The PlayStation 4 version of 2D fighting game Skullgirls Encore will support PlayStation 3 fight sticks, developer Lab Zero Games has revealed.



The studio created a custom USB driver that means any stick that reads as a generic USB gamepad or joystick will work with the PS4 version of the game - and it's making the driver available to other developers free of charge.



It means players who already own a PS3 fight stick won't have to fork out hundreds of pounds for a PS4 version just to play with their controller of choice.



"Lab Zero feels very strongly about this," CEO Peter Batholow told GiantBomb.



"We think it's better for the consumer and the industry that you be able to spend your hard-earned money buying games instead of buying a new fight stick."



The video, below, shows Skullgirls programmer Mike Zaimont playing the PS4 version of the game, due out early 2015, using a PlayStation 3 Mad Catz Street Fighter 4 Tournament Edition fight stick.



The PS4 does not officially support PS3 fight sticks and so Lab Zero's driver will suffer some limitations (you'll need to switch back to a DualShock 4 to use the share feature, for example), but the developer is working to ensure it works with as many peripherals as possible.



It seems Sony has given Lab Zero Games' work its blessing: the driver will be tested at an upcoming official PlayStation event in December. In fact Naughty Dog programmer John "Cowboy" Bellomy wrote the driver in his spare time.



You'd think Mad Catz, maker of the fight stick used by Lab Zero to demonstrate the driver, would be upset, given it's in the market of selling new sticks for new consoles.



But in a Facebook post Mad Catz community manager "MarkMan" said the company was behind the initiative.



"Lots of love to the Skullgirls team for making this happen!" he said. "I've already seen a few comments online where people mentioned that myself or Mad Catz are probably angry because we can't sell you a new $200 PS4 stick. This is so far from the truth. We are glad that you can continue to use your FightStick & hope more developers follow suit so that our products can become your weapons for more years to come. Happy gaming!"