| Price | Hori |
| Release | February 28, 2027 |
| Compatibility | NS2 / PC |
| Dimensions | ~19.7″ x ~11.4″ x ~4.3″ |
| Weight | ~4.41 lbs |
| Cable | ~3 m |
Introduction
Hori has been releasing some of the most modern arcade sticks lately, but with the Arcade Classic Pro, this veteran brand is going back to its roots with a retro-oriented arcade stick.
Although the Arcade Classic Pro is a sophisticated arcade stick, it’s necessary that we break it down to you in the simplest terms. Essentially, this is a modular arcade stick that allows you to use any of these modules on its top panel’s right or left side:
- Ball-top joystick
- Rotary joystick
- Trackball
- Spinner
So, whether you’re right or left handed, the Arcade Classic Pro has got you covered. For example, either hand can make use of the ball-top joystick’s octagonal and square gate modes.
Meanwhile, you can move the rotary joystick’s lever as well as rotate its top. As for the Arcade Classic Pro’s trackball (that acts like a mouse), one thing you can do is push it once in a certain direction and then just let it roll in that direction. Regarding the spinner, you should be able to spin it through its side or top.
On a side note, the Arcade Classic Pro (which has the codename of NSX-181) seems like it could be a collaboration of sorts between:
- Hori
- Taito
- Hamster
- Nintendo
(By Nintendo, we mean that the Arcade Classic Pro is officially licensed by them.)
Unboxing
Your Arcade Classic Pro comes with an Allen key so you can swap between its modules. While you might think that the Allen key is a convenient box item, it indicates that these modules require a bit of “carpentry”. Other than that, you do get a manual with this arcade stick.
Performance
You can expect to enjoy your Arcade Classic Pro with:
- Fighting games
- Shooting games
- Arcade Archives games
Because the Arcade Classic Pro is very wide, you can expect to place it on your lap with comfort, but take heed that this arcade stick’s weight has a significant presence to it, and the weight listed in the table at the beginning of this article is without the modules. Yet, another comfortable aspect of this arcade stick is the convenient Noir layout of the buttons.
Now, let’s address the Arcade Classic Pro’s toggles and function buttons. You’ll notice near the end of the table below that the turbo and assign buttons are repeated, but in different shapes. About the turbo button, you can pick from 5, 10, and 20 button presses a second. That said, here you go:
| Label | Shape |
|---|---|
| L-Unit | Toggle |
| R-Unit | Toggle |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | PC | Toggle |
| C | Pill-shaped button |
| Home | Pill-shaped button |
| ◙ | Pill-shaped button |
| – | Pill-shaped button |
| + | Pill-shaped button |
| LSB | Pill-shaped button |
| RSB | Pill-shaped button |
| Turbo | Pill-shaped button |
| Assign | Pill-shaped button |
| Turbo | Circular button |
| Assign | Circular button |
Hardware
The Arcade Classic Pro is a USB-A arcade stick that supports mouse inputs and XInput, whereas DirectInput is not supported. The cable comes out of the arcade stick’s back left.
By the way, the Arcade Classic Pro is also compatible with the original Nintendo Switch and not just the Nintendo Switch 2. Of course, this is in addition to PC compatibility.
Appearance
While the yellow rotary joystick is an iconic color for this type of joystick, it can look a bit off compared to the rest of the Arcade Classic Pro, which is mainly black. As for the white trackball, it looks okay because the black and white color scheme is quite familiar to the masses.
Conclusion
With the Hori Arcade Classic Pro, you get a Nintendo-licensed modern day solution for an age old problem—with ball-top joystick, rotary joystick, trackball, and spinner modules that you can use with your right or left hand.
- Four interchangeable modules
- Good for right and left hands
- Convenient Noir layout
- Licensed by Nintendo
- Wide enough for lap players
- Octagonal and square gate modes
- Modules require an Allen key