Last year, I was lucky enough to go hands-on with a prototype of the Octopus TR Fight Stick, an all-in-one arcade stick which eventually raised over $150,000 via Indiegogo.
That particular sample came in a 3D-printed case, but it nevertheless left a very positive first impression. I’ve now got my hands on the final version, which has not only undergone a redesign but is also made from aerospace-grade aluminium, offers broader system support and much, much more.
The headline news here is that the Octopus TR Fight Stick supports a staggering range of different platforms. The aforementioned prototype we looked at last year only had Dreamcast support (and that is one of the stick’s key systems, for reasons we’ll get into shortly), but the final model can be used with PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, PS Classic, Dreamcast, Switch, Original Xbox, Xbox 360, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo Mini, Astro City Mini, NES, SNES, Mega Drive, Mega Drive Mini, Saturn, GameCube, N64, TG-16 / PC Engine, Analogue Pocket, MiSTer FPGA, Steam Deck and PC—although some of those systems require the purchase of additional RJ45 and DB15 cables. The unit we were sent for review came with a USB-C-to-USB-A cable and a Dreamcast RJ45 cable. Sadly, there’s no support for Xbox One or Series X/S.
In terms of footprint, the Octopus TR Fight Stick is an absolute monster. The base measures 44 x 26 x 6cm, and the whole thing weighs 3.7 kg. The main body is made from aluminium, as I’ve already mentioned, while the ends are fashioned from sturdy-feeling plastic. It’s certainly heavy, but I didn’t experience any discomfort resting it on my lap for prolonged periods of time. It’s perhaps better when used on a tabletop, but not everyone is going to have that as an option, especially if you’re gaming on your living room TV.
The sticks and buttons are both Sanwa-sourced parts arranged in an eight-button layout, and they feel just as good as they did on the earlier prototype model—if not better. These are pro-standard parts we’re looking at here, and while I can’t claim to be a tournament-level player of fighting games, I felt like a complete and utter boss using this stick to play titles like Capcom Vs SNK 2, Guilty Gear X, X-Men Vs Street Fighter and more. The wide footprint means there’s plenty of room, and the weight of the unit ensures it doesn’t shift around during play. A quick comparison to the official Dreamcast arcade stick and the difference is like night and day; I’m a big fan of Sega’s stick, but the Octopus TR Fight Stick is on a whole other level of precision, design and robustness.
Above the physical controls you’ll find an OLED display panel—this not only shows various status indicators but also acts as the VMU screen when playing Dreamcast games. There are 10 ‘virtual’ VMUs available, offering a considerable amount of storage for save data and the like. You can even backup your saves on a PC using the third-party VMU Explorer app, as well as load up saves from other sources.
The artwork panel on the top of the unit is protected by Glanova Glass, which is described as scratch and fingerprint-resistant. Underneath this is some octopus-themed artwork, but you can remove the panel and change this for a different ‘Octoplate’ design if you so wish. Flanking the aforementioned OLED display are a series of buttons for functions such as Start, Select, Home, VMU, Turbo and so on. These are membrane-style buttons like you’d find on certain remote controls; while they feel ok, I do worry that over time they won’t prove to be quite as robust as mechanical buttons.
The top edge of the unit features the USB, RJ45 and DB-15 ports for connecting the stick to your platform of choice—there’s no wireless option in order to ensure the least amount of latency, which is very important in high-level tournament play (speaking of which, there’s even a switch which disables the Start and Select buttons to avoid disqualification in tournaments). Next to this is a switch which allows you to change the function of the stick, depending on the platform (you can toggle between left and right stick on consoles such as PS4, Switch and Xbox 360, for example). Heck, you can even simulate the PS5’s Dual Shock touchpad being pressed using the ‘Touch’ button—they really did think of everything.
I tested the Octopus TR Fight Stick on a wide range of systems, including Dreamcast, MiSTer, PC, Steam Deck, and PS5. It will automatically detect when it’s plugged into a PS3, PS4, PS5 or Xbox 360, but for all other platforms, you’ll need to press either a single button or a button combo to make the stick ‘talk’ to the system in question. For this reason, a handy card is included in the box, which not only lists all of the combinations but also explains some of the other features, too. While it’s a bit of a pain to have to do this every time you switch hardware, the good news is that once you’ve selected the correct system, the stick will remember the configuration until you select a new one—so if you’re mainly gaming on a single machine, you don’t have to input the code every time you it turn on.
The stick’s Turbo mode is activated by holding down the buttons you wish to add functionality to and pressing the Turbo button at the top end of the stick. All 10 of the stick’s action buttons can be blessed with this ability, and to disable it, you simply press the button (or buttons) you wish to remove it from and press the Turbo button again. Simple. The Turbo LED lights up when Turbo mode is enabled for any button, so you can quickly tell if it’s active or not; the OLED screen also displays info on this mode.
The Octopus TR Fight Stick also has a SOCD mode (“Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions”) and even supports multiple controller options for consoles like the Mega Drive and PC Engine, both of which were gifted with six-button pads later in their respective lifespans. In short, it’s fully loaded with features, and the fact that you can upgrade the firmware means we could see even more functionality added in the future.
What we’ve got here is literally the be-all-and-end-all of arcade fight sticks. Compatibility with over 20 different platforms means this may well be the last fight stick you ever have to purchase—and that’s a good thing, too, as its price is probably the single biggest negative point I can raise (outside of the fact that you may need to buy additional cables to use it with your preferred system). At $450 ($399 if you use the code ‘TIMEXT’ at checkout), the Octopus TR Fight Stick costs as much as a modern-gen games console, and that’s going to put it way out of reach for many casual players.
Hardcore fighting game fans, on the other hand, are likely to be a little more comfortable with parting with that amount of cash, especially as it’s possible to use this with such a wide range of systems. There’s really no need to buy another stick again with the Octopus TR Fight Stick in your arsenal, so if you’re a fighting game fanatic looking for the ultimate one-stop solution, then your prayers have been answered.
