Whatever the case may be, we'll be sure to keep you posted on the latest Tekken 5 information as it comes in from Namco and Tekken Zaibatsu. If this rumor has some truth behind it, perhaps Namco is trying to garner the highest possible profit during the titles shorter than normal arcade run? While this is certainly subject to change, Namco's actions may support recent rumors suggesting the title will hit the PlayStation 2 in early 2005. The board will be sold separately from the cabinet at some point after the initial production run, but with a Fall release date, arcades waiting for this option may not receive the game until early 2005. That means that instead of converting an older game into Tekken 5 by using an existing cabinet, arcade owners will have to purchase a new cabinet if they want Tekken 5 as soon as it's released.
#Tekken 5 arcade cabinet full
In addition, it has also been discovered that Namco will not offer the board without the full cabinet for at least the first production run of Tekken 5.
#Tekken 5 arcade cabinet series
Knee has played all Tekken games since the series started, but started competing in tournaments since 2004 in Tekken 5. With arcades in decline here in the United States, there's a good chance many arcades will opt for the cheaper solo board instead of the more expensive board and card system. However as he reached his 20s, only Tekken was popular in the Korean arcades as other games arcade cabinet shipping to Korea was hit by the Asian Financial Crisis. Since Tekken 5 will allow arcade operators to purchase a cheaper arcade board without the card system, many gamers may not have the chance to utilize this function. This was widely used in Sega's Virtua Fighter 4 arcade cabinets and was a big success in Japan. As we reported last week, Tekken 5 will offer a character customization system that allows players to use a data card to customize their character's color scheme and outfit. The System 258 is based on PlayStation 2 hardware with several enhancements in key areas, so when Tekken 5 heads to the PlayStation 2 in 2005, the transition should be fairly smooth.Īnother minor tidbit that may interest players is that like Virtua Fighter 4, Tekken 5 will be available with and without the card system. We can now confirm that Tekken 5 will be using an upgraded version of the System 246 arcade hardware, aptly named, System 258. There has been some speculation recently about what hardware the new Tekken title will be running on.
"We once again must tip our hats to Tekken Zaibatsu for further information on the upcoming Tekken 5 fighting game from Namco.