A quick look at the Mortal Kombat fight stick

Earlier today I sat in on a demo for the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot, the details of which I can't share until [EMBARGO'D]. However, the game's tie-in fight stick was on proud display during the entire presentation, and the gods of gore allowed us to snap a few pictures of the device, which comes fromPDP.

Above: No, I didn't have a "nice" camera handy, so deal with Android photos!

First off, it's a nice looking stick. There's a good weight to it and the buttons are slightly dipped inward, as most US arcade gamers are accustomed to.I'm a little concerned about the button placement though - seems awfully specific to MK, as I don't think this configuration will work well for other fighters. That said, this is definitely for MK fans, as evidenced by the large logo and dragon symbol, so perhaps it's not really meant for say, Street Fighter IV. Should still be good for general arcade-style stuff, like on XBLA and PSN.

Unlike the (excellent) Mad Catz sticks, the MK unit has a bit of extra depth. This actually made playing in a chair (or on a couch) easier, as it raised the surface of the stick to a more natural-feeling height. I end up putting a Mad Catz stick on a table or some other surface rather than hold it in my lap; perhaps this is a better option?

Best of all, the PDP stick opens for easy access to its microswitches. Modders can hop right in and scope out the situation, and some of you may already notice the quick connect wires that'll no doubt take some of the headaches away. The stick will ship with the game tucked inside for $150, so considerably less than a gameless, $150 Mad Catz stick. As for which is "better," we'll let you guys decide with hours of gameplay, not brief hands-on accounts.

And yeah, we can talk more about MK next week. Until then, here's the most recent trailer, featuring Liu Kang.

March 3, 2011