Sony has shared more details about its arcade-style controller for the PlayStation that was first teased during the State of Play event in early June. Originally codenamed Project Defiant, the fight stick is now called the FlexStrike and features a rechargeable battery, mechanical switch buttons, restrictor gates that limit the joystick’s movements, and the ability to connect two of them to the PS5 using a PlayStation Link USB adapter.
The fight stick can also be connected to a PS5 alongside a PlayStation 5 DualSense gamepad, which Sony suggests could be used “as an additional controller for navigating menus between fights.”
The FlexStrike features the same input controls as the DualSense controller, including a touchpad, while a lever-mode toggle switch changes the functionality of its joystick between a D-pad or the DualSense’s left or right thumbsticks. There are also “additional customization options” that haven’t been detailed yet, and a dedicated lock button that can prevent accidental layout changes while playing.
A nonslip base will help keep the FlexStrike from sliding around while used on a table or your lap. It can also be removed, revealing built-in storage for the swappable square, circle, and octagon restrictor gates on the underside of the fight stick, as well as the PS Link adapter. Sony will have the FlexStrike on display at Evo 2025 in Las Vegas this weekend, but also warns that the “display unit does not reflect final product design, which is subject to change.”
