.
A three-meter braided cord is included, as is a full carry-case; a nice touch for sure. At the rear where the cable connects to the stick, there is a small component that puts the USB-C end out of reach. Essentially you shouldn’t lose connection save for someone fully raging out, and even then I think the whole console would go with it. There are customisable RGB light rings around each button, and you can change these via the Victrix Control Hub app. There’s even a lock switch that turns off the top bar, so you can’t pause the game by mistake.
There’s a small touchpad on the top left near the PlayStation button, along with four control buttons for various functions such as lighting, mic settings, etc. It’s a minor issue, but the greyscale colour form of the top of the Pro KO makes the icons a little difficult to read, as they are a glossy finish on top of a black button. But really, there’s very little that hasn’t been thought of here. It’s lightweight and small enough to fit most desks, or laps, and genuinely the leverless option here just takes up so much less room than almost any other stick I can recall in recent years. There’s even a small switch that lets you change between PS4, PS5, and PC mode.
Ultimately, the Victrix Pro KO is priced for those who are going to play a lot of fighting games, and either have experience with leverless sticks, or are committed to learning how to play that way. I won’t pretend that it’s not a difficult process, and it can be eased by playing games with a little less jumping movement, or rotational stick requirements. For example, it’s perhaps an idea to learn to play Tekken or Mortal Kombat 1 before you jump into Street Fighter 6 and try to master Zangief. I found success starting out with some older games, as well, but then that’s where I started, so your mileage may vary.
Everything about the Victrix Pro KO feels premium. From the unboxing experience to the RGBs, the switches themselves, and even the braided cable. I was worried I was maybe too old to learn a new way to play a beloved genre, but if anything, this has reinvigorated my love for fighting games. That said, I won’t be challenging anyone online any time soon, because I’m back to being a learner, which in itself, is rather rewarding. An outstanding product, that feels like it’s been designed with love and care, the Victrix Pro KO Leverless Fight Stick is really rather something, and I’d be surprised if anything could topple it.
