Prepare for a new definition of Spring. It seems that Virtua Fighter 5, according to SEGA, will be released on the 8th of February 2007, Spring time. Strange as that may be, this is great news for the PS3, as it lacks fighting games right now. A special controller also is planned for release.

Whilst this release date is for Japan, it is likely the same will be coming to English speaking shores not too soon after February, perhaps in real Spring. When pre-ordered, the game will come with Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary Reprint. This is the disc that originally came with Enterbrain’s Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary book back in 2003, and is a version of the original Virtua Fighter game, using the system from Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution. What a trip down Memory Lane that would be.

Also, on top of the release of Virtua Fighter, SEGA intend to release a special joystick for the PS3 called Virtua Stick High Grade. This will be released on the 15th of February, and features lever and buttons of arcade build quality, just like it would have felt in the Arcades. It connects to the PS3 via USB cable, so it isn’t wireless, which is a huge shame as the SIXAXIS is.

The game will retail at ¥8190, which equates to $70, whilst the stick will retail at ¥7329, or $63. Is it me, or are those prices too expensive? Discuss in the comments section as always.