Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike & X-Men vs. Street Fighter Arcade Guide: Parries, Secret Codes & 6-Button Setup

Liam Parker By Liam Parker
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Nov 06, 2026
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21 min
Ryu and Chun-Li clashing in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike CPS-3 arcade gameplay

Quick Answer

Tap Forward (high/mid) or Down (low) within 10 frames of impact to parry any attack in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike with zero chip damage, and bind R1 = Heavy Punch plus R2 = Heavy Kick. Play arcade 3rd Strike (#13) and X-Men vs. Street Fighter (#19) on the 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98).

Between 1996 and 1999, Capcom's arcade division pushed 2D pixel art to a level that modern polygon fighters still study. On the CP System II (CPS-2) board, X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998) invented tag-team air juggles and screen-filling Hyper Combos. On the CP System III (CPS-3) board, Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact (1997) and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future (1999) delivered hand-drawn 60-frame-per-second animation and the 10-frame Parry system.

Most competitive guides write for arcade sticks and keyboard players. Below is our practical living-room guide for wireless gamepads: how CPS-2 and CPS-3 emulation works, how to time high, low, and red parries in 3rd Strike, how to trigger 2v2 Variable Cross supers and secret characters in the Marvel crossovers, and where each title sits on our public game lists.

CPS-2 vs. CPS-3 Arcade Architecture: Why Late-90s Capcom 2D Sprites Remain Unmatched

Built around QSound stereo audio, Capcom's 1993 CPS-2 board powered the 2v2 X-Men and Marvel crossover series, while the 1996 CPS-3 board used a CD-ROM drive and SIMM flash RAM to animate Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike at 60fps.

When we pulled the 64GB microSD card from our 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98) to export its 14,755-game directory, we noticed a folder detail worth knowing before you go hunting. Although the menu has a folder labeled Capcom CPS3 (which holds #252. Hyper Street Fighter II), the actual CPS-3 Street Fighter III games and the CPS-2 X-Men / Marvel crossovers sit inside the FireBurn Neo (FinalBurn Neo) arcade folder.

Understanding the two arcade boards explains how these games behave when you boot them at home:

  • Capcom CP System II (CPS-2, 1993 to 2003): Built around a 16 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU and Capcom's custom QSound audio processor, CPS-2 was designed for fast sprite scaling, super jumps that scroll vertically into the sky, and instant tag-ins between two characters stored in ROM. Its full hardware history is documented on Wikipedia's X-Men vs. Street Fighter page.
  • Capcom CP System III (CPS-3, 1996 to 1999): Built around a 25 MHz Hitachi SH-2 RISC CPU, CPS-3 stored encrypted game data on a CD-ROM and copied it into SIMM flash memory through a battery-backed security cartridge. That architecture allowed Capcom's artists to draw hundreds of individual animation frames for characters like Elena, Dudley, Makoto, Q, Urien, and Chun-Li, as detailed on Wikipedia's Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike page.

"Tested on our unit" means we checked it on a device we own. "Manufacturer spec" means the maker states it and we haven't verified it ourselves. "Community reports" means players report it, and results can vary.

Table 1: Capcom CPS-2 vs. CPS-3 Arcade Hardware & Emulation Comparison

Hardware & Emulation Spec Capcom CP System II (CPS-2) Capcom CP System III (CPS-3) Evidence
Main CPU & Audio Motorola 68000 @ 16 MHz + QSound 16-channel stereo DSP Hitachi SH-2 @ 25 MHz + 16-channel stereo PCM audio Community reports
Signature Franchises X-Men: COTA, X-Men vs. SF, MSH vs. SF, Marvel vs. Capcom, Street Fighter Alpha 1 to 3 Street Fighter III: New Generation, 2nd Impact, 3rd Strike, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Red Earth Community reports
Core Gameplay Mechanic High-flying Super Jumps, Air Raves, 2v2 Tag Team & Variable Cross Grounded footsies, 10-Frame Parry (Forward / Down), and Super Art selection (SA I, II, III) Community reports
First-Boot Behavior Boots to the title screen in a few seconds Runs a long CPS-3 hardware self-check before the title screen; save a state at the title to skip it next time Community reports
Folder on Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98) FireBurn Neo (#9 MvC, #18 X-Men COTA, #19 X-Men vs. SF) FireBurn Neo (#12 SFIII: 2nd Impact, #13 SFIII: 3rd Strike) Tested on our unit
Folder on R36S ($79.99) CPS1 (#17 MSH, #18 MSH vs. SF, #19 MvC, #36 X-Men COTA, #37 X-Men vs. SF) Not pre-loaded in CPS1; play Marvel vs. Capcom 2 in Dreamcast (#8) or Naomi (#6) Tested on our unit
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike CPS-3 sprite animation in an arcade match between Ryu and Alex
Capcom's CPS-3 hardware used CD-ROM to SIMM streaming to draw 60fps 2D character sprites.

Key Takeaway

When you launch Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (#13) in FireBurn Neo for the first time, let the CPS-3 self-check run to the title screen, then create a save state there so future sessions skip the wait.

Mastering the 10-Frame Parry & Super Art System in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

Tapping Forward (for high/mid strikes) or Down (for low kicks) within 10 frames of impact parries any normal, special, or Super Art in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike with zero chip damage, leaving your opponent open to a counter.

In Street Fighter II and the Alpha series, holding Back to block a special move or Super Combo still shaved off "chip damage," meaning a low-health defender could lose a round just by blocking. Street Fighter III replaced safe turtling with the Parry (Blocking in the Japanese arcade manual), documented in detail on the SuperCombo Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Wiki.

How High, Low, Air & Red Parries Work

Follow these four rules to turn defensive reads into counter-hits:

  1. High & Mid Parry (Tap Forward, then release to Neutral): Tap Forward toward your opponent within 10 frames before a standing punch, mid kick, jumping attack, or projectile connects, then immediately release the D-pad to Neutral. If you hold Forward, your fighter walks into the hit.
  2. Low Parry (Tap Down, then release to Neutral): Tap Down within 10 frames before a crouching kick or sweep (cr.MK or cr.HK) lands.
  3. Air Parry (Tap Forward while airborne): Jumping fighters can parry too, which is how players escape anti-air pressure. The timing feels tighter than on the ground, so practice it in Training Mode before match night.
  4. Red Parry (Parrying While Blocking a Multi-Hit String): While blocking a multi-hit move, tap Forward during the brief freeze between hits. Your fighter flashes red and turns the rest of the string into a parry opening. The window is much stricter than a normal parry, so expect to miss it often at first.

Those mechanics produced fighting-game history at **Evolution 2004 (Evo Moment #37), when Daigo Umehara (Ken) parried all 15 hits of Justin Wong's (Chun-Li) Super Art II (Houyoku-sen) at pixel-empty health, jumped to air-parry the final kick, and won with Ken's Super Art III (Shippu Jinraikyaku)**.

Ken Masters executing a full parry against Chun-Li Houyoku-sen Super Art in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike
Parrying negates chip damage completely and creates frame advantage for a full Super Art punish.

Choosing the Right Super Art (SA I, SA II, or SA III)

Right after you pick one of 3rd Strike's 19 selectable fighters, the game asks you to choose one of three Super Arts. Each choice changes your meter bar length and how many stocks you can hold. These are the picks most players start with:

  • Ken Masters (Super Art III: Shippu Jinraikyaku): Fast startup makes it Ken's go-to punish after a successful parry or a crouching Medium Kick (cr.MK) confirm.
  • Chun-Li (Super Art II: Houyoku-sen): A rapid multi-hit kick flurry that punishes almost any whiffed move from a distance.
  • Yun (Super Art III: Genei Jin): Turns Yun into a custom-combo machine with faster attacks and juggle properties for a few seconds.
  • Makoto (Super Art I: Seichusen Godanzuki): Pairs with her hit-grab (Karakusa) for explosive damage once she gets close.
  • Urien (Super Art II: Aegis Reflector): Projects an energy mirror that traps opponents in high/low mix-ups near the corner.

X-Men vs. Street Fighter & Marvel vs. Capcom: 2v2 Tag Combos, Air Raves & Secret Characters

Across Capcom's CPS-2 Versus trilogy, players combine 2v2 red-health recovery, sky-high Air Raves, and team-up Variable Cross supers with select-screen codes for Akuma, Shadow Lady, Roll, and Lilith.

If 3rd Strike is a technical chess match, X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996), Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997), and Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998) are pure arcade spectacle. Four mechanics drive every match:

  • Ground-to-Air Chain (LP -> MP -> Launcher -> Super Jump -> Air Rave): Chain light into medium normals on the ground, launch your opponent with a crouching Heavy attack, tap Down, Up to Super Jump after them, and finish with a light-to-medium aerial chain into a Special or Hyper Combo.
  • Raw Tag (HP + HK): Press Heavy Punch + Heavy Kick together (R1 + R2 on our controller setup) to bring in your partner while your injured fighter recovers their red health off-screen.
  • Variable Counter (while blocking): Spend one level of Hyper Combo Gauge during block stun to tag in your partner with a counterattack. The exact motion differs by game, so check each title's move list.
  • Variable Cross / Duo Team Attack (HP + HK with a motion): Spend two levels to bring both partners onto the screen at the same time for a few seconds of dual Hyper Combos.
Cyclops and Ryu performing a Variable Cross team Hyper Combo in X-Men vs Street Fighter CPS-2 arcade
X-Men vs. Street Fighter introduced 2v2 tag swaps and dual-character Variable Cross Hyper Combos.

"Tested on our unit" means we checked it on a device we own. "Manufacturer spec" means the maker states it and we haven't verified it ourselves. "Community reports" means players report it, and results can vary.

Table 2: Secret Characters, Bosses & Select Screen Codes in Street Fighter III & Marvel vs. Capcom

Game Title Secret Fighter / Boss How to Select or Unlock (Arcade / Console) Signature Move / Why Pick Them Evidence
X-Men vs. Street Fighter (CPS-2) Akuma (Gouki) Highlight any fighter on the top row (Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm, Sabretooth, Cammy), wait 1 sec, push Up + any attack button Air Gohadoken (qcf+P in air) and Shun Goku Satsu (LP, LP, F, LK, HP) Community reports
Marvel Super Heroes vs. SF (CPS-2) Cyber-Akuma (Mech-Gouki) Final boss at the end of Arcade Mode Jetpack rushes and a screen-wide beam Hyper Combo Community reports
Marvel vs. Capcom (CPS-2) Shadow Lady, Red Venom, Orange Hulk, Gold War Machine, Roll, Lilith Long directional cursor codes on the select screen (Shadow Lady starts on Morrigan); copy the full sequence from a trusted move list before you try it Play as Mega Man's sister Roll, Darkstalkers' Lilith, or the cyborg Shadow Lady Community reports
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (Dreamcast) Gill (Final Boss) Unlocked by clearing Arcade Mode on the Dreamcast port; exact requirements vary by report (listed on the 2Bluebox 500GB Batocera HDD directory) Full-screen Meteor Strike, Seraphic Wing, and self-reviving Resurrection Super Art Community reports
Final boss Gill unleashing his Seraphic Wing Super Art in Street Fighter III 3rd Strike
Beating Arcade Mode on the Dreamcast version of 3rd Strike unlocks final boss Gill.

The Optimal 6-Button Capcom Controller Layout for Wireless Couch Gamepads

Map Square = LP, Triangle = MP, R1 = HP for punches and Cross = LK, Circle = MK, R2 = HK for kicks so your thumb handles Light/Medium pokes while your index fingers trigger Heavy attacks, R1+R2 tags, and L1/L2 3x macros.

Capcom arcade cabinets were built with two rows of three buttons (LP, MP, HP on top; LK, MK, HK on the bottom). Standard DualShock-style gamepads have four face buttons and four shoulder triggers. If you leave Heavy Punch and Heavy Kick on the wrong triggers, two-button inputs like Personal Action / Taunt (HP + HK), Universal Overhead (MP + MK), Throw (LP + LK), and 2v2 Tag (HP + HK) feel awkward. If you are teaching a younger player at home, start them on X-Men vs. Street Fighter, where tag-ins and red-health recovery forgive early mistakes, and save 3rd Strike parry drills for later.

Use this three-step controller setup before starting a tournament night:

  1. Step 1: Open the In-Game Input Menu. Press SELECT + START simultaneously on the 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98) (or FN + X on the R36S, HOTKEY + South/B on Batocera HDD) to open the RetroArch Quick Menu, then select Controls -> Port 1 Controls.
  2. Step 2: Map the 6-Button Capcom Grid & 3x Macros. Assign Lights and Mediums to the four face buttons, Heavies to R1 and R2, and 3x Punch / 3x Kick macros to L1 and L2 using the table below.
  3. Step 3: Save a Core Remap File. Select Manage Remap Files -> Save Core Remap File so every game in the FinalBurn Neo core remembers your 6-button Capcom layout automatically.

"Tested on our unit" means we checked it on a device we own. "Manufacturer spec" means the maker states it and we haven't verified it ourselves. "Community reports" means players report it, and results can vary.

Table 3: Recommended 6-Button Capcom Controller Layout for Wireless DualShock-Style Gamepads

Capcom Arcade Input Game Stick 4K Pro / PS Pad R36S / Batocera Pad What This Button Does in 3rd Strike & X-Men / MvC Evidence
Light Punch (LP) Square Y (West) Fastest jab check; press LP + LK (Square + Cross) to Throw (3rd Strike) Community reports
Medium Punch (MP) Triangle X (North) Poke normals; press MP + MK (Triangle + Circle) for Universal Overhead (3rd Strike) Community reports
Heavy Punch (HP) R1 Shoulder R1 Shoulder Heavy launchers and fierce strikes; press R1 + R2 (HP + HK) to Tag Partner (X-Men / MvC) or Taunt (3rd Strike) Community reports
Light Kick (LK) Cross (X) B (South) Fast low checks and throw partner with LP Community reports
Medium Kick (MK) Circle A (East) Footsie pokes like Ken and Chun-Li's crouching MK into Super Art Community reports
Heavy Kick (HK) R2 Trigger R2 Trigger Roundhouses, sweeps (Down + R2), and Tag partner with R1 Community reports
3x Punch Macro (PPP) L1 Shoulder L1 Shoulder One-button EX Specials in 3rd Strike (qcf + L1) and Punch-based Hyper Combos in X-Men / MvC Community reports
3x Kick Macro (KKK) L2 Trigger L2 Trigger One-button EX Kicks in 3rd Strike (qcf + L2) and Kick-based Hyper Combos in X-Men / MvC Community reports
Ryu Wolverine and Iron Man unleashing a Delayed Hyper Combo in Marvel vs Capcom 2 on Dreamcast
Binding 3x Punch and 3x Kick macros to L1 and L2 simplifies EX moves and Hyper Combos.

Key Takeaway

Putting HP on R1 and HK on R2 turns X-Men vs. Street Fighter's HP + HK Partner Tag and 3rd Strike's stat-boosting Personal Actions (Taunts) into a natural squeeze of your right index and middle fingers.

Where to Find Every Street Fighter & Marvel Title on 2Bluebox Consoles (Verified Card Audit)

Our 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98) pre-loads arcade 3rd Strike (#13), 2nd Impact (#12), X-Men vs. SF (#19), and MvC (#9) in FireBurn Neo, while the 500GB Batocera HDD ($64.99) adds Dreamcast and PS2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2.

Before you order any retro console for fighting-game nights, verify which system folder holds each title. You can search every game on our public Game Stick 4K Pro 14,755-game list, our R36S handheld 15,768-game list, and our 500GB Batocera HDD 110,686-game directory. If you also enjoy 3D arena fighters, compare our Tekken 3, Tekken Tag Tournament, and Tekken 5 retro guide.

"Tested on our unit" means we checked it on a device we own. "Manufacturer spec" means the maker states it and we haven't verified it ourselves. "Community reports" means players report it, and results can vary.

Table 4: Verified Street Fighter & Marvel Crossover Locations Across All Three 2Bluebox Consoles

2Bluebox Console & Price Pre-Loaded Street Fighter III & CPS-3 Titles Pre-Loaded X-Men & Marvel Crossover Titles Best For / Skip If Evidence
2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98) FireBurn Neo: #12. Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact: Giant Attack, #13. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike: Fight for the Future, #14. Street Fighter Zero 2 Alpha · Capcom CPS3: #252. Hyper Street Fighter II FireBurn Neo: #9. Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, #18. X-Men: Children of the Atom, #19. X-Men vs. Street Fighter Best for 2-player 2D arcade nights on any HDMI TV under $65 (SEGAM-M8-V5.0, two 2.4GHz wireless controllers, 14,755 games listed at /pages/all-games). Skip if you want Dreamcast or PS2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Tested on our unit
2Bluebox 500GB Batocera HDD ($64.99) Dreamcast: Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (USA), Street Fighter III: Double Impact (USA), Street Fighter Alpha 3 (USA) + arcade FBNeo / MAME sets Dreamcast & PS2: Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (USA), Capcom vs. SNK 2 (Japan) + CPS-2 arcade sets Best for Dreamcast/PS2 MvC2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and Dreamcast 3rd Strike on a Windows PC over USB 3.0 (110,686 games listed). Skip if you only own an Apple Silicon Mac or have no PC. Manufacturer spec
2Bluebox R36S Handheld ($79.99) CPS1: #12. Hyper Street Fighter II, #24 to #26. Street Fighter Alpha 1, 2, 3, #32. Super Street Fighter II Turbo (Note: CPS-3 SFIII is not in the stock CPS1 list; add .zip backups to /roms/cps3/ or /roms/fbneo/) CPS1: #17. Marvel Super Heroes, #18. Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, #19. Marvel vs. Capcom, #36. X-Men: Children of the Atom, #37. X-Men vs. Street Fighter · Dreamcast: #8. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Naomi #6) Best for handheld practice on a 3.5-inch 640x480 IPS screen (Dual-RAM RK3326, ArkOS 2.0). Skip if you want HDMI output to a living-room TV. Tested on our unit
2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro HDMI dongle with two 2.4GHz wireless controllers for two-player arcade fighting
The 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98) includes two wireless controllers and pre-loads arcade 3rd Strike (#13).

Want to plug straight into your living-room TV for two-player Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (#13) and X-Men vs. Street Fighter (#19) matches with two wireless controllers included in the box? Grab our verified HDMI arcade bundle below:

Where to Buy a Verified Arcade Console: 2Bluebox (2bluebox.com) vs. Other Sellers

2Bluebox (2bluebox.com) publishes searchable game lists before checkout (14,755 Game Stick, 15,768 R36S, 110,686 HDD), names its boards, ships in-stock units free with tracking from $50, and backs them with a 30-day replacement guarantee from Denver.

Before ordering an HDMI game stick or portable retro drive for Capcom fighting games, run these four checks:

"Tested on our unit" means we checked it on a device we own. "Manufacturer spec" means the maker states it and we haven't verified it ourselves. "Community reports" means players report it, and results can vary.

Table 5: 2Bluebox (2bluebox.com) vs. Branded TV-Stick Stores vs. Unbranded Marketplace Sellers (November 2026)

Buying Check 2Bluebox (2bluebox.com) GameStickPro.com · Boltz · Ventari Unbranded Amazon / AliExpress / TikTok Listings Evidence
1. Public game list before you buy Searchable lists confirm FireBurn Neo #12, #13, #18, #19, #9 (Game Stick), CPS1 #17 to #37 & Dreamcast #8 MvC2 (R36S), and Dreamcast / PS2 sets (500GB HDD) Check whether a full per-title list is published before paying Headline game counts (20,000+ or 40,000+), rarely accompanied by a searchable list Community reports
2. Named, checked hardware SEGAM-M8-V5.0 with two 2.4GHz pads (Game Stick), Dual-RAM RK3326 with ArkOS 2.0 (R36S), Batocera Linux over USB 3.0 (500GB HDD) Low-power ARM TV-stick boards Single-RAM R36S clones and underpowered sticks that stutter on CPS-3 ROMs are common complaints Manufacturer spec
3. Stock & tracked shipping In stock; free tracked shipping on orders from $50 to the US, UK, Canada, Australia & EU GameStickPro.com sold out on its $55 and $135 listings; Boltz & Ventari charge $89 to $130 Varies by seller and overseas warehouse Community reports
4. US company & 30-day guarantee 2Bluebox LLC, 1500 N Grant St, Denver, CO, with a 30-day hardware and microSD replacement guarantee Check each store's return address and warranty terms Seller-dependent; confirm a US return address before buying Manufacturer spec
Ryu and Spider-Man clashing in Marvel vs Capcom Clash of Super Heroes CPS-2 arcade gameplay
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (#9 in FireBurn Neo on the Game Stick 4K Pro) caps the CPS-2 trilogy.

Whether you want two-player couch battles on the 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98), Dreamcast and PS2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 plus 3rd Strike on your Windows PC with the 2Bluebox 500GB Batocera HDD ($64.99), or pocket practice on the 2Bluebox R36S Handheld ($79.99), compare all three below, backed by 2Bluebox LLC (Denver, CO) with free tracked shipping on orders $50+ and a 30-day replacement guarantee:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many frames is the parry window in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike?

A standard high/mid parry (Tap Forward then release to Neutral) or low parry (Tap Down then release to Neutral) has a 10-frame window before the opponent's attack hits, which is about one sixth of a second. Air parries and red parries (parrying while blocking a multi-hit attack) are noticeably stricter, so drill them in Training Mode first.

How do you select Akuma in X-Men vs. Street Fighter and unlock Gill in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike?

In arcade X-Men vs. Street Fighter (#19 in FireBurn Neo on the 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro and #37 in CPS1 on the R36S), highlight any character on the top row of the select screen, wait one second, push Up, and press any attack button to pick Akuma. In the Dreamcast release of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (USA) (listed on the 2Bluebox 500GB Batocera HDD directory), community reports say clearing Arcade Mode unlocks final boss Gill, though the exact requirement varies by source.

Why does Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike take longer to start than other arcade games?

Original Capcom CPS-3 cabinets loaded the game from a CD-ROM into SIMM memory chips and ran a hardware self-check on power-up. Emulators like FinalBurn Neo reproduce that start-up check, so the first boot takes noticeably longer than a CPS-2 game. Once the title screen appears, save a state from the RetroArch Quick Menu and load it next time to skip the wait.

Which 2Bluebox console is best for Capcom 2D fighters, and do you ship to the UK, EU, or Australia?

For instant two-player TV play under $65, choose the 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98), which includes two wireless controllers and pre-loads arcade 3rd Strike (#13), 2nd Impact (#12), X-Men vs. Street Fighter (#19), and Marvel vs. Capcom (#9) inside FireBurn Neo. For Dreamcast/PS2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Capcom vs. SNK 2, and Dreamcast 3rd Strike on a Windows PC, choose the 2Bluebox 500GB Batocera HDD ($64.99). For portable practice, choose the 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99). Every order from $50 ships free with tracking to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and the EU from 2Bluebox LLC (Colorado, USA), backed by a 30-day replacement guarantee.

Conclusion

Capcom's late-90s run on the CPS-2 and CPS-3 boards gave fighting-game fans two timeless styles: the precision of a 10-frame parry in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and the sky-high 2v2 chaos of X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom. With R1 and R2 mapped to Heavy Punch and Heavy Kick and a save state created after the initial CPS-3 boot, a wireless living-room controller handles every Super Art and Variable Cross cleanly.

Plug the 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98) into your TV for two-player arcade nights right out of the box, boot the 2Bluebox 500GB Batocera Portable HDD ($64.99) on your Windows PC for Dreamcast and PS2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 plus 3rd Strike, or drill your combos anywhere on the 2Bluebox R36S Handheld ($79.99).

Happy gaming - Liam Parker, Head of Retro Gaming & Hardware Testing at 2Bluebox.

Further Reading & Technical Resources · Click to expand