Cool Bear Leviathan Review

Price	Cool Bear
Release	August 31, 2023
Compatibility	PS5 / PS4 / PS3 / XSX / XB1 / NS / WU / PC
Dimensions	15.0″ x 8.3″ x 2.4″
Weight	5.73 lbs

Introduction

Just when the UK needed a reliable fightstick innovator the most, Blunderbuss Designs quit the industry and then (expectedly) resurfaced, that time as Cool Bear. However, Cool Bear also quit…

The two offerings in this line were Leviathan & Cthulhu, with the former being a joystick case (that had an extended Sega 2P layout) and the latter being an all-button one. They were a successor to the discontinued One-Zero line.

Performance

You could have chosen the color of your case as well as the clear acrylic cover to indicate whether you would have liked a Japanese or Korean joystick slot. You would have had to order a Japanese cover if you were looking to install a low-collar Korean joystick.

Supported joysticks included Sanwa, Seimitsu, Hayabusa, etokki, and IST Mall. Supported buttons included Sanwa, Seimitsu, Crown, and Qanba Gravity. Simply put, you could have made your Leviathan as good as you wanted.

Hardware

The machined case was made of a single slab of monolithic aluminum. The cable could have been male to male USB-B to A or C.

What you got with your order:

Acrylic cover
Aluminum bottom panel
Anti-slip mat
Bolts
USB-B panel mount

What you would have needed to get yourself:

Japanese/Korean joystick
24 mm buttons (6)
30 mm buttons (8)
Wire harness
Brook PCB
USB cable

Appearance

The case was finished to a fine grain texture and then anodized to enhance durability. There might have been minor blemishes on cases due to the process’ nature.

You could have ordered a Leviathan with custom art, which we at The Arcade Stick could have helped you with through our custom art service. In fact, our Carlos Martinez made custom art for a client’s Leviathan: