| Price | Akecon |
| Release | July 19, 2021 |
| Compatibility | PS5 / XSX / NS2 / PC |
| Dimensions | 15.2″ x 7.7″ x 2.2″ |
| Weight | ~4.41 lbs |
| Cable | 2 m |
Fightstick Edition
Introduction
Akecon is a Japanese word that combines “arcade” with “controller”. It’s also the name of a Japanese store that has been around for years, ships worldwide, and its flagship series of controllers is called the Zero. The Zero Two is slimmer than the Zero One.
The Zero Two can be ordered in lever or leverless format—with the latter format being called the Zero Two Stickless. Because this is a modular controller, you can buy the leverless edition today and switch to the lever edition tomorrow if you want.
That’s because what you have to do is just replace the top panel—instead of spending on an entirely new controller. It’s also up to you if you’d like the Zero Two in preassembled or DIY form. Now, shall we unbox this masterpiece?
Unboxing
If you grab the DIY edition of the Zero Two, here’s what you should receive uninstalled:
- Five acrylic panels
- Four corner feet
- Four long nuts
- Eight screws
Here’s what you’d also be getting for the Zero Two’s PCB specifically:
- Couple of screw and nut sets
- Couple of spacers
Luckily, assembling the Zero Two is rather easy. Just be sure to tighten the nuts enough to prevent any rattling. Otherwise, most of the time spent will likely be on carefully removing the protective film.
You can also skip cable management if you didn’t buy the clear edition of the Zero Two, which would reveal the wiring. With that being said, let’s see if this controller actually performs well!
Performance
The Zero Two can be as good as the parts you install. For example, you can go for Sanwa buttons that are responsive and durable.
You can also go for buttons by Seimitsu—another awesome brand. Just note that Seimitsu and Sanwa buttons would require bending the terminals ever so slightly.
Let’s say you’re grabbing the Zero Two’s fightstick edition instead. In that case, you can go for a crisp Sanwa JLF joystick and equally crisp GamerFinger buttons. If you’re adventurous enough, you can even have a mixture of GamerFinger and Sanwa buttons on your controller.
In general, both snap-in and screw-in buttons are compatible with the Zero Two. It’s just that screw-ins are more recommended for the function buttons.
Speaking of the function buttons, they’re fully sized, and there are six of them. Three can be found on the Zero Two’s right, and three more can be found in the back right. It seems that the logic behind this positioning is to cater to the mostly right-handed fighting game community.
Let’s go back to entertaining the chance that you’d like to grab the Zero Two’s fightstick edition—maybe because you think it would increase your chances of winning matches. If so, you can pick from four layouts:
- Standard
- Standard extended
- Noir
- Korean Noir
(Standard extended simply means that there’s a bigger gap between the Zero Two’s buttons and joystick. As for Korean Noir, it has a bigger hole where the joystick is supposed to go.)
At this point, it’s crucial to note that the Zero Two allows you to choose side panel sizes like 40, 45, and 50 mm. Why does this matter?
It’s because you should choose a taller side panel if you’re going for a Korean joystick, for example. Another benefit of a taller side panel is making internal wiring an easier process—as well as preserving the Zero Two’s acrylic from warping.
That said, the Zero Two is wide enough to set on your lap comfortably. Also, the four corner feet allow you to place the controller on your desk without sliding. Finally, there’s ample wrist resting space.
Hardware
The Zero Two is made of quality, weighty acrylic—with the USB passthrough coming out of the back left. You can order a brand new unit of this controller with some of the finest PCBs known to humanity, such as swift Brook boards compatible with many modern consoles.
By the way, there can be four optional Bit Bang Gaming Player LEDs that light up the left side of the Zero Two’s top panel. Perhaps this is something that interests you.
Appearance
To keep things Ben Franklin, the Zero Two kind of looks like a BnB—with the main differentiator being how its top panel’s left side is straight instead of having a stylistic dent. The top panel’s back also has a couple of stylistic dents of different lengths.
Anyhow, you can buy the Zero Two in clear, white, or black. The black edition is also available in a matte option. Even the side panels have different color options:
- Clear
- White
- Black
- Matte black
- Clear blue
Another way to make your Zero Two look cool is to pick different button and/or joystick colors. One pet peeve is that you may get white feet with a non-white edition of the controller.
Another pet peeve about the Zero Two is how a couple of screws look randomly placed on some of the editions. These screws can be found near the bottom button row. It seems they were added to make the controller feel more secure.
On a closing note, and to sandwich printed artwork in between, the Zero Two’s top & bottom are made of 3 and 5 mm layers. Reach out to us here at The Arcade Stick for a custom art design. Here’s an example of our art—this time made by our artist Budi Kurniawan for the similarly looking BnB:
Conclusion
The Zero Two lets you assemble it yourself or have it preassembled—with modular layouts that expand your options.
- DIY or preassembled
- Lever or leverless
- Modular layouts
- Side panel options
- Big function buttons
- Wrist resting space
- Quite decent width
- Rather weighty acrylic
- Parts compatibility
- Versatile PCBs
- Funky shape
- Custom art
- Color choices
- Feet might not match
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐