Corsair has entered the increasingly crowded world of leverless fighting game controllers with something that looks equal parts tournament hardware and sci-fi prop. The Corsair Novablade Pro Wireless Hall Effect Leverless Controller—yes, that’s its full name—is the company’s first foray into this new input style, which ditches the traditional joystick in favor of a button-only layout designed for speed, precision, and a touch of flair.
At $249.99, the Novablade Pro lands squarely in the high-end tier, competing with options like Razer’s Kitsune and Victrix’s Pro Ko. It connects via wired, 2.4GHz wireless, or Bluetooth and supports PC, PS4, and PS5, making it versatile enough for both home setups and tournament play. But what really catches the eye—literally—is its aesthetic. With RGB lighting pulsing across a flat, panel-like surface, the Novablade Pro looks like something out of the 1960s Doctor Who set department. It’s a controller that wouldn’t look out of place inside the TARDIS.
Under the retro-futurist shell, though, Corsair has packed in serious tech. The 15 keys use Hall Effect magnetic switches, meaning no physical contact points to wear down, and the company’s Rapid Trigger mechanism instantly resets each key the moment it’s released. The result is ultra-responsive input ideal for high-level fighting game play, where milliseconds can decide the outcome of a match. There’s even a dedicated Game Mode that disables risky functions during tournaments to avoid accidental disqualification—a nod to the controller’s pro-competitive target audience.
By going leverless, Corsair joins a growing trend that’s shaking up the fighting game scene. Instead of a joystick for directional input, players press buttons to move left, right, or crouch, allowing for tighter, faster control. The layout reduces large hand motions, helping with consistency and accessibility—especially for players who prefer or require one-handed setups. Once a niche modding choice, leverless design has now gone mainstream, and Corsair’s entry is perhaps the clearest sign yet that it’s here to stay.
Still, for all the talk of evolution, some purists aren’t ready to give up the classic joystick feel. The stick remains an iconic part of arcade and fighting culture—its rhythmic clicks and sweeping motions as much performance as gameplay. Whether leverless layouts truly “replace” the joystick or just coexist with it remains to be seen, but Corsair’s confident bet suggests the industry is leaning toward the former.
For now, the Novablade Pro is one of the sleekest—and most visually eccentric—takes on the format. It’s not cheap, but for competitive players looking to optimize precision or those who simply want a controller that looks like a prop from a retro sci-fi movie, it’s an intriguing piece of kit. The joystick might not be extinct yet, but Corsair’s latest makes a strong argument that its days as the default might be numbered.
