| Price | Amazon |
| Release | 2024 |
| Compatibility | NS2 / PC |
| Dimensions | 16.1″ x 10.6″ x 4.7″ |
| Weight | 8.82 lbs |
Introduction
Could the KBSure-R8 be the Audi R8 of fightsticks? Read on to find out!
Unboxing
Your brand new R8 should arrive in a snug box with some housing on its left and right sides to prevent rattling. Also, you should be receiving three spare buttons. Peel the protective film off the fightstick to start your KBSure journey.
Performance
The R8 uses a joystick not too different than Sanwa’s springy, responsive joysticks. There’s actually a couple of adjustable gate modes:
- Mode A has a slightly octagonal feel.
- Mode B gives a sharp square-gate experience.
In any case, the R8’s joystick mount is set up in the Japanese style, meaning you should be able to easily swap out the stock joystick with similar joysticks, but be warned that you may lose RGB LED functionality (more on LED later).
As for the R8’s buttons in the legendary Vewlix layout, they’re pretty decent, and during testing, no input delay was detected. This is partially due to the Cherry MX Blue switches, which are tactile and clicky.
Unfortunately, the R8’s switches are soldered instead of being hot swappable. Are they still swappable? Sure, but that’d require some “surgery”.
On the bright side, another reason the R8’s buttons/switches operate well is because the fightstick uses a custom PCB running on an also custom version of the open source GP2040-CE firmware that we at The Arcade Stick love. One benefit of this firmware is that it can be updated.
By the way, the R8’s five function buttons can be found in the center back and are labeled:
- Home
- Start
- Select
- Touch
- Turbo
Back to the R8’s main buttons, swapping them out with the spares is easy, although if you’d like to install other buttons, that may prove to be a challenge—requiring prior experience or plenty of resilience as a tinkering beginner. Namely, you might need new wiring, though buying a specialized wiring kit may streamline this process for you.
Hardware
Structurally, the R8 is made of a durable type of plastic called ABS. Inside, there are steel plates to increase the weight and stability. What boosts stability further is a big silicone mat at the bottom, which is good for both desk and lap play.
One of the R8’s star features is its ability to open up like a briefcase, so no tedious screwdrivers are needed. This mechanism is done well by KBSure, meaning the fightstick shouldn’t pop open randomly during play. Otherwise, whenever you’d like to make some mods or repairs, you can make use of this convenient mechanism.
Another smart design element is the R8’s USB cable compartment to be found on the left side. Speaking of USBs (and connectivity in general), you may be able to extend the fightstick’s compatibility options with additional modern consoles by way of a third party adapter.
Appearance
The R8 is one of the most unique looking fightsticks. It’s like 2001: A Space Odyssey meets fightsticks! It looks even more beautiful with the many RGB LED modes on.
Even the R8’s OLED screen, which has the main purpose of being informative—such as by showing which mode you’re in—can have a custom splash screen to represent your personality.
Conclusion
With the KBSure-R8, you’re guaranteed to attract some positive attention the next time you attend a tournament—and hopefully win that tournament using the fightstick’s quality parts.
- Responsive parts
- Joystick modes
- Vewlix layout
- Bottom pad
- Decent size
- Sci-fi look
- Flashing lights
- Quality plastic
- Latch opening
- USB cable space
- Custom firmware
- Informative screen
- Soldered switches
- On the heavier side
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐