Joystiq hands-on: Mad Catz Arcade GameStick (Xbox 360)
After accidentally bursting on the scene last year following an EB Games website error, the Mad Catz Arcade GameStick is the peripheral that looked to bring a more authentic (and less clunky) experience to much of the Xbox Live Arcade line-up. The game stick delivers that authentic experience, along with a few included games. The only problem gamers may have is remembering what it's like to use a joystick.
The controller retails at $59.99, ten dollars more than than we were originally quoted in August, and includes three Xbox Live Arcade games (Frogger, Astro Pop and Time Pilot), downloadable using the included codes. The USB wired controller can also be used with Windows XP.
The controller works perfectly with games like Frogger and Pac-Man. If you play these classic games often enough, this controller will solve a lot of complaints surrounding the use of the normal Xbox 360 controller. The joystick also has a button on top of the stick, which functions as the A button. If we could think of a single flight sim game off the top of our heads for the 360, that button would come in handy as a replacement trigger button. The Mad Catz game stick is great for the classics and, with some creative thinking, could also be used with newer games.
