PlayStation previously announced that it would be releasing its FlexStrike wireless arcade stick on 6 August. Now, it looks like that’s not happening anymore. In an update to a PlayStation Blog post announcing the opening of pre-orders for the controller, the Sony videogames subsidiary now says that the company is delaying the thing, and “will launch at a later date”. No specifics on when that later date is, but the updates note that the brand “will share an update soon”. Unfortunately, no specifics on that either.
Per the updated bit, the company says “we’re working to ensure we deliver the best possible experience to our players with FlexStrike, so we’re taking extra time to put the finishing touches on the product. We apologise for this delay and look forward to bringing the FlexStrike experience to the community when it launches”. The cause of the delay itself was attributed to unspecified “unexpected production delays”. So while it sounds like the product will eventually be released, the lack of a new concrete date still leaves it in indefinitely delayed territory.
One could argue that PlayStation previously planned for the FlexStrike to be launched simultaneously alongside the Arc System Works-developed Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls. After all, what better way to experience a game published by PlayStation than by using the very first arcade stick made by the company? Now that it’s not happening, you’ll have to make do with something else. Such as, say, the Razer Kitsune. On that note, the Sony subsidiary does note that if you’ve pre-ordered the FlexStrike from elsewhere, you should check with them for what the new arrival dates are.
On a potentially unrelated note, the FlexStrike has suffered quite a bit on social media, simply because it’s the first thing PlayStation posted after announcing the end of game discs in 2028. Circumstances being what they are, angry fans mainly panned that decision in the comments rather than discussing the FlexStrike itself.
(Source: PlayStation [1], [2])
