Professional gamer Daigo Umehara concludes partnership with Hit Box. The top manufacturer of the leverless controller supports his activities

Professional gamer Daigo Umehara (hereinafter referred to as Umehara) announced on August 3 that it had a partnership with HIT BOX. It is a form of a leading actor in the Japanese professional game scene and one major manufacturer of a leverless controller, which has been increasing in recent years.

Umehara is a professional gamer who made his first professional debut. He is a player who leaves numerous legends, including one battle of Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, known as the backwater reversal drama, which was once shown in the fighting game world competition EVO 2004. Currently, he is active in the Street Fighter V professional scene, and has a sponsor contract with Red Bull, Hyper X, and Mildom in addition to the HIT BOX announced this time.

HIT BOX, where Umehara has a partnership, is an American game peripheral maker that handles a leverless controller. As the name suggests, the leverless controller is replaced with a button on the left part of the arcade controller. This button is compatible with the up, down, left and right lever input. In particular, one frame is effective in entering a fighting game that divides the game, and besides Umehara, Kawano, a brand ambassador for the same HIT BOX, is also a Leverless Controller who is a member of the University of Tokyo. 。

By the way, Hit Box refers to a leverless controller that this manufacturer has worked on, but many people call all leverless controllers and call them Hit Box. It is a proof that it is a famous company in the leverless controller.

The encounter between Umehara and HIT BOX dates back to 2019. Originally, Umehara, who had polished his arms with arcade and had a sponsor contract with American game peripheral maker MAD CATZ, used an arcade stick like other players. Meanwhile, it seems that in 2019, he began to use it with interest in the leverless controller. The good compatibility between Guile and Leverless Controller, which is the main character in Street Fighter V, seems to have been part of the decision. However, the ones that I started using at this time were not Hit Box, but the leverless controller, commonly known as Gafflbox, which was created by fighting gamer Gafflo.

Umehara, who has been able to learn how to handle the leverless controller for a long time, is trying to participate in the Gafro Box in the United States in the Gafro Box 2019. However, despite the fact that it was available before the tournament, the ban on the use of the Gafro Box was announced just before the tournament. Umehara is forced to participate on a normal arcade stick. The Gaffrox is a special input that cannot be done with an arcade stick or other leverless controller, which seems to be a problem (related article). Hit Box, who heard the turmoil, was given its own product, and Umehara has been using the aircraft.

After three years, the two encounters will bear fruit in the form of partnerships. Umehara, who will be working as a Hit Box brand ambassador, will participate in the Street Fighter V. I would like to look forward to Umehara's success in this tournament, which will be held for the first time in three years.