Capcom Issues New Controller Rules Ahead of CPT 2023

Capcom today, made a change to their tournament rules for the 2023 Capcom Pro Tour season, which will be played exclusively on Street Fighter 6, which will be released on the 2nd of June. 

Before now, modified controllers were allowed to a degree, and this led to the rise in leveless controllers, most notably the Hit Box. Hit Boxes were a huge success as they did not feature a stick and allowed for faster reactions. Hit Box dominated Evo 2022 as most of the contenders in top 8 made use of the controller. 

In their statement released via CapcomFighters on Twitter, Capcom stated that the rule change would no longer allow controllers/boxes to pick a preference when two opposing inputs are done at the same time. 

In their words, 'If up and down directions are input at the same time, both inputs must be maintained or both inputs must be rejected.' In simple terms, this means that if UP + DOWN are inputted into the controller, the character being controlled cannot jump, or crouch. If this is the case, the controller would be deemed illegal. 

You can read the rule change in full here. Capcom stated in the statement that this change was being announced now, well before the start of the CPT season, so as to ensure that anyone who needs to make changes can do so ahead of time before the season kicks off. They also said that the full ruleset for the 2023 season would be released later. 

In terms of reaction, this has caused quite a stir as many leverless controllers on the market work contrary to Capcom's new rule in that most leverless controllers make it so that if you press UP + DOWN at the same time, UP will be preferred and is what will come out. There has been talk of upgraded firmware to comply with Capcom's rule change, but this all remains to be seen.

Prominent FGC controller manufacturer, Hit Box, released a statement regarding this change, stating that they would monitor the situation and are confident of coming to a solution that works for their consumers. However, they did clarify that this rule would only affect Capcom Fighting games, of which Street Fighter 6 is one. Meaning it will not affect the likes of Tekken or Mortal Kombat, or any other fighting game. 

This could mean that Hit Box will no longer be the preferred controller for Street Fighter pros or perhaps they might upgrade their firmware and things will continue smoothly.

This rule change is most likely in light of some concerns regarding the perceived advantage a Hit Box gives to players, and considering the $2,000,000 prize pool for this year's Capcom Pro Tour up for grabs, it is imperative that Capcom maintains a standard of fairness. 

As expected, the reactions have been varied, with some people applauding Capcom for the move, while others are in opposition to this new rule. The Capcom Pro Tour 2023 will begin in June.