Razer debuts Arcade Stick at Tokyo Games Show

While it hasn’t been named yet, the upcoming Razer Arcade Stick hopes to help ride the resurrected fighting game boon that has grown dramatically since the release of Street Fighter IV.

Revealed at Tokyo Game Show, Razer is taking a lot of input in what they hope to be the pinnacle in Arcade Sticks for Xbox 360
(sorry PS3 owners). While having Razer is looking for input from the community that make heavy use of the product is common, this upcoming product
carries with it an envious chance to beta test the prototype. They’re launching the following website www.razerzone.com/bredtofight where you can apply to receive the prototype, recommend others to contribute, or leave feedback on the stick itself.

One thing I am interested in seeing is Razer’s openness to the Arcade Stick modders. While there are certainly a number of exceptions, their products for the most part are commonly associated with their deep black with blue and green accents. For many in the fighting game community, their Arcade stick is an extension of their personality. With a wide variety of custom stick sites, endless artwork, a rainbow plethora of buttons and sticks currently available the final product’s potential customization could range from extremely slick or a crippling gaming fashion faux pas.

Having 200 or so participants with the prototype, professional gamers, modders and notable enthusiasts the demands will be voluminous. While the danger of too many cooks spoiling the pot is always present with products open to this type of public scrutiny, but it’s an interesting experiment where I hope Razer has the ability cut the chaff on what makes an Arcade Stick truly worthwhile.