HORI Fighting Commander OCTA - Tournament Grade Fightpad for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC - Officially Licensed by Sony

I already have a fight stick and a fight pad but the form factor of a 6 button controller has been my jam since the Genesis days. The micro switches are clicky and responsive, and the Dpad is perfect in my opinion. The stick is also good, as it’s made me realize my bqc on analog has always been sloppy. The lock switch on the back is a great addition; I had to use it within the first 5 minutes of labbing. Looking forward to seeing how long this controller lasts me. Definitely would recommend 🤌🏿

The media could not be loaded. I bought this controller twice (one for a backup). I waited before reviewing to break in the controller and test it.Pros:The Dpad Input. The inputs for the Dpad are extremely accuracte. Circular movements are consistent. I play tekken and Korean Back Dash, Wave Dash, Side step cancels and other movements are very consistent. It feels like it goes to neutral a bit faster than the ps5 controller (my opinion).The Six button layout feels great. Very similar to mouse clicks.L3 and R3 shoulder buttons.On this controller the L3 and R3 are the left shoulder buttons. Some six button layouts don’t have this option. Be careful though, because some fighting games like Mortal Kombat 1 do not allow you to map to L3 or R3 so the shoulder buttons will be useless in that case.Very light.Some peope may not like the fact that this controller is light. However, I prefer a lighter controller because it’s easier to hold the controller for long periods of time when playing claw style if you do not use your lap. If you are rough on your contollers this device can feel a bit fragile and may not be for you.Cons:The feel of the physical Dpad.The physical dpad feels horrible when your thumb is not directly in the concave section of the pad. I have callouses on my thumbs already from playing fighting games and it was tearing my skin on the edges. After sanding down the dpad edges and corners to my liking using 400 grit sandpaper, I sprayed a clear coat over it. Afterwards, it is literally the best dpad I’ve ever used. For people not willing to crack open the controller to do this, it is a HUGE con.No L3 R3 switch.In the Playstation 4 Version of the fighting commander you were able to hit a switch that will change your bumpers to be used for L3/R3, L1/L2 and R1/R2 etc but now you are no longer able to do that. I wish that feature was available.Summary:This is a great controller and I strongly recommend it. The feel of the dpad is a huge con for me but after sanding it down to my liking it feels great. It would be cool if Hori offered different dpad options. Great product!

I've owned this controller since launch and have spent roughly four months tinkering intermittently with a variety of games including fighters such as the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, metroidvania like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and my main focus, the new platform brawler MultiVersus.Once I changed the settings using the companion app on my PC (we'll get to that in a bit) I found this controller quickly becoming an all time favorite. So much so that just today I purchased another for the Xbox console family, a very nearly identical pad with one extra button (again, we'll get to that in a bit) and how found it plays brilliantly with current gems like Persona 5 Royal and Dead Cells.The membrane D-Pad is an apparent dealbreaker for some who prefer the clicky clarity of a stick or Razer Raion or a fightstick.* Those are great options, of course. But when it comes to the PlayStation 5, those options have been greatly reduced and are now limited.Your PS4 games will work with those previously mentioned accessories* but Sony has placed a frankly obtrusive gateway which has certainty effected accessibility for those who need it, and created an unnecessary annoyance for all involved. Will this be fixed in a future console update? One would hope. But considering it is a self imposed restriction, Don't hold your breath.Even with the above mentioned caveat, I find the Octa pad to be among my favorites. The Dpad in deep and small, reminding me of a less touchy Neo Geo Pocket. I do the moves, the moves happen, and I find it easier than a normal PS5 dpad. If that's all you care about, there it is, it's good! Binary shoulder triggers mean instant action, the buttons are hyper sensitive and large enough to be played with either thumbs or fingers , and the thumb pad and it's eight way gate is just resistant enough to communicate direction.But this combo of Dpad and stick returns to a form factor not seen since the Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn. And as someone who has a plethora of pro pads with four back buttons, I've become keenly aware of modern games which don't really use the right stick, such as the above mentioned Persona 5, which uses fixed camera and quick resets, and plays naturally on the Octa, like a PSP throwback. Or if you play BloodStained, turning the stick control to Right Stick (more on that later) makes the game 100% playable. Using the stick for the gimmick puzzles and the Dpad for movement has been a ton of fun.Again, having used pro controllers for years, I have become keenly aware of what games dont really use the right stick. It feels like a waste of real estate and giant buttons are fun. And if you want to play fighters made for PS5, this wired pad is the way to go, IMHO. Heck, I'd probably still take it on the PS4 for fighters. Folks may feels weird about membrane but I've had no issues. None. The controller is light, it's wide, it's responsive, and it's wired with no vibrate. I love it!But...there's one key flaw, and I dont think it's Hori's fault given it's exist in it's near identical Xbox version. You CAN NOT change your profile without a PC. Repeat, CAN NOT set profiles without a PC. Which means the left shoulders will be L3 and R3 (the buttons when you click the left or right stick in) the right shoulders will be L1 and L2, and the extra two face buttons will be R1 and R2. Weird? Yes, but it's perfectly tuned settings for fighters. It's a very logical default setting given the primary audience. Do you want a controller for Street Fighter? Here you go, out of the box gem.But again, you can not change the default profile without a PC. Please be aware of this, it makes every bit of difference. If you're buying this controller for PC, I still recommend the Xbox version because it's an extra button to freely switch what the stick, shoulders, and extra buttons do. Sony has been weird about accessories this generation, I'm not blaming Hori for this. But given the reality of the situation, regardless of blame, it keeps it from 5 stars.HOWEVER, there is a work around! Going into the PlayStation 5 settings, it is possible to use the Accessibility options to create a unique profile. With the flick of a setting, you can switch the left stick to a right stick, and change the location of every button. Everything I enjoy from the PC App, and then some, is possible through this solution. However, you wont be able to change the DPad sensitivity like you can in the app. That's something I dont use because I cant tell the difference! Still, it's a feature that should be available to all users, but unlike the Xbox version, there's isn't a console app. That's pretty lame, and the solutions are inelegant to say the least. But at least there is a solution.I hope this has helped you better understand if the Octa controller is right for you. Personally speaking, I love this thing. I have already explained the issues, but the durability and general feel is excellent. I'm very happy the Octa's unique form factor exists and that a quality company like Hori has stuck with it enough to have made it multiplatform. I'd like to see other hardware manufactures try something similar or for an updated version in the future with mechanical dpads. But for right now, it's a great pad.

The pad takes some getting used to at first but I actually find it's much more useful than the traditional PS4/5 pad (I play characters with dash cancels and it has made many things substantially more efficient via motion and shape). I play primarily Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2 and BlazBlue: Central Fiction and these are the games I purchased the controller for.The BIG hurdle is getting used to the right side of the controller where your right thumb may interact traditionally with (for the Playstation™ controllers) the attack button cluster R1 and R2 are FACE buttons that are SLIGHTLY up and to the right of where the traditional button cluster is.Not really a big deal but you will notice that. Overall though firm response, good button feel and I love the Dpad.Also of course I must mention it is WIRED so it never drops controller connection on Steam or in person setups (and you don't have to worry about accidentally pausing some set-ups game).