The announcement of Ultra Street Fighter IV being on PlayStation 4 at this year's EVO was a disappointment for many players. The conversation in various outlets focused on peripheral access, something not all people have. Many were so accustomed to the Xbox 360 version featured in the past two EVO events that the change is alien to them.

In one exchange, a player did mention that he might not go to EVO anymore because of this change. The community shouldn't be apathetic like this. There are a couple of solutions that players can use to get themselves to Las Vegas for the biggest fighting game tournament in the world.

Getting a PlayStation 4 stick is the solution most people should be able to accomplish. The fighting game community is transitioning to new consoles. Sooner or later everyone will have to play on the newer generation to continue competing. Unless players are under 16, most should be able to earn money for a PS4 stick from either Hori or Mad Catz. If competitors want the bells and whistles, the latter's Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition 2 is the way to go, but the frugal ones can go for the former's affordable Real Arcade Pro V5 Kai.

However, there are those who don't want to buy a new stick altogether. The alternative is to add PS4 support on to an existing stick. Third-party boards like the Akishop Customs PS360+ and the Phreak Mods Cerberus have and will feature PS4 support built in, respectively. The only downside is the eight-minute timeout that occurs when the system performs the controller encryption process. Fortunately, Street Fighter IV matches don't last beyond that time, so when at EVO the only thing one needs to do is replug after every match. For those still skpetical, it's possible to get a Dual Shock 4 controller padhacked to the stick. But if one is inexperienced, the DS4 padhack will be nightmarish so find a local modder to help complete the process.

And for those unable to spend money on a new stick or a mod, just borrow a loaner stick at EVO. Most players play on Japanese parts so the convenience is welcoming. One thing to look out for is that the loaner sticks might be used by many other players. The sticks can be dirty and prone to spreading sickness. It's best recommended to bring sanitary wipes and/or hand sanitizer to minimize infection. Respect your fellow player and keep it clean!

While arcade stick users get flexible options, pad players face a more complicated situation. Smug uses a Xbox 360 controller, Luffy uses an original PlayStation pad with a converter. The PlayStation 4 announcement puts players like them in a dilemma where usually the answer is to just use the Dual Shock 4. The other option is to get a special mod to make their controllers work for the intended platform. Matt "Gummowned" Gummo, a known modder in the scene, was able to make a converter unit for Luffy's pad. It comes at a hefty price but for those who want to still use a familiar peripheral, Gummo is one of the people to talk to. I will say that the Dual Shock 4 isn't a bad controller by any means. Pad players will find the controller perfectly capable.

There is concern with using the converter unit CronusMAX/Titan One—I reviewed a previous version—to make controllers and sticks from the previous generation playable on PlayStation 4. It does have the timeout problem like the PS360+, which is a non-issue, but further research from others in the fighting game community revealed that it lags on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It's possible for the Cronus to have the same problem on PS4 mode. There is also the concern that the device has programmable features that are considered cheating, rendering the device not allowed in tournament.

As of this time of this piece, EVO entrants have months to prepare for Ultra Street Fighter IV on PS4. In a way, this might be a reminder to prepare for the coming years. Unless a multiplatform fighter on PS4 suffers from issues that can affect competitive play or a game's community leans more toward the Xbox One, I expect that the PS4 will be the preferred platform at EVO for the foreseeable future.

Final Showdown is an editorial series by The Phantomnaut. Views do not represent IPLAYWINNER as a whole.