| Price | Akecon |
| Release | July 19, 2021 |
| Compatibility | PS5 / XSX / NS2 / PC |
| Dimensions | 15.6″ x 9.1″ x 2.2″ |
| Weight | ~4.85 lbs |
| Cable | 2 m |
Fightstick Edition
Introduction
In Japanese, what do you get when you combine “arcade” with “controller”? Akecon! It’s also the name of a Japanese store that has been around for years and ships worldwide.
Akecon’s flagship series of controllers is called the Zero, and the Zero One can be ordered in lever or leverless format—with the latter format being called the Zero One Stickless.
Since this is a modular controller, you can buy the leverless edition today and switch to the lever edition tomorrow if you want, which is because you just have to replace the top panel. It’s also up to you if you’d like the Zero One in preassembled or DIY form.
Unboxing
If you opt for the Zero One’s DIY edition, here’s what you should receive:
- Five acrylic panels
- Four corner feet
- Four long nuts
- Eight screws
- Couple of PCB spacers
- Couple of PCB screws and nuts
Fortunately, assembling the Zero One is easy. Just be sure to tighten the nuts enough to prevent rattling. Otherwise, most of your time spent will likely be on peeling the protective film.
Performance
The Zero One can be as good as the parts you install, such as Sanwa buttons that are responsive and durable. You can also go for buttons by Seimitsu—another awesome brand—but note that Seimitsu and Sanwa buttons would require slightly bending the terminals.
Say you’re purchasing the Zero One’s fightstick edition instead. If so, you can pick from such layouts:
- Standard
- Standard extended
- Noir
- Korean Noir
Standard extended means there’s a longer distance between the Zero One’s buttons and joystick. As for Korean Noir, it has a bigger joystick hole.
You can go for a snappy Sanwa JLF joystick and fast GamerFinger buttons. Both snap-in and screw-in buttons are compatible with the Zero One, but screw-ins are more recommended for the function buttons.
Speaking of which…
The function buttons are fully sized, and there are six of them. That being said, the Zero One is wide enough to comfortably place on your lap. Not only that, the corner feet allow you to place the controller on your desk without slipping. Needless to say, there’s ample wrist resting space as well.
Hardware
The Zero One is made of robust and hefty acrylic—with the USB passthrough coming out the back left. You can order a brand new unit of this controller with some of the highest-end PCBs compatible with modern consoles. There can also be four optional Bit Bang Gaming Player LEDs that light up the top panel’s left side.
Moreover, the Zero One allows you to choose from these side panel sizes: 40, 45, and 50 mm. This matters because you should choose taller side panels if you’re going for a Korean joystick, for instance. Another advantage of taller side panels is easier internal wiring—plus protecting the acrylic from distortion.
Appearance
You can buy the Zero One in clear, white, black, or matte black. As for the side panels, they have five color possibilities:
- White
- Black
- Matte black
- Clear
- Clear blue
You can also pick different button and/or joystick colors. One pet peeve, though, is that you may get white feet with a non-white edition of the Zero One.
On the bright side, the Zero One accepts custom art, so please feel free to reach out to us here at The Arcade Stick for a custom art design.
Truthfully, the Zero One’s shape is reminiscent of the BnB, so we’ll show you an example of our art for the similarly looking BnB—this time by our artist Budi Kurniawan:
Conclusion
It’s easy to recommend the Zero One that is modular and allows you to order it preassembled or in DIY form.
- DIY or preassembled
- Lever or leverless
- Modular design
- Side panel choices
- Bigger function buttons
- Wrist resting area
- Rather decent width
- Quite weighty acrylic
- Parts compatibility
- High-end PCBs
- Stylish shape
- Your own art
- Color options
- Feet may not match
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐