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Editorials   Third-Party Controller Extravaganza
- By Michael Loewer

Several weeks ago, two third-party peripheral companies, MadCatz and Gamester, sent us a few selections from their controller line-up for our staff -- specifically me -- to play with and review. I apologize to them for this delay, as it is not our usual policy to wait so long, in fact quite the opposite. My only truthful excuse is that an amazing woman entered my life, and hopefully that is enough of an explanation for the romantics in all of us.

Now that we've got that out of the way, may I present the controller blowout entrants:

We'll be walking through each of these controllers one-by-one, obviously focusing primarily on the ones from MadCatz and Gamester and using the Nintendo controllers as a baseline comparison. Actually, as far as that goes, we'll only really be using the mighty WaveBird as the official Nintendo standard, since its layout is identical to the regular controller.

On that note, here's a close-up of the WaveBird so that you may more easily compare the differences between the third-party and official controller layouts and construction:



Alrighty, so to start the discussion we'll begin with the Control Pad Pro from MadCatz since it's the only controller that particular company sent, and it's my favorite apart from the official controllers.

Right away you'll notice the primary difference between the Control Pad Pro and the Nintendo standard, and that's the length and feel of the grips. If you're wondering, yes, they really are that big and those rubber pads on the side are very noticeable when you hold the controller in your hand.



Before using this controller initially, my first thought was that it was going to feel exceptionally bulky due to the size of the grips. This pleasantly turned out to be untrue, as the grips do not affect the distance the buttons are from your fingers nor slow finger movement in any way.

Instead, you can very snugly feel the grips down the entire length of your palms and the extra rubber padding holds the controller in place very well. This kind of setup could conceivably get old after a while, since very few games would require this level of stability and the controller does begin to feel a tad bulky over time. However, for games where exact control is key, such as Super Monkey Ball for example, this controller is perfect (as long as you can keep your own hands from shaking).

Plus, honestly, my complaint about it feeling bulky over time was actually somewhat of a stretch and due only to my being desperate to find something negative to report on. In truth, this is one of the better third-party controllers I've tried and could easily see myself using it regularly even though other controllers are available.

Since we're on the subject of being really picky with complaints though, let me at least comment on the analog control stick. It's got a rubberized top, and so in that respect should grip just as well as the official analog control sticks. Unfortunately, MadCatz decided to add a smooth plastic knob to the center, apparently for aesthetic value. This is slippery, and although it's a very minor thing, it does make it a tad more difficult to keep your likely sweaty thumb in the center of the stick.

Another huge positive feature however is MadCatz's implementation of a fully programmable macro button located in the center of the controller just below the start button. The macro can be programmed with up to 10 button presses, with simultaneous button presses counting as one and holding a button down counting as several (game experimentation can be necessary to see exactly what works). Is there a really complicated trick that feels almost impossible to pull off in the game of your choice? No problem, just program the macro and then with that one press you'll pull off the trick perfectly every time.

Yes, you're a cheater too. So there.

Oh, and really quick:



Not only does MadCatz correctly produce Cube controllers with gigantic shoulder buttons, but the Control Pad Pro also has dual Z-triggers. I'm not left-handed and therefore a complete mutant to the normal order of things, so it doesn't really matter to me, but at least they're thinking of the lesser humans.

Moving along...



Gamester sent us two controllers, the first of which being the Bandit which you may view above. Right away you can see several differences between this controller and either the MadCatz Control Pad Pro or the official Nintendo controllers. First of all, Gamester has attempted moving in the polar opposite direction of MadCatz as far as grip size is concerned and shortened them further. Although certainly not a devastating flaw by any means, this does still force even someone with average-sized hands to cramp them slightly in an attempt to hold the controller steady.

Other differences include:

The B-button is now kidney-shaped again, a throwback to one of Nintendo's early official models before they made the B-button a smaller circle for the final model. Returning it to a kidney shape doesn't make any sense to me -- Nintendo gamers specifically are very used to circular, easily accessible A and B -buttons. On that note, why even keep the B-button red? I don't know about you guys, but I'm not really sure this scenario would occur in a game:

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"Okay, mini-boss, prepare to be crushed by my magma-based particle cannon of extreme prejudice. All I have to do is press B and you're toast..."

::time passes::

"Sweet merciful crap, my fingers know not where they press -- where in the hell is the B-button?! Ah yes, as I recall from my extended reading of the controller instruction manual and attached warranty card, the B-button is painted red."

::looks down::

"Eureka!"

---------

Yes, I know I'm lame already.

As far as other complaints go, the analog control stick is nicely indented to fit your thumb but is made of a nicely polished plastic. There's no gripping rubber or accented ridges or anything to keep your sickeningly moist thumb in place. In addition, the D-Pad is "separated" into four distinct buttons, most likely for aesthetic value. That's nice and all, but it makes moving from direction to direction more difficult and diagonal presses even tougher than that.

The Bandit has it's flaws, but it's a solid piece of hardware just the same. If for some reason you were completely unable to get anything official from Nintendo, this controller would be considered an adaquate substitute.

And finally...



I really don't want to write this portion of the feature because honestly, I'm so thoroughly dissapointed with this bizarre little controller masquerading as a "racing wheel."

My first reaction was that it would implement some sort of internal device reminiscent of Kirby's Tilt 'n Tumble. We know the technology exists to create extremely small gyroscopic measuring devices in order to track tilt and the speed of said tilt. Let's just say Gamester chose not to implement this technology and created a mockery of true racing wheel makers everywhere.

With the wheel lock disengaged, the left side of the controller ONLY is able to slide a ways up or down the curved silver support rod you see at the bottom. The right side is completely stationary. Basically, pulling up on the left side of the controller will turn your vehicle right, while pulling down turns it left. Basically, all gamester did was create an alternative for pressing left and right on the analog joystick -- this is NOT a steering wheel.

There's more I can complain about:

Apparently Gamester uses the indented (but slippery plastic) analog joysticks, strange little separated D-pad, and kidney-shaped B-button on all of their controllers -- and these are here too just like on the Bandit. To top it all off, look at where the Z-trigger is located on this incredible piece of hardware...

Dude, I know.

How is one to press that thing during say, a first-person shooter? Hey, it's supposed to be an all-purpose controller in addition to a "steering wheel" -- bwahahahahaaa!

Anywho, apparently all Gamester controllers for the Cube suffer from at least one other obvious design flaw:



Those shoulder buttons look a tad small, eh? This is especially true on the Pro Racer, since they're sittting on an angled piece of plastic even farther away from the fingers than normal.

So the final tally is as follows...

Nintendo Controllers: Rock the House
MadCatz Control Pad Pro: Excellent Choice
Gamester Bandit: Barely a Runner-Up
Gamester Pro Racer: Bwaaahahahahaaaa...!


Now I'll be heading back to my girl...


Michael Loewer

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Agree with what I'm saying? Disagree? Let us know your thoughts on this issue in our mail bag. The views of Michael Loewer are not necessarily the views of NGenres.com or its affiliates.