Mad Catz Street Fighter IV Arcade Sticks Priced — Pics and Preorders at Amazon, GameStop

$150 — That’s what it will cost you to buy the officially licensed, Mad Catz-produced, S-kill and MarkMan-designed, Sanwa-inclusive, Capcom-approved “Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition” controller you see immediately above, on February 20th, 2009.
That is, if any are left, when all you Street Fighter junkies hear the official description (after the jump) and realize you can preorder these puppies right now at Amazon.com and GameStop. According to the product listing, there are “very limited quantities available…”

Links, pictures, the five SFIV gamepads, and notable differences between the sticks are just a click away.

Amazon.com — where you can find the whole Mad Catz SFIV lineup for your preorder delight — also houses first official descriptions of what the the sticks will contain. And true to Capcom’s word, it appears the $150 Tournament Edition units will feature quality parts:

The official Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition controller for Sony PS3 was designed for fighting game fans to recreate the quality, gameplay and precision found in arcades. Using the exact Sanwa joystick and 30mm buttons found in official Street Fighter IV arcade machines, along with realistic spacing and an eight-button layout, the Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition brings the true arcade experience right into your home. With separate turbo settings for each button and the best components, prepare yourself for hours of competition, no quarters necessary.

But interestingly enough, it sounds like the quality of the chunky, $80 Xbox 360 (or $70 PS3) regular FightStick won’t be too far removed. Instead of a Sanwa, you get an “arcade-style” joystick and upgradable quick-connect buttons, but the rest of the description is the same — spacing, layout, and individual turbos for each button.

The official Street Fighter IV FightStick controller for the Microsoft Xbox 360 was designed for fighting game fans to recreate the quality, gameplay and precision found in arcades. Using an arcade-style joystick and 30mm quick connect buttons along with realistic spacing and an eight-button layout, the Street Fighter IV FightStick brings the arcade experience right into your home. With separate turbo settings for each button and great ergonomics, prepare yourself for hours of competition, no quarters necessary.

Meanwhile, Mad Catz’ new SFIV gamepad lineup might also be worth a look, with fancy graphics, extra-large D-pads and an intriguing button layout. Also note: the PS3 version uses 2.4 GHz wireless, which likely means a dongle will be included.

The official Street Fighter IV FightPad controller for the Sony PS3 was designed specifically for fighting game fans to put new levels of control and precision in the palms of their hands. Using an enlarged, circular 8-way floating D-Pad and a classic six-button layout, the Street Fighter IV FightPad brings the old school fighting game experience right into your home. With lag-free 2.4 GHz wireless gameplay, separate turbo settings for each button and great ergonomics, prepare yourself for hours of competition, no quarters necessary.

Though I’m rather fond of the black Ken design above, the gamepads come in four additional flavors: Chun-Li, Ryu, Akuma, and Blanka.

GameStop thanks to Nael M. for the tip.