Qanba Ruby Review

Price	AliExpress & Amazon
Release	June 26, 2026
Compatibility	PC / Android
Dimensions	13.0″ x 8.9″ x 0.9″
Weight	1.81 lbs
Cable	2 m

Introduction

Ruby is not just the name of an awesome Kaiser Chiefs song. It’s also the name of Qanba’s axiom-shifting controller. Following the Qanba Sapphire’s success, Qanba decided to continue venturing into the leverless world with the Ruby—this time with an optional wireless feature. This controller comes in two editions:

Edition	Codename	Color
Iridescent	R1	Pink & blue
Carbon Fiber	R1-B	Black

Unboxing

Perhaps the Ruby’s most exciting package content is its carry case, which can be described as primarily gray—with some floral art near the top.

Not only that, the Ruby’s carry case features the legendary Qanba logo, and one of its two loops has a detachable strap that you can use to carry it easily—as you travel the world in search of tournament wins.

That being said, let’s organize the Ruby’s package contents into one concise list before moving onto the performance:

Carry case
USB-C cable
User manual
Wireless receiver

Performance

If you were overwhelmed by the Sapphire’s many buttons, the Ruby only has 15 buttons—which are still enough to conquer modern fighting games like Street Fighter 6. Namely, the three extra buttons serve as:

Left pinky button
Left thumb button
Right thumb button

Like the Sapphire: the Ruby’s left pinky, left ring finger, and left middle finger buttons are in a straight line. Meanwhile, the best way to describe the attack buttons is probably that they’re in a modified Vewlix layout of sorts. You see, the attack buttons are a bit diagonally laid out (instead of the six rightmost buttons being straight).

Another similarity to the Sapphire is that the Ruby’s jump button is the second biggest button, and the right thumb button is the biggest. Also, the right thumb button sits further down the top panel than the other thumb buttons.

Speaking of the Ruby’s top panel, it’s spacious. In fact, it’s spacious enough to accommodate six mostly big function buttons like:

Home
Turbo
MF
Back
Start
Touchpad

The Ruby also has these three toggles:

XInput / Android / DInput
Back / C
DP / LS

(Of course, DP & LS stand for D-pad and left stick respectively.)

Moving on, wanna know why the Ruby’s buttons are so quiet? Just when you thought you knew all Kailh switches, you may be surprised to know that the buttons utilize custom Kailh Nightingale switches with a spunky blue color scheme and, more importantly, a low profile 0.8 mm actuation point.

Just to keep things in perspective: Kailh Nightingale switches have about half of a Kailh Choc Red switch’s actuation point or about a third of a Cherry MX Red switch’s actuation point.

In any case, you can swap out the Ruby’s switches if you have another preference. You should be able to swap out the buttons too, well, assuming the new buttons fit.

Hardware

After unboxing your Ruby, it shouldn’t take long for you to realize how high quality this controller feels. With side carrying grooves, this controller is rather slim, so it can fit into its carry case nicely—especially because the controller weighs less than two pounds. Plus, it can “disappear” while you set it on your lap and grind out combos past midnight.

What also boosts the Ruby’s lap playability:

Sufficient width
Subtle palm slope
Big textured non-slip pad

More than that, you can play at a comfortable distance from the monitor due to the Ruby’s rare wireless feature, reducing eye strain. When tested in Street Fighter 6, there was no noticeable input delay.

That said, be sure to insert the wireless receiver into the recessed USB-A port near the Ruby’s center front. Something great about this wireless receiver is that it’s not long like a flash drive.

(Don’t like to play wirelessly? No biggie, you can still hook up the Ruby with a wired connection through the USB-C port in its center back.)

Now, let’s cap off the hardware section with a deeper dive into the Ruby’s battery details. You may need to brew a strong cup of java to study this one:

Battery	Number
Life	32 hours
Range	20+ m
Technology	5G
Latency	1 ms
Polling	1,000 Hz
Capacity	1,200 mAh

Appearance

For real, though? The Ruby’s Iridescent edition has quite the zesty look. It’s pink and blue—with some floral art where your palms would rest. The black buttons, toggles, and so on don’t interfere with the color scheme too much. For those who’d prefer their controller not looking so zesty, the Carbon Fiber edition is about as black as Joe Black.

What’s cool about both the Iridescent and Carbon Fiber editions of the Ruby is that their touchpad’s color blends in with the rest of the top panel.

What’s not cool, however, is the Ruby’s wireless receiver being red—not matching the color scheme. Further, there is some info text in the bottom panel’s center that unaesthetically stands out from the otherwise beautiful non-slip pad. On a side note, the USB-C cable is black and with a blue tip.

Otherwise, dare to add vinyl art to your Ruby? We at The Arcade Stick can help you through our art service. Below, you can check out an example of art that our designer Carlos Martinez made for his client’s Sapphire and we printed:

(Got some Ruby digital art already and just need it printed? We can print it for you.)

Conclusion

The Ruby grants you access to a rare wireless feature—as well as a left pinky button and bigger thumb buttons that are positioned uniquely with your fighting game success in mind.

Pack the Ruby into its carry case, and book a first class flight to the next tournament—where your inputs are unlikely to be heard by your opponents due to the quiet switches.

15-button modified Vewlix layout
Kailh Nightingale quiet switches
Three button sizes
Three toggles too
Six function buttons
Wired or wireless
Recessed wireless port
Turbo functionality
Slim, spacious, light
Subtle palm slope
Big non-slip pad
Neat carry case
Iridescent & Carbon Fiber editions

Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️