There are controllers, and then there are controllers. Today, most of us just use whatever comes with the console, and nothing else. Microsoft or Sony did a tremendous job with their gamepads, but it has taken 3rd parties too long to match or better that quality. They just haven’t been as good. That finally changes in a big way.

The MLG Pro Circuit box is expertly crafted

Mad Catz decided to best the millions of man-hours and research put into the 360 and Dualshock controllers by aiming for the high-end consumer and not the everyman gamer. I’ve gotta say, the MLG Pro Circuit Controller fits that bill.

Available for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the MLG Pro Circuit Controller shares the 360 gamepad’s shape, but what sets it apart is one feature: interchangeable parts. Faceplates are secondary. The d-Pad, analog sticks, faceplate, wrist holds, even the cable are all detachable, replaceable, and customisable. It may seem useless, but consider you’re a PS3 gamer who likes the concave 360 analog sticks. It’s an easy switch: twist the convex ones out, put the concave ones in, and done. The snap-on system isn’t as easy to open as they should be, more akin to opening a bottle of pills with that child-safety lock. Both the 360 and PS3 models are identical (save for the Xbox/PS button).

In the box is the controller, a set of analog sticks in both PS3 and 360 style, d-Pads for both, a 9′ braided cable that screws onto the controller, two weights (35g each), and a carrying case for all of the above. It isn’t wireless because it’s a pro-gamer controller. Wired controllers are faster, more reliable, are also the only ones allowed in tournaments.

I’ve been using the Pro Circuit for the past week and it’s a real pleasure to use, not just because it’s a good controller, but because of the interchangeable parts. I played through the Metal Gear Solid HD collection on the 360, but clearly the game was designed for the PS2′s Dualshock. For that game, I switched the d-Pad to the PS3′s and put it on the top left, put a 360 analog stick on the bottom left, and kept a PS3 analog stick on the right. For me, this setup was the most effective. Fast paced 360 shooters, like Modern Warfare 3, are easier for me with the PS3 right stick and 360 left stick.

In a sense, it’s like having both consoles wrapped into one. The only sad news is that because of licensing, there’s no way to get one controller that would work with both consoles.

But the Pro Circuit isn’t perfect. The face buttons are a bit mushy, especially so out of the box. They’re better after being broken in, but the style of the buttons may not appeal to all players, including pro gamers. The buttons have a lot of give, compared to the mouse-like buttons of the Razer Onza controller.

The Pro Circuit with both back panels, with and without weights

It’s also expensive. For $100, the Pro Circuit is an investment, one that may prove to save money. Like I wrote in my hands-on preview, I have a stack of working but worn out Xbox 360 controllers, four with completely worn out indents on the analog sticks. A set of analog sticks will be available for purchase for $15 each, which will make the controller worthwhile for the long-term. It just depends on your gaming habits. I just feel that Mad Catz is a little late to the controller game. If the Pro Circuit came out at least a year ago, it would have a much better chance to succeed and prosper. With today’s rumors of a new Xbox and Playstation within the coming year, even if the current controllers work with new consoles it limits just how well a new controller can do today.

Mad Catz will also put out additional parts for the Pro Circuit, including different style faceplates, different length cables, and potentially even different style joysticks. The MLG Pro Circuit Controller is a very solid gamepad, one with an exceptional switch system for analog sticks and d-Pads. I think that the Pro Circuit can be better over time, as more faceplate, palm rests, joysticks and d-Pads become available, though right now it’s still a great controller.

Editor’s Rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars

Very Good

Bottom Line: The MLG Pro Circuit Controller is a great gamepad that thanks to interchangeable parts is highly customizable, more than any controller before it.

Pros:

• Comfortable gamepad
• Interchangeable parts are a brilliant direction for a gamepad
• A good long-term controller investment

It’s been roughly 25 years since the last time I can say with certainty that I’ve held a brand new Nintendo Entertainment System controller. The last time I held one was a couple of days ago, playing old games with my controllers so worn down that certain buttons don’t work right, that I cramp my hand slightly when making my character move left due to deteriorated responsiveness. When I saw the Retrolink USB NES controller, I knew instinctively from years of gaming that this was the real deal. No aspect of the now-antiquated yet refreshingly simple original NES controller was overlooked.

The Retrolink NES controller is precisely the same size and shape of the controller it’s modeled after, but the attention to detail doesn’t stop there. The directional pad is made out of the same plastic, the buttons are concave and red like its namesake, and the select and start buttons are still the same pliant rubber that they were always meant to be. But I had to know just how deep this homage to retro gaming’s commitment went, so I took to my toolbox for a comparison.

It should have been an obvious sign when the Retrolink used the same number and size of screw as my NES controllers did, that taking them apart was an identical process for both controllers. Opening the controllers, the only differences on the inside were the PCB boards and the wires, which really came as no surprise considering that one was USB and the other proprietary to its console. The wire even nested inside the box the same way. The rubber beneath the plastic and the d-pad and buttons were virtually identical, and enough so to be swapped between the two. Even if I couldn’t find a myriad of uses for the Retrolink controller, the idea that I now had a reliable source for replacement buttons for my NES controllers was a huge relief to me.

There are some differences between the two, but they are largely cosmetic. The back indentation where Nintendo left their model information and brand insignia was simply left blank on the Retrolink, the buttons are a slightly deeper red, and the rubber making up the start and select buttons is slightly different on the inside but still a solid fit in either controller. None of these things really stuck in me as a design flaw, but if you have to have everything exactly the way it was way back when, these changes might stick out at you.

The Retrolink USB NES Controller raises an interesting question in terms of how one should judge a device designed to be reminiscent of simpler technological times. In terms of what it does and what it can do, the Retrolink controller comes up short in every way imaginable to similarly-priced gamepads. It’s almost pitifully primitive, and while great for say, emulation, it requires a small degree of sacrifice for almost any other application. Yet, if you consider the intent and the scope that the company made designing this product, if they’d added more buttons, or analog sensitivity to the D-pad, retro enthusiasts would have been up in arms about how it didn’t capture the right feel, how it just didn’t compare to the real thing. Retrolink kept it simple, and delivered exactly on what they promised. It might not be the most ergonomic or functional peripheral, but if you want to feel like you’re back in the 80′s playing all the old classics, this is the perfect controller to do just that.

Editor’s Rating

5 out of 5 stars

Perfect

Bottom Line: With a purposefully retro feel, using the Retrolink USB NES Controller is going to limit you to any game that needs nothing more than 4 buttons and digital movement. You could make a strong case for this being a huge setback in terms of usability and function, but anything more would have betrayed the very design and feel of the controller, turning it more into a generic gamepad than something truly retro. In terms of form, the Retrolink is precisely the same in terms of dimensions and feel to an NES controller. The fact that it can be disassembled to repair your childhood controllers is just a cherry on top of an otherwise flawless product.

Pros:

• Perfectly replicates the feel of using an NES controller for any games or emulators on your computer
• Being made out of roughly 90% compatible parts, the Retrolink can also be used to replace failing aspects of genuine NES controllers
• Easy to hook up and get started with instantly, no hassle getting right into the game on any PC

Cons:

• Limited buttons in the design means limited functionality across a wider library of games
• Takes a bit more setup than just plug-and-play on Linux-based systems if you’re not already setup to use gamepads
• Not entirely identical to its namesake in terms of internals and colors; though it works perfectly fine it may be a sticking point for purists

The Retrolink USB NES Controller is available from ThinkGeek for $29.99.

5 out of 5 stars

When playing racing games, use a wheel. For flight sims, get a flight stick. And for fighting games, I use a fight stick, the classic joystick plus six buttons layout seen in arcades. For fighting games like Street Fighter IV, that’s the most authentic experience. The problem is fightsticks – good ones anyways – are big, bulky, heavy and expensive. Using a standard gamepad sucks for fighters, so what is a price-wary gamer to do?

Then two weeks ago we got a glimpse at PDP’s Xbox 360 Versus Fighting Pad: Marvel Edition, and I was taken aback. So the good people at Performance Designed Products sent one over and I must confess, I’m enjoying the heck out of it. Almost as much as the classic arcade-style fightstick.

The Xbox 360 Versus Fighting Pad: Marvel Edition (Versus forthwith) is a smartly built, intelligently designed and exceptionally lightweight fightpad that is so stunning, I’m almost at a loss for words. As we showed originally, the decal design is daring and jam-packed characters from the recently released Marvel VS Capcom 3 (review coming soon) like Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine and others. There are no Street Fighter characters to be found. This is solely Marvel, thus ‘Marvel Edition’.

What’s really impressive about the Versus is how the controller feels. The buttons aren’t mushy like most controllers, but have the same clicky feel of a mouse. Each button press reverberates back into your hand and your ear, with that satisfying click acknowledging that yes, a button was pressed. This may sound useless, but for a fighting game, the difference between one pressed and one missed button is the difference between victory and defeat.

As you can see, there aren’t four, but six face buttons, identical to arcades to give the most genuine feel on an Xbox 360 controller. What’s best about these face buttons isn’t that they feel so great, but that players can press on them with either a thumb or fingers, like they would on an actual arcade stick and buttons layout. That’s thanks to the brilliant shape of the entire controller, which is made to fit firmly in the right and left hand in a standard grip, but also with the right thumb clinging to the inside of the grip and three fingers pressing the face buttons. Such a design is unexpected, but it works wonders for more classically-inclined gamers. I’ve played both ways, with thumbs and fingers, and the fact that it works excellently both ways is a testament to PDP’s brilliant design of the fightpad.

The left side is smaller but has a more defined grip to hold comfortably two ways

Then there’s the D-pad. Firstly, no analog sticks. The Versus controller eliminates both for a finely-tuned D-pad built in a large, rotund shape vastly different from most. It’s more akin to an analog stick, but clicks at each press just like the face buttons. It’s one of, if not the best D-pads I’ve ever used. The concave top is mushy and offers solid grip for the thumb. Not once has my thumb slipped atop the D-pad.

Even the triggers have the clicky feel, though I’m not fond of using them in-game. MvC3 requires a lot of buttons, and if you plan on using fingers for the face buttons, then you’ll have to forgo using the right trigger entirely. The start and back buttons sit to the left of the right trigger, which is good positioning for those buttons so they don’t get in the way or accidentally pressed. The Xbox button is also far enough to not be accidentally pressed by anyone but the most careless of gamers.

But what I’m perhaps most fond of is the lightness of the Versus. It’s so light that even after losing six rounds straight and throwing the controller in anger, it just bounced off the carpet unscathed. That light weight is surprisingly handy for a game where tensions can run very high, though the front decal can’t take too much abuse. Signs of wear appeared after just a few days. The buttons are unscathed and work just fine. The rubberized back is also tremendously smart, especially for gamers who cling to their controllers for dear life. It doesn’t get loose in the hand, doesn’t get sweaty, and still offers excellent grip.

Will a fightpad ever replace a fightstick? Problably not. But after playing Marvel VS Capcom 3 for the past week and a half with a full-blown fightstick and the Xbox 360 Versus Fight Pad Marvel Edition, this writer’s household enjoys the lighter, smaller controller for its ease of use, relative safety from harm, and excellent feel. The only downside is that it isn’t available for the Playstation 3, meaning Sony gamers have to miss out on this great controller. Great looks, excellent feel, and a top-notch design makes the Versus fightpad something to both decorate your  room and deliver an excellent gaming experience.

The Versus Fighting Pad: Marvel Edition is currently available exclusively from Gamestop for $39.99.

You know how you can sometimes just take one quick look at something and go “DAMN SON!” Yeah, when I saw these pictures of the new gamepads from PDP for Marvel vs Capcom 3, that’s exactly what I thought. They put the original Street Fighter 4 Fightpads to shame. I mean, holy hell, look at this thing!

To take a look at the box (art), hit the jump.Here’s a quick look at the box it’ll come in.

Open

And closed

They are available right now for pre-order, for $39.99, from PDP direct.

Update

Official word from Mad Catz is that these are not licensed by Capcom, and that technically no permissions are required for PDP to make the gamepads. What that means is two things: one, they may not be around very long (so if you want one you may want to pre-order it right away), and that Mad Catz may reveal their own licensed gamepads for MvC3 very shortly.

There’s something to be said for wacky products. Usually they’re weird for the sake of being weird, to garner media attention towards other company products. But the N-Control Avenger is the exact opposite: it’s wacky because that’s how it works best.

The Avenger, as we wrote about a few months back, is an on-the-controller overlay that is designed to make pressing all of the so called intrusive buttons easier to press. That octopus design is actually much, much cleaner than the original build that it’s creator, soon-to-be-former art teacher David Kotkin made (see below). The New Yorker, who had a student with a hand defect which caused his hands to be too small, confided in Kotkin that it made life awful, that he couldn’t even play videogames. Thus, the birth of Avenger.

In theory, the Avenger sounds stupid. It sounds like Microsoft, and for that matter most if not all gamepad makers are doing a poor job at making videogame controllers. The Avenger is a product which seems to say that it’s all wrong. But in practice, the company may be on to something. I played several matches of Black Ops with the Avenger, and I was pleasantly surprised. As much as a mutated octopus as it looks like, the Avenger works pretty darned well.

How it works is simple: leverage. No, not the TV show, think back to physics. Using a system of levers that sit over the face buttons (all but the A button, because as Kotkin told me, it’s not as widely used in FPS games as the rest and is very easy to reach), players can use fingers other than their thumbs to pull on the lever with minimal force to press them. It takes almost no effort to press any of the buttons using a lever. All of the levers are fully adjustable.

Then on the back are two rubberized straps for the triggers, which allows gamers to pull the strings instead of the lever. This means there’s no need to switch between a bumper and trigger, and instead the triggers can be pulled with the middle finger in the back. The straps also allow for faster trigger presses because of a plastic slab that sits over the trigger and pushes it closer to it’s firing point.

It works. It really does. It may not look like much, but the Avenger doesn’t make the controller heavier, I didn’t need more than a minute to adjust to using the lever system, and I was able to shoot much faster. With a few more adjustments to fit my style, I was suddenly reloading faster, switching weapons with my left index finger, and never taking my hand off either analog stick. The Avenger works.

We’ll get one in for further gameplay testing, but it’s clear why Kotkin believes in the product so much. The idea is to make gaming as seamless as possible, which means making the controls in sync with gamers. If you have to worry about how hard to press a button or moving your finger faster enough, then the controller has failed. With Avenger, that can all be adjusted to your liking, and if it works out, it may just make gaming, on the Xbox 360 at least, a whole lot better.

I’m the only person I know who liked the original Xbox controllers. Known comically as the Duke, Microsoft’s original design was one I thought, and in some ways still believe to be the best controller in terms of size. It just happened to be the most comfortable controller for me. And, as I recall first discovering after being pulled over with my brother at the wheel and two uniforms taking their time with our hands on the dashboard, I don’t have big hands.

So why the hell would small controllers be good?

It’s an interesting phenomenon, one I’m finding to be a small but common theme here at CES. Mini controllers are making a comeback, after appearing gimmicky and childish a few years back. Power-A and Madcatz both have mini controllers – gamepads similar to current models from the respective companies or 1st parties – and I was surprisingly fond of every one. Power-A introduced the Mini Pro line, which includes a wired controller for both the 360 and PS3, as well as a wireless PS3 model. And, of course, an update from the Pro Pack Mini for the Wii, now named the Pro Pack Wii Plus, with built-in MotionPlus.

The mostly unknown company to gamers, Power A is doing quite well for itself (and we’re reviewing two of their products, but a pesky convention postponed it), has built some pretty decent hardware. I played around with the Mini line of controllers, specifically the PS3 models, and I was shocked.

I’ve always liked giant controllers, but here…I raced exceptionally well in Gran Turismo 5, and shot with the utmost precision in Call of Duty: Black Ops. The controllers I played with weren’t even finalized, but they felt great in the hand, and I played darned well with them. None of the controllers felt small…they felt more precise, and comfortable because I could wrap my hands around them. I’ll need to do more testing once they become available.

Mad Catz is likewise adding to their controller lineup (and doing absurdly well), with four Reactor models: two standard-sized controllers, and two mini, one of each with MotionPlus built-in. Each share a design that is unique to Wii controllers, one that’s vastly different from what we’ve seen in the past, but not so much that Wii owners could be left dumbfounded. The button shapes and placement has changed from Nintendo’s very geometric design to one that’s more ergonomic and realistic. The 1 & 2 buttons, for instance, go diagonally against the main build, which gives players more leverage when pressing them.

The age of Mini Me may be coming back, if the controllers are good enough. So far, these two companies are making it look easy. Mad Catz has already been in the mini controller business, which it stopped four years ago, and they’re surprised at the comeback. As long as it works, and adults and kids can use the controllers without respite, who the hell cares. Just give us the best damn controllers, and we will play.

You’ve probably had plans for some extended gaming this holiday, right? That is until you hand cramped up and you had to lay down the controller.  Then uncle Buck probably took over the TV and your plans for a holiday chalk full of “New Vegas” was cut short.  Dummy, you should have invested in the Xtendplay controller add-on for the PS3 or Xbox 360.

It’s essentially a giant piece of foam (Xtendplay calls it soft-touch fleXlite foam) that makes your controller into a honking controller.  It lets your hands and fingers “rest in a more natural, relaxed position during game play”.  There is also a set of Airflow Channels that are intended to keep your hands cool and comfortable while your pals sweat it out with the standard video game controller.

You can pick on up from Xtendplay directly for $19.99.

Read

I can’t wait for Tron: Legacy. It’s not because Bruce Boxleitner is in it (well, not entirely). It’s because Tron was an amazing film from Disney, and the new one looks badass. So I’ll admit, I’ve fallen for fandom on this one…but PDP’s Tron controllers are damn sweet! Click to see more pictures and my first impressions.

PDP was kind enough to send one for the Playstation 3 and one for the Wii, which you can check out in the pictures below. The Xbox 360 model is likewise similar to the PS3 version, meaning it’s wired, which is a shame but so worth it for the ridiculously cool lighting these puppies have.

These controllers are special, and you should know it. They come in a collectors box, which is actually kind of crappy except for the rad color scheme and included Seal. In the picture above, the PS3 controller (which is plugged into a PS3, which I had to move to my makeshift photo booth because the controller wouldn’t light up on a wall outlet for whatever reason…) sits beside the Wii Collector’s Edition box, which was unopened.

A better look at the PS3 controller

Taking a close look at the PS3 controller, besides noting the awesomeness of the blue lights, take a look at the face buttons. The square, triangle and X buttons are all slightly different. They’re all broken ever so slightly, oh so similar to the Tron fashion. And the design of the PS button is just like that of the light discs. Sweeet.

PDP’s Tron Controller beside a standard Dualshock 3

Close up of the Wii Controller

The Wii controller looks pretty badass in it’s own right. It’s rubberized and feels very different from the typical Wii remote. Note, this is only the Wiimote, not a Wiimote plus. It’s hard to tell in this picture, but the A, 1 and 2 buttons are also broken in the Tron font as well.

Ahh, beautiful.

The Wiimote, beside the much sleeker and cooler Tron controller

Because it’s wireless, the Tron Wiimote undoubtedly has worse battery life. We’ll test later on to see how much worse, but PDP included a little button (below) for gamers who are out of spare batteries and need to reserve power.

And that’s the Wii and PS3 Tron Collector’s Edition controllers from PDP. Should make for some excellent holiday gifts! They release on November 22nd, and are all $50.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Tight controls, stiff buttons
• Excellent art decal

Cons:

• Rubbery feel, bad for sweaty hands
• Rear buttons are too small to press
• $50 is steep for a wired gamepad

When a controller releases for a console, that’s really not a big deal these days. Not unless it comes from the big three, or if it offers something special. In fact, most manufacturers stopped trying outright because they simply couldn’t compete, for a number of reasons. Madcatz didn’t, and has partnered with Activision’s fast-selling and soon to be commercially acclaimed shooter. Does it make the cut?

PrecisionAIM got its name from the unique build of the controller. The shape is not all that different from the standard Xbox 360 gamepad, but it likewise doesn’t feel the same. At first, the differences are so moot, it just feels odd. Not good, not bad, just odd.

But as I settled in and broke the controller in a bit, those slight differences suddenly weren’t very slight. That’s because the smallest changes to a gamepad, one which is used tens of hours a week, are surprisingly significant.

With the PrecisionAIM, the face buttons are flat as opposed to rounded, which gives them easier grip, yet they are less clicky, and feel more rubbery to press. The D-pad is very soft, and far too similar to the current Xbox 360 controller design, which makes it feel junky. The analog sticks have smaller faces, and are more difficult to latch a thumb onto.

In fact, the rubbery feel of the PrecisionAIM influences much of the controller. Two rubber pads sit on both sides of the controller, intended to better the grip. It does, except for people with sweaty hands, for whom it does the exact opposite. The tighter triggers, after a good hour, actually put a strain on my hands, something I’d never felt before with any gamepad. Finally, the two rear buttons, which can take the place of any two face buttons, proved small and difficult to push unless I changed my grip style.

For a good two hours, I played poorly with the PrecisionAIM. In games like Halo: Reach, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Blood Stone and others, my performance was cut in half. But as I kept playing and acclimated to the new controller, I started playing better and better, especially in one specific field. And it ain’t from the glowing read thumbsticks.

The tighter analog sticks are intended for, guess what, precision. With a sniper rifle or any precision-based weapon, I was shooting better than I had in years. One game of Halo: Reach ended my count at 17 headshots with a sniper rifle, and four more with the DMR. The standard 360 controller is looser and is thus easier to move too much or too far, whereas the PrecisionAIM is very tight, and allows for slight, controlled movements much better than other gamepads.

Other button changes also proved to be a benefit instead of a detriment to gameplay. The Start and Back buttons are quick, easy to press and very clicky buttons. I always hated having to reach over and press them on the standard 360 controller, and that isn’t a problem with PrecisionAIM. The bumpers at first felt like they lacked firmness, but are actually tighter as well. They require less push to press, and have a satisfying click for each press. And the analog stick buttons (R3 & L3) are much, much easier to push, without being too easy to accidentally press.

That leaves just the grip on the analog sticks, and the rear buttons. Unfortunately, both are not up to par with PrecisionAIM’s biggest competitor. Grip on the analog sticks could be a deal-breaker. I found myself constantly fixing my grip on both sticks, because even without sweaty fingers, my thumbs just slide off of the thumbsticks.

In effect, the slippery nature of the controller as a whole ruins the rear buttons. A tighter grip is required on the controller to keep it steady, more pressure is needed for the thumbs to make sure they don’t slip, and that leaves the rest of your hand clutching the controller for dear life. It won’t give you arthritis or aching hands, but you won’t be pressing those rear buttons either. To press either one, I had to let go with my middle finger (on either had), move it up a centimeter, and press. That’s not nearly as easy as just hitting the button it’s meant to replace.

For the same price as an ordinary Xbox 360 controller, it’s tough to recommend the PrecisionAIM controller. Were it $40, then yes, the tighter controls and stiffer analog sticks would prove to be a great asset for gamers who find their gamepads too loose. Call of Duty fans may still want to pick up a set because of the great artwork, but besides that, there isn’t too much to praise about the PrecisionAIM. For more professional gamers seeking a tighter feel for more precise shooting, the PrecisionAIM is a fine choice to make. For regular gamers, not so much.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, like all the past Guitar Hero titles, comes with a brand new wireless guitar controller. While it doesn’t compare to the real guitar for the upcoming Rock Band 3, it’s pretty darn good in it’s own right. How good? We compare it to the past Guitar Hero guitars to find out.

The Guitar Hero franchise is built on, well, guitars. Obviously. The first plastic instrument for the Xbox 360 (not pictured) was wired, but each subsequent guitar is wireless. Numerous changes occurred since the earliest model, each getting closer to perfection. The original developers of Guitar Hero, Harmonix, took a different route for their music games, and frankly I can’t stand those models.

My affinity towards Activision and Neversoft’s guitars has been based on two major factors: the clicky strum bar and the very button-esque buttons. The resounding click of the strum bar gives confidence in each stroke, so I never feel like I didn’t strum, and more importantly, I know when I didn’t. The buttons feeling like buttons, something durable and curiously enjoyable to push. No one cares about realism when there’s 50 notes to play in 3 seconds on the screen. So long as I’m focused on playing well and not worrying about the buttons, I’m happy, and the Rock Band Guitars never gave that satisfactory feeling.

As for the wireless Guitar Hero guitars, not much has changed. The body has grown and evolved, and I like the openings where the sides connect to the base. It’s more convenient to move the guitar slightly by picking it up on the center, where the weight is. That center mass makes the guitar feel solid, more than the others, though I’ve dropped it twice now and both times the attached sides unclipped and fell off. They’re a snap (literally) to put back on.

Everything else is much tighter. The buttons feel just as good as the previous two guitars. (Note to new buyers, if you don’t already know, it takes about an hour to break in the new buttons. During this period, they’ll feel slightly unresponsive. You should continue playing with the guitar for at least two hours before worrying about poor responsiveness.) The strum bar is slightly louder, which can be a bother, especially in quiet settings. Likewise, the whammy bar is identical to the most recent previous model.

The big difference is in the battery enclosure (moved into the guitar neck), which is less convenient than the simple back panel of previous guitar, but barely so. I like that it keeps the weight distribution centered, and helps the neck feel more solid, ever so slightly. The back and start buttons are huge, especially the back button. And, compared to the most recent wireless controller, there is no more touch-sensitive fret bar. I actually told the guys at Activision while playtesting Guitar Hero 5 (or World Tour) that it’s useless, because moving your hand away from the buttons is too hard, and pressing the buttons super fast is actually pretty fun. So it was good to see them remove it completely in favor of a buttons-only guitar.

And playing on it? The best videogame guitar experience yet. With past guitars, I wore an armband because my wrists would hurt from leaning on the sharp edges. Activision fixed with their latest axe. It feels good to hold, mostly because of the centered weight. The strum bar is a tad loud, and I found that playing Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock with headphones is much more enjoyable than with speakers. The openings on the sides, and the larger back button, help gameplay move along faster because there are multiple ways you can strum, all equally comfortable. Prior guitars were very specific in how users could hold the guitar, so it’s nice to finally have plenty of options.

I absolutely recommend purchasing the new guitar, if you need to upgrade. There isn’t a big enough difference to switch from either previous wireless guitar, but if you’ve had yours for years and it’s time to upgrade, definitely do so now.

The Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Guitar is available only as a bundle, with the game, on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii. The bundle retails for $100 at all major electronics and videogame retailers.

I’ve never been one to stray off the path of the proprietary console controller, but recently I had the opportunity to test out the Thrustmaster Limited Edition Ferrari PS3/PC Gamepad.  While I enjoyed a couple key aspects of this gamepad, I think PC gamers will have a better time with this than controller, but that is probably based on sheer lack of better available controllers for that platform.

First off, the controller requires a USB dongle in addition to two AAA batteries to operate.  One or the other would have been cooler, but both is a little lame.  Without Bluetooth functionality you can’t turn on the PS3 so you’ve got to either turn the PS3 on through an additional controller, the Bluetooth remote or at the console itself.

The contours of the Ferrari Gamepad were sleek and welcomed, and the overall aesthetic is a red and black metallic gleam mixed with brand names and symbols.  The top half of the gamepad is constructed of a glossy smooth plastic, whereas the bottom half had a light sticky grip that was easy and comfortable to hold.  With the AAA batteries in place the controller felt a little front heavy but nothing that would really hamper gameplay.

What does hamper game play is the button layout.  The Shoulder buttons are too thin and the triggers are a bit too curved.  You can hear the trigger springs after each pull and it makes you think that they just might break if you get too excited.  Beyond that they were responsive enough, just a little too ramshackle for my tastes.

The analog sticks probably felt the nicest of the bunch.  While overly sensitive, they really felt at home under your thumb and played great across a variety of games.  Clicking them was tougher than on the Sony Ps3 controller, but it’s nothing you couldn’t get used to.  You could see the inner workings of each analog stick in terms of pieces and while it looked kind of cool, they are left wide open for liquid spills, dust, and boogers.

The symbol buttons (which are also numbered on the Ferrari Gamepad) are very round and bulbous.  They reacted fine but don’t give you the action as found in the original PS3 controller – I ended up just missing the flatter ones from the PS3 gamepad.  The “press distance” is about the same as the PS3 controller but it feels longer because the button is essentially taller and much more rotund.

The D pad, which is way nicer than the Xbox 360 isn’t nearly as responsive as the PS3 gamepad.  It’s loosely connected and requires concerted presses to get the action you want.  It doesn’t feel all that bad but in the end it just winds up being more frustrating than anything else.  The Home, Map, and Set buttons are tiny LED lights that bring you to the PS3′s function menu and the other two direct programming commands.  More on them later.

The Thrustmaster Limited Edition Ferrari PS3/PC Gamepad does have some controls that you won’t find on any other game controller.  Surrounding the D pad and off to the left is a trigger wheel with two paddles.  It’s basically used as an additional steering wheel and was quite responsive.  I wouldn’t say that it’s a better alternative to the analog stick, but what’s cool about it is that you can program it to act as shifters in racing games.  There’s also two extra buttons tucked into a not that convenient place underneath the controller.  They’re apable of being programmed as well, but are kind of worthless since they are jammed so close to the protruding battery compartment.

That brings me to the next section.  The programming should be way more intuitive.  The instruction manual isn’t clear and it took me a bunch of trial and errors until I got the buttons to perform as I wished them to.  More annoying than anything it was easy to give up on the programmable controls because I ended up just not caring enough.

What was cool about the gamepad – I wished PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers would do this – is that they do a great job of conserving the batteries’ juice.  They automatically sense when nothing’s going on and shut down in a couple minutes, unlike the PS3 and Xbox 360 controller which are content to to let the batteries drain on.

Well, that’s about it.  Upon unboxing the Thrustmaster, I was really excited to try a 3rd party controller.  Unfortunately, I was ultimately disappointed by the design and performance and didn’t really enjoy any of the games I played with it.  I tried sports, racing, action/adventure and in the end of it all I really just wanted to pick up my trusty PS3 controller.

If you so happen to hate the PS3 pad or need a game controller for your PC then I’d say give the Thrustmaster Limited Edition Ferrari Gamepad a try.  Oh, the limited edition part is just a silver sticker with a number plastered on the back.  However, buy a couple boxed ones, and you could maybe make some money on eBay in 30 or so years.

Pros:

• Relatively lightweight
• Nice contours
• Great auto shut off

Cons:

• Weak programming
• Odd button placement
• Needs batteries and dongle

Buy the Thrustmaster Limited Edition Ferrari PS3/PC Gamepad for $38!

Whatever game this is actually controlling, it’s definitely not for the kiddies.  Only available from some Russian T-Shirt site called MaryJane, you can choose from a bunch of colors.  $42 might seem a bit steep, but considering the application it may be well worth it.  Would it have the same effect if a chesty man wore it at the club?

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It’s about time Razer started to build some gaming gear for us console gamers.  Availability is still TBD, but we do know, aside from the slight aesthetic differences over the regular Xbox 360 controller, that the Onza controller includes their hyper response buttons, an analog stick with adjustable tension and a multifunction button that can act as “as one of the action buttons, the analog stick buttons or an auto-fire button by using a sliding selector switch on the bottom of the controller”.   Unfortunately, it’s not wire free – that whole lag thing – and will cost $50 when it hits the street later this year.

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With Christmas tree set-up creeping around the corner, gamers and holiday enthusiasts will embrace these cool looking game controller ornaments designed by Ponoko.  Sold in sets of 7 with multiple color choices to choose from I was instantly struck with some quality nostalgia upon seeing these.

On sale now for $25 a set.  Get your Yule Log on.

[via UnPlggd]

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What will probably rank as the weirdest Wii controller yet, teen mothers and nanny’s alike will flock to this new “Baby & Me” controller.  The controller is essentially a small doll that features a loading slot for a Wii remote.

Capable of tracking feeding, playing, and excessive shaking motions, I’m sure it will also work well with Wii Bowling.  I bet there are some sickos out there that are wondering if this controller is compatible with the microwave one.

Whatever the case…creepy.

No word yet on price or availability.

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Good lord.  I am constantly vexed by all these seemingly worthless products making it to the assembly line.  Last week we saw the Undead Japanese Warrior controller for the PS3, and this week we have the Fire Breathing Dragon controller for the Xbox 360.

While it looks cool at first glance, shortly upon second glance the question arises about the ergonomics of this controller.  Is it comfortable?  Even with the removable tail I really don’t think so.

If you care, this Dragon Controller is priced around $29 and is compatible with Windows Vista, XP, 2000, ME and 98 as well as supporting vibration functions.

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While silver PS3 accessories were only available in Japan, Sony has just released a DualShock controller in the United States.  On sale now at GameStop online for $55, you can finally get the silver controller you’ve always wanted.  Will this be the start of more silver lined peripherals in the US?

[via Obsessable]

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Peripheral gaming will no doubt hit your wallet like a mugger.  The new Tony Hawk game Ride will hit stores on October 13th and retail at a mammoth $120 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii.  You’d better like it then.  I can just picture all the kids falling off this thing and into the Christmas Tree this holiday.  I had a buddy that did that, except he was riding a nitrous tank.  Will this game live up to the mass amounts of hype it will receive post E3?

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Features:

• Wireless OEM controller for the PS3
• Wii like motion control
• Bluetooth connectivity

Buy it: Sony Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller – $50