Dude wins SF4 EVO championship using stock PS1 controller

The EVO (fighting game tournament, you fucking scrubs) championships were this weekend. And the dude who took home the prize in Street Fighter 4 dominated the game using a PS1 controller. I find this particularly amazing, as someone who is talentless in fighting games, and permanently enamored with the PSX.

Team France’s MD|Luffy took home the grand prize in the final match of the Evolution Championship Series international fighting game tournament last night, becoming the first player in EVO history to win the grand finals using a stock PlayStation (PSone) control pad.

Luffy’s win cements a number of firsts for the long-running annual tournament. His victory marks the first time a player from Europe has won in a final round of a Street Fighter 4 EVO championship. Luffy’s chosen character, Rose, is also the first female fighter to win a championship in the Street Fighter 4 series, overpowering competing finalist Bonchan’s Sagat in a decisive victory following a high-stakes final round and bracket reset.

Arcade stick purists across the globe proceeded to gnash their teeth and rend their garments in protest following last night’s upset victory. Well, that’s not entirely true – if anything, Luffy’s victory demonstrates that using a controller you’re comfortable with is a key factor in tournament play, as opposed to viewing expensive tournament-grade arcade sticks as a requirement for entry.

(Still…a PSone control pad? Really? I mean, I would’ve expected the first EVO-winning pad player to use the more comfortable Sega Saturn controller, or maybe a Sega Genesis 6-button pad. That’s impressive. Congrats, Luffy!) [Joystiq]