One of PlayStation's announcements during its Summer Game Fest-timed State of Play was the introduction of a new wireless fight stick from the company, announced at the time under the name "Project Defiant." Today, in a PlayStation Blog post, the official name for the fight stick, FlexStrike, was revealed, along with a new trailer showcasing its features and the news that it'll be out sometime next year.
"Compatible with PS5 or PC via a wired connection or wirelessly with PlayStation Link, our innovative ultra-low latency wireless technology, FlexStrike wireless fight stick features mechanical switch buttons and toolless swappable restrictor gates," writes Edwin Foo, vice president of product development at Sony. "These include square, circle, and octagon restrictor gates that fit into the fight stick’s built-in storage compartments alongside the included PS Link USB adapter."
You'll be able to use it wirelessly with a USB-A dongle in the front or back of your PS5 or PC, or use it with a wired USB-C connection. You can have a DualSense controller connected to your PS5 simultaneously with the FlexStrike, to help navigate menus better, and as the trailer shows off, its wireless connection is Sony's new PlayStation Link, which is how all its most recent wireless peripherals connect to PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles.
It'll be at EVO 2025, but if you're at the event, you won't be able to try it. PlayStation says it'll be there "on display only," so you can get a look at it and the carrying case it comes with when visiting the Arc System Works booth. More details on when players will actually be able to get their hands on it will probably arrive closer to its actual release date, sometime in 2026.
PlayStation has had a firm hand in the fighting game community for years, but this is the first time it is making its own fight stick for players to use. Whenever players do get their hands on it, especially the pros that might consider bringing it to EVO, it'll be interesting to see if it can usurp the fight sticks and gamepads they already prefer.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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