Razer building Xbox 360 arcade stick, with help from people who know arcade sticks
Razer, which just expanded into the luxury laptop market, is also trying its hand at arcade sticks. During TGS, it announced what is likely its most Japan-focused product: an Xbox 360 stick being designed with input from pro fighting gamers and other "community" members.
The concept is actually a "closed beta," launching at TGS, in which modders and fighting game enthusiasts will be given sticks and asked to provide feedback and improvements. The prototype of the stick shows that Razer's already on the right track -- it's hinged, and can be opened up easily for modding. Check out the prototype in the gallery below while we to try to go mess with the hardware in person at TGS.
And if you're skeptical about Razer being able to pull off an arcade stick, think about how you felt the first time you heard that Mad Catz was doing it.%Gallery-133886%
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RAZER TO DESIGN THE ULTIMATE
ARCADE STICK FOR THE XBOX 360 WITH THE COMMUNITY
Razer launches major closed beta program to encourage community feedback on the design of a highly-customizable arcade stick for the Xbox 360
Tokyo Game Show, Japan – September 15th, 2011 – Razer™, the world leader in high performance gaming hardware, just announced a program to co-develop the ultimate arcade stick for the Xbox 360® together with the arcade stick community. The arcade stick, developed with pro-gamer feedback, is currently at the prototype stage. For the finishing touches, up to 200+ specially selected top-seed Street Fighter™ IV pro-gamers, influential modders, and members of the arcade enthusiast community will each be given a Razer arcade stick to test and provide feedback to further improve it to perfection, whereupon the final design will then proceed to production.
Since the company's beginnings in '98, Razer has continually taken pro-gamer feedback and validation during the product development phase to ensure that the design for every gaming product shipped is the absolute best for the competitive edge in tournament-grade play. But in an unprecedented move in the gaming hardware space, Razer is now reaching out to the entire arcade stick community to help make this yet-to-be-named product the best arcade stick in the world. Their feedback will be a huge influencing factor in the design of the final product.
"Razer is for gamers, by gamers. We've been taking feedback from our professional players on products for years and now we want to open it up to the community. That's why we want every arcade enthusiast and modder's input in the development of this special arcade stick," said Robert "RazerGuy" Krakoff, President, Razer USA. "In this way, it's not just our arcade stick; it's the community's arcade stick. Together, we will create a weapon that delivers the best fighting performance for every gamer and allows modding to the individual's exact specifications. We're not just asking people for input on the paint job, we're after serious hardware feedback."
Members of the arcade community worldwide interested in participating in this beta program are encouraged to contribute ideas at www.razerzone.com/bredtofight, along with a short description as to why they should be selected for prototype testing. Registrants can also nominate other people to the program. Up to 200+ successful applicants worldwide will receive an arcade stick prototype delivered directly to their homes.
Razer will be launching this non-retail arcade stick closed beta community program at Tokyo Game Show, the heart of the professional console fighting scene. Select pro-gamers and key modders will also be approached very soon to begin beta testing the prototype.
