Sony is postponing the launch of its first in-house fight stick, "FlexStrike," from the planned initial release date of August 6, 2026, to an unspecified date due to unexpected production problems.
The timing of the announcement is significant. The €199,99 peripheral was supposed to be released to coincide with the launch of Sony's 4v4 tag-team brawler "Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls." This synergy is now obsolete.
Those who have already pre-ordered via direct.playstation.com will retain their order status and will be informed directly by Sony. Buyers who ordered through third-party providers, however, must contact their retailers themselves.
Hardware specifications under review
From a purely technical standpoint, the FlexStrike's data sheet reads solidly. It offers native support for PlayStation 5 and PC. Signal transmission is wireless via the proprietary PlayStation Link interface with USB dongle or latency-free via a USB-C connection.
Sony uses mechanical switches in the buttons and promises a lifespan of six million revolutions for the digital joystick. A unique feature is the three restrictor gates included in the scope of delivery (in the shapes of square, circle and octagon), which can be changed without tools. The integrated battery is designed for a runtime of up to 40 hours.
It weighs 1,6 kilograms. This is a good compromise between stability on the lap and portability in the included shoulder bag.
Fumble at the wrong time: The image problem
The community is vehemently opposed, and the criticism goes far beyond the mere delivery delay. Sony has already lost a lot of goodwill by strategically shifting away from physical game media towards purely digital formats.
This frustration is now being vented on social media regarding the hardware delay. Many gamers are already joking about whether the physical input device will also be converted into a "digital-only" version.
Even setting aside the PR crisis, the device loses appeal due to the delay. Fight sticks sell based on the momentum of major genre releases. Those who learn "Marvel Tokon" with the controller from day one rarely switch to a new, expensive input device weeks or months later.
Is it worth the wait?
The FlexStrike's foundation is impressive. Wireless gaming with extremely low latency and tool-free interchangeable restrictor gates for just under €200 is a clear challenge to the competition from Victrix or Nacon.
The major setback remains the missed release window. Tournament players and enthusiasts who wanted to be there in time for the launch of Marvel Tokon Those who wanted to upgrade will now inevitably look to established third-party providers. Sony has scored a strategic own goal.
The USB stick is also of no interest.
It will likely be discontinued as a physical product. Digital only from now on.
As if there weren't already tons of fighting/arcade sticks for PS5 😅 including wireless ones…
So no great loss.
Too bad, it would certainly have been good for many players with disabilities.
Worst timing ever – it didn't work out the way Sony had hoped. No sympathy…
Poking Joe, downloading this will probably take longer than Forza 😜
I think this thing is generally a few years too late; everyone who wanted a stick already has one. I've gotten used to the DualSense and am even faster with it than with a fight stick. Price-wise, it's fair; these things all cost so much.
From a PR perspective, they only have themselves to blame. It's a shame for Marvel Tokon; they're going to have a tough time anyway because the competition is fierce and the market is saturated.
Well, they have to concentrate on how to build the most expensive store possible by 2028 in order to make as much profit as possible.
I'm not saying anything about that 😂
Was the presentation just a distraction? Speaking of which, what's the status of the various issues? Has Sony still not commented?
Jan Röckendorf That would be tough, although the Flex probably affects fewer people than the Disc Aus.
But why express it? Everything has already been said with the rejection of discs.
Sev Zwanziger, we haven't heard anything since the disc announcement. For example, we haven't heard from him about why the playtimes are no longer displayed for physical games (at least not for me). Communication is usually pretty good.
Jan Röckendorf: Sometimes you don't see the trophies, but that has nothing to do with a conspiracy, but rather with server problems, etc. ^^
Everything was there about two weeks ago. Now it's gone. Unless you bought DLC for it 🤔 We'll see if they fix it. Some communication from Sony would have been nice, though.
Jan Röckendorf: Yep, that would be it. But they didn't communicate that last time either; it must have been at the beginning of 2025, if I recall correctly.
Jan Röckendorf: Why should they comment? Everything that needs to be said has already been said.
Merlin Kleinert, see my answer below.
Jan Röckendorf: That's not an answer to the question. What exactly are they supposed to react to?
Merlin Kleinert, no, actually not. It can't be due to the sales figures.