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Razer's adjustable Onza 360 Tournament Edition controller hands-on at CES 2011
Not so fond of the resistance level on that stock Xbox 360 controller? Hello, solution! Razer just trotted out the Tournament Edition and Standard Edition controllers, and we stopped by to have a look. The company told us that it has been working on perfecting the resistance mechanism on the Tournament Edition ($49.99) for months on end, and the end product was as solid as a rock. Both analog joysticks are capable of being independently tightened or loosened with respect to resistance, and it also touts an added shoulder button that can be reassigned to do pretty much anything via an intuitive button / menu process on the rear of the controller -- that's shown in more detail down in the gallery below. There's also a rubberized feel to the grip, backlit buttons and a braided cable, whereas the $39.99 Standard edition lacks the adjustable resistance, backlighting, rubber finish and cable braiding. Representatives for the company noted that the next logical step would be to concoct a wireless version and to eventually introduce a PlayStation 3 variant with resistant analog sticks, but no one was ready (or willing) to talk release dates. As for these Onzas? Pre-orders will start on the 17th, with shipments to hopefully follow in "soon." %Gallery-113050%
Razer refreshes Onza 360 controller with new Tournament and Standard Editions
Is your Xbox 360's bundled controller not loving you quite like it should? Razer's ready to pick you up on the rebound with its updated Onza controller for Microsoft's console. The Tournament Edition offers analog sticks with adjustable resistance, an improved D-pad, backlit action buttons, and a pair of added programmable keys. The Standard version eschews the backlight and analog customizability, but keeps the other improvements. Pre-orders for both begin on January 17th, with the Tournament costing $50 / €50 and the Standard asking for $40 / €40. %Gallery-113047%
Final Fantasy XIV PC controller debuts in dazzling white
Been itching to wrap your mitts around the latest Final Fantasy chapter? Well, we trust you've already obtained the FF XIV-endorsed WiFi router from Planex, so why not complete the set with the official PC controller from Sunflex? Coming in a snowy white enclosure, it doesn't stray far from the Dual Shock recipe that most PC gamepad makers like to cook from, although it does offer curiously elongated hand grips. Are Final Fantasy players generally larger than the average gamer or is this just a more ergonomic design for those 20-hour grinding sessions in the world that Square Enix built?
Pink DualShock 3 arriving September 21, who's manly enough to buy one?
Should the classy white, or the patriotic red and blue PlayStation controllers not take your fancy, Sony's rolling out another hue just for you, discerning consumer: pink! The Japanese maker of everything with an electronic pulse has a bit of a tradition with this color and it's not like the great PS3 hasn't been licked by a few strokes of red lite before. Pricing is your typical $54.99 for this wireless console commander and GameStop should have them in within a couple of weeks.
Xbox 360's transforming D-pad controller gets handled on video
Boy, we've gone from rumor to hands-on experience in just a couple of days with this thing. Microsoft's November 9-bound Xbox 360 controller refresh couldn't escape the clutches of Joystiq, who have put together a neat photo gallery and video overview. That chrometastic new D-pad is clearly the headliner here, and the early feedback is that it works well -- it takes a bit of effort to transform from a flat button to the elevated four-way navigator you see above, but that's apparently a good thing as it means you'll never flip modes by accident in the middle of a hot and heavy gaming session. The analog buttons have also been subjected to some nipping and tucking and there is of course a new desaturated color scheme to explore as well. You'll find a shot of the retail packaging after the break and a lot more at the source. Update: Video now embedded after the break.
Black Ops controllers aren't stealthy enough to avoid pre-release detection
Another autumn is fast approaching, which to FPS gamers mean only one thing: time to prepare to heed the next Call of Duty. In a repeat of last year's controller bonanza, Mad Catz is producing a litany of licensed Black Ops peripherals -- for the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC -- and we've now got the first imagery of their appearance. The new gear hasn't been made official just yet, but what you see here should be a good representation of the final product. Above is the 360 controller, which will share a major new feature with its PS3 brother: precision aiming. It's a simple lowering of the analog sticks' sensitivity when you want to do some more precise work and will be toggled by the use of "combat" buttons on the controller's back. MSRPs are expected to land at just under $50 for the console pads and $100 for a rebadged Cyborg Rat PC mouse and accompanying 2GB USB dog tag. You'll find a video and more pictures after the break.
Play SNES on your jailbroken iPad, with an iPhone as controller (video)
Not every Apple addict is lucky enough to own an iPad, iPhone and the means to jailbreak both, but if you belong to that elite group you're in for a treat: SNES HD for iPad. Built on ZodTTD's existing iPhone emulator, the new code has Super Mario World looking positively fantastic at the iPad's 768p. Better still, it works with the ControlPad app for iPhone, giving you look-alike wireless controls alongside the nostalgia of its ROM select screen. "Coming soon" to Cydia; see it in action after the break.
Hori Real Arcade Pro Premium VLX has a name to match its size, price
Shoulder buttons? Never heard of 'em. Give us all our buttons in a nice rainbow-shaped array and a big stick for our southpaw and leave us well enough alone. Hori, the company behind the most righteous Tekken 6 arcade controller, is back with a Street Fighter-inspired effort for the true enthusiasts out there. This new deck is a direct copy of the Sanwa arcade cabinets housing Street Fight IV, meaning you can finally take your epic fighting skills home without fearing the misshapen things other people call controllers. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the Real Arcade Pro Premium VLX will be shipping by the end of March, and you can hit the Joystiq link below to find out how to import one for yourself.
Latest iControlPad prototype bulks up, gets handled on video
It's been a while since we last got an update from ZodTTD on his iControlPad iPhone controller accessory, but this latest prototype looks like it was worth the wait. The controls have been moved from the sides of the phone to a more comfortable-seeming bottom placement with dual analog sticks and rear-mounted triggers, and the whole thing's gotten bigger and badder -- there's even an internal battery for charging your phone as you play. ZodTTD says actual shipping hardware is coming soon -- just make sure you change that default root password if you decide to jailbreak and grab one, mkay? P.S.- ZodTTD says another video featuring psx4iphone and a "pretty sweet Wipeout XL demo" is coming shortly on his YouTube channel, we'll keep you updated.
SplitFish Dual SFX Frag Pro pairs button-enriched mouse with 'fragchuck,' ships November 10
For those of you not paying attention in class, SplitFish is a peripherals maker that, true to its name (or half its name, anyway), offers PS3 controllers that split the left and right hand controls into separate parts. The Dual SFX Frag Pro, its latest, comes with a 2,000dpi laser mouse to tempt those last few PC gamer holdouts to the dark side of consoles, and a three shoulder button-equipped directional pad for navigation. What can we say, it looks weird as hell, but the more we thought about it, the more we wanted to get our hands on a set to see just how games played with this unorthodox control scheme. Should you share our interest, you'll also want to know that pre-orders are being taken now for a cent under $90 in the US or a penny short of £80 in the UK, and shipping starts November 10. [Via SlashGear]
NuVo Technologies ships Wireless Control Pad
Heads-up, NuVo Technologies fans -- the outfit's swank Wireless Control Pad, which was unveiled at CEDIA, is now shipping. For those unaware, this little bugger can be used to control your Grand Concerto and / or Essentia E6G multi-room audio systems, not to mention the sources attached to them. The unit itself includes a 1.6-inch OLED display and checks in at around 5- x 2- x ~0.5-inches, but if you thought such a small package would run you cheap, you're sorely mistaken. Bundled with the Network Coordinator and Charging Dock, the Control Pad will run you $799, while the Pad alone goes for $599.
PS3 pad loses DualShock name and vibration but picks up Wii-esque motion detection and wireless connectivity
In a shocking turn of events, the PS3 controller has gone from banamerang to wireless DualShock 3, except without the DualShock name and vibration.If you take a good look at the back of the new control pad (see the close-up above), you'll notice that the DualShock 2 brand name imprinted on the old controller has now been supplanted by a row of LED lights to show which input has been set, either wirelessly or via the wired USB recharge port. Sony's now the only name in-line for PS3 controllers either on the pad or in the press releases (see "the new PS3 controller").
