It's no Real Arcade Pro, but Hori's Fighting Stick Wii is still better than any US-marketed joystick, if previous Fighting Sticks are any indication. Wii owners, of course, will prefer this to the RAP for the simple fact that it works on the Wii. Also, as far as we can tell, it's either wireless or near-wireless. It's got the Home button on it, so it's unlikely to be a rebranded Gamecube controller. Therefore we expect that it either plugs into the Wiimote in the manner of the Classic Controller, or plugs into nothing in the manner of something awesomely convenient. (There's also the USB option, but let's not even talk about that.)
Gamestop is taking preorders for this stick in anticipation of a November 6th release, at a price of $49.99. Trust us, that's extraordinarily reasonable for an arcade stick of any quality. Surprisingly, Europe seems to be getting this peripheral before the US: Amazon.co.uk lists the item as shipping on the 17th of this month! That's in line with the estimated Japanese release date provided by Play-Asia; however, neither Amazon.co.jp nor Hori's own website make any mention of this stick.
We suppose there's Metal Slug, but it seems like a shame to have such a nice arcade stick for a system with no major fighting games (unless Guilty Gear XX Accent Core actually comes out). Not that the SNES Street Fighter II ports aren't great! It would just feel a bit weird buying a $50 joystick for $8 games.
