BODY: Plenty of classic arcade games were never meant for a joystick. HORI's newest arcade controller comes with the parts to play them the original way.
On September 14, the Japanese accessory maker announced the HORI Arcade Classic Pro for Nintendo Switch 2. It's an officially licensed arcade controller priced at ¥39,980 (about $270) including tax. It works with Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Switch, and with PC games that support XInput. Pre-orders are open on the HORI Store from September 14 to October 2, 2026.
The controller has eight buttons in the middle, with slots on either side for swappable input units. There are four units. The stick does 8-way input and can switch to a 4-way mode that blocks diagonals. The trackball is for the rolling-ball games of the '80s. The paddle is made for block-breakers like Arkanoid. The loop lever is an 8-way stick with a rotary dial built in. That's the setup used by games like Front Line, where you aim in one direction while moving in another.
HORI made the device with Hamster's Arcade Archives series in mind. The series has brought hundreds of '80s and '90s arcade games to Nintendo systems. You can remap buttons by holding the ASSIGN button. Turbo fire has three speeds (5, 10, or 20 shots per second), and a hold function keeps firing after you let go. HORI says the controller also works well for modern fighting and shooting games.
HORI seems to have been planning this for years. In January 2022, the company surveyed users about a retro controller with trackballs, paddles, and loop levers.
The insider take
In Japan, "Akeaka" (short for Arcade Archives) has become a quiet institution. A new title comes out almost every Thursday, and many buyers are in their 40s and 50s who remember playing these games in game centers before those arcades faded away. That group has money to spend and strong opinions about how games should feel. That helps explain a nearly ¥40,000 price and a pre-order-only release, which is HORI's usual way of testing demand for niche hardware. The survey gap from 2022 to 2026 shows how carefully the company judged the market. Overseas buyers should keep in mind that HORI Store exclusives often never get a Western release. Anyone who wants the loop lever may need a proxy service before October 2.
Originally reported by AUTOMATON (Japanese).