Prepare Yourself: The ‘Mortal Kombat X’ Controller Is Coming
The Mortal Kombat X controller has been leaked in a handful of photos, and it should bring back a feeling of nostalgia for those who played fighting games in the prime of their existence. Newcomers to the genre may feel confused about the way it is designed, but they will probably learn to like it.
Back when Street Fighter II was released on home consoles, Sega had themselves a problem. Their original controllers only had three buttons, while the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) was already sporting the six needed to “replicate” arcade controls. Back then, six buttons were the minimum for arcade fighters.
Alongside the release of Street Fighter II for the Sega Genesis and SNES, Sega had to release a new controller just to accommodate gamers who didn’t want to keep hitting a button to switch back and forth between action button functions.
Mortal Kombat X appears to be getting a custom controller http://t.co/YiIac3VXYt pic.twitter.com/7mXo82PHTQ
— VG247 (@VG247) September 16, 2014
What did this have to do with Mortal Kombat? Midway’s flagship fighter faced the same problem, though the Street Fighter II six-button style had become the norm.
The upcoming Mortal Kombat X controller for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 was made for NetherRealm’s new fighter, though the button layout for the original game in arcades was more of an “X” pattern, with the Block button in the center.
Thankfully the buttons needed to play the latest Mortal Kombat titles have been changed and made much less confusing.
The new controllers will feature larger, flatter buttons in a format of three columns by two rows. Gone is the directional pad, replaced with a single analog stick. All other buttons are gone except for the system menu button in the middle and two shoulder buttons. Both versions of the new controller appear to be the offspring of the console original and the classic arcade cabinet from Street Fighter II.
The photos of the Mortal Kombat X controller were taken in Anaheim, California at the GameStop EXPO. Alex Jebailey, community manager of Iron Galaxy Studios, was the photographer who snapped these pictures, explaining that the devices are still pending approval from Warner Bros., hence they haven’t been officially announced.
That could also mean that the pictures taken were of a prototype, and some minor changes could still be made before the controller and the much-anticipated fighter hit next year.
Unfortunately for last-gen gamers, no pictures have been found of the controller for the PS3 or Xbox 360.
Prepare yourself. The Mortal Kombat X controller for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is coming, and we now have pictures to prove it.
[image via Be-Street]
