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Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO: Two-minute assessment
The Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO is the newest premium tackle the leverless all-button controllers which were reworking the preventing recreation group’s meta lately, constructed for the present technology of consoles whereas nonetheless backwards appropriate with last-gen consoles on the click on of a change (whereas the controllers are additionally appropriate with PC, you will want to purchase separate controllers for PlayStation and Xbox consoles).
It is a a lot sleeker construct than Victrix’s earlier try at a leverless controller whereas retaining related options, resembling customizable LED lights, a three-meter braided USB-C cable, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a snug ergonomic 6.28-degree wrist slope on its floor to forestall fatigue. It additionally consists of L3 and R3 buttons that the Professional FS fashions lacked, whereas naturally together with a match lock change to disable all the opposite buttons on the highest bar.
The place the Professional KO actually stands out from the opposite contenders vying to be one of many finest battle sticks is simply how customizable its buttons are, with the house for 16 mappable and movable buttons in comparison with the default 12 of different leverless controllers. With spare buttons supplied inside the shell of the controller, an easy-to-pop-open cowl, and tweezers that make altering buttons accessible straight out of the field, it is an simply customizable controller the place you’ll be able to add and program new buttons which might be most snug to achieve in your play model. Being obtainable at a greater comparable worth to related choices at launch makes it a superb alternative for gamers trying to convert to a leverless management model.
Whereas preventing execs will reward leverless controllers as extra exact and instant in comparison with a standard arcade stick, it is nonetheless not the superior possibility with out retraining muscle reminiscence and getting used to the structure, even when having the ability to add a special place for the up / leap button can assist with the adjustment. However for these ready to place within the work and make the transition, the Professional KO is one of the best leverless controller to make that transfer.
Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO: Worth and availability
- Checklist worth of $249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399.95
- Comparably priced to different leverless controllers
- Restricted availability for PlayStation variant in comparison with Xbox
Launching in December 2024, the worth level of the Victrix Professional KO is about proper for different leverless controllers proper now. It is less expensive than the Victrix Professional FS-12 and higher priced than its closest competitor the Razer Kitsune, which launched at $299, making it a relative cut price contemplating the wealth of further customization provided out of the field.
For pad gamers trying to take their preventing recreation prowess to the subsequent stage, the Victrix Professional KO is unquestionably a greater worth alternative than shelling out for its premium arcade stick equal the Victrix Professional FS, which is among the many most costly battle sticks for the time being (it’s nonetheless nonetheless my stick of alternative).
Inventory is sadly in brief provide for the PlayStation mannequin at the moment, with Amazon taking orders however warning that delivery can take anyplace from three to 6 months. It is possible as a result of PS5 consoles have largely been the popular platform for tournaments, however in case you’re predominantly enjoying on PC you then could be higher off going for the Xbox model, which is extra extensively obtainable.
Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO: Specs
Worth | $249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399.95 |
Dimensions | 13.35 x 9.23 x 0.8in / 23.5 x 33.53 x 2.24cm |
Weight | 2.7lbs / 1.225kg |
Compatibility | PS5, PS4, PC or Xbox Collection X|S, Xbox One, PC |
Connection kind | Wired (USB-C) |
Buttons | Cheery MX Pace Silver RGB |
Customization | Buttons |
Software program | N/A |
Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO: Design and options
- Simply customizable and movable buttons proper out of the field
- Smooth design with ergonomic wrist slope
- Tactile Cherry switches and button rings with customizable RGB lighting
In comparison with Victrix’s earlier try at a leverless controller with the Professional FS-12, which primarily stored the identical bulk and weight of its Professional FS arcade stick, the Professional KO is a considerable enchancment, leveraging the leverless controller’s power as a lighter and extra compact possibility. Whereas its dimensions are nonetheless bigger than opponents just like the Razer Kitsune, it is nonetheless a snug dimension for taking to tournaments, slipping neatly into my laptop computer bag, or the strap bars on the facet provide the possibility so as to add shoulder straps.
The additional actual property is necessary in your fingers although, because the floor incorporates a 6.28° wrist slope identical to with Victrix’s Professional FS fashions, which does wonders for stopping fatigue when enjoying for prolonged periods. There are additionally extra buttons on the highest together with devoted L3 and R3 buttons whereas the PlayStation model consists of the DualSense touchpad on the highest left nook, all of which might be disabled with a match lock change on the top-right nook to forestall unintentionally urgent them throughout a heated match match.
The 24-millimeter buttons are smaller than typical arcade sticks however the identical dimension as different leverless designs, together with the one 30-millimeter button for the up / leap button that is designed to be inside attain of your thumb, much like an area bar. It isn’t the one comparability to a keyboard because the buttons are additionally comprised of Cherry MX Pace Silver RGB switches utilized in mechanical keyboards, making these buttons simply as tactile and responsive as Sanwa Denshi buttons favored by skilled preventing recreation gamers.
Whereas the controller has 12 buttons by default, what you will discover are 4 different indents (one to the left of the directional buttons, two beneath the same old command buttons, and one to the left of the up/leap button) the place different buttons might be added. These aren’t elective extras, for whenever you come out the highest cowl, by flicking the 4 switches beneath the controller base, you will discover that it snugly matches 4 spare buttons and switches, in addition to a pair of tweezers that make it straightforward to take away the spherical caps after which add new buttons, and even exchange a defective button.
As soon as added, you merely want to carry the perform button on the highest bar after which select the button you wish to map the brand new button to. It is simply as straightforward to customise the colour lighting for the button rings, whereas additionally adjusting the mode from static to respiratory, prismatic, or you’ll be able to merely flip them off in case you favor.
Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO: Efficiency
- Tactile and responsive buttons, however will want acclimating to if new to leverless controls
- Extra snug benefit with customizable button structure
- Good for taking part in in your lap or on a desk
When it comes right down to it, the explanation to personal the Victrix Professional KO is due to how far more responsive and dependable simply tapping directional inputs is than with a stick. In Road Fighter 6, as a substitute of fumbling two-quarter circles to carry out an excellent, I simply must faucet down, ahead, down ahead, whereas a cost assault is extra instant in case you’re simply tapping the button as a substitute of shifting the stick and forwards and backwards, which can all look like tiny fractions of milliseconds of a distinction, however in any aggressive surroundings, these all depend.
Arcade purists might sniff at these controllers, which had additionally caught controversy for being doubtlessly too advantageous, main to a couple situations of leverless controllers being banned at some tournaments, to not point out that the Victrix Professional KO lacks Sanwa Denshi components that the Professional FS-12 has. But when it comes to tactility, the Cherry switches have been each bit as clickable and responsive in my testing.
When you’re very new to leverless controllers, nonetheless, you should not take them as an instantly superior controller in comparison with different current choices. Utilizing buttons for instructions intrinsically requires totally different muscle reminiscence from utilizing a stick – it is concerning the placement of your fingers and thumb over all of the directional inputs reasonably than your thumb on a pad or your complete arm when utilizing a stick. Personally, I nonetheless discover it troublesome to regulate to having the up / leap button positioned on the backside, regardless that it is really the place you’d anticipate an area bar to be, and so I discovered myself much less able to using aerial strikes.
Whereas there may be arguably extra precision in button inputs, that is solely with out factoring in strain throughout an precise match. It is one factor to flawlessly execute supers in coaching mode however towards a web based opponent, I might nonetheless discover myself tapping the inputs too quick incorrectly in the identical approach I can fluff the identical inputs with a joystick.
Nonetheless, so far as it goes to studying leverless controls, I discovered the Victrix Professional KO’s button structure higher than once I had beforehand tried the Razer Kitsune, which was somewhat extra unfold out and induced my left hand to cramp when attempting to maintain every digit over a respective directional button. The customizable button placements additionally significantly assist with the adjustment. In my case, including one other leap button additional to the left felt extra reachable for my thumb, whereas including one other button just below the opposite assault buttons meant I may program a one-button parry that is far simpler to achieve.
In the end, whereas I see myself enhancing in leverless controls the extra I am utilizing the Victrix Professional KO, I am nonetheless not assured in having it exchange my Victrix Professional FS stick as my controller of alternative on the subsequent native match. After swapping again to a stick, I used to be merely extra snug with a mixture of air-to-air follow-ups that my mind had been struggling to compute with buttons- alone. When you nonetheless do not have already got a long time of arcade preventing recreation expertise lodged in your mind and are additionally used to enjoying video games with a keyboard, then going leverless is probably going going to really feel like a pure development.
Ought to I purchase the Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO?
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When you’re nonetheless not fully offered on the Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO then try these two wonderful related merchandise for comparability and consideration.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO | Victrix Professional FS | Octopus Arcade Stick |
Worth | $249.99 / £229.99 / AU$399.95 | $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$799.95 | $399 (about £297.24 / AU$576.06) |
Dimensions | 13.35 x 9.23 x 0.8in / 23.5 x 33.53 x 2.24cm | 16.25 x 11 x 2.25in / 41.2 x 27.9 x 5.7cm | 17.5 x 10.2 x 2.3 / 44.5 x 26 x 6cm |
Weight | 2.7lbs / 1.225kg | 7.6lbs / 3.52kg | 7.7lbs / 3.5kg |
Compatibility | PS5, PS4, PC or Xbox Collection X/S, Xbox One, PC | PS5, PS4, PC | PS5, PS4, Xbox and most retro consoles |
Connection kind | Wired (USB-C) | Wired (USB-C) | Wired (USB-C) |
Joystick | N/A | Hyperlink 2 | Sanwa Denshi |
Buttons | Cheery MX Pace Silver RGB | Sanwa Denshi | Sanwa Denshi |
Customization | Buttons | Sticks, buttons | Sticks, buttons, faceplates |
Software program | N/A | N/A | Firmware by way of PC solely |
How I examined the Turtle Seashore Victrix Professional KO
- Examined for every week on PS5 and PC
- Used for Road Fighter 6 and Virtua Fighter 5 REVO offline and on-line
- In comparison with the Victrix Professional FS for reference
With Road Fighter 6 being my common preventing recreation fixture on the PS5, I swapped out my reliable Victrix Professional FS for the Victrix Professional KO for every week, although often swapping again to get a comparability on the totally different really feel of every controller. Firstly training offline with the newly added character Mai I regularly took the braveness to adapt to leverless controls towards different on-line opponents, getting my justifiable share of wins but additionally loads of defeats, and making word of the place I felt an enchancment in utilizing this controller and what felt like new limitations. I additionally performed some matches whereas utilizing the controller’s audio jack with my Corsair Virtuoso Professional wired headset.
On my gaming PC, I used to be in a position to try it out on the newly launched Virtua Fighter 5 REVO, the place I additionally began with some follow in arcade mode earlier than trying to take it on-line and making some progress in ranked matches. This was nonetheless a neater adjustment from Road Fighter 6 owing to fewer inputs whereas the up button is used much less for leaping and extra for side-stepping. Total, I performed round 8-10 hours with the Victrix Professional KO between each video games, although arguably extra so on Road Fighter 6 as a result of it truly is one of the best.
First reviewed February 2025
