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Fighting game fans (or anyone else looking for a fight stick) can now pre-order PlayStation’s new FlexStrike arcade stick. The pricey peripheral will be released globally on August 6, just in time for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls – perhaps the most anticipated fighting game of 2026. Tōkon is being developed by industry veterans Arc System Works, commonly known as ArcSys.
Sony set June 12 as the pre-order date for the FlexStrike, originally announced as Project Defiant more than a year ago. Despite the popularity of leverless alternatives these days, the FlexStrike sticks to a more traditional eight-button arcade design. It also has the luxury of a clever gate-swap feature, allowing users to easily switch between square, octagonal, and full-circle gates.
Price/availability correct as of the time of writing
FlexStrike Wireless Fight Stick available at Target & Smyths
Last week, PlayStation shared a five-minute-long explainer about the fight stick’s design if you want a deeper dive. For something much more surface-level, the features trailer below explains all the key selling points. It’s the first fight stick made by PlayStation as a first-party piece of hardware and is compatible with PS5 and PC.
Wireless connectivity in an arcade stick is a rarity; there are only a handful of models that don’t go the wired route. One popular example would be the 8BitDo Arcade Stick. Wired has always been the go-to option for competitive players (and it’s probably less worry for fighting game tournament organizers), but Sony promises “ultra-low latency response” with the FlexStrike.
Premium arcade sticks don’t come cheap, with Sony pricing the FlexStrike at $199.99 USD, or £179.99 in the UK. In addition to the stick itself, it also ships with a sling carry case specifically designed for the controller – including a lever gap to keep the stick protected. Sony says it offers up to 40 hours of wireless play, and it ships with a USB-C charger for when you need to top it up.