PS3 Real Arcade Pro Joystick 3

Preorders are welcome for Hori's third (canonical, not chronological) Real Arcade Pro Joystick which ships next month for the Playstation 3. Similar to earlier HRAPs, the new stick uses actual arcade buttons and a clicky lollipop-style joystick to give gamers an authentic coin-op experience at home. A heavy duty base completes the package to give the controller a weight of nearly 6 lbs or 2600g.
The RAP3 features the same button arrangement found on the RAP2 with the eight standard buttons (face and trigger) in red and the START and SELECT buttons in a bright yellow patina. The RAP3 does away with the row of slide levers on the upper left corner of the stick which controlled rapid-fire on the RAP2. Hori uses a more elegant solution this time around and adds a "PS" button. The RAP3 connects to the PS3 by way of USB cable and is digital only. Preorders are welcome to ship on February 8, 2007.

PS3 Fighting Stick 3

The release of PS3 Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection on the Playstation Online Store was a welcome surprise last week. The game would have been sweeter if we had a Fighting Stick on hand to play around with but beggars can't be choosers. As the default supplier of gaming accessories for the Japanese marketplace, Hori rushes to the fore with the Fighting Stick 3 which looks a lot like previous sticks in the lineage. Thick, sturdy, and fitted with candy colored buttons, the Fighting Stick 3 is a digital controller which connects to the PS3 by way of USB cable.
The standard face and trigger buttons are located in two rows across the face of the base while the following buttons span the top portion of the stick: TURBO, HOME, L3, R3, SELECT, and START. Three gradations of turbo-fire are available with speeds of 5, 12, and 20 shots per second. Preorders are welcome to ship on or around February 8, 2007.

General Updates

Japanese Suppliers on Extended Holiday Most of our suppliers in Nihon are on vacation until January 8. With nothing new being released this week, we're guessing there wasn't a compelling reason to return quickly from their New Year's holiday. NCS received some restock shipments today and more are expected tomorrow from our alternate suppliers in Hong Kong.

DC Last Hope Update The Dreamcast version of side-scrolling shooter Last Hope is now scheduled to arrive "in the second week of January" due to what is being described by the publisher as production difficulties. Failing the new ship date which is right around the corner, we might be looking forward to further delays.

Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Konamistyle Bundle One of our suppliers was able to help us with the Konamistyle version of the MGS POPS bundle which includes a leather case and strap versus the hemp versions in the normal version of the Premium Bundle. We might receive them this week and we'll update accordingly upon arrival.