PlayStation 4 version of Hori Fighting Edge available now

The newest version of the Fighting Edge arcade stick from Hori came to North America ahead of its early 2018 release in Japan.

You can get the PlayStation 4 version of the Fighting Edge either from Hori directly or at Arcade Shock right now. The Fighting Edge, first available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, combined Hori's large form factor design with its own arcade-quality parts. 

The PS4 Fighting Edge swaps the plexi top panel with that of a brushed metal design. This model opts to have a variety of special controls placed in different parts of the body instead of using the previous generation's LED touch panel. This model still features Hori's proprietary Hayabusa lever, but now also has Hayabusa pushbuttons instead of the Kuro set found in the original version. There is also support for 3.5mm headphones and headsets found in the front of the Fighting Edge.

The Japanese release of the Fighting Edge is currently set for Jan. 15, 2018.

Steam Early Access build of Punch Planet arriving on Nov. 8, 2017

Players can try out Sector-K Games' indie 2-D fighting game in the comfort of their own home this November.

Punch Planet will be coming to Steam's Early Access platform on Nov. 8, 2017. It will feature both local and online versus modes, with the latter being powered by the GGPO netcode. Early Access users can also take advantage of a training mode with the four characters Cid, Roy, Dog and Tyara.

Sector-K Games' plan with the Early Access build in the long run is to have eight characters and have modes including arcade ready by the end of 2018. As development continues, the price will gradually increase. Players are encouraged to participate in either the game forum on Steam or on Discord to find ways to improve the game.

You can read more on Punch Planet's Early Access page. Videos, including the Early Access announcement trailer featuring new character G-Agent and one unannounced character, can be found after the jump!

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Chinese fighter Sango Guardian: Chaos Generation now available on Steam

A new fighting game, made by developers from Guangzhou, China, is now on PC through the Steam platform.

Sango Guardian: Chaos Generation was originally designed for arcades in China. It features characters named after various ancient Chinese military leaders but with a modern take. The game received international attention when Japanese game center Takadanobaba Mikado hosted tournaments for the title. Developers Sealy Electronic Technology later put the game on Steam's Greenlight program with a playable demo.

Now the game is currently available to buy on Steam with a normal price of $7.99, days ahead of its Aug. 15 release date. As of this time, it is 15% off through Aug. 14. Initial reviews have been negative, citing the long boot up time as well as the lack of two player and training modes as some of the complaints. Sealy is currently looking to improve the game.

Match footage of Sango Guardian: Chaos Generation from Mikado can be found after the jump.

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Digital Foundry checks out graphical power of Tekken 7 & its predecessors

The go-to people for graphics analysis at Digital Foundry got the chance to show off how each version of Tekken 7 is running and made a visual retrospective of the series.

DF's Thomas Morgan explains in detail how the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro and PC differ. This includes variances in resolution, post-processing effects and load times. A full text analysis, with screenshot comparisons, can be found here.

Dave Bierton talks about the evolution of the series and the hardware that powers each game. While Tekken has been a multiplatform series in recent entries, it has been one of the franchises that grew alongside Sony's PlayStation line of consoles before that shift. This growth starts all the way back at the original Tekken for the first PS system and the similar Namco System 11 arcade hardware.

Videos for the Tekken 7 graphical analysis and the series/tech evolution can be found after the jump!

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Modes trailer for Tekken 7 show off new story content & other features

Check out the latest Tekken 7 promotional trailer detailing what modes you can expect in the home release after the jump!

Story mode is one of the major aspects found in the video with "The Mishima Saga" being the marquee piece. It features new footage of what players will take part in such as a flashback to the Mishima Dojo attack from Tekken 5's intro cutscene. This mode will also allow special moves to be performed with simple commands for casual players. Along with the main story, there will also be character-specific scenarios.

Treasure Battle is one of the new modes that allows players to get special items for Customize mode. This mode also features special fights including battling Kazumi already in devil form as well as Turbo battles originally found in Tekken Revolution.

Players can also expect the usual offline and online modes such as ranked match, arcade and practice. The trailer also mentions the expansive Gallery mode, platform-specific perks and more.

Tekken 7 is coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on June 2, 2017!

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Review: Qanba Obsidian arcade stick (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC)

Qanba's latest line of arcade sticks for the PlayStation 4 that was reviewed on IPLAYWINNER was based on existing designs. The Drone, priced at $79.99, was from the N1 series. The $149.99 Crystal was a reintroduction of the revised Q2 LED/Glow models. As for the $299.99 Dragon stick, it was previously featured at EVO 2014 as a prototype. The Obsidian, however, was a stick never before seen from the Chinese manufacturer when it premiered in late 2016.

Sitting between the Crystal and Dragon in price, the Obsidian is aimed for players who want better parts than the former while not breaking the bank with the very stylish latter. At $199.99, it's competing with Mad Catz's Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2+ and Razer's Panthera sticks. With its competitors, you can consider the Obsidian as Qanba's flagship stick but does it stack up?

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Review: Qanba Dragon arcade stick (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC)

Back at Evolution 2014, Chinese arcade stick manufacturer Qanba featured a prototype model of a new design. This big-bodied stick was made with the PlayStation 4 in mind. It allowed easy access to the lever and pushbuttons as well as room to hold onto spare parts. One unique feature in this prototype stick was the ability to switch the left and right portion of the top panel. It would have allowed the player to use the button layout of Sega's Astro City format while having the lever placed similar to Taito's Vewlix design. The stick was eventually put on hold due to the cost involved in producing it.

Qanba was able to salvage that design and reintroduce it in 2016 as the Dragon. Aspects of the stick have changed since its 2014 reveal but the core look still remains in the final version. As a direct competitor to Hori's Real Arcade Pro Premium VLX arcade stick series, the Dragon is part of the luxury grade of sticks. You can expect arcade quality parts and an exquisite body design, but at a very hefty price.

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Gameplay trailer for Tekken 7 pre-order bonus character Eliza

Check out the trailer to the once Tekken Revolution-only character after the jump!

Those who preorder Tekken 7 before its June 2, 2017, release will be able to play as Eliza. The female vampire character was chosen by fans during a character poll for TR. She was only unlockable in the free-to-play Tekken game by grinding matches for "blood scrolls."

Now that Eliza is returning for T7, she will be revamped to cater to the new gameplay mechanics.

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Razer Panthera arcade stick gets Xinput driver, downloadable now

Microsoft's Xinput controller driver for PC is now available for Razer's first PlayStation 4 arcade stick.

Owners of the Panthera can now download the driver here. Following a fast installation process, Xinput will activate when the stick is set to PS4 mode. PlayStation 3 mode only features Direct Input.

During a quick test, both Street Fighter V and The King of Fighters XIII on PC confirm that the Panthera is recognized as an Xbox 360 controller. There were no conflicts when another stick with Xinput was plugged in. The driver unfortunately wasn't identified by Killer Instinct. If you are looking to play KI with the Panthera, either wait for an updated driver or look into Razer's Atrox sticks.

You can read the review for Razer's Panthera here.

Review: Razer Panthera arcade stick (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PC)

Commonly known more for its gaming-focused PC peripherals and the communities that use them, Razer's attention to the fighting game community has been intriguing. Along with sponsoring players such as Infiltration, Fuudo and Xian, the company made arcade sticks to compete with Mad Catz, Qanba and Hori. With models for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, the Atrox series had features ahead of its time all housed in a slick body design.

RAZER PANTHERA ARCADE STICK SCREENSHOTS

Even with cool features, Razer faced a situation where it had to deal with criticism. Events such as EVO 2015, where Momochi's Atrox stick was suddenly disabled on the eve of his Ultra Street Fighter IV victory, became a controversial topic in the community. Technical issues would also surface in future events giving more people reason to heckle Razer.

The company also had to adapt to the current FGC competitive climate. With a majority of fighting games being commonly available on the PlayStation 4, the manufacturer began work on a stick for that platform. Given another chance, Razer's new model—Panthera—doesn't deviate too much from its prdecessors while still making sure the stick is ready for a new generation. While the consistency is nice, the continuations—as well the smaller changes and additions—aren't always for the best.

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Qanba Obsidian arcade stick coming early 2017

Qanba has announced its fourth arcade stick for the PlayStation 4!

QANBA OBSIDIAN SCREENSHOTS

The Obsidian, much like the Dragon arcade stick, is a new design from Qanba. Priced at $199.99, the Obsidian features Sanwa Denshi parts out of the box, a metal ball top, a cable compartment and alloy sides with toggleable LEDs. In addition to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 support, players can use it on PC with Dinput and Xinput modes.

The preorder link for the Obsidian can be found here with a release date at around late January to early February. Arcade Shock also has a preorder page for the stick. Check out the trailer featuring a render of the stick after the jump!

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Kuma & Panda coming to Tekken 7, new info on online tournaments

The end of Tekken 7's The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2016 Grand Finals featured the announcement of the series' favorite bears.

Both Kuma and Panda will be coming to Tekken 7. Trailer footage features the bears with very detailed fur shading, alternate outfits and their rage arts. Instead of being simple palette swaps, Kuma and Panda will have unique traits. In addition to the two characters, a new stage was featured in the announcement trailer that you can check after the jump!

For the coming console build of T7, the online mode was detailed. One of them is the introduction of online tournaments which provide Fight Money as the prize. There is also support for double elimination format.

In other console news, Bandai Namco has collaborated with New Japan Pro Wrestling to include a costume for King designed by wrestler Kazuchika Okada in T7. The announcement and brief trailer for the costume is also after the jump.

Tekken 7 will be coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC in early 2017!

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Review: Qanba Crystal arcade stick (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC)

Earlier in 2016, the popular Chinese arcade stick manufacturer Qanba released its first PlayStation 4 model: the Drone. While the stick was made as a budget option for those new to fighting games, people were left wondering when the higher-end models would start arriving. I recently had the chance to try out the Crystal, the first of two made for dedicated players.

QANBA CRYSTAL ARCADE STICK SCREENSHOTS

Based on the Q2 series of arcade sticks, and a direct descendant of the Q2 Glow, the Crystal arcade stick is Qanba's second major offering for the PS4. While the Drone has a small form factor, the Crystal is bigger and more developed. On the surface, the Crystal does look similar to its predecessors but some of its changes, both visually and technologically, might help someone looking for a more fleshed-out arcade stick from Qanba.

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Razer announces Panthera arcade stick for the PS4, available now

Only hours after Mark "MarkMan" Julio announced his work with the company and following hints of use from players such as Infiltration and Xian in recent months, Razer has formally announced its first arcade stick made for the PlayStation 4.

Called the Panthera, this is Razer's third arcade stick, succeeding the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of the Atrox line. This stick will be designed to work on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Using the Atrox as a basis, players can expect the Panthera to feature a detachable USB cable, easy internal access, an anti-slip rubber mat and all Sanwa Denshi arcade parts. Instead of the common green color palette artwork found in the Atrox sticks, the Panthera has shades of dark blue. When it comes to special controls such as Touch Pad and the Home button, they are all placed in front of the Vewlix layout. The Options/Start and Share/Select buttons are still on the right side for convenient access.

Previously known for only making controllers specifically for Microsoft's Xbox platforms, the Panthera joins the Raiju controller as the first two PS4 peripherals by the Taiwan-based company. Min-Liang Tan, Razer's Co-Founder and CEO, announced back in March that the company were working on PS4 products, including a stick, following the controversy of controller malfunctioning at Final Round 19.

You can order now directly on Razer's official store! 

Nitroplus Blasterz coming to PC on Dec. 8

XSEED Games has announced that its Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel will be released on PC in early December.

The game, designed by Arcana Heart developers Examu, was released on PlayStation 3 and 4 consoles in February 2016. Playable characters include "numerous heroines from the visual novel company Nitroplus’ rich collection of IPs, including playable characters Ein, Mora, Ruili, Al Azif, Saya, Ignis, Anna, Muramasa the 3rd, Kibanohara Ethica, Saber, and Ouka, as well as fan favorite mascot character Super Sonico."

The PC version of the game will cost $29.99 and come with all console DLC as well as a "new color palette and added victory poses." XSEED is also offering a 10 percent launch week discount.

Revised Brook PS3/PS4 Fighting Board to include headphone support

Brook is in the process of making a new version of its PlayStation 3/PlayStation 4 Fighting Board with more features.

Using the Universal Fighting Board as the basis, the revised PS3/PS4 FB will provide screw terminals for a solderless install. Instead of a USB Type B port, the new PS3/PS4 FB uses a Micro USB port. Along with the supplied 20-pin connection ports carried over from the UFB, there are additional pinouts for analog stick and Touch Pad support. There is also support for manipulating SOCD cleanup.

The big draw along with the different form factor is the 3.5mm stereo port. This will allow both stereo headphones and headsets requiring only a 3.5mm connection to work. Those good at modding should be able to make this feature easy to plug and play.

You can take a look at the prototype unit by Jonyfraze after the jump!

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New Hori Real Arcade Pro V. Hayabusa model to feature reduced latency and more

Hori Japan will soon release a new version of their Real Arcade Pro stick for the PlayStation 4 to alleviate lag concerns.

The 2017 model of the Real Arcade Pro V. Hayabusa features a new circuit board marketed to have less input lag than the older models. New to this stick is the inclusion of a 3.5mm stereo jack which will allow players to easily listen with headphones. The port is on the rear end of the stick.

Aside from those features plus the new stick artwork, the 2017 RAP V. Hayabusa will feature the same traits as its predecessors. This includes the Hori Hayabusa lever and buttons, PlayStation 3 and PC X-Input support as well as Touch Pad.

While not planned for North America as of this post, the stick will be available in Japan on Dec. 22, 2016, at 17,258 Yen. You can find more information here with preorder information on Amazon Japan.

New Zealand company Mighty Ape selling gorilla-themed PS4/PS3/PC arcade stick

The nation of New Zealand joins South Korea and Taiwan as one of the countries to sell unique consumer arcade sticks.

Gorilla Gaming, a gaming peripheral company located Down Under, released the "PRO Arcade Fight Stick" for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PC back in August. It has a plastic body different from common competitors like Hori and Mad Catz. Screenshots show that the main panel is slanted and bears the Gorilla Gaming mascot as its stock panel art. Players can swap the art for their own liking with a supplied screwdriver.

The stick out of the box features a lever and buttons from Sanwa Denshi on a Taito Vewlix layout. When it comes to special controls, the stick has turbo, DP/LS/RS switching, PS button, Share/Select, Options/Start, lock button, L3/R3 and a Touch Pad all situated just above the main layout. It also includes a USB cable compartment.

For compatibility, Gorilla Gaming provided a page with the latest firmware version with periodic updates. While it's mainly sold for New Zealand and Australia, seller Mighty Ape can ship the stick to different countries including the United States. If you are looking to get this at a cheaper price, check the Australian listing here.

Mortal Kombat X on PC gets public online beta weekend with XL characters

Players can now try out Mortal Kombat X in its current iteration this weekend for free on PC as part of a network test.

MKX on Valve's Steam platform has been updated with a link that allows anybody to participate in the "MKXL Enhanced Online Beta." The 23.1gb download allows players to play the whole Mortal Kombat X cast against others using a rollback netcode system similar to that of GGPO. This test was originally featured on the console version of MKX in preparation for Kombat Pack 2/Mortal Kombat XL.

This will mark the first time PC MKX players can use KP2 characters Alien, Leatherface, Triborg and Bo' Rai Cho. The original PC version on Steam, handled by High Voltage Software, was criticized for various bugs and lack of support. The port was met with further disapproval after NetherRealm Studios' Tyler Lansdown announced on Test Your Might that Kombat Pack 2 would only be on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

This beta test was alluded to after Ed Boon on Twitter had a poll with one of the choices being "MKXL with GGPO on PC."

While there is no information in regards to the sale of Kombat Pack 2 characters on PC, you can try them now by going to the game's Steam page. The beta ends on Aug. 29, 2016, at 10 a.m. PST.

Jasen's Customs TE2+ EZ Mod for Mad Catz TE2+ sticks coming exclusively to EVO 2016

If you are going to EVO 2016 and want your Mad Catz Arcade FightStick TE2+ to work for all current generation consoles with one simple board, you might have only one opportunity.

The TE2+ gets its own EZ Mod from Jasen's Customs following the release of the original TE2 model. Similar to the normal TE2 EZ Mod, this version is entirely solderless but requires clipping of the USB cable from the original PCB.

Designed to work with the Brook Universal Fighting Board, the EZ Mod contains LEDs that work uniquely when in specific console modes including player-specific lights and colors on PlayStation 4 while the Xbox One renders all white much like the normal controller. Another aspect found on the TE2+ EZ Mod is that the Lock button is swapped by Turbo.

The EZ Mod board itself will be priced at $34.95 only at the Arcade Shock booth. If you are looking to get your TE2+ upgraded at the event, Jasen's Customs' own Jasen Hicks will help sell and install the kits.