As long as I’ve played video games, I’ve been playing them on a tablet. Cute Xbox 360 pad. Excellent PS4 pad. Today, PS5 pads are bulky and noisy. I’ve never owned an arcade stick. It’s not for lack of demand – even today, arcade sticks are as much a symbol of gaming prestige as a Ferrari is to driving. Imagine my shock when the Vitrix Pro FS changed all that earlier this year. In my twenties, with no kids or mortgage, a growing waistline, and a receding hairline, I was theoretically the ideal market for this product. It feels natural on my lap.
Vitrix is the eSports/Competition brand of Performance Design Products (PDP). While the company has different product lines aimed at different types of gaming enthusiasts, Vitrix is unabashedly aimed at those who value high-performance, high-skill, and even professional gaming. At Evo earlier this month, Vitrix had a huge booth and you could see people wearing sponsored jerseys walking around holding Vitrix sticks. The Vitrix joystick is currently the king of the competitive scene. This makes them inherently popular among ambitious and esports-inspired people. But how good are they for you, the passionate gamer?
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Before I get into the various features of this gaming stick, I want to point out that this product is clearly aimed at fighting games, not other arcade games. Obviously it could be used by retro fans who want to play the obnoxious Pac-Man game, and it could be very handy, but this stick is clearly designed for playing fighting games both domestic and foreign. If you want a retro gaming stick, you can buy the Vitrix Pro, but you can probably save a lot of money and buy a more suitable product elsewhere.
On to the stick itself! In the box you’ll find the Vitrix stick itself, a nifty little carrying bag, a braided USB-C cable, and the individually packaged joystick. You also get a backup joystick within the stick itself, which snaps into place rather than wobbling. The stick also features a dust cover over the stick slot, making packing easier and making it harder to splash monster energy into the inside of the stick. The joystick connects via a metal shaft on the outside, and you simply lift it up before inserting it, then release it for easy connection. All in all, it takes a few minutes at most to unpack the Vitrix and get it ready for use.
As for its compatible platforms, you can plug this baby into your PC, PS5, or PS4 and it will work just fine. Users simply open a hatch on the back of the Vitrix Pro and flip a small switch to the platform of their choice. Then, plug and play. simple.
The stick itself is a very heavy thing. It weighs about 3.5kg, so you can knock someone’s hair off with this thing and a big enough swing. It’s not too heavy to carry around, but enough to keep it from moving while you play. This is especially noticeable with the foam knee pads built into the bottom of the hatch. You can play with this stick on your lap, on a table, on the floor, or on a chair, and it won’t move unless you actually try to throw it around. The foam also goes a long way toward comfort—it’s not a cushion—but you can put it on your bare legs for long gaming sessions without irritation.
Speaking of comfort, we put a lot of effort into making this stick pain-free for short or long term use. The material surrounding the case is made from a single piece of aluminum, which means there are no gaps to trap your fat and/or droopy fingers. I’m in my thirties and I can’t write enough about the importance of keeping my wrists comfortable, and this cane makes it easy! The old man approved.
The stick itself measures approximately 41cm x 28cm x 6cm, so it’s a big boy. Therefore, you must consider proper storage of such products. I’ve been keeping it on a pile of shirts in my closet for the past few weeks, but it could also be tucked under the bed or just on the floor. The stick actually has a plastic hook that screws onto the front of it. These are meant to wrap around your cables, but you can take these into account when installing the wall mount and show it off to your zero IRL friends. Then again, if you’re buying an expensive arcade stick, you’re probably a fully fledged adult with the DIY skills to do such a thing. not me!
But most importantly, when you put your hand on this stick, you can feel its quality. Just as you should! For the price, the Vitrix Pro is probably the best. It does look like the right fit, has a smooth finish and works right out of the box. I’m happy to report that the Vitrix Pro is really fun to play. Everything feels solid and smooth, with no wobbly parts and no loose parts. The sound of the joystick and its bounce as it resets to neutral is the perfect plastic crackle of the Sanwa button. This is all top quality. You can feel it in your chest and it’s a product you want to show off to people. When you take it out of the bag you’re like, yes, that’s right, I’m serious about this.
One of the great things about this stick that’s heavily promoted on its official store page is customization, which is a plus worth bragging about as long as you’re talking about replacement parts. If you want to replace a button or joystick, it’s easy to do. All you have to do is grab a screwdriver, open the hatch on the bottom, and you can mix things up. However, for those who want to customize their own stick aesthetic, hoping to swap out the shell for a variety of memes and favorite characters, you’re basically out of luck. Instead, alternative models of the Vitrix stick exist with characters from Tekken 8, but if you’re hoping for a good-luck companion to the Vitrix from Blue Wings or Art of Fighting, you’ll be waiting forever.
Durability is another key aspect of the Vitrix Pro, as you’d expect from a product of this size for the traveling gamer. I tested this multiple times. I started small, fist-bashing the buttons and Vitrix shell. I pushed it off the table to the floor and dropped it face down, side down, with the hatch open. None of this left much of a mark and no parts were visibly damaged. That being said, I wouldn’t slam it (like the Sanford Kelly The Freshmaker), but for the common bumps and scrapes, the Vitrix Pro handles it well.
So, sticks are great. Okay, that’s cool, but it’s not. only Is it an arcade stick? This is an arcade stick for a spiky top, and it’s the best of the best. Players who travel, participate in tournaments and win games. As I sat in a dark room playing an online match of Street Fighter 6 with unemployed Spaniards, it didn’t go over well. To really test this, I had to take it out on the road, which is why I brought it to the Evo 2024.
When it comes to using the Vitrix Pro for actual travel tournaments, the first and most obvious thing to note is its size. You see, it’s nice to have such a big stick at home. When you travel the world and walk through convention centers all day, some of its benefits can turn into drawbacks. For one, it doesn’t fit into the backpack I usually use for short trips. I’d also need a new bag if I wanted to take it to races all day long. As for taking it on the plane, I threw it in my duffel bag and prayed that British Airways wouldn’t send it to Korea.
Luckily, the stick showed up with me in Vegas and made the trip unscathed. Normally with tech that comes in a cargo bag, I wrap it in a towel or pack it in a protective sleeve, but because of the Vitrix and its durability, I just throw it in the bag and that’s it. While a Starbucks gift cup will shatter into a million pieces, the Vitrix Pro will be able to withstand that. When it comes to lugging it around during races, the Vitrix Pro’s built-in handle comes in handy. Even with these, I would still recommend a backpack for anything but the smallest of hikes.
On the Evo, I can see a real competitor to the Vitrix Pro in many hands, and it deserves to be used as a point of comparison. While the Vitrix Pro is a big box with a shiny joystick, the other major killer in the fighting game peripheral world is the Hitbox, or Junkfood Custom’s Snackbox. These are the Vitrix’s smaller, lighter, poleless competitors, and are arguably more convenient for travel and competition. They are easier to carry and easier to personalize through customizable panels. Sure, you might break it at your knees, and throwing it to the pavement with your arms might mean the end of your little hitbox, but it’s a trade many people are willing to accept.
When I say that the Vitrix Pro’s main competition isn’t other arcade sticks, but smaller hitboxes, I mean that as a compliment. It’s worth noting that the Vitrix Pro has a hitbox variant, but it retains the same size and appearance as the regular model. Ultimately, this is a decision you, the buyer, must make based on preference and what matters most to you. If you value a sense of quality, great looks, and the highest quality parts, then I highly recommend the Vitrix Pro rocker. If you like traveling easily, staying lightweight, and being able to style your controller, you might want to consider other Hitboxes on the market.
Personally, I love the Vitrix Pro Fight Stick. When I play fighting games, you have to drag me kicking and screaming back to the PS5 pad. The way it feels, the way it looks…it’s exactly what I imagined a top-tier arcade stick would look like as a teenager. I definitely recommend it to any fighting game fan who has some cash and wants to take their hobby to the next level.
You can now buy the Vitrix Pro Fightstick for $399 USD / £300 GBP / 399.99 EUR
