Cosmox Gaming is greatest identified for its leverless arcade controllers, and though it experimented with a modular joystick in its Hautepad X mannequin, it has but to completely embrace the extra conventional arcade stick. Till now, that’s.
The Hautepad C-AS is a devoted struggle stick to a few neat methods up its sleeve. The primary is that it takes inspiration from Cosmox’s personal C-AT controller by together with adjustable buttons, that means you may elevate or decrease the peak of every enter to fit your preferences. The second is that it contains modular ‘LS’ and ‘RS’ buttons that may be swapped out for analogue sticks. So, very similar to the SWORL or the Hautepad X, you need to use the C-AS for extra than simply preventing video games – if you may get used to the setup, after all.
The RRP is round $250, however store round a bit and you can simply discover one for considerably much less – probably nearer to the $130-140 mark.
Aesthetically, the C-AS is probably Cosmox’s boldest design thus far. The metallic plate is a shining gold color, lined with a refined but putting sample made up of the corporate’s emblem. Sounds garish on paper, certain, nevertheless it genuinely seems pretty in particular person. I acquired the gold model for evaluation, nevertheless it’s additionally accessible in gray and purple. You have additionally bought the same old LCD display screen within the high left and a few neat RGB lighting across the buttons and foremost physique.
The stick itself feels good, nevertheless it wants a bit of labor for future iterations. Cosmox has endeavoured to maintain the C-AS as skinny as potential, which implies the stick isn’t made in the identical approach as industry-standard levers like Sanwa. It utilises microswitches for directional inputs, and whereas these actually present some good, clicky suggestions, it’s not fairly on par with the arcade sticks from, say, Punk Workshop or Qanba.
The opposite, maybe extra urgent, concern is the lever’s peak. Popping out at 64mm (shaft and ball high included), it’s a smidge too excessive for me. It’s nonetheless completely usable, and also you may personally discover it excellent for your tastes, however I want a lever that sits a bit of decrease.
The excellent news is which you can whip out the magnetic lever and swap it for one more suitable possibility, when you have one accessible. I changed mine with the lever from the Hautepad X (57mm excessive) and located this way more comfy.
The principle inputs include Wind Engine switches, which really feel good and responsive whereas staying fairly quiet (although you’re clearly going to get some auditory suggestions whenever you’re whacking them at velocity throughout a match in Road Fighter 6). You’ve bought your normal eight motion inputs together with an additional M1 enter above and the 2 modular inputs on the backside.
Up on high, the perform buttons home extraordinarily clicky mechanical switches that really feel very satisfying to press. All inputs are hot-swappable, too, so you may customise them with any suitable Kailh switches, whereas the caps may also be swapped round if you would like a extra devoted Swap structure (and thank goodness the labelling is on the buttons, not the principle physique).
Similar to the C-AT, you may also alter the peak of the principle inputs. The instruments to realize this are housed within the gadget’s inside, so merely press the button on the again to push the steel body out and entry them. Then you definately align the instrument with the 2 small holes on the outer rim of the inputs, twisting them clockwise or counterclockwise to regulate the peak. With three peak choices accessible, the distinction is refined, however with a little bit of experimentation, you’ll discover that the right setup makes for a a lot improved gameplay expertise.
Essentially the most fascinating function is the flexibility to swap out the 2 modules for analogue sticks. As normal, ‘LS’ and ‘RS’ inputs are put in and you may map these to no matter you want by way of the online configurator. In any other case, you may pull the modules out and swap them for the analogue sticks. These really feel fairly good; very similar to what you may discover on the Swap 2 Pleasure-Con by way of measurement and really feel, together with the flexibility to click on them in for ‘L3’ and ‘R3’ inputs.
In the end, the C-AS is designed primarily for preventing video games and traditional arcade titles, however the analogue sticks do at the least open up the potential for utilizing it for extra titles. Whether or not it’s first-person like Metroid Prime 4: Past or a third-person title like Cronos: The New Daybreak, the C-AS works, although I wouldn’t essentially advocate it over an ordinary Professional Controller or Pleasure-Con.
One very last thing to the touch on is construct high quality. The C-AS is a fairly heavy gadget, weighing in at almost 2kg. That is good for an arcade stick, as you’re going to be yanking the lever about fairly feverishly at instances, so it’s good to have one thing that may keep fairly secure. The non-slip padding beneath helps with this and it covers all the underside of the principle physique.
As is normal for Cosmox’s controllers now, the USB-C slot on the high features a locking mechanism to make sure you do not by accident yank it out whereas taking part in.
Conclusion
As Cosmox Gaming’s first devoted arcade stick, the C-AS is a strong effort that gives extra options than your common controller whereas sustaining an impressively slim kind issue. The buttons really feel nice, and the customisable modules are a fairly cool contact if you wish to experiment with completely different management schemes.
The one main disadvantage is the lever itself – which is form of the entire level of the controller. It feels adequate with some first rate suggestions, however in the event you’re coming from a Sanwa JLF or related, it would really feel a bit missing. It is also a contact too lengthy for my liking; a couple of millimetres shaved off would make an enormous distinction.
The pattern used on this evaluation was offered by Cosmox Gaming.
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