Sony’s in a strange state now that the Switch 2 has finally seen the light of day. In an effort to claw back some of the spotlight, PlayStation declared it’s making its first wireless fight stick, called “Project Defiant.” At first glance, the controller seems like a solid option for fighting game fanatics. The main issue is that Sony is holding it back for an entire year.
Project Defiant, a name that seems a little too on the nose considering the other big gaming hardware hitting the scene today, is a full-on fight stick complete with the typical PlayStation-centric layout you know from the DualSense controller. It’s a device made with the hardcore fighting game player in mind. The pad has toolless interchangeable restrictor gates that sit inside a compartment whenever you need them. Restrictor gates sit underneath the stick to create a physical sense of the stick’s orientation. PlayStation’s new controller supports the Japanese-style square restrictor gate as well as a circle and octagon.
The buttons are built on mechanical switches, which should hopefully offer a tactile feel. Project Defiant is still a PlayStation controller, and you can access touchpad functions along the top of the controller. Sony’s stark black and white design lends itself well to the typical fighting stick design, especially the glowing LED accent where the pane with the stick meets the raised button panel. Like its more recent headsets, the controller uses Sony’s own PlayStation Link for low-latency connectivity, which means you’ll need to use a special USB dongle. Sony says Project Defiant should be compatible with both PS5 and PC, but if you want to avoid the dongle, you can connect it via USB-C.
The controller even includes its own carrying case. So you’re probably wondering how much it costs or when you can get one. Unfortunately, Sony hasn’t revealed anything about release timing beyond a planned launch in 2026. The company does tend to reveal peripherals months before launch, even before offering the device’s official names, like Sony’s “Project Q” which eventually became the PlayStation Portal. There were only three months between the reveal of Sony’s odd streaming handheld and its launch.
Sony is hankering to claw as much spotlight away from Nintendo’s Switch 2. The technology giant dropped trailers for a few key games at its latest PlayStation State of Play, though videos for big games like Ghost of Yōtei and Metal Gear Solid: Delta didn’t include much to chew on. Yōtei was merely a teaser trailer for yet another State of Play set to debut in July. The more landmark announcements, like the new trailer for IO Interactive’s 007: First Light alongside more footage of Silent Hill F. At the very least, the return of Final Fantasy Tactics with the new title The Ivalice Chronicles built up some buzz from longtime fans.
We’ll have to wait and see if there will be any more gaming hardware news that can burst the Switch 2’s hype bubble. Sony is reportedly working on a handheld to rival the Switch or Steam Deck, but it has yet to materialize beyond rumors. We’re still waiting to see if the Xbox-branded Asus gaming handheld can take our eyes away from either Nintendo’s or Valve’s latest devices. Last week, Windows Central reported Microsoft reportedly sidelined its own Xbox handheld so it could work on a version of Windows 11 made for handheld form factors.
