Street Fighter 6 becomes the first true next-gen fighter thanks to new input delay feature

"By reducing the input delay between button presses in Street Fighter 6, you should feel a big difference.

Street Fighter 6 is getting an exciting new feature, allowing players to reduce the input delay. In basic terms, this means the time between you pressing a button and an action happening in-game is shortened, a massive boon for any fighting game where reactions are key.

While this obviously is useful across all platforms, this is best experienced with a combination of a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, and a 120hz monitor, where the input delay and overall game performance will be at its best. Capcom, with this, has dropped the mic, setting a bar for other developers in genre as well as establishing current gen consoles as the competitive standard for the game.

But why is it such a big deal? Especially for those who aren’t familiar with the genre, it’s easy to see that less delay is good, but wider implications of such a development may not be clear. For one, in the hearts and minds of the competitive peak of fighters, the platform with the best performance is paramount. If the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S has the least input delay, it forces a move from last gen to current by the most influential of players, which trickles down to the general community.

It’s worth noting that this input delay option will also be available on PC by turning V-Sync off and adjusting the refresh rate to at least 120hz. Those with beefy rigs that can handle it will be able to perform at the same level, but for those making the leap from the prior generation of consoles, the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S are the most affordable option.

It also affects tournaments, the arena where games like Street Fighter 6 carve out a life long past its launch month. It’s within the tournament organiser’s best interest to provide the platform with the least input delay within their budget. They obviously can’t set out dozens of computers packing 3080’s, so a wider adoption of current gen consoles is likely in the cards for the near future.

"Frankly I think we’ll continue to be on PS4s for awhile" writes Brian, a former Minneapolis tournament orgainser over Twitter DMs. "Sony owning EVO (which sets the competitive standard in a lot of eyes) makes it hard to justify switching to something cheaper like a Series S because console differences might be a big deal" They continue: "Even a smaller event may find it’s easier to just keep using PS4 for the time being since most controllers work with it or are sold with it in mind and there’s a preexisting collection of games and DLC. If the PS5 wasn't so scarce, expensive, and oddly shaped for mass storage, I imagine a lot of TOs dealing in providing physical consoles would opt to switch."
The idea that players with a competitive mindset in Street Fighter 6 will move en-masse to newer consoles was echoed by renowned US fighting game player, tournament organiser, and recently champion of high-refresh rate monitors Arturo Sanchez. They went to Twitter following the news to express their thoughts:

t’s impossible to consider the movement between console generations without taking note of the burdens of doing so. Not only are they pricey, but even now there’s a genuine struggle to get your hands on a PS5. If you’re planning on playing Street Fighter 6 at its best and you aren’t rocking a rig that would make Digital Foundry blush, you may want to start looking for an upgrade."

https://www.vg247.com/street-fighter-6-becomes-the-first-true-next-gen-fighter-thanks-to-new-input-delay-feature