I’ve always been firmly in the camp of using physical buttons whenever possible. Playing games on my phone has always been a chore, especially since I’m a massive touchscreen controls hater. And while playing Pinball FX VR has been pretty neat, I recently stumbled upon something that makes it feel even better. Sure, using the included controllers to activate the flippers is cool. But after using the Arcade2TV-XR by X-Arcade to play Pinball FX VR, I can never go back. This has been one of the coolest experiences I’ve had in VR, and it’s all thanks to the overwhelming amount of options available on this particular tank stick.

There Are So Many Different Options With the Tank Stick, It’s Frankly Unbelievable

It’s always been a dream of mine to own a proper pinball machine. But, I may need to put that dream on the back burner, especially now that I’ve gotten the chance to use the X-Arcade Arcade2TV-XR. As I mentioned in my review of Pinball FX VR, Zen Studios are the masters of making some of the best virtual pinball tables around. And they have been for years. So the ability to jump into a pseudo-arcade by just strapping on a VR headset has been like a dream come true. But that physicality was a major part of why I hadn’t been playing lately. Now that I’ve tested out the Arcade2TV-XR? I’ve had to invest in a longer charging cable, because I can’t stop playing.

Connecting the Arcade2TV-XR to my Meta Quest was incredibly easy. All I needed to do was take the included Bluetooth dongle, plug it into the Type-C charging port on the side of my headset, and I was ready to play. I booted up Pinball FX VR, walked to my table of choice, and was given a new prompt: play in XR mode. After this, all I had to do was slot the controllers into the included holsters on the top and press both action buttons on the side. Then, it was time to play. It felt just like a real Pinball table, and I was immediately hooked.

Don’t Worry, You Can Play Arcade Games in VR, Too

And for fans of emulation? Don’t fret; you aren’t left in the dark here. The Arcade2TV-XR includes a code for Arcade Rangers, a game that lets you dump legal ROMS and create your own special little arcade room. There’s a fair bit of setup, so I would suggest checking out some tutorials before jumping into this. But playing something like Street Fighter II in virtual reality using physical controls is so surreal.

The Amount of Customization With This Arcade Stick Is Genuinely Baffling, and Also Very Exciting

There’s a reason why this arcade stick is affectionately referred to as the Tank Stick. It’s a massive piece of tech, with a lot of interchangeable parts, and plenty of uses. Standing at roughly 44.5” tall, it catches your eye rather quickly. I would suggest making some room for this, as it’s going to be used quite often. It’s also rather weighty, weighing roughly 50 lbs; you may need some additional help moving this puppy around. It’s big, it’s bold, and it’s beautiful. And it works like a dream, regardless of what kind of game I’m playing on it.

Sure, it may work extremely well in VR, but I also needed to hook it up to my PC and test it out here. 4-way, circular, and octagonal gates are also included, and swapping between them is actually quite easy. Some folks prefer octagonal gates for fighting games, and I’m one of them. So I had to test this out with a few different games included in the Capcom Fighting Collection. While I’ve grown rather fond of my Mayflash arcade stick, this could easily replace it in the coming months. Especially if I want to play something multiplayer with my wife or brother.

I stand roughly 5’10”, and I found this to be an extremely comfortable piece of equipment to use for hours at a time. But for those taller or shorter than I, there are four swappable height adjustments on the included stand. So you can quickly raise or lower the height of the Arcade2TV-XR, making it feel as tall or small as you may need it to be.

The X-Arcade arcade2tv-Xr is casual-friendly, but Pros Can Modify if needed

For casual play, the X-Arcade Arcade2TV-XR is a wonderful device. It played, handled, and worked with nearly everything that I threw at it. But, I know for a fact that more “professional” fighting game players may want to look elsewhere. The included buttons and sticks don’t come anywhere close to the Sanwa or Seimitsu sticks that professionals swear by. But, if you’re looking for some casual pick-up-and-play action? This is going to be the easiest, and honestly, most cost-effective way to make that happen.

The X-Arcade Arcade2TV-XR has a suggested MSRP of $499.99, but is typically on sale for much less than this. And for players hoping to create the virtual reality arcade/pinball hall of their dreams? This is a small price to pay for something as great as this machine. It can also be used on your favorite consoles, with a few additional adapters sold on the X-Arcade website.

If you’ve been searching for a way to make Pinball FX VR even more exciting? This is the way. Hoping to get into some arcade shenanigans with your friends? Look no further. This is a very solid piece of equipment, with more bells and whistles than I could have imagined, and it works fantastically out of the box. And it does more than your typical pinball table, while costing less than a quarter of the price.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

---

The X-Arcade Arcade 2TV-XR is available now. A sample was provided by X-Arcade for the sake of review.