Anyways, today at Comic-Con they had the above controller on display, a Tatsunoko vs Capcom themed Fight Stick. Sure, it may have the same hardware as the Street Fighter IV Fight Stick (you know, the one that was notorious for breaking) with some Tatsunoko vs Capcom artwork slapped on top. But it’s the novelty that counts, right?

No word on pricing or availability but considering Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All Stars is expected to drop for the Wii towards the end of this year, you can probably expect it then.

via Destructoid

Now, with PSP Go rumors circulating I had my fingers crossed that perhaps Sony would finally add that much sought after stick. Then came the pictures, and nope, no stick. However, according to a recent Game Informer, the control scheme was considered.

Below is a quote from Sony Worldwide Studios’ President, Shuheu Yoshida:

We also felt — like many users — that we wish we had a second analog on the PSP. But we are talking about the mid-life cycle of this platform, and the PSPgo is designed to be perfectly compatible with the PSP-3000 and all the games that released before that. So we had a very serious discussion about this particular subject, but we decided not to add a second analog, and some of the developers are doing quite a nice job translating the second analog functionality to different buttons. We didn’t want to divert their efforts either.

Does this mean we can expect 2 analog sticks on the PSP 2/PSP Go 2/whatever they decide to call it? Let’s hope so.

via Kotaku

Mad Catz Art Director, Roentgen D. Reyes, commented on the hardware’s artwork:

“When we set out creating the Limited Edition artwork we knew that we had to create an impactful design that was radically different from the previous imagery and color schemes. With that in mind we chose not to concentrate on a group of characters but instead produce something targeted to the fan community. After working through a number of designs, we focused on one of the strongest ‘fan-favorite’ characters in the game, Sagat. The character is renowned for his large scar which game legend tells us was caused by archrival Ryu. In my mind, playing Street Fighter® IV evokes the player’s competitive nature, with rivalry a key element of the experience.”

The exclusive Tournament Edition arcade sticks will go on sale for Comic-Con attendees for $179.99 while the exclusive SF4 controller, pictured after the break, will go on sale at the convention along with on the Mad Catz website for $49.99.

via Kotaku

There’s not much to say about this set besides the fact that it’s, well, a drum controller. Although, it will apparantly allow for use with 2 kick pedals if you’re into that kind of thing.

Guitar Hero 5 will be made available for the Playstation 3, Playstation 2, Xbox 360 and Wii on September 1st, 2009.

via Joystiq

We first heard about the Wireless Xbox 360 Microphone back in the beginning of April when Microsoft unveiled some new Lips DLC.

Well, it seems that Microsoft has again set their sights on the wireless mic as they have said the peripheral, which is compatible with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Lips, and even Disney Sign It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year, will ship to retail this fall.

The Wireless Microphone is expected to cost $49.99. Hey, you didn’t think a Microsoft developed product would be cheap, did you?

Read (Ripten)

If you missed out on a chance to get your hands on one of the Street Fight IV FightSticks, and are planning on picking up Tekken 6 you should check out the recently unveiled wireless fight sticks (pictured above). These are the same fight sticks we mentioned in a previous post earlier today, so dont’ be confused.

Shown above is the official Tekken 6 Wireless Fight Stick bundle which includes the game, the controller and an art book. For those who care, the stick was made by HORI, not MadCatz.

Finally, the bundle will be made available for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and cost $150 for both. The different between the two, however, is that the Xbox 360 version is white and the PS3 version is black.

Read (Joystiq)

When Activision first announced that Tony Hawk Ride would feature a bundled skateboard controller, gamers everywhere rolled their eyes and pictured the peripheral collecting dust next to their Rock Band drums.

Well, according to Robomodo’s president, Joshua Tsui, you might want to keep the skateboard dusted off a bit longer:

It’s really important to us that when people buy this package that they understand that, right now we’re concentrating on Tony Hawk Ride, but we want to make sure that people have a good return on their investment so there are many games that are planned for this peripheral. We look at it less as a peripheral, as more of a platform. The obvious ones are snowboarding and surfing and such, but there are a lot of games that can be used with this board, and we’re really excited to start working on those.

Tony Hawk Ride will be released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii later this year.

Please, oh please Robomodo, simulate the hoverboard found in Back to the Future and let us zoom around New York City. Please?

Read (VideoGamer)

Here is an announcement that probably won’t apply to the majority of you, but for those whom it does concern Robomodo has recently announced that the controller for Tony Hawk Ride will allow for use by gamers 300 pounds and under. Anything over 300 pounds and the controller will presumably turn to dust.

Then again, just as Joystiq points out, if you are over 300 pounds playing Tony Hawk Ride is probably the least of your concerns.

Robomodo’s Tony Hawk Ride is expected to hit store shelves sometime in the fall of this year for around $120 bundled with the skateboard controller.

What you see above was recently introduced by Nintendo during their E3 presentation, the Wii Vitality Sensor.

What this peripheral essentially is, is a heart rate monitor that you attach to the bottom of the Wii controller just like you would the Nunchuk attachment. Nintendo says this attachment will “expand the appeal of video games” and sense a players pulse along with “a number of other signals being transmitted by their bodies, and will then provide information to the users about the body’s inner world.”

So, exactly waht they will be using this attachment for? Not a clue but knowing Nintendo they will probably come up with something good.

Read (Kotaku)

When the Wii was first revealed the world was amazed by its intuitive motion sensing Wiimote but how about removing the controller and instead using your whole body? That’s exactly what Microsoft has introduced to the gaming world with Project Natal.

Unveiled yesterday during their E3 conference, Project Natal utilizes a 3D camera placed under your TV to let you use your entire body to play games like featured in the above debut trailer. But it doesn’t stop there, Project Natal also features facial regonition so when you put your face in front of the camera you’ll be automatically signed in.

Sounds cool? That’s because it is, Project Natal will introduce a whole new way to play games and effectively blow Nintendo out of the water. That is, if it is priced so consumers can actually afford it.

It was intended to translate a gamers hand movements into control inputs, but due to its imprecision and lack of dedicated games it didn’t really catch on, and was regarded as a gimmick, but the concept has remained popular. Films like Minority Report, Johnny Mnemonic and others have showed extreme fascination with the concept of controlling a computer via hand inputs.

The Peregrine is an attempt by Iron Will to bring this generally science-fiction concept into real life. MMOs and RTS games are notorious for complex control schemes that require endless numbers of key shortcuts for success and to fumble one in the midst of a raid or skirmish can destroy your slim chance of victory. The Peregrine promises to offer over thirty key shortcuts by tapping your thumb to various points on your fingers. Of course the control options are customizable and luckily for those prone to long, long gaming sessions the sensor disconnects and the glove itself is washable.

Halo-heads will be happy to hear that Microsoft has announced that the $99 Collector’s Edition of Halo 3: ODST will include the above limited edition controller.

Microsoft made it a point that this controller will only be available with Halo 3: ODST and no where else. Then again, there’s always eBay.

But anyways, Halo 3: ODST will be made available for the Xbox 360 in September.

Thanks to GameStop we now know that the latest addition to the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series, Tony Hawk: Ride, will be hitting store shelves on October 13th for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

Furthermore, the game will come bundled with the skateboard peripheral that everyone has been talking with a price point of $119.99.

Of course, this date is subject to change as GameStop has a tendancy to do that but when Tony Hawk: Ride does drop the skateboard genre will never be the same. That is, if the developers deliver because EA’s skate is sure to put up a fight to the grave.

Read (GameStop)

We first saw the turntable inspired controller for DJ Hero earlier this month but it was only half of the controller not to mention just a rendering.

Well, during a E3 preview special aired on spike there was a brief segment with the hostess, Amanda McKay, holding the full controller cross-fader and all. Even with the missing counterpart it’s still had to determine which game has the cooler controller, DJ Hero, or Scratch: The Ultimate DJ.

Either or, Activision says that DJ Hero is set to drop sometime before the end of this year.

Read (VG247)

One of the more interesting features though is that the Wand allows for electronic emulation of existing buttons. With the Nintendo Wiimote if you want some sort of alternate control scheme i.e. a light gun style controller, it can only operate the buttons in an analog fashion. The Wand is set up so that a peripheral plugged into the port on the end can have its own buttons.

There are two packages available, the ‘core pack’ which comes with a Wand and vibration enabled wired Kama; then there’s the ‘Action Pack’ which includes a Wand and a light gun accessory. It’s obviously styled after the Nyko Perfect Shot but functions a little differently. Before slipping the controller into it, you remove the battery cover. It also includes the mandatory orange bit you stick on the ‘barrel’ to indicate it’s a toy, though why you’d take it outside the house is beyond me (well with the exception of maybe bringing it to a friend’s place to play, but then just stick it in a bag).

The Wand is now available in stores for $34.99, the Core and Action packs are available for $49.99

When I first saw the announcement trailer for Tony Hawk: RIDE I wondered how the hell that skateboard deck shaped controller would work. Well, thanks to Kotaku, we now know — The controller itself will include two accelerometers and 4 motions sensors (which you can see above) all serving their own purpose.

The accelerometers, as you could have guessed, will deal with turning and spinning. As in, you tilt to the left your character turns left, tilt right he turns right, just like a real skateboard.

The real fun, however, comes with tricks like kickflips and tail grabs in which you will utilize the motion sensors. You’ll have to actually move your feet over said motion sensors just like you would if you were doing the trick in real life. Nonskateboarders don’t fret as there will be 3 difficulty the hardest of which will require “a ton of motion control from the user” with the two easier settings catering towards those who are less skateboard savvy.

Up until now I’ve always look at the Wii Balance Board as sort of a gimicky peripheral. I mean, everything you could do with it (besides Wii Fit) you can do with the Wiimote easier. However, the control scheme for Punch-Out!! has recently been reveiled and the Balance Board looks to be a welcome addition.

As you can see, the player can apply pressure to both feet to duck and pressure ot the left or right feet to dodge either way. Pretty cool, huh? Definitely a step up from Wii Boxing which was bundled with Wii Sports.

Punch-Out!! is set to hit shelves for the Nintendo Wii next week.

Read (Kotaku)

Just yesterday Activision gave us a first look at the controller for their upcoming DJ Hero title. Today, Kotaku has gotten their hands on some press images of the controller for competiting title Scratch: The Ultimate DJ.

As you can see, the controller is somewhat similar to DJ Hero’s since it has a turntable and a cross-fader but it also includes 5 colored buttons and was created by actual turntable maker Numark. Oh yeah, that turntable is also free spinning and touch-sensitive.

Now, there’s no telling when Scratch: The Ultimate DJ will be out but if it does actually hit store shelves DJ Hero is sure to get a run for its money.

Activision has recently gone ahead and revealed the above turntable controller for DJ Hero via Twitter.

Upon first glance this thing looks pretty lame, but make note that just pressing the 3 buttons isn’t the whole game. What’s hidden on the above render is an effects-dial and crossfader, so expect this game to actually take some skill.

DJ Hero is currently under development by FreeStyleGames and is expected to hit shelves later this year.

It was recently announced by both MTV Games and Harmonix that The Beatles: RockBand will in fact be getting two custom made guitar controllers to coincide with the games launch.

Modeled after the RickenBacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet which were played by members of The Beatles, these two controllers will sell for $100 a piece and be available when the game is.

Furthermore, you can pre-order the game now and get access to the “The Beatles: RockBand Pre-Order club” and get access to “breaking news and access to exclusive game elements including art and behind-the-scenes footage prior to the game’s release”.

Read (Joystiq)