If there was any doubt that leverless fighting game controllers were getting big, Corsair has waded in to give us yet another option, ready for tournaments or just fiercely competitive gamers who want more than what the best PC controllers can offer.
Corsair's — deep breath — Novablade Pro Wireless Hall Effect Leverless Controller is out right now. You can buy it at the Corsair website, although it sounds as though the brand will be bringing it to certain retailers at some point to.
To my eyes, the Novablade Pro looks like something set designers in the 1960s would use to create a sci-fi console: a panel full of flashing, colorful lights that'd look at home in the Tardis. But it hides many secrets.
There are 15 keys on the board, all laid out in an intelligent layout to suit competitive gamers. Each one uses Corsair's Rapid Trigger tech to quickly reset keys once they've been pressed, and they all have Hall Effect magnetic switches not too dissimilar to some of the best hot swappable keyboards. There are a few extra considerations made for tournament gaming like Game Mode which turns off some features to avoid any accidental disqualification.
You can use the Novablade Pro alongside a PC, PS4 or PS5, and it connects via wired, 2.4GHz or Bluetooth for a range of options.
As a leverless controller, there's no joystick, with Corsair following the likes of the Razer Kitsune or Victrix Pro Ko (and plenty of smaller companies before them). The benefit of this layout is that it eliminates the need for large hand movements (the stick being the thing you'll need to move), instead letting you carry out precise operations by moving your fingers.
Since this isn't the first leverless option to launch in recent times, it could very well be a game-changing trend in the competitive scene, but it's also a neat alternative to levered controllers for accessibility reasons. They make one-handed playing far more feasible, eliminating the need to shackle one hand to the joystick.
Corsair keeps a similar button layout to those aforementioned rivals, but with 15 buttons it gives you a few more options. Plus, the buttons are color-coded (LED color-coded, at that) to help with visual cues.
The Novablade Pro Wireless Hall Effect Leverless Controller may be many things -less, but it's definitely not priceless; you can purchase it for $249.99. If you couldn't already tell from the design, the price gives away the fact that this is controller for pro-level and competitive players.
So are leverless fight controllers the new way to play? Corsair might think so, especially given that it doesn't have a stick-bearing option, and the many other brands releasing versions suggests they're on the rise. But the joystick has been around since time began and I don't see it leaving any time soon!
- Shop fight controllers at Amazon
- Turtle Beach Victrix Pro Ko | $279.99 at Amazon
- Razer Kitsune | $299.99 at Razer
Consider your options with the best PC controller for gaming, see what you can enjoy with the Novablade with the best fighting games to play now, or prepare for Black Friday gaming deals with our handy guide.
