AK Mod & Cooler Master SF6 arcade cabinet PC – better than a fight stick?
Could it be time to ditch your fight stick? Probably not
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If you’re a long time fighting game fan, you may even remember some successful bouts down at your local arcade. Though those days are pretty much long gone (especially outside of Asia), you can relive it just a bit through this custom Cooler Master PC from AK Mod. They’ve collaborated with Cooler Master to create this wonderful desktop PC rig, in the style of an arcade cabinet in time for the release of Street Fighter 6.
Thankfully not a full arcade cabinet – if space is an issue, no problem, as it fits neatly on your desk or table top. We’ll be figuring out what it’s all about and see if it can replace your trusty fight stick. A preview for this special build was revealed at Computex, which is taking place in Taipei this week.
Cooler Master AK Mod Street Fighter 6 PC – is it better than a fight stick?
To cut it short, it’s not really a replacement for your fight stick / arcade stick. The cabinet itself provides the PC and monitor required to place the game – but it doesn’t actually come with a fight stick built in. This is fairly disappointing if you were looking for a neat little build to jump on and play. It does provide a stand to place your handheld-style controller though. There are plenty of ports on the front of the custom build to plug your fight stick into. So, you can sit it on the flat surface in front of the screen, which is occupied by a keyboard and mouse in this tweet.
So, we can’t say that it’s better than a fight stick, though it’s arguably better with a fight stick. Maybe it’s a good thing that it doesn’t come included with it’s own parts though if you already own a fight stick – many dedicated players have their own custom stick they’re comfortable with.
Plenty of serious fighting game plays opt to use a fight stick. This is the kind you’ll find on any old fighter arcade machine, generally with a stick and 6 or 8 button configuration. There are plenty of variants these days through, some of which ditch the stick in favor of more buttons, or even a layout with arrow keys to replace the traditional stick.
Cooler Master AK Mod SF6 PC mod details
We’re not talking about a mod to Street Fighter 6 itself here – we’re talking about a little custom-built PC that replicates the arcade cabinet style of old. It features a capable Cooler Master PC in the back for running and presumably meeting the SF6 system requirements. We say that because there isn’t much to go off when it comes to the specs included just yet.
There is not much else revealed about it’s wider functionality either, as it serves as a machine for playing SF6 at Computex at the moment. Since it’s a PC though, we expect it to work with other games – just like any other build. For the record, Street Fighter 6 is releasing for Windows on June 2nd.
Many people may be disappointed that the reveal doesn’t include an arcade stick and buttons directly on the machine, but maybe this for the best if you already have a fight stick of your own to plug in and play. It would be nice to see an addition with controls built-in though.
Interestingly enough, Street Fighter 6 will be releasing in Arcades in Japan later this year, so this is probably the best place to go for the most authentic arcade experience in a modern title.
