I’ve reviewed a number of leverless arcade controllers for the Swap / Swap 2, however I’ve had my eye on the Hit Field Extremely for a short while now. For these unfamiliar, Hit Field is the unique leverless arcade controller; if you wish to contest that, then it’s no less than the one which popularised the idea. The Extremely is the corporate’s newest iteration of its core design, including in three of its outstanding ‘C.O.M.B.O. Extension’ buttons whereas making some considerate enhancements to the general design.
Proper off the bat, the Hit Field Extremely has native compatibility with the Swap, Swap 2, PS4, PS5, and PC – there’s no Xbox assist for this one. With the ability to connect with the PS5, nonetheless, is a big win for the reason that overwhelming majority of arcade controllers require an extra authenticator to work correctly.
All it’s essential do is maintain the related button whereas plugging within the system to hyperlink it to your chosen console (verify the guide for the precise button). Alternatively, holding within the small menu button on the far proper permits the Extremely to routinely recognise which console you’re utilizing. Equally, you’ve got received a number of SOCD modes accessible, and you’ll even swap the directional enter to imitate the d-pad, left stick, or proper stick.
When it comes to design, the Extremely is way slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, coming in at 27mm in peak and 1.7 kg / 3.75 lbs in weight. The principle physique is constructed from metal, so it is extremely sturdy and feels very premium, which you’d count on at a worth level of $299.99 / £226. You would possibly discover that, by way of peak, it is nonetheless so much thicker than different arcade controllers I’ve checked out, and that’s due to the buttons the Extremely homes in its essential physique.
Normally with arcade controllers, they’re loaded with Kailh switches which might be then coated with a easy key cap. Not so with the Hit Field. Right here, the C.O.M.B.O. buttons are made up of a number of parts: the nicely (which homes Cherry MX low-profile switches), plunger, optimiser, cap, and eventually, the locking ring. So primarily, the nicely slots into the controller’s essential physique, the optimiser rests snugly inside, the plunger (with the important thing cap hooked up) sits on prime, and the ring locks every thing in place.
As normal, the Extremely comes with three units of optimisers. These are silicone cushions that sit inside the button nicely and supply two key features: they decrease the journey distance of your button presses whereas nearly fully silencing them. Twelve Tremendous (1mm) optimisers are pre-installed, when you’re additionally supplied with twelve Traditional (1.5mm) and Extremely (0.65) optimisers every, so I encourage you to experiment and see which one suits your play fashion.
Switching them out is simple: you simply maintain down on the button you’re customising, flip the locking ring anti-clockwise, pull it out, elevate the plunger up, then scoop the optimiser out and exchange it with a unique one. Alternatively, you may simply go away them out fully if you’d like a extra ‘traditional’ arcade really feel to your buttons, however simply take into account that they’ll sound louder when pressed.
Once you first unbox the Extremely and begin testing out the buttons, they could really feel a bit bizarre; ever-so-slightly spongy, in reality. Nonetheless, once I began unleashing a bunch of combos in Avenue Fighter 6, any reservations I had fully melted away.
The pace at which you’ll actuate the button inputs is solely unrivalled, and I’ve discovered that the Extremely nearly instantly improved my total efficiency in recreation. Swapping out the Tremendous optimisers for the lower-profile Extremely optimisers helped much more. Finally, a sample you’ll come to note on this evaluation is that the Extremely persistently presents up choices. I like the optimisers, however as talked about earlier, you don’t have to make use of them in case you don’t wish to.
After which we come to the C.O.M.B.O. Extensions. You get three with the Extremely, they usually’re primarily two buttons in a single. You’ve received the usual C.O.M.B.O. button I’ve already gone by way of, however then an additional button that homes a Kailh PG1425 X microswitch. Numerous arcade controllers today include extra inputs embedded within the controller itself, however the advantage of the Extensions is you may rotate them to a selected place, and even customise the format fully by swapping it with one other button.
The three pre-installed Extensions are located in the course of the button format; kind of sitting vertically in a line. It is a good format as it’s, however I actually like having a button over on the far left on which to relaxation my pinky finger, even when I don’t even have any inputs mapped to it. It simply feels proper to me.
No matter format you select, the Extensions are mapped to ‘L3’, ‘R3’, and ‘Seize’ by default (word: the Seize enter is mapped to ‘Touchpad’ in case you’re utilizing the Extremely on PS4/5). You’ll be able to swap the inputs to no matter you want, nonetheless, and we’ll get into how in a bit. Simply be conscious with one thing like Avenue Fighter 6, most tournaments gained’t allow you to map the identical enter to 2 separate buttons.
Once more, the flexibility to rotate your Extensions or swap them with one other button is all about profiting from the copious choices that the Extremely presents. You simply can’t do that with different controllers, and it lets you actually make it your personal. You understand the saying: “That is my arcade controller. There are lots of prefer it, however this one is mine”.
Okay, possibly not…
Up on the highest of the system, you will have 6 menu buttons: from proper to left, these are +, Seize, Residence, –, R3, and L3. Over on the far left is the facility port, which sits nearly fully flush with the system. You get a braided cable with the Extremely, and it feels extremely rugged whereas the proprietary design retains it locked in place when hooked up. My solely concern right here is that if the cable does wind up dying sooner or later, sourcing a alternative gained’t be as straightforward as discovering a typical USB-C cable (although Hit Field does promote replacements on its official web site). Over on the again, you’ve received a non-slip plate to maintain the controller from sliding in all places whereas in use, and it’s really magnetic by design – that is the place the actual enjoyable begins.
Eradicating the magnetic plate enables you to get into all of the {hardware} and wiring inside, and that is what you’ll must entry if you wish to customise the format of your Extremely and swap out the Extension inputs. Don’t fear if this seems to be daunting from the photographs, it’s really not as complicated as you would possibly suppose.
So let’s say you wish to remap your Extensions. You’ll see a small, inexperienced switchboard on the underside proper with three pins poking out. You simply must unplug the pin you wish to remap and plug it into the specified enter. Have in mind right here that the labelling is for PlayStation, however as long as you seek the advice of your guide and Hit Field’s on-line guides, you’ll have the ability to immediately translate the PlayStation inputs to Swap inputs.
Swapping the format is a little more complicated, however once more, it’s not too taxing. You simply must disconnect the 2 wires from the button you want to take away by pulling them out along with your fingers; no instruments required, however you need to use pliers if you want. As soon as they’re out, simply push the button by way of from the again, and it’ll come out the entrance.
Should you’re eradicating an Extension button, you’ll additionally must disconnect the skinny, white sign wire from the terminal block on the highest proper. All of the wires are saved neatly along with three velcro strips by default, so that you would possibly must take away one or two of those to unlock among the wiring for customisation.
Should you’re trying to customise the format of your Extremely, I firmly advocate discovering the best setup for you after which sticking with it. Eradicating buttons and swapping them round isn’t arduous, however you don’t wish to be fiddling round with the wiring each different day – and it really comes with six small screws to fully lock the magnetic again plate in place when you’re assured you’re executed with any tinkering.
Finally, this isn’t beginner-friendly, so in case you’re fully new to the world of leverless controllers, this in all probability isn’t the controller you wish to begin with. I can’t essentially knock it for that, although, since Hit Field doesn’t – in any means, form, or type – market the Extremely to rookies. It is a product for these in search of a long-term funding to take to tournaments and actually step up your preventing recreation within the skilled house.
Though I wasn’t in a position to do that for the evaluation, Hit Field does affirm that you could mod the Extremely additional with customized paintings. You’ll must buy a separate, clear acrylic prime for the system and take away all buttons to perform this, but it surely’s an choice for these determined to precise themselves much more. Fortunately, including paintings to the buttons is simple, because you simply take away the clear caps and add your round paintings beneath. Talking of the acrylic prime, I believe this factor will likely be a magnet for scratches over time; it’s already attracted a bunch of fingerprints, so hold the cleansing fabric at hand always. Positively a little bit of a disappointment there.
Lastly, you get just a few additional goodies along with your Extremely. First up are three Extension shields which shield the C.O.M.B.O. Extension buttons when travelling – you simply slide them onto the top while you wish to use them. To maintain the Extensions locked in place in case you’ve discovered the proper rotation angle, you may add Grapplers beneath to stabilise them. These aren’t important and also you’ll in all probability discover the Extensions are fairly steady anyway, but it surely’s good to have.
And final however not least, Hit Field has included a black, branded carry bag to move your Extremely out and about; a stunning little additional that may turn out to be useful in case you attend tournaments often.
Conclusion
Whereas the Hit Field Extremely is not low cost, maybe greater than some other arcade controller I’ve examined not too long ago, it’s totally a lot a long-term funding geared towards gamers who compete professionally. The extent of button customisation is unparalleled, the metal physique is weighty and sturdy, and native compatibility with Swap, Swap 2, and the PS5 makes it probably the greatest choices on the market in case you’re trying to take your recreation to the following stage.
Changing the proprietary cable if something goes mistaken does concern me a bit, however just like the controller itself, it is so sturdy and sturdy that I do not count on it to interrupt on me anytime quickly. Should you like conserving your controllers in pristine situation, the acrylic prime could trigger points attracting fingerprints and potential scratches. In any other case, this can be a actually world class controller for preventing video games.
Because of Hit Field for offering the pattern used on this evaluation.
