| Price | BOOTH |
| Release | August 8, 2024 |
| Compatibility | NS2 / PC |
| Dimensions | 11.8″ x 7.9″ x 0.6″ |
| Weight | ~2.23 lbs |
Overview
In 2008/2009, Akihabara became a worldwide sensation in the fighting game community. It’s the home of legendary Japanese arcades in Tokyo like the Taito Station BIGBOX.
At BIGBOX, legendary players from Daigo to Mago spent countless hours leveling up their characters in Street Fighter IV, reaching grandmaster rank in no time.
The Tokyo neighborhood of Akihbara remained so prominent that the Akihabara Base Camp came into existence, covering news about this action packed pocket of the world.
With that being said, the Akihbara Base Camp eventually released its own leverless controller called the ABC Akecon, which stands for the Akihabara Base Camp arcade controller. This controller was designed with Street Fighter 6 in mind, but you can use it for other games too.
It’s important to note that the ABC Akecon is a DIY controller, so you can enjoy assembling it yourself. We hope you have tools like a soldering iron and screwdriver to complete your build. That said, your shipment should come with:
- Cherry MX Speed Silver switches
- Punk Workshop keycaps
- OLED screen and toggle
- Raspberry Pi Pico chip
- Original PCB
- Manual
- Assembly screws
- Three acrylic layers
Moving on, the 15 button ABC Akecon has three extra buttons:
- A button for your right index/middle finger
- Another button for your right thumb
- One more button for your right pinky
That right pinky button—along with the jump button—are bigger than the rest of the buttons. It’s also cool that the ABC Akecon has bigger than average function buttons right on the top panel—specifically three of them that serve as (1) home, (2) select, and (3) option buttons.
We’ve already established that the ABC Akecon utilizes Cherry MX Speed Silver switches, which are low profile and fast—with no tactile bump. Furthermore, the controller has plenty of space for your palms to rest.
Made of machined acrylic, the slim ABC Akecon is held together by nine screws. The controller is moderately weighty, so it’s heavy enough to be stable—but light enough for you to carry from Akihabara to Shinjuku, for example.
Because of the RPi Pico chip used, the ABC Akecon runs on the open source GP2040-CE firmware. This means the controller is compliant with Capcom Pro Tour rules and regulations because of SOCD cleaning modes. Speaking of which, the screen shows you valuable information like:
- SOCD cleaning modes
- Directional modes
- Input modes
You can also see a visual animation of the buttons you’re pressing. Not only that, the ABC Akecon uses the community favorite USB-C connection. The port can be found on the controller’s left.
Want to boost your ABC Akecon’s compatibility options with more modern consoles? All you need to do is insert an appropriate converter.
What about the looks, though?
With a bold red-orange color, you’re bound to stand out with the ABC Akecon in a world of Haute-like controllers we at The Arcade Stick have gotten used to seeing.
Another cool aspect about the ABC Akecon is that the extra buttons—as well as the jump button—are colored black instead of white. This way, these buttons look more distinguished to you in the heat of battle.
So, be sure to grab the ABC Akecon to travel in style to the island nation of Japan—and leverage the controller’s performance to spar with the fighting gamers over there!