2023 is going to be a big year for Street Fighter as the iconic fighting series will launch its sixth installment this summer. Turns out Japanese Street Fighter fans will get a little extra as Capcom has revealed a VR game exclusive to arcades has been created and is already available to try.
Called Street Fighter VR: The Shadaloo Enhancement Project (thanks, Siliconera), players are tasked with assuming the role of a Shadaloo goon. Working for M. Bison, the trailer for Street Fighter VR, which you can check out below, shows the game from the player's perspective as they battle against Ryu and Zangief. A third foe, possibly Akuma, is teased at the very end of the video, and it's unclear how extensive the VR game's roster is.
Players will use their fists to try and fell the heroes they come up against, including moments where everything is slowed down and you're given specific targets to hit. As for what those opponents can do to you, there's a moment where Zangief picks the player up and spins them around, resulting in your first-person perspective going around and around. Worth noting if playing VR games makes you dizzy before you pop the headset on.
Street Fighter VR is currently available in just one location, Hiroshima's Plaza Capcom store. There are plans to open a second location in Toyokawa on April 4, 2023, but no word on if the VR spinoff will ever get a home release or if the arcade-only game will ever be rolled out outside of Japan. For now, if you want to fight Ryu in first person, you will need to travel to Hiroshima, and probably wait in a pretty long line.
If you don't live in Japan, and you don't have plans to pay the country a visit anytime soon, the wait for a new Street Fighter is still almost over. Street Fighter 6 launches this June, the battle hub for which was inspired by socializing in arcades which ties in nicely with the series' VR spinoff. There will also be a $1 million grand prize up for grabs for Street Fighter 6's very best player via the Capcom Cup.