| Price | WaifuSticks |
| Release | Q3 2021 |
| Compatibility | PS5 / XSX / NS2 / PC |
| Cable | 2 m |
Overview
WaifuSticks—an Australian brand that has been around for years—ships awesome controllers globally, including the Studio. This highly customizable controller can be ordered with options like:
- Hitstick layout
- Few or many buttons
- Japanese or Korean joystick
- Lever or leverless
Let’s assume you go for a leverless Studio. In this case, the controller would feature premium Sanwa buttons with an optimal travel distance and moderate sound.
Arcade buttons have become a rarity when it comes to leverless controllers, so the Studio stands out in this regard. Usually, leverless controllers have keycaps with switches.
That said, you can pick from medium and large buttons for your Studio—as well as the number of buttons required by your favorite fighting game.
Not only that, you can choose the Studio’s button locations to increase your chances of winning matches. For example, you might find yourself winning more when you have access to a left pinky button.
Regarding the Studio’s function buttons, you can have six of them in the back right. You’re probably right handed, right? Anyway, these buttons have a convenient size that’s between medium and small.
Put simply, the Studio is quite spacious. You can rest your wrists on it, secure it on your desk, or set it on your lap. For lap play, you’ll likely enjoy the unique leg pads that add some grip.
But what about connectivity?
The Studio actually runs on a WaifuSticks PCB with a variation of the GP2040-CE firmware. This open source firmware, which the FGC adores, is known for having almost zero delay and multiplatform compatibility. In any case, the compatibility can be extended with an addon converter.
Structurally, the Studio is a slim controller with some acrylic components. You can choose to run a shoulder strap through it to make your life easier as a tournament warrior, carrying the controller from venue to venue.
The Studio’s bottom is see-through, revealing WaifuSticks’ neat wiring and the PCB we spoke of earlier. That PCB shows off some WaifuSticks art, most notably its waifu mascot.
Speaking of art, the Studio’s top can actually display custom art. For that, we at The Arcade Stick have a custom art service. Over time, we’ve enjoyed serving clients custom art for their WaifuSticks controllers.
We actually made art for a WaifuSticks controller more than one time. Below, you can see a different view of the art you probably saw earlier. This masterpiece was illustrated by our artist, Gilbert Han, who can make art for your Studio too:
In addition to the joystick’s color, you can go nuts with the Studio’s button colors, especially because their rims can have different colors too.
For example, you can request black buttons with red rims, and you can request that the Studio’s sides have the same color scheme.
Having said that, the Studio’s target audience is fighting gamers who know that a custom layout is their fastest way to championship gold. There’s a reason why the player, Yagami, competed with a WaifuSticks controller.
Moreover, the Studio’s ideal buyer likes carrying a controller like a bag—while it displays art that represents him or her—and upon arriving at a tournament, he or she would have no worries about console compatibility. Needless to say, casual players can also have a blast with this controller. With that, will you join the tribe?