TIKITAKA T16 Review

Price	AliExpress
Release	Q1/Q2 2024
Compatibility	NS / PC / Android
Dimensions	11.8″ x 7.9″ x 0.5″

Other Editions

S15
Deluxe16

Introduction

The TIKITAKA T16 is an all-button controller with a dual layout. So, an alternative way you can use it is as a WASD controller, which is useful if you come from a PC background.

The T16 has 16 buttons, a couple of which are for L3 & R3, which are buttons that are important in games like Street Fighter 6 since mechanics like the Drive Impact and Drive Parry require such button use.

Performance

The jump button is 30 mm, and the rest of the primary buttons are 24 mm. You may ask: why is that? The heart of the matter is that the bigger jump button enables you to hit it with the side of your thumb without the need for immaculate precision, increasing your odds of becoming a better fighting gamer with the T16.

That said, you may find the T16’s buttons to be closer to each other than you usually prefer, especially if you come from an all-button controller background already.

As for the function buttons of the T16, they are for:

Home
Turbo
Select
Touchpad
Start

Yep, you guessed it right: turbo is for when you would like to press a button just once and have it result in multiple inputs. While this may not be that useful (or even legal) in competitive fighting game matches, you may find clever uses for it when you play with the T16 solo.

Now, you may be interested in knowing which switches the T16 uses. The fact of the matter is that it uses low profile Kailh Chocs that have a linear and smooth nature.

Back to the T16’s buttons, they are made of textured nylon to add some grip for your fingers, and their color is matte black (or dark gray to be specific). Due to the 3D printed nature of the buttons, they may be slightly uneven, but not in a way that should negatively affect your performance.

What may affect your performance, however, is the T16’s buttons feeling sticky if your fingers get sweaty during a set of matches. On the bright side, the matte texture of the top panel should not stick to your sweaty hands at all.

As for the bottom design, you can comfortably set the T16 on your lap without the need for some anti-slip rubber pad. Regarding the edges, while they may be sharper than usual, your skin should not be making contact with them anyway.

Back one more time to the T16’s buttons: the fact that there are frames around them can be both positive and negative. The positive is that your fingers should not slip off the buttons because the frames may catch them. The negative is that your fingernails may get stuck in the frames. While you should easily be able to get your fingernails out, such an occurrence may interrupt a combo of yours, for example.

Hardware

The T16 is robust, moderately weighted, moderately sized, and quite spacious, providing you ample palm resting space. Also, eight screws hold the top panel together. On that same panel, the controller features an info screen that shows you valuable information like:

Input mode
Directional mode
SOCD cleaning mode

The T16’s screen also shows your inputs in real time, so you can see which buttons you are successfully pressing. By the way, such screens are often associated with the GP2040-CE. You see, the controller runs on the open source GP2040-CE firmware by default, granting you decent compatibility options with very little input delay.

The truth of the matter is that the T16 features three USB ports. One is USB-A, and the others are USB-C. You can actually insert a dongle into the USB-A port in order to enhance the compatibility of the controller.

The USB-A port can be found on the right. As for the two USB-C ports, they are on the left and in the center back of the T16. The center back will likely make the cable less of an obstacle for you.

You may be glad to know that the T16 is slimmer than an Olympic swimmer. One of the benefits of that is how you may be able to slide the controller into some laptop or tablet sleeve you already own.

Appearance

The T16’s slimness looks cool, and if you did not already know, the controller is available in black and white, increasing your options further.

With that being said, the T16 does not make too many bold moves with its look. As Leonardo da Vinci reportedly said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” However, you may be able to get custom art on the controller to make it reflect your taste.

In that case, feel free to drop us a line here at The Arcade Stick so that we hook you up with something truly unique for your brand new T16. Yep, we have a custom art service, and we hope to have the honor of receiving your commission!

Conclusion

Perhaps the most unique feature of the TIKITAKA T16 is the frames around its buttons, which may be hit or miss.

Dual layout
Slim design
Decent weight
Moderate size
Matte panel
Info screen
Extendable compatibility
Three USB ports
Color options
Customizable art

Sticky buttons
Button frames

Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐