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Street Fighter 5 was announced at Sony's PlayStation Experience event last year following a leaked trailer. Exclusive to PC and PS4 (with Capcom saying the game will never be released on Xbox), the latest edition in the fighting series cuts back on the art style of Street Fighter 4 and it introduces a feature called V-Gauge. The V-Gauge allows players to carry out special V-Skills attacks, V-Reversals allow players to counter an opponent's attack, while the V-Triggers use up the entire V-Gauge bar to complete a 'unique' ability.

Another selling point of the upcoming game is the fact that PS4 and PC players will be able to play against one another with cross-platform play. The reveal of cross-platform play was a huge deal as it meant that PC and PS4 players would never be stuck for someone to fight against. Not only that, but this was a big win for Sony as although Microsoft has been keen to promote Xbox One and PC cross-platform play, Microsoft was reportedly reluctant to allow Xbox One players to play against PS4 players as well as PC players, meaning that Sony can now boast a well-known exclusive game.

At their E3 2015 press conference Sony announced yet another Street Fighter 5 exclusive deal. Beginning on July 23, 2015, the public beta of Street Fighter 5 will go live on PS4. PS4 players can head to the Street Fighter website to sign up for a chance to access the beta and play the upcoming fighting game before everyone else. A PC beta will go live this fall (PC players can gain access by pre-ordering the game from Steam) and it seems likely that Capcom will want to test the cross-platform play with a beta at some point, but as of right now, only the the PS4 beta date has been announced.

Furthermore, two new characters join Ryu, Chun-Li, Nash, and M. Bison on the Street Fighter 5 roster. The first of these characters is Cammy, a member of the Special Ops and a character who has been in the series since Super Street Fighter 2 in 1993. In Street Fighter 5 her Axel Spin Knuckle move can now be activated as a V-Reversal counter by using up some of the V-Gauge meter. The second confirmed character is Birdie, who is a punk rocker from Britain. Birdie's moves include Critical Art move Skip to My Chain which sees Birdie use his opponents as a jump rope and Break Time in which Birdie uses cans of beer or a hot pepper in order to give himself a strength boost.

Street Fighter 5 is expected to release in March 2016 for PlayStation 4 and PC. The PS4 exclusive beta begins on July 23, 2015.

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