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New Delhi: Fighting game fans are getting a new controller to look forward to. Sony has officially given its long-teased "Project Defiant" a proper name, meet the FlexStrike wireless fight stick, PlayStation’s first-ever fight stick designed in-house. The announcement comes right ahead of Evo 2025, the world’s biggest fighting game tournament, set to kick off in Las Vegas from August 1 to 3 (which is August 2 to 4 IST).
Sony revealed new details and images through the official PlayStation Blog, calling FlexStrike a next-gen fight stick designed for PlayStation 5 and PC users. While it won’t hit shelves until sometime in 2026, the early sneak peek already has the FGC (fighting game community) buzzing.
FlexStrike connects either through a wired USB-C connection or Sony’s PlayStation Link, their low-latency wireless tech. What’s interesting is that this fight stick comes with mechanical switch buttons, and lets you swap out restrictor gates, square, circle, or octagon, without tools. All the extra parts and the included USB adapter can be tucked away neatly inside its built-in storage space.
The unit also comes with a sling carry case, so players heading to locals, tournaments or just a friend’s house won’t have to stuff it in a backpack and hope for the best. There’s also a built-in rechargeable battery for those who want to keep it cable-free.
Here’s a list of what FlexStrike will offer:
PlayStation confirms that FlexStrike will be on display (not final version) at Evo 2025, inside the Fight Stick Museum and Arc System Works booth. It won’t be playable, but attendees will get a look at the prototype and the sling case.
The FlexStrike announcement comes after months of speculation since it first appeared during State of Play in June 2025. As of now, Sony hasn’t shared a price tag for this new controller.