Sony has just shared a new video to show off its new wireless fight stick – the first ever to be made by PlayStation. It feels a little behind the times, considering it’s a stick – not a leverless – but better late than never for fans of arcade controllers. One feature that caught our eye is the fact you can change the stick’s gates on the fly between three included options.

The new peripheral was first unveiled under the name ‘Project Defiant’ in a teaser trailer early last month, with little information actually being revealed. Now, Sony has announced a bunch of the FlexStrike’s key features, and it looks like it will be a solid introduction to the market, not long after 8BitDo brought out a new arcade controller.

FlexStrike feature list revealed by PlayStation

The upcoming FlexStrike controller comes with a ‘toolless gate swap’ which lets you switch between different restrictor gates without much hassle. Square, circular, and octagonal gates are included as standard; sadly, there doesn’t seem to be a similar feature to swap between different lever/stick types. This is one key feature we feel that is missing, though hopefully it’s an aspect of the design that is customizable – many fight sticks are.

Although square gates have come to be preferred for many players, particularly in series such as Street Fighter, octagonal or full circle gates may feel more intuitive to players with less experience using an arcade stick. Like we said, there’s no mention of a lever swap, which seems like a missed opportunity given the popularity of Korean-style levers for games like Tekken. The FlexStrike comes with a Japanese-style ball-top stick.

Aside from the new gate feature, Sony also boasts “ultra-low latency” wireless connectivity with PlayStation Link (or wired with a USB-C cable). The durable lever/stick is custom-made, and the buttons are mechanical. Given its wireless nature, it also comes with a built-in rechargeable battery and even a compartment to keep your PlayStation Link Adapter and restrictor gates safe.

Another interesting feature is the Lever Mode Switch, which lets you change between D-Pad, left stick, and right stick inputs. This may sound redundant, but there have been times when having a right stick comes in handy in fighting games (usually in single-player modes for camera movement). There’s also a lock button to help prevent accidental pauses. On top of everything, the new fight stick will come with a sling carry case

The FlexStrike Wireless Fight Stick is compatible with PS5 and PC. You can also connect a second FlexStrike wirelessly and a wireless headset via PlayStation Link. No exact release date or price has been announced; all we know is it’s coming in 2026.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.