Many in the Fighting Game Community (FGC) swear by arcade sticks. Folks like my friend Jeffrey Wilson from our sister site PCMag consider arcade sticks the only “real weapon” for playing fighters. While I can admit arcade sticks provide the most accuracy and precision, I’m all about fightpads. As someone who is always on the lookout for the latest fightpads, I’ve had my eye on PowerA’s Fusion wired fightpad since its announcement earlier this year. After putting the new controller through its paces, I can say it is one of the very best fightpads on the market.
The Fusion fightpad features a six-button “arcade-style” layout, four shoulder buttons, and a floating d-pad design. The top of the controller features a toggle switch that lets you swap the shoulder button positions. In its center is another toggle for switching between d-pad, left analog stick, and right analog stick functionality. The controller also comes with three swappable magnetic faceplates and a 9.8ft braided breakaway cable.
When it comes to fightpads I ask myself a simple question: How closely does it resemble the Japanese Sega Saturn controller? If you’ve played on that (legendary) controller then you know it’s considered the gold standard for fightpads. The Fusion fightpad is easily the most Sega Saturn-like controller of all the fightpads I’ve played outside of the genuine article. Even 8BitDo’s excellent M30 gamepad doesn’t fully replicate the Saturn controller like the Fusion does.
The key feature that makes the Fusion fightpad such a great fightpad is its floating d-pad. It is effortless to pull off moves like hadoukens, shoryukens, spinning lariats, and sonic booms in Street Fighter. Even Guile and Nash’s notoriously difficult super moves come out easy. The d-pad has a slight matte finish to it; meaning your thumb won’t slide off if it becomes too sweaty. I can’t speak for its long-term durability, but for the hours I’ve put into it, the d-pad holds up very well.
The face buttons are large, making them simple to press. They also have just the right amount of give when you click on them. Though bigger than the Saturn controller buttons, the face buttons have good spacing between them. This enables users to easily press multiple buttons at once for specific moves. The only slight drawback with the buttons is their smooth surface. This didn’t happen to me, but I can see someone with particularly sweaty thumbs having problems pressing the buttons. A rougher surface would have helped in this regard. But as I said, it’s not an issue I faced.
While the Fusion is a fightpad, it’s also great for old-school 2D games. Playing Contra Anniversary Collection, Castlevania Anniversary Collection, and Sonic Mania on the Fusion was a pure joy. Again, the floating d-pad is the star of the show here. With it, moving your sprite-based characters around their respective worlds is a breeze. A game like Sonic Mania, which requires a good deal of precision, works beautifully with the Fusion.
As a fan of fighting games, I have fallen in love with the PowerA Fusion wired fightpad. It is the best officially licensed fightpad out there and a worthy successor to the classic Japanese Sega Saturn controller. Whether you’re playing fighters or retro games, the Fusion will serve all of your needs. If you’re like me and prefer fightpads to arcade sticks, this fightpad is the way to go.
You can pre-order the PowerA Fusion Wired Fightpad for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One on Amazon.
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