This boutique controller is engineered to kick ass! [SquidBox 2 Leverless]

[@fidelc4shfl0w75]

How many almost completely identical hitbox style releases at exorbitant prices are there going to be lol.

[@sethsez]

I feel like the days of being able to charge $2-300 for an acrylic stack with Aliexpress keycaps, 12 Kailh switches, a few more INCREDIBLY cheap clicky buttons and an off-the-shelf board with unlicensed PS5 compatibility are coming to an end, if they're not already over. There was never any reason for them to cost as much as they did but parts were scarce and options were limited so the first few manufacturers made a killing, but the cat's out of the bag at this point and when both functionality AND quality can be so easily replicated for a fraction of the price it's hard to justify prices like this, even with a nice metal frame and a cheap oversized bag with a logo on it. I paid less for my Beatmania IIDX controller and that thing has 11 mechanical arcade buttons with Omron switches and a large turntable, with full RGB and a solid metal case, all built around a custom board. It's all put together and shipped by one guy. And it ALSO comes with a cheap bag with a logo on it.

[@xliMaGiclx]

Am on the hunt for a beatmania controller, can u share where u got urs?

[@sethsez]

​@@xliMaGiclx I got the newest one from Yuancon, the DX6th. I'm quite happy with it, but it's one guy releasing them in batches so you might have to wait a bit for it to go back on sale. The only caveat I'd say is that the turntable is acrylic, but it's easy enough to get a mat for it if that bothers you. If you don't want to wait or just want the best possible option, Gamo2's Phoenixwan is the gold standard. I skipped it because I didn't want a plastic body and I've been very happy with Yuan's customer service in the past, but IIDX players swear by it (and they better for the price). A cheaper option from Gamo2 is the FPS EMP Gen2, which it smaller and doesn't have an arcade-sized turntable but it IS still arcade distance (it's actually switchable between AC and CS distances, which the DX6th can also do but the Phoenixwan cannot). It doesn't have the big RGB lightshow of the other two options but if you want something that'll take up a bit less space it's a good choice.

[@squoosh8285]

@@xliMaGiclxconsidering it was said it was made by one guy i think its yuancon. but i dont know if djdao or gamo2 are run by one guy so it could be from those brands. all of them are good options though (do your research please)

[@Dewfie]

The price is a hard sell compared to the other leverless controllers out there. For instance, a Haute42 paired up with a Brook Wingman FGC for PS5 compatibility is considerably cheaper. Go ahead and shave off even more if you don't need a Wingman for PS5 usage.

[@KusanagiMotoko100]

Yeah, Haute has changed the landscape showing you can have quality controllers at reasonable prices, these are basically a box of buttons with a joystick PCB no reason for them to be that expensive.

[@sethsez]

Even ignoring Haute42 (because I know people will make the "of course it's cheaper, it's from China" argument), I know another dude in California who's putting together a controller with a CNC'd metal frame and unlicensed PS5 support that he's projecting will be sold for $120-130 or so. There's just no reason for this price other than posturing at a higher level of quality which doesn't actually exist, given that it's essentially just an acrylic stack of off-the-shelf parts.

[@blue-uo6yl]

@@sethsez >of course its cheaper its from China Basically everything made is from China the only reason the price is higher is cause people are just upselling too us, white labeling, QC, marketing. Eff that excuse im just buying the Haute42.

[@Revofev1000]

I think what a lot of comments here are missing is that this is a good option for europeans. If I want to get a PS5 compatible Hitbox in Europe I either have to buy it from the UK and pay customs and shipping if I live in Germany, Italy or another EU country, buy the Kitsune which is more expensive or import something from NA which again gets a lot more expensive because of customs and shipping. Could I get a Haute? Yes I could, but its 90€ I would then get an adapter which is another 60-70€ so I end up at 160€. With the Squidbox I can at least get some support from the vendor and the Squidbox can switch out the USB-C daughterboard if that ever breaks so I do not need to buy a new Hitbox all together. The Victrix options are also 150-200€ more expensive in Germany at least. I can understand that its still quite expensive I'm not sure if I would pay the 280€ they are asking for it now but its still cheaper than a lot of stuff we have here.

[@wilsonajhall]

I bought a snackbox awhile back and the connector(micro-usb) they use and how it's situated on the board(soldered directly on the board) invites failures that can be avoided. While USB-C is better than micro it will still have issues if it's directly soldered to the board. A connector that is wired to board and made apart of the housing would be ideal. The Hitbox seems to have a connector that is apart of the housing. Personally if I get another leverless controller it will be a Hitbox, especially considering the asking prices for many these "boutique" controllers. I'd advise others to consider the connector of other leverless controllers if it's going to be your one and only controller.

[@780Chris]

Sure it’s nice, but $300 is crazy for what essentially looks like a Haute42 T Series in a fancy box.

[@jonmegarton8078]

made in france, which is good for people from europe, also its 331,57 euros. Stupid af

[@nahumflores6280]

Seems like you held back about your real opinion on the price.

[@Dex2R7]

Boutique hitbox stores can't compete anymore. I was about to dive into making them but realized it would soon be impossible to compete with China. The quality and price on the Haute42 hitboxes is unbeatable. And they all can be upgraded to PS5 for $30.

[@jeevsus]

You should also check out the Okiboard, a UK based hitbox style controller.

[@stanb1604]

With that price Haute42's lineup looks better.

[@KusanagiMotoko100]

300 dollars? No thanks.

[@lostinpixels9285]

It is about $260 not 300

[@zordoneltar5571]

​@@lostinpixels9285before tax and shipping...so it's $300+ actually

[@phihuynh5994]

​@@lostinpixels9285 It's still a bit "No No" tho 😢

[@kiddsupreme]

At that point I’d just get a Razer Kitsune

[@jonmegarton8078]

260? thats absurd. Don't buy overpriced crap

[@ryoo818]

A laptop case or sleeve works well as a bag for these leverless controllers.

[@Jimson-wx8uq]

I think the cutout for the PCB looks really cool but I wish it had more buttons.

[@ruddyperez5007]

Haute42 t16 55€ right now

[@jonmegarton8078]

This is only 280 euros more.....

[@girard6367]

Bro, why are all these controllers so expensive yet all look the same. I wanna try it but it's so much :(

[@Zomgbbq667]

I think the most expensive part is the casing in all these hitbox type controllers

[@gabrieldomingos1087]

@@Zomgbbq667yeah, the casing and the brook board

[@jordenshukla6873]

get a haute42

[@Zections]

@@jordenshukla6873is it ps5 compatible?

[@jordenshukla6873]

​@@Zections not natively, but you can buy a mayflash magic s ultimate adapter for it. It ends up being cheaper than a lot of these ps5 sticks

[@staticintheatmosphere]

Haute 42 or whatever you call em... Got a cheap pocket size keyboard like flat box

[@sumabich721]

This is good news. I wanted to get a kitsune, but this one seems easily available in EU as well. It's far more customizable and smaller for tournament travel. Also a bit cheaper than the Kitsune although it's still way too expensive. Still, I'm happy I don't have to buy a Kitsune anymore. Would rather buy this.

[@jonmegarton8078]

Its even more expensive in europe tho, altho its made in france, don't buy this overpriced crap

[@JulesNekro]

I am from Germany and we have like 3 options for leverless controllers: this one, sehawei and razer kitsune. I would rather buy this one then the Razer kitsune. It's also a pain to order controller skins as well, as most of the shops are within the US and the shipping/tax is more expensive than the skin itself

[@jonmegarton8078]

Which one is actually a good company, I'm not paying console prices for a controller that's a mechanical keyboard with a fighting board

[@PinePizza]

Sehawei / Haute is great imo. Got one a few days ago and it's basically just as good as my sanwa hitbox jank setup, just with MX style switches. Kind of a bummer that Kailh Ghost switches are only available in 90 packs. Really would love those in my Haute 42 T16, but I don't need 90.

[@xliMaGiclx]

Why would I pay that much? When I can get a 60$ somewhere else?

[@stilmaho]

I don't understand how this stuff needs to be so expensive despite being glorified keyboards with much less function

[@KusanagiMotoko100]

Agreed

[@Maggy7187]

I see many only for PS 5. Is there any for PC (Steam) ?

[@gamrage]

I actually don't like the thumb being the up/jump button in these kind of controllers. I still prefer WASD on the left hand.

[@josiasnds]

Faq, i bought some keycaps of that measurement by accident, now that i see a fightpad with those i can notice i screwed it up...

[@Mckhus]

I recently got into with little to no fgc experience prior and after getting a little more serious i started looking at controllers. Can anyone explain me how people justify those things costing 300$??? Its 2 slabs of acrylic, 20 off the shelf keyboard switches and control board stiched together? Decent hot swappable full rgb gaming keyboard will cost half that and it has 80 switches and takes more space in shipping container. Is it just that companies charge that cos they can? Funny to me that leaverless is 300$ when pros play on clapped ps4 dual shock and still win, not to mention dozens of china special versions of those with exactly same functions. Something is off

[@gcole6]

No reason for any of this to cost as much as it does. Its just greedy mfs taking advantage of a hobby being “niche” and gouging prices. Look at Razer, cutting down their $100 keyboard to a 1/10 of the buttons and selling it for $300. Thankfully the RP2040 is taking off and easily accessible, so people can easily skip these and use an adapter.

[@sethsez]

It's absolutely just companies pricing at what they think the market can bear. As someone in both the fighting and rhythm game community it's baffling to me that rhythm game controllers are significantly heftier, more complex and built to a higher standard than these interchangeable acrylic stacks and 3D printed boxes, yet often go for significantly less. And the niche argument doesn't even work here because single-game rhythm controllers are significantly more niche than leverless controllers! Aliexpress brands like Haute42 have taken notice and they're going to eat this market up. When it's all off-the-shelf parts (some even using community software) and incredibly basic enclosures, the only thing keeping the boutique options like this going will be intertia and uninformed buyers. There ARE still innovators in the space doing things that aren't so easily replicated or help them stand out from the crowd (unfortunately Razer belongs in that group just by virtue of getting official PS5 licensing, which ain't an easy task and which does make compatibility simpler and rock-solid), but the Snackbox clones are a solved problem and I just can't fathom how anyone thinks they could be worth $300 these days.

[@Mckhus]

​@@sethsezSo just as i suspected, yea f that, thanks for confirming. Ill order some china special ones and see what makes them tick maybe make my own. Greed everywhere

[@aldofer8832]

@@sethsez late to this but yes and no. In france small entreprise get a lot of gouvernement taxe, i wouldn't be surprise if half of the price is to pay up those taxes, never open a buisness in france.

[@MakeGamesGreatAgain]

Yeah don’t waste your money on this. $250 and up for an arcade stick/leverless stick is just wild. If you want to buy a good quality stick/leverless, I’d go for a mayflash stick or haute 42 leverless pad. The haute is about $80 and if you want ps5 compatibility just invest in a Brooke adapter for an extra $50-$60.

[@PinePizza]

Got a T16 a few days ago and it's great. Just wish I could get smaller quantities of Kailh Ghost switches in EU. Don't see myself spending 60ish bucks for 90 switches when I only need like 16.

[@TheOmaina]

300? I'll buy Kitsune for that price. 200$ less and i can buy Haute42 (Cosmox) with Magicboots V1.1

[@GiianK_]

very nice vid, would love if you could review the keybox arcade from italy, im really interested in those

[@momo.ru-kun]

Thank god it's not using a vewlix layout, noir is just ergonomically better

[@Midori_Hoshi]

It only has one thumb button. It's also missing the left hand pinky button. Let's design button boxes for humans, please.

[@BloodyHand29]

I got one from aliexpress for 30 quid

[@d9_1056]

Yeah but Huate42 cheaper

[@BlowUpDaChr0n]

get a t16 for under $100

[@johanseth3277]

I know the price is 300 dollars but yeah licensing is the most expensive aspect for this generation This is better than those 300 dollars for a non licensed or no brook ps5 board And using some cherry mx variant caps Why is every leverless controller so expensive when you see is just a small rectangular shape or a metal slab of keyboard buttons. Just buy a second hand ps4 hori stick(whixh is compatible to ps5) and get a WASD mixbox converter That gets your money's worth since rhe majority isn't financial fit for these anti consumerist policies made by Sony. It's also understandable that this controller is not mass produced and the shipping+taxes. I'm sad for the leverless controller community is in a very bad spot due to Sony's controller restrictions.

[@780Chris]

It’s not licensed, he said that in the first 20 seconds of the video.

[@Nulak]

Too expensive. Pass.

[@kenseryew]

More then 300,- euro for this ShitBox? Thats a scam if you compare it to any Haute42.

[@ninetendopesaitama2107]

Another overpriced leverless controller. No thanks. How is the price justified? ☮️

[@mangoop2397]

Kinda weird that this guy doesn't ever mention options that are a much better value proposition despite being the "controller guy", yet he never mentions companies like Haute42. Seems a little fishy to me. I had to unsub because it seemed like there was a fishy hidden agenda with his videos.

[@fidelc4shfl0w75]

Unfortunately Even though people say " all opinions are my own " that doesn't mean " these are all my opinions". Companies aren't going to send him more units if he says it's way too expensive. It's a sad game reviewers play often. Of course reviewers that do this would disagree.

[@RavenL1337]

this is garbage review!!! like WAY aren’t you mentioning the price being EXAGERATE !!! for something like an Haute for 60$ VS this overprices plastic at 300$?!?! ALSO in europa it’s gonna be EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE!!! LIKE WTF??

[@Revofev1000]

It costs 274€ with sale tax already included which would be 230-240$ in the US depending on the state you are in.