| Price | FightBoxArcade |
| Discount Code | THEARCADESTICK |
| Release | Q2 2025 |
| Compatibility | PS5 / XSX / NS2 / PC |
| Dimensions | 13.4″ x 8.3″ x 3.5″ |
| Weight | 4.08 lbs |
| Cable | ~3 m |
Japanese Edition
Introduction
Test your might with the FightBox R8, which allows you to play Mortal Kombat with a button layout that’s optimized for the game! You can even grab the R8-J edition that has Sanwa parts and a more modern enclosure. Needless to say, you can use these fightsticks for other games too.
Performance
FightBoxArcade’s goal was to replicate the authentic PDP Mortal Kombat Klassic Fight Stick experience. You see, the R8’s joystick and buttons use a Cherry D44X microswitch with a 75 g operating force. It can last you millions of cycles.
The R8’s Happ Competition Style octagonal joystick is joined by Happ concave buttons—and lots of wrist room. The bat-top joystick has heavy spring tension and a long throw, whereas the buttons feel 50% heavier than Sanwas.
Yet, the R8’s star layout feature is the block button being in the dead center—because you’ll be holding it a lot, right? This way, you don’t sacrifice the benefit of using a standard pad.
Put simply, the R8’s button layout is as follows:
| Button Location | Button Function |
|---|---|
| Left | High & low punches |
| Right | High & low kicks |
| Center | Block |
| Bottom left | Run |
Hardware
The R8 is actually a three-in-one package made of metal, acrylic, and rubber. Namely, the enclosure is metallic, its top is acrylic, and its bottom has rubber feet—which keep the fightstick in place as you whip out some gnarly Kombos. In general, this fightstick has moderate weight—although on the heavier side.
By the way, this may be a good time to let you know what the R8’s auxiliary buttons do:
- L2
- Select
- Home
- Start
- R1
That aside, it’s pretty awesome that FightBoxArcade gives you different compatibility options based on your budget and needs. On the high end, there’s the Brook Gen-5X PCB with insane compatibility. On the other hand, there’s a Pico Plus option that’s still low latency. Whichever option you go with for your R8, we won’t judge.
Appearance
Frankly, the R8’s joystick and button colors are pretty sick, but because this fightstick has acrylic on top, you can customize its art. Not only that, we at The Arcade Stick would be ecstatic to customize your fightstick’s art! In fact, here’s an example by our artist Carlos Martinez for his client’s FightBox (and he can serve you too):
(You might have some R8 digital art already. In this case, we can just print it for you.)
Conclusion
There’s no need to buy a used Mortal Kombat fightstick on eBay for an exorbitant price when you can instead buy the newer R8. Just remember that you can also buy the R8-J if you prefer Sanwa parts—on a more modern enclosure. Either way, if you grab one of these fightsticks, you can bring the 90’s arcade nostalgia directly to your home!
- Authentic MK layout
- Cherry microswitch
- Happ parts
- Rubber feet
- Customizable art
- Mid-to-heavy weight
- Metal-acrylic Kombo
- Multiplatform compatibility
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Links
- FightBoxArcade (10% code: THEARCADESTICK)
- RetroArcadeCrafts
- Amazon
- AliExpress