Razer has officially announced the Kitsune, a leverless arcade stick that features cutting-edge components like Razer’s low-profile optical switches. The company has not revealed the Razer Kitsune release date or price.

Razer has been absent from the fighting game controller market for years. But, today the company has made a dramatic comeback with the official announcement of the Razer Kitsune. Designed for operation on PS5 and PC, this officially-licensed controller offers a leverless option to the mainstream market. So far, punters have had to opt for choices like the Snack Box Micro from Junk Food Arcades and the popular Hitbox.

For those not in the know, the traditional arcade stick layout for fighting games is becoming slowly being usurped by “leverless” controllers, which replace a joystick with four buttons. Last year, Evo 2022’s Street Fighter V tournament was dominated by leverless evangelist Kawano. Razer explains that the decision to make a leverless control was for “precision and performance”.

Ali Homayounfar, a Product Manager at Razer states: “Razer Kitsune eliminates joystick mishaps, heralding a new era of precise, unambiguous gameplay. This novel approach to button configuration promises to be the competitive edge pro fighting game players have been seeking.”

Prior to his time at Razer, Homayounfar worked in the same role for PDP and Victrix Pro, which has a near-unparalleled reputation among fighting game enthusiasts. Currently, one of our most highly-recommended controllers for Street Fighter 6 is a leverless peripheral, much like the Razer Kitsune.

Yes, it is tournament legal

The Razer Kitsune will be landing with several different colorways featuring several different Street Fighter 6 characters, including Chun Li and Cammy. The company also claims that it is compliant with the SOCD rules for Capcom Cup, making the Kitsune the first tournament legal officially-licensed leverless controller on the market, as the Victrix Pro FS 12 requires a dedicated firmware update.

The controller will be powered by Razer’s low-profile linear optical switches. This shorter actuation and optical technology means that the Razer Kitsune will have a near-unmatched level of responsiveness when compared to the traditional switches of other leverless controllers.

Sporting a slim design adorned with RGB and a detachable USB-C cable, the Razer Kitsune looks like a disruptive wrinkle in the fighting game controller market.​ Sadly, there are no details yet on pricing or availability for the controller, with further details expected to be revealed soon.