A custom-made Mortal Kombat control pad has been unveiled

9 Jan 2015

The Mortal Kombat control pad. Photo via Brian Tong

The latest instalment of the much-loved Mortal Kombat franchise is due out this April and, in preparation for its release, a custom-made control pad has been designed specifically for the beat ’em up.

Developed by Performance Designed Products (PDP), the hardware was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday (8 January), and with its simplified six button and directional pad system (which resembles an old Sega Megadrive controller), it’s bound to suit MKX‘s retro gameplay.

Brian Tong of CNET was one of the first journalists to get his hands on the control pad and has posted a series of images plus a video via his Twitter account.

“The D-Pad side is longer than the button side and it’s designed to allow you to either hit the buttons with your thumb, or tap them out like an arcade stick designed with the help of ‘OneHandedTerror’,” wrote Tong via YouTube. 

NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat X (pronounced as “ex”, not “10”) is due out on 14 April. The first addition to the series since the 2011 reboot was released, the game will feature a number of stalwart characters, including Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Raiden, Kano and Kung Lao.

Fans of old school beat ’em ups will be frothing at the mouth with the impending release of not just MKX, but Street Fighter 5, which was announced just last month.

Dean Van Nguyen was a contributor to Silicon Republic

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