Hori RAP. V HAYABUSA for Nintendo Switch Review

The Nintendo Switch is the first Nintendo console since the Wii that has gotten a fair number of fighters, and likely the first since the Gamecube that saw a lot of mainstream fighting franchises on it. Of course, the last decent arcade stick for a Nintendo system was probably the Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom stick for the Wii or the Soul Calibur joystick for the Gamecube. As great as those consoles are, many AAA publishers like Capcom, and Warner Bros. or Namco didn’t bring a lot of their top fighting games over to the Wii since the hardware couldn’t run their advanced graphics of the time, and the Wii U didn’t have the desirable sales figures. But over in the realm of the PlayStation and Xbox brands, there were many of them. As such a lot of high-quality arcade sticks came out to go along with them for tournament players. One of these companies is Hori. They’ve been making arcade-quality controllers and joysticks for eons.

PROS: Arcade-quality stick, and buttons. It also works with your Windows-based PC!

CONS: You’ll have to plug it into your dock. You can’t use it to play Splatoon 2.

SHORYUKEN: There are reskinned versions with fancy Street Fighter II art.

The Hori Real Arcade Pro V Hayabusa is an absolutely fantastic controller. It comes in a metal frame, something very rare as cost-cutting is a very major business move in video game peripherals. The red piano gloss finish makes it stand out when placed on your coffee table or desk, and it has a very nice rubberized material underneath it to ensure it doesn’t slide all over the place while you’re using it.

The joystick has an arcade-quality construction as do the pressure-sensitive buttons. Often times just grazing the buttons can denote an input, so you really won’t need to beat on this thing. The microswitches in the joystick give it that familiar clicking you’ll remember from your days in the arcade after school if you grew up in the 70s, 80s, or 90s. For everyone else that means a fairly accurate directional input which is a must if you’re looking to play a lot of fighting games with it.

The Nintendo Switch has gotten plenty of fighting games too. While it launched with Ultra Street Fighter II and a few Neo Geo classics via its e-shop, it has since seen several collections as well as newer releases like Mortal Kombat 11, Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, and Samurai Shodown alongside their Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows releases. If you’ve been buying a lot of these, you’re really going to love this controller.

On the face, of course, are the stick, Y, B, A, X, L, R, ZL, ZR, and + buttons. But along the right, you’ll have your screenshot button, – button, Home button, as well as buttons to set up Turbo settings, remap key configurations, as well as a switch to configure the controller’s stick to behave as either the left or right joycon stick. there’s also a switch to toggle between Nintendo Switch mode and PC mode.

That last bit is a Godsend because if you’re like me and you buy games on your computer as well as for your Switch it means you don’t need to own two arcade sticks. If you play Tekken 7, Street Fighter V, Killer Instinct, or other major fighting games on your computer this is also going to be a terrific accessory for you to own.

And it isn’t just going to benefit those who eat, sleep, and breathe fighting games. This controller is great for many a retro gamer too. Playing old-school arcade compilations on this has been great. While not every arcade game is ideal (Twin-stick shooters are still going to be better with a gamepad. TrackBall games are still best with a mouse or a TrackBall. Paddle games just aren’t the same without one.) most of them are. Playing Final Fight, Pac-Man, Rolling Thunder, Dig Dug, and other games is absolutely fantastic. And there are a number of new games that go along great with it as well. Especially many of the great indie games that pay homage to many of those arcade games of yore. Those who love to play shoot ’em ups may also want to invest in one of these. I was able to play the aforementioned titles as well as Giana Sisters Twisted Dreams and Blazing Chrome on my PC with the stick with few if any issues.

One other feature I really like is the trap door on the back, where you can snake the USB cable when you’re not using the stick. It makes it easy to put away, as well as less of a nuisance if you’re going to bring the controller to a friend or relative’s home, or if you’re a fighting game enthusiast going to a local Street Fighter II tournament. It’s just a small space covered by a piece of plastic, but it’s a very nice touch that solves an annoyance one might not normally think about.

Like I said earlier, this isn’t going to be a good all-purpose controller. Games that require analog controls like 3D Platformers or open-world RPGs obviously don’t work with it, nor do some other experiences like First or Third-Person Shooters or action games. So it isn’t going to be something everyone will want. But I can say, if you do love fighting games and have been on the fence about getting an arcade stick this will definitely fit the bill. It’s sleek, durable, and just feels so comfortable when you’re using it. The fact that it’s also a great PC controller means you can easily go between both platforms. Especially nice for those who might play the same game on both platforms.

And while it’s a shame I can’t really play Splatoon 2 with it, the fact it goes so well with classic arcade genres like Beat ’em ups, Shoot ’em ups, maze games, and more makes it very versatile for retro experiences. If I were to complain about anything with this controller, I would say some are going to find they may not have space for it in their entertainment center. As wonderful as it is, it is a little large. Lengthwise it’s slightly larger than a beefy PC keyboard at around 17 inches and 9.5 inches deep. It’s also around 5 inches tall. So that’s essentially the He-Man of joysticks. On the other hand, He-Man is the greatest action figure of all time and the most powerful man in the universe. So why wouldn’t you want this?

Be that as it may, this one is still smaller than many of the arcade sticks you’ll find on the market without having to go down to something cost-reduced with lower quality parts to get the size down. So it is a good balance between size and performance if you can manage to have it at your desk or on your TV stand. The only two things I guess I can nitpick from there are the fact that the cable length may be too short in some living rooms. At a computer desk, it’s perfect, but I can see some scenarios where you may need a USB extension cable to get from the dock to your couch. The only other thing is that while the finish on the joystick is exemplary, it does collect dust, and palm prints quickly and easily. So if you plan on leaving it out as a conversation piece you’ll want a microfibre cloth to clean it up pretty regularly.

Beyond a couple of very minor quibbles, the RAP V Hayabusa is one terrific controller. I can’t go as far as calling it essential. But for arcade and fighting game enthusiasts it’s an investment you’ll really be happy with. Especially since it works with PC as it you’ll still likely be using it long after Nintendo retires the Switch. Hori has done a fantastic job here. If you’re in the market for an arcade stick you may want to get yourself this one. Hori also has Street Fighter II-themed variants of the same stick including a rather nice one that mimics the look of the original arcade cabinet. Whether you get one of those or this original switch themed one it’s still the same components.

Final Score: 9.5 out of 10

 

Horipad Wired Controller Review

The Nintendo Switch is a great console, that plays a lot of great games. The controllers it comes with, while innovative, aren’t always the best option in every scenario. On the go, they’re great. They’re small, compact, and you can divide them to make two controllers. But at home, those two joycons are likely going in the comfort grip. So when a friend comes over, or your significant other, spouse, siblings or roommate want to play with you, what to do?

PROS: Quality build. Versatile. Inexpensive.

CONS: Doesn’t have the gyroscopic functions.

WEIRD: The D-pad design.

There are a surprisingly high number of controller options emerging for Nintendo’s gaming tablet. Obviously Nintendo’s own solutions are pretty great. You can roll with another set of joycons, which will double as two controllers, and that gets you set for four player games. But you have that small size issue which in a home setting, and on certain games may feel cumbersome for larger hands. You can also go for Nintendo’s Pro Controller. It’s nice, does everything the joycons can, and it’s got a hefty, yet comfortable design. But it also costs more than a lot of games do the day they come out.

For a lot of us, buying a Pro Controller for ourselves, or to have on hand for a second player, may be cost prohibitive. There are a wealth of third-party solutions coming out now to address this. But many of them have lackluster build quality, using cheap plastics or sub par wiring. Enter the Horipad. Hori isn’t generally known for what most might call general purpose controllers. They’re known for expensive, professional grade arcade fighting sticks. Go to any local Street Fighter or Tekken tournament, and you’ll find a lot of arcade joysticks made by Hori.

Anyway, the Horipad is a pretty good solution for anyone looking for a controller for a second player, or to leave connected so they don’t have to take the joycons off at home. It has a solid build quality. It doesn’t have the heft of Nintendo’s own controller, however it doesn’t feel brittle, and thin either. It feels about as solid as Microsoft’s own Xbox 360 controllers did.  The thumb sticks feel really comfortable, and all of the buttons, and triggers are very responsive.

Beyond that, the controller also has the +, and – buttons to pull up menus. It has the home button, and even included the screen capture button. Hori even put a turbo button into the controller, and it works wonderfully. Simply hold a button down, press turbo, and it will just rapid fire along when you hold it from that point on. Let go of everything, press the turbo button again, and everything goes back to normal.

Frankly, this would be an utterly flawless solution if not for a couple of things. The worst is the lack of gyroscopic functions. This means that for a handful of games, you really won’t be able to use it properly. Super Mario Galaxy, for instance, requires gestures for some of the moves. Using the joycons, or pro controller won’t be a problem, as you can swing or shake them when needed. You can’t do them with the Horipad. The pad does work in Splatoon 2, but you won’t be able to use mouse-look like you can with the joycons or pro controller. There aren’t gobs, and gobs of games that require the gyroscopic tech. But if you buy one, do know you’ll have to use the joycons. I do applaud Hori for mentioning this on the back of the box though. It’s nice to know this going in.

The other thing some won’t like is the D-pad. Rather than get rid of the C-buttons, and put a traditional D-pad in their place, they kept the C-buttons. The solution they came up with was to put a peg hole in between the buttons, and make a D-pad that plugs into it. It does work fairly well. In most games that benefit from a D-pad this works fine. Press “Up”, and get the desired result. However it ends up feeling like the D-pad on the original Xbox 360 controller.  So it isn’t quite as good as a dedicated D-pad but it’s still an improvement over the C-buttons on the  left joycon.

 

But there is one really, cool thing about this controller, and that’s its versatility. You can also use this on any Windows 10 computer. Plug it in, and it is seen no problem. However the buttons are still mapped as if you were playing on the Switch. So in games where you’re used to using Microsoft’s layout, you’ll have to go into the menu, and re-bind keys. The overwhelming majority of PC games let you do this. But the bottom line is that, you can repurpose this as a game pad for your PC. Which means although you’re getting a second controller for your Switch, you don’t need to buy an Xbox or Steam controller for your computer. Assuming you haven’t already.

 

All in all, this is a great all around controller for the overwhelming majority of games on the Switch. Especially if you want something a cut above most other third-party controllers in terms of quality while still coming in at a budget price. Those who require a traditional D-pad might want to look at other solutions. But again, this is still a cut above the build of a lot of third-party solutions. The fact that it can also be used as a PC game pad is also a really great feature. It’s also a really comfortable fit for about anybody’s hands. About the only major drawback is the exclusion of the gyroscopic features seen in Nintendo’s own Pro Controller. Be that as it may, you can get two of these pads for the cost of Nintendo’s wireless one. For someone who needs a solid controller at an affordable price, the Horipad is a contender.

Final Score: 8 out of 10.