Mortal Kombat X Fight Pad Review
Last week I gave you an unboxing video . Today, after 40 hrs of Gameplay and a full tournament, I can finally give you my final verdict on the Mortal Kombat X Fight Pad made by Performance Designed Products.
Fighting game elites will tell you that you are wasting your money and just save up for a fight stick. However, for those of us not in a position to possibly win that investment back in tournament winnings, the $150 – $300 price range of good quality arcade sticks is a bit too much to handle for just one genre of games in your library. The next best thing would be a fight pad.
PS3/PS4 fight pad
PDP worked with NetherRealm to design their new controller to work with the newly released Mortal Kombat X. There are 2 options. The PlayStation pad works for PS3 and PS4. The Xbox version works for the 360 and Xbox One. Also, the 360 setting will allow you to use it with your Windows PC as well. Both versions are nearly identical outside of the different symbols on the buttons. For this review I tested the Xbox version, as those are the consoles I own. Spent the majority of the time on the Xbox One playing Killer Instinct and of course Mortal Kombat X. On the 360 I played Street Fighter 3rd strike. Also, just to make sure it worked I played a few rounds of M.U.G.E.N on my laptop.
Xbox One/360 fight pad
Build Quality
The 1st thing you notice is how incredibly light weight the fight pad is in comparison to the standard Xbox One controller. It makes the award winning 360 controller feel like an unusable brick. The next thing is great it looks. The glossy finish of the MKX themed face is really nice to look at and as a fan of the game series it’s a nice addition to the collection. After 40+ hours of use I’m confident in saying that it’s pretty durable for how light weight it is.
Compatability
The MKX fight pad does what it promises. With a simple flip of a switch you can plug it into the USB port on either the Xbox One, the Xbox 360 or even a Windows PC and you are ready to go. The wire is about 6ft so keep that in mind when thinking of buying. Another note is that there is no headset/mic jack at all so you will be using your Kinect for party chat.
Comfort
Did I mention how light it was? Well it’s not so light that you feel like it’s a toddler’s plaything. However, for extended training sessions in the digital dojo of your choice, this is an excellent choice to reduce thumb, wrist and forearm fatigue. The pad has an elongated grip on the dpad side that makes for a really good fit in your hand. The glossy finish on the face feels good on the thumbs while the matte finish on the back gives a reassuring grip.
Buttons
The arcade style micro-switch buttons have nice confirming clicks and are much easier to press than the standard Xbox One/360 controllers. This makes pulling off combos just that much easier. It seems weird at 1st but moving the start/select buttons to the top was really a stroke of genius as I no longer accidentally pause the game in a panicked moment. There are no analog sticks on this controller and no vibration options so it really is only useful for fighting games and basic menu navigation.
The MKX FIGHT PAD is on sale now for $50 online.
