| Price | Amazon |
| Release | March 15, 2025 |
| Compatibility* | PS5 / NS / PC |
| Dimensions | 11.8″ x 7.9″ x 0.7″ |
| Weight | 2.31 lbs |
Introduction
TIKITAKA emerged as a seemingly Haute42-inspired brand, offering you large 16 button controllers with a dual layout that generated an impressive number of sales.
That said, the E16 is one of its first controllers with an overall design not often seen elsewhere. The “E” part of the name stands for “elite”, and the “16” part indicates the presence of 16 buttons.
Unboxing
Your E16 should arrive in a snug box with similarly snug foam housing. The controller itself would be wrapped in plastic. You should find the included freebies under the controller:
- USB-C cable
- Extra switch
- Extra keycap
- Two anti-slip bottom pads
The E16’s pads are effective for both desk and lap placement. Also, there’s no need to squeeze your legs together because the controller is wide enough to fit on most laps. Let’s dive even deeper into the performance!
Performance
The E16 has 16 main buttons with low profile switches (possibly called Gateron Kasumi), but you can customize the button layout as much as you want. For example, you can go for a WASD, split, mirrored, or completely custom layout in a way that increases your chances of winning tournaments.
You can also choose from nylon or ABS keycaps. Nylon keycaps were more common with the first batch of TIKITAKA controllers, while ABS is a newer offering that provides you a similar grip to nylon. These buttons are swappable as well, and as a side note, they may remind you of Punk Workshop buttons.
By the way, would you dare mixing both ABS and nylon keycaps on your E16?
It’s best to try the E16 and judge for yourself. For instance, you may enjoy the slight wrist slope. Otherwise, let’s wrap up the performance section with what the five function buttons do:
- Home
- Turbo
- Select
- Touchpad
- Start
Hardware
Made of light aluminum alloy with grippy matte acrylic on top and six screws at the bottom, the E16 is slim & small enough to fit into a sleeve you may already own.
Moving on, the E16 runs on the GP2040-CE firmware that is open source and simply excellent. This firmware is often coupled with a screen on the controller that shows your:
- Input modes
- Directional modes
- SOCD cleaning modes
- Live button presses visually represented
You can also grab a E16 with native PlayStation 5 compatibility. There’s no need to buy an extra PS5 converter this time, folks. Otherwise, you may be glad to know there are two USB-C ports: one on the left and one in the back. Finally, if you pop open the controller’s bottom, you’ll probably be surprised how organized the wire management is.
Appearance
The E16 looks so sleek, especially if you get the black version. However, we’re not going to judge if you buy the purple version, which also looks good. In any case, you can have the controller showcase custom art, which you can hire us to design for you here at The Arcade Stick through our custom art service.
Conclusion
The star feature of the E16 is definitely how you can customize its button layout completely.
- Custom button layout
- Aluminum plus acrylic
- Slim & light
- ABS or nylon keycaps
- PS5 or Switch compatibility
- Black or purple
- Customizable art
- Organized wiring
- Excellent firmware
- Two USB ports
- Included freebies
Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐