| Price | Amazon |
| Release | June 18, 2022 |
| Compatibility | PC / Android |
| Dimensions | 16″ x 10″ x 4.85″ |
| Cable | 2.3 m |
| Weight | 8.3 lbs |
Introduction
Qanba is a veteran in the arcade stick industry, but it continues to strive to innovate with every arcade stick it releases. The Qanba Q8 is no different, with the focal point this time being the silent joystick and buttons at 48 decibels. Even the secondary buttons are silent!
You can choose from the following editions:
- Q8-GR
- Q8-SR
- Q8-SS
The Q8-GR features a square/circular gated Qanba Gravity joystick and Gravity KS buttons. The Q8-SR features a square gated Sanwa JLF joystick with Gravity buttons. The Q8-SS is fully Sanwa, so the buttons are Sanwa OBSF-30, but this edition is not silent.
Unboxing
The box comes with some padding to protect the arcade stick as well as a joystick protector, both of which can easily be removed while unboxing.
The joystick protector can be reapplied for transport purposes to avoid your Q8 getting damaged in your backpack, for example. To remove the joystick, you can remove a lid from the bottom and then use that same nifty lid to unscrew the screw within.
Performance
The joystick is responsive and state-of-the-art despite being silent, which is impressive. As for the buttons that are equally responsive, they have a 0.8 mm short throw actuation distance with 45 cN (centinewtons) of force.
The custom Omron gray mechanical switches are supposed to last a whopping 70,000,000 cycles! In fact, Qanba’s parts are supposed to last 70 times as long as Sanwa parts.
Here is what you can find on the control panel:
- PCD input
- PCX input
- AS input
- Home
- Turbo
- Select
- L3/R3
- DP/LS/RS
The positioning of the start button is convenient, but although unlikely, it could leave hyper aggressive players prone to accidental presses.
Hardware
The Q8 is an acrylic arcade stick. The weight of it is good, and the size is slightly smaller than the Qanba Obsidian and Pearl. There is an anti-slip panel for your wrists as well as at the bottom, and the cable can be stored on the left side of the arcade stick through a door. Included are USB-C and micro USB adapters.
Appearance
All three editions feature a slightly different color scheme: black/green, black/orange/ and black/brown. Included is a fingerprint wiping cloth just in case.
Where the Q8 truly shines, however, is in the LED department. There is an LED wheel to customize the LED to your liking as well as an LED button, and there are seven glow modes:
- Move the joystick or press the buttons to glow.
- Move the joystick or press the buttons to stop glowing.
- Turn on breathing light.
- Turn on running light (move the joystick or press the buttons to cycle).
- Turn on a wave light from the joystick to the buttons.
- LED is always on.
- Turn off LED.
Note that button LED is not available for the fully Sanwa edition (Q8-SS).
Conclusion
Despite limited compatibility, the Qanba Q8 packs enough innovation to be considered a next gen arcade stick. Its silence does not compromise its performance, and the LED is a beautiful added touch.
- Silent yet effective
- Decent weight & size
- Beautiful LED
- Easy joystick removal
- Joystick protector
- Different editions
- Limited compatibility
- Start button location
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐