IGN Korea interviews Nin & owner of Green Arcade about history, custom parts & closure

IGNThe well-known Korean arcade dedicated to Tekken might be closed, but its legacy remains.

IGN Korea writer Lee Dong-hun recently interviewed Nin and then-owner Yoon Kyung-sik about the end of Green Game Land arcade. Both Nin and Yoon talked about how the arcade ran before its untimely closure, its 21-year existence, its hospitality to visiting players and the future for the owner.

One of the most popular things about Green Arcade was their highly coveted custom lever. Commonly referred to as the Green Lever, Yoon goes into detail about the development of what he felt was the ideal lever. This also expands to the notion of work on a custom pushbutton.

The four page piece, which includes pictures of the now-closed arcade, can be found here. There is currently no English translation of the article.

Samducksa experimenting with Cherry MX switch-capable pushbuttons

Photo by Yo-o, SamducksaSouth Korea's major arcade parts manufacturer Samducksa (aka Crown) is joining the trend of others who have arcade pushbuttons capable of accepting Cherry MX mechanical switches.

Samducksa employee Yo-o posted on Korean community forum Ruliweb showing off buttons, similar to their SDB-201 line, utilizing Cherry MX switches. This is different from Samducka's usual use of Futaba MA Clicky switches for some of the company's popular buttons. Featured switches from Cherry include the popular linear-based red; tactile and clicky blue; and the recent silver models.

Along with the Cherry MX switches themselves, the button also uses adapters and other pieces for them to properly work. For those who like LEDs, one of the mounting pieces allows for easy clearance for LED controllers to connect to.

Yo-o stated that while Futaba switches found on the SDB-201 were designed to compete with the Cherry MX switches, this project's aim is to provide more options for players.

Other companies have provided many different ways to introduce Cherry MX switches to pushbuttons. Gamer Finger introduced the tech in its proprietary HBFS button family; Paradise Arcade Shop introduced drop in kits for Sanwa Denshi OBSF-30 buttons as part of the OBS-MX line; and Razer will be introducing its own mechanical switches, based on the Cherry MX switches, to buttons found on the upcoming Panthera Evo arcade stick.

While there is no date, it's planned to release in the coming future.

Qudans joins ROX Gaming

Korean esports team ROX Gaming has added a second fighting game player to its roster with the signing of Tekken World Tour 2017 champion Byung-moon "Qudans" Son.

Qudans was a world-class Tekken player during the era of Tekken 5 before taking time away from the game for various reasons. He has returned to the competitive scene with Tekken 7 and has quickly reestablished himself on the world stage by winning both the South East Asia Major 2017 and the Tekken World Tour finals.

Qudans joins fellow Tekken legend Knee as part of ROX Gaming's roster.

Archive of AfreecaTV Tekken League season two top four finals

While JDCR, Saint and Jeondding were dominating at SoCal Regionals, there were four more South Korean players fighting for first place at NicegameTV's AfreecaTV Tekken League second season finale.

Lowhigh, Malgu, Begin and ROX Gaming's Knee fought through the 16-player bracket in NGTV's multi-week tournament series to end up at the round of four. They all converged at AfreecaTV's FreecUP Studio at Seoul's Gangnam District. The champion received ₩3,000,000 while the runner-up snagged ₩2,000,000. Instead of using arcade setups, the top four finals were running on linked PCs introduced midway through this concluded season.

You can watch all the three hour-long finals (videos 33-39), along with the rest of season two, after the jump!

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Arcade Stick Indonesia announces retail version of Golden Fanta mod kit for Korean levers

Korean arcade stick users who want modding flexibility for their levers might want to look into trying this kit out.

The Golden Fanta is a mod kit made by Arcade Stick Indonesia designed to provide users the ability to swap various parts of the Myoungshin Fanta or Taeyoung Fanta levers. The kit features different sizes of brass shafts and actuators. There are also silicone grommets of various tension levels. Those who want steady microswitchs can make use of the two-piece switch support unit. Owners will have to look into using a Sanwa Denshi LB-35 bat top if using one of the Golden Fanta's shafts, however.

I have personally been trying out an earlier version the Golden Fanta kit for a while. I'm glad to see it evolve to the point where it's not only easier to tinker with but also easier to obtain.

If you are looking into getting the Golden Fanta, check it out here! For those who have Crown/Samducksa levers, a Golden Crown kit is currently in the works so check out the dedicated Korean arcade parts thread on Shoryuken for more info.

Review: Crown SDL-301-DX Infiltration signature Korean arcade stick lever

The Tekken community in South Korea, as well as international players, responded positively to the 309 arcade stick lever by Crown (aka Samducksa). Being a collaboration with Tekken player Help Me, it was considered the first signature lever on the market. The arcade parts manufacturer wanted to continue this trend with a new model. Coming off the heels of Evo 2016, Crown worked with the Street Fighter V champion Infiltration to make a new lever.

The SDL-301-DX signature lever combines aspects from an experimental design as well as input from Infiltration. Compared to other Korean levers on the market, it's the most distinct when it comes to feel. It aims to have some qualities found in Japanese levers such as the popular Sanwa Denshi JLF while featuring necessary Korean traits. After months of testing and anticipation, is the lever all it's cracked up to be?

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Infiltration's signature SDL-301-DX arcade stick lever from Crown coming August

Players will be able to get their hands on a lever designed by Korean arcade parts company Crown (Samducksa) in collaboration with one of the biggest names in competitive Street Fighter today.

The SDL-301-DX Infiltration lever is planned to be released on Aug. 5, 2017, for 40,000 won. Originally concieved in 2014 as an experimental lever with both Korean and Japanese qualities, the project was revived when Infiltration collaborated with Crown in 2016. Designed with Japanese arcade sticks in mind, especially the Razer Panthera, players can try out what Infiltration is actually using in tournaments.

The release will come in three models, with normal, red and green transparent bat tops. It's unknown what overseas stores will carry the SDL-301-DX and what it will be priced at. Stay tuned not only for updates but for our review of Infiltration's own lever here on IPLAYWINNER!

Afreeca Tekken League season one concludes with top four finals this Friday night

Knee, GoAttack, Qudans and LowHigh battle for first place in the season finale for Afreeca Tekken League.

GoAttack takes on Knee while Qudans will fight LowHigh in a double elimination bracket. With a total prize pot of ‎₩6 million, first place gets ‎₩3 million while second and third get ‎₩2 million and ‎₩1 million, respectively.

The finals will take place on June 16 at 10 p.m. PDT on both the global AfreecaTV stream and the Korean stream. You can check out the press release after the jump.

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AfreecaTV & NiceGameTV announce Tekken 7 singles tournament league

South Korea's popular streaming service AfreecaTV will soon begin its inaugural Tekken tournament series featuring the nation's best.

AFREECATV TEKKEN LEAGUE SCHEDULE 

The AfreecaTV Tekken League, with help from NiceGameTV, invited 16 high-level Tekken players including Knee, Qudans, Jeondding, Lowhigh, Kkokkoma to compete for a total prize pot of 6,000,000 won. Unlike NiceGameTV's Tekken Strike, ATL will be a singles tournament instead of a team tournament.

Tekken fans in South Korea can come to the NiceGameTV studio in Seoul, South Korea. Everyone else can tune into Afreeca's international stream for ATL on Fridays (Korean stream here), and this coming Saturday, at 10:00 p.m. PDT. You can check out the schedule in the link above.

South Korean Tekken players Saint & JDCR sign to Echo Fox

Two new players join Echo Fox's growing fighting game division.

Kim "JDCR" HyunJin and Choi "Saint" Jinwoo, two of the strongest Tekken players in South Korea, have been signed to Echo Fox. The team now has a multitude of players from five different games including Street Fighter V and the Super Smash Bros. series.

More information can be found in the press announcement.

Make sure to visit their Twitch channel here as well as archives on their YouTube channel BattleFinger. Check out matches from Saint and JDCR after the jump!

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Tekken 7 FR VSL: The Fist Season Three finals & Korea vs Japan team exhibition at G-Star 2016

The Twitch stage at this year's G-Star trade show in South Korea hosted a couple of Tekken 7: Fated Retribution events including the finals to VSL: The Fist Season Three.

Before the main event, Twitch featured an exhibition with players from Japan and Korea fighting it out. This team battle had Jackller, Take and Tanukana from Japan while Korea brought out Knee, MBC and Shallwebehappy. The season three finals of VSL: The Fist went down to four players remaining: JDCR, Saint, Goraebob and MBC.

You can find both playlists after the jump to see the results. Also check out the rest of season three as well as the past seasons of VSL: The Fist on VSL's official YouTube channel.

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JDCR's Tekken lesson on reading opponents to side step or counter

Photo by HatalyNew and experienced Tekken players awaiting Tekken 7 should check out this multipart video from one of South Korea's best players.

JDCR talks in detail of understanding what moves an opponent's character can do in certain situations especially when you have little life left. Whether it's side stepping or countering, JDCR wants players to gain insight from their opponent's tendencies within a match and how to shift the momentum to their favor.

You can find the translated videos hosted by Battlefinger after the jump! Formerly known as Taktak1893's Tekken replay channel, Battlefinger is now a joint effort from Taktak himself, JDCR, Saint, Jeondding and CLKing. You can still find Tekken 7: Fated Retribution replays along with more related content on the channel here.

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Crown working on signature Infiltration arcade stick lever

Photo by KuensteThe South Korean arcade parts manufacturer Crown has been working with Infiltration on his own arcade stick lever.

Branded as the SDL-301, this new lever is in the prototype stages, given to Infiltration and some testers. The model looks like it's mainly designed for Japanese arcade sticks so most people should be able to install it with no additional modifications.

Based on screenshots from a tester, the SDL-301 uses new parts different from Crown's recent levers including the Helpme signature 309 model. This lever uses the small neck gate system introduced in Crown's Japanese-mounted lever revision and features a silicone tension grommet. For the prototype, there appear to be two stability plates which seem to act as gates with one being circular with another having octagonal ends.

The lever was teased when Infiltration used it with the PlayStation 4 version of Razer's Atrox arcade stick at Canada Cup 2016.

Check out screenshots as well as video demonstrations here.

Review: Crown 309 Helpme, 309MJ and IST FLF-ST Korean arcade stick levers

From left to right: IST FLF-ST, Crown 309MJ, Crown 309 HelpmeAfter some time of waiting for importing opportunities, here are some newer Korean arcade parts.

Crown's past arcade levers had a distinctive feel compared to those of competitors Myoungshin and the now-defunct Taeyoung. Not all players and arcades in South Korea were favorable to those models and leaned towards the solid Myoungshin Fanta lever, so Crown looked to provide a lever that can compete with it.

For arcade stick manufacturer IST, known for selling Crown parts, the company is looking to make its own lever similar to that of Crown's Japanese-mounted variants.

CROWN 309 HELPME, 309MJ & IST FLF-ST SCREENSHOTS

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Tekken 7 FR Bob footage from Japan & South Korea

With Bob being the first timed release character for Tekken 7's arcade expansion, check out footage of higher level players using him.

In Japan at Namco Sugamo, Shudy captured almost four hours worth of Take using the returning character. Take, who recently placed seventh at this year's EVO, was known for using Bob in Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

As for South Korea, you can watch MBC, Kkokkoma and Knee try out Bob in deathmatches against other players online.

Master Raven will be arriving in September so make sure to look out for footage in the future!

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Tekken 7: Fated Retribution available in Japanese & Korean arcades, two Korean events teased

Both Japan and South Korea have upgraded to Tekken 7's expansion in arcades.

For people living outside either of these countries, you can always tune into streams. In Japan, check Tekken players Kurokuro and Shudy. In Korea, streaming channels will vary. Green Game Land, known for streaming Tekken every day, is on Twitch. Through Afreeca, players such as Knee, Lowhigh and MBC usually stream.

With the release of T7FR in Korea, Korean eSports site Inven released a picture showing two events. One of them is the The Fist by VSL Studio which will be streamed on Twitch. Another is the return of Tekken Strike by NicegameTV. No other information behind the events have been revealed.

Tekken 7: Fated Retribution will have its own tournament at EVO 2016!

Upcoming South Korean tournament by Spiritzero will provide hotel and flight to Evo 2016

Spiritzero, the people behind the Street Fighter V MagicStick Cup will have another tournament on May 15, 2016, in South Korea to bring the winner to this year's Evolution.

The Road to Evo 2016 tournament will accommodate both flight to and hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Like MagicStick Cup, this tournament will be at the Anyang Creative Economic Convergence Center at Seoul's Gyeonggi province. According to the announcement trailer found after the jump, Razer's Infiltration will be at the event as a commentator.

For those living in Korea, you can sign up now at the Challonge page. Take note that there is a 128-player cap so don't wait. More information, including rules, can be found on Spiritzero's event site.

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Korea's SPOTV Games Announces Street Fighter V Crash, Starting April to June 2016

Tekken 7 isn't the only fighting game in that will get simultaneous airtime on South Korean television and on the internet. The newest Street Fighter will get its time.

SPOTV Games, current broadcasters for Tekken Crash, announced Street Fighter V Crash. Similar to Tekken Crash, SFV Crash will be a three-man team tournament series starting on April 10, 2016, until June 5. Competitors will converge at Seoul's Nexon Arena in a double elimination format up until top 16 when it will be single elimination.

If you live in Korea and have two teammates, make sure click on the image for the registration form and send it to the SFV Crash email before March 31. While it is planned for television in South Korea, stay tuned for updates of official streams in the near future.

South Korea's PlayStation Arena 2016 to feature Street Fighter V, HD Remix & GGXrd -SIGN-

SPOTV Games in South Korea will be holding another edition of PlayStation Arena focused on fighting game tournaments.

The second edition of this tournament event will bring back Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- from last year, and Street Fighter V and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix will be the other headlining games for 2016. The top two finishers for each game can earn a cash prize including the 2,000,000 won prize for winning Street Fighter V.

What's known so far is that it will take place on March 20, 2016 at Seoul, South Korea's Nexon Arena, known for hosting last year's PlayStation Arena as well as Tekken Crash. The preliminary qualifiers will be on March 6 at the Nexon Arena as well. If you live in Korea and are interested in competing, make sure to register here.

The announcement trailer can be found after the jump!

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Archive of Female Tournament From The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2015 Korean Qualifier

South Korea is already preparing to bring its best Tekken 7 players for The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2015 in Japan.

Much like the Japanese qualifiers, Korea will have two female players who qualified from a separate tournament. They will be two of the eight players who will represent the nation for the finals on Dec. 12, 2015. They will be joined by three student players and three more from public qualifying events on Oct. 25, Nov. 1 and 8.

SPOTV Games simulcasted the female tournament on Oct. 18 through both their television channel and a dedicated Tekken Twitch channel.

The channel also uploaded the matches on their YouTube channel which can be found below!

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