Like it says, there will be a NeoGeo Joystick Wii-bound in Japan. This won't be the first arcade stick to reach the Wii, although this is more designed for the NeoGeo, and the quality fighting games that have appeared on the system, including The King of Fighters and Samurai Shodown.

There are no official images, but the Japanese retailer Rakuten has said it looks similar to the PS2 Neo Geo Stick 2.

It had to happen. With SNK supporting the Virtual Console and consequently making some of its wonderful 2D fighting games available for download, it was almost inevitable that someone, somewhere would look at producing a more ‘suitable’ control method than is currently offered by the Wiimote, Cube pad and Classic Controller.

Japanese retailer Rakuten has posted information regarding a new joystick that will be fully compatible with Virtual Console games and should allow for a more ‘faithful’ experience when playing those lovely Neo Geo fighters, not to mention the countless other arcade titles currently available on the download service. This is mainly because it’s a replica of the classic AES controller that Neo Geo fans know and love! As well as making your Virtual Console experience more enjoyable, it should also provide the same functionality as the Classic Controller with many Wii titles.

Although no actual images of the stick have been released, Rakuten has stated that it will be similar to the PS2 Neo Geo Stick 2 (there's an image of it up there). Fingers are firmly crossed that it will retain the same sleek black look of the original – as much as we love the clean white styling of the Wii, it’s simply not the correct colour for anything Neo Geo-related.

The listing states that this highly desirable peripheral will be available for purchase in Japan on April 10th for about 5,040 yen (which is £25/$50 to you and me). Here's hoping it makes it to the West as well.

Akira_EX via vc-reviews.com »