Popular gaming league selected to officially endorse clothing lineup.

Empire Arcadia, a gaming league composed of exceptional diehard players, recently joined forces with clothing line Jinx to represent its latest clothing lifestyle. Viewers who tuned in to G4TV were treated to a 30-second clip showcasing the spirit of what Empire Arcadia, featuring its founder, “Triforce” and Justin Wong, who currently holds the title as all-time fighting game champion in North America!

The commercial contains a variety of clips derived from recent documentaries on Empire Arcadia including brief glimpses of the league in action, training at its home headquarters while of course, featuring the players sporting Jinx’s apparel consisting of contemporary tee-shirts, hoodies, and other unique selections. The clip ends with the founder’s firm mantra: “We get into it… how do YOU get into it?”

Speaking as a longtime, avid gamer, I am thrilled to see companies extending sponsorships to gaming leagues like Empire Arcadia.  The organization is literally growing by leaps and bounds as it continues to  focus on building teamwork, core values and supporting/hosting community events that impact the lives of gamers of all ages.

Check out the commercial in its entirety below…

We’re talking about joysticks and controllers of course.

When it was first announced that Capcom hired Madcatz to make their new line of Street Fighter 4 accessories, I (like many others) expected it to turn out to be a huge piece of crap. They didn’t have a good record for 3rd party accessories and I didn’t see it changing any time soon. Enter Markman: Fighting game fan and arcade stick extraordinaire. When I heard that he was part of the project, I became a little more at ease (but still cautious) because this was a man that knows his arcade sticks. Although you don’t have to take my word for it, just have a look at his stick collection!

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The bad news is no North American release.

Microsoft has confirmed through Eurogamer that there’s a new 360 controller on the way that finally fixes the horribly broken d-pad.  While specifically designed for Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and Street Fighter IV, it will work with pretty much anything that needs the d-pad, such as Pac-Man Championship Edition.  Not only does the pad move more easily, it’s calibrated for 32 directions instead of the traditional 8, making for smoother transitions between direction changes.  On paper this sounds like the perfect fix for the one glaring issue with the 360’s controller.

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A brief look at two of EA’s upcoming iPhone releases.

I might have to pick up an iPhone this year. I feel like the consumer who walks into a wireless store, gushing as if his life will be incomplete unless he owns the latest and greatest. Well, that’s basically how I felt after having a small sample of EA’s offerings, which should delight existing users and newcomers alike.

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Hori will soon release the Real Arcade Pro EX for the Xbox 360.

Just in time for the many fighters coming the 360’s way, Hori is offering (finally!) a quality joystick. Sure many of us have made due with cheaper sticks, but this is the real deal. Next to custom, the Real Arcade sticks are your best bet for arcade quality components at a decent price. Ok, so usually you can get an HRAP for around $100 or a little higher. Well it turns out that this particular stick is exclusive and will be pretty darn rare. National Console Support is selling them for a whopping 218 bucks. Ouch.

Tentative release date is early July. Nice looking stick: http://www.hori.jp/products/xbox360/controller/realarc_pro_ex/ . Not sure if it is worth the price tag, especially when you can get a really nice custom for that, such as my custom (shameless plug but had to give my bro props for making me such a nice stick):

If you’re interested in more about the Hori Real Arcade Pro series of sticks, there’s an excellent FAQ over at SRK: http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=95713