Furin FR-12 Review

Brand	Furin Arcade
Release	October 27, 2020
Compatibility	PS5 / PS4 / PS3 / PSC / XSX / XB1 / X360 / NS / WU / PC

Editions

Furin Astro Design FR-12
Furin Shadow Astro Design FR-12
Reason Gaming Design FR-12

Quick Facts

Included are Sanwa parts, clear plexiglass, a USB cable, an SOCD cleaner for all-buttons and WASD variations, touchpad support for the higher end PCBs, and accessory buttons such as home, select, and touchpad side buttons.
Available are two designs, with one including an additional button layout as an option.

Performance

In general, the FR-12 is a state-of-the-art hitbox that functions like it is supposed to, but the highlight of it is the overall build. Specifically, it is wooden, and the bottom will be comprised of wood or plexiglass, depending on when you bought your unit. Generally speaking, the newer units seem to have plexiglass bottoms. The flatness of the bottom stabilizes it on your lap and avoids hurting your thighs with pegs or similar bothersome implementations.

Hardware

The controller packs an array of options. For example, you can choose the button layout: eight buttons, Blast City six buttons, all buttons, straight WASD keys, or angled WASD keys. As for the printed circuit board (PCB), you have three options, with the best one being the Brook Universal Fighting Board (UFB). The arcade stick can also be compatible with the Neogeo Mini and Sega Genesis Mini.

More about the buttons: you can use whichever you prefer between screw-in buttons and push-in buttons. There is mechanical keyboard switch customizability. For maintenance purposes, all you need to do is unscrew six times to uncover what is in between the two layers of the controller. The wires are conveniently harnessed.

Appearance

The edition we are covering sports a Sega Astro City design, which is a faithful adaptation, but we are fond of the other designs as well, which may appeal to you. Otherwise, you can apply your own design. The artwork is under plexiglass. To swap out the art, remove the buttons to then remove the plexiglass.

Speaking of which, our artist, Gilbert Han, has already drawn art from scratch for the FR-12, and he can do the same for yours. Check out his Spiderman vs. Venom commission for a client: