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Saitek flight gear replicates Cessna 172 Skyhawk, lets you simulate lazy Sunday flyovers
Sure, some flight-sim junkies want to imagine themselves dogfighting with an F-16, afterburners screaming as they climb into the sky. But for virtual pilots less interested in white-knuckle air warfare, Mad Catz has unveiled a product line based on that ubiquitous trainer, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. The company's Saitek brand now offers a Yoke ($200), Trim Wheel ($50), and Rudder Pedals ($210), all officially licensed from the airplane manufacturer. Buy them all together and you'll receive a free Flight Switch Panel, thereby completing your cockpit ensemble. Remember, though: you're in this for the pure, majestic joy of simulated flight. It's not a competition, so don't let this guy and his $300,000 flight simulator get under your skin. Cool?
Mad Catz moves beyond peripherals and into Xbox 360 game publishing
We already knew that peripheral maker Mad Catz was getting its proverbial feet wet in the game development business with War Wings: Hell Catz. What we didn't know is that the hardware manufacturer is also interested in Xbox 360 console-specific publishing. Earlier today, the company announced its intentions to step into the ring with the likes of EA and Activision by formalizing an "Xbox 360 Publisher License Agreement," allowing Mad Catz the ability to publish retail titles on Microsoft's console. "The execution of the Xbox 360 Publisher License Agreement marks an important milestone as we pursue our longer term goal of expanding our participation in developing, publishing and distributing games," Mad Catz President and CEO Darren Richardson remarked in the announcement. It's still unclear whether the company's first game -- the aforementioned War Wings -- will make a debut on Xbox 360 as well as the PC, or whether Mad Catz will pursue other titles first.
Mad Catz brings Mac support to R.A.T. gaming mice
Mac users certainly have quite a few more gaming options these days than they once did, and they can now also add Mad Catz's series of Cyborg R.A.T. gaming mice to that list. The company finally released some Mac drivers for the complete range of mice today, which will let you take advantage of all the advanced features Windows users are already accustomed to. Those still putting off that Snow Leopard update will have to take care of that first, however, as the drivers won't accept anything less.
Mad Catz co-branded Xbox 360 / Tritton headsets: eyes-on, ears-off
You don't nab the exclusive rights to create Xbox 360 branded headphones and not put some theoretical hutzpah into it: at E3 this week, Mad Catz is showing off a trio of co-branded Tritton / Xbox 360 cans, or at least a trio of fragile plastic facsimiles. These three mock-ups the Catz crew showed us represent the physical design of the Warhead, Devastator, and Detonator models of the co-branded line of headsets -- sporting wireless Dobly 7.1 surround sound, wireless analog, and USB connectivity, respectively. While all three models promise a slew of special sound features, the two wireless models have an exclusive shine: Xbox 360 microphone support without tethering themselves to the console's controller or using a chat dongle. Not that we got to hear for ourselves; the mock-ups were non-functional, and fragile enough that show staff wasn't feeling our enthusiasm for an ears-on demo. Still, we could dig ditching headset-to-controller leashes. Check out the gallery below to see all the bells, whistles, and switches, or hit the break for some meaty PR. %Gallery-125710%
Mad Catz' exclusive Xbox 360 wireless headphones revealed: integrated voice chat, 5.8GHz base station
Remember how Mad Catz scored the exclusive rights to produce Xbox 360 wireless headphones? Here's the deal: these cans don't need to be tethered to your controller for voice chat or plugged into a wall to charge. According to IGN, the new Mad Catz Warhead 7.1 will get everything it needs from a base station connected to your console. String USB and optical cables directly from the Xbox 360 to that tiny tower above, and you'll reportedly get enough 5.8GHz bandwidth to deliver virtual Dolby surround sound to four pairs of headphones at once -- plus wireless Xbox LIVE audio chat thanks to some native support from Microsoft. What's more, the USB base station will also give you an on-screen battery readout, and if the Warhead runs out of juice, you'll find a second swappable battery pack sitting in the base station's charger. If that sounds too rich for your blood, the Devastator will ditch the surround sound and rechargeable batteries while retaining the same connectivity and 50mm drivers of its premium brother. How much that'll cost you is still to be determined, though Mad Catz told IGN they'll all ring up under $300 this holiday.
MadCatz making Sims-branded peripherals
Just in time to capitalize on the Sims fever that's sweeping the nation, MadCatz has announced it will produce a line of accessories based on the life simulation series for pretty much every platform on the market (including 3DS). There are no images or further details on the "wide range" of peripherals, but we'd really appreciate a time-saving controller equipped with a "have sex with all present" button and another macro-button for "lock character in room with no doors or windows until they defecate themselves to death, their last vision the stink lines emanating from their pre-corpse."
Mad Catz snatches up exclusive rights to Xbox 360 wireless headphones
The crazy kitties over at Mad Catz have signed yet another licensing agreement to further sink their claws into the world of gaming peripherals -- they've just sealed a deal with Microsoft to be the exclusive supplier of Xbox 360 wireless headphones, as well as non-exclusive rights for wired 360 headphones. All products under the agreement will bear the Xbox logo, as well as the signature "T" from Mad Catz's recently acquired Tritton series, but don't go out looking for them anytime soon -- these cats won't mark their territory until Christmas 2011.
Mad Catz rolls out Mac-compatible Tritton See2 series USB video cards, See2 Xtreme for Windows
It's been quite a while since Tritton last cropped up on our radar, but the company was acquired by Mad Catz last summer, and it's now announced a new range of Mac-compatible, 720p-supporting external video cards. That includes updated versions of its existing SEE2 UV150 external VGA video card and SEE2 XD300 Xpress Docking Station (with VGA, Ethernet, four USB ports, and mic and speaker ports), along with the all new SEE2 Xtreme UV250 external video card, which packs both VGA and DVI ports and supports resolutions up to 1920 x 1200, but is apparently only compatible with Windows. Look for it to be available in April for $100, while two Mac-compatible devices will be available next month for $60 and $100. Full press release is after the break.
Mad Catz announces 3DS accessory line, new Wii controllers
Seeing accessories designed for 3DS is almost as cool as seeing the 3DS, right? We hope so, because we've got images of new 3DS accessories by Mad Catz. For CES, the company has revealed a line of accessories for the glasses-free 3D handheld including the lunchbox-like, $20 Traveller Bag, designed to hold a system, two styli, and up to 21 games, and the $13 Microsuede Slipcase, a smaller, plush case for the device. Other 3DS accessories not pictured include screen protectors and styli, about which you can find more details after the break. The manufacturer also unveiled new Wii controllers: the $35 Reactor and $30 Reactor Plus are new takes on the Wiimote, with the Reactor Plus including MotionPlus built-in. Both will also be available in "Micro" versions for the same price. a "Reflex" Nunchuk-alike will also be available.%Gallery-113063%
Sonic the Hedgehog will charge your Wiimote inductively, but he won't like it
He may be flashing a peace sign, but you can tell from the look in his eyes that Sonic isn't exactly thrilled to be doing anything to support Nintendo. This is the cat that made blast processing a reality, whose addiction for gold rings is legendary, and who hasn't starred in a truly great game since, well, since Sega stopped making hardware, now reduced to this. Look at him, perched atop a mock floating platform, brown and tan checkerboard base with a green top where you can set your Wiimotes for charging without stripping them of their prophylactics. Though the press release makes no mention of this, we were led to believe that this is not actually powered by your AC outlet, instead by the spirits of fuzzy little squirrels and rabbits trapped within, making this $49.99 figurine from Mad Catz all the more nefarious.
Mad Catz ships Rock Band 3 MIDI Pro adapter, gives your keyboard and drum set new life
Talk about just in time. With merely weeks to go before Mr. Claus makes his wintry journey 'round the globe, Mad Catz has decided to finally ship a peripheral that was introduced way back in June. Without a doubt, the MIDI Pro adapter is one of the more intriguing music game accessories to hit the open market, enabling Rock Band 3 owners to use most MIDI keyboards and drum sets with the title. The box is shipping as we speak for Sony's PS3 and Nintendo's Wii, and the Xbox 360 variant should be headed to Best Buy in the coming hours. If you'll recall, this guy's also designed to work with the forthcoming Rock Band 3 Squier guitar / controller, and it even features a velocity sensitive adjustment for MIDI drums designed to reduce cross-talk during play. At $39.99, it's a no-brainer for those who already own a MIDI instrument or two, but we just might be more excited about the hacking possibilities than anything else. DIYers, get at it! %Gallery-108753%
Rock Band 3 Fender Mustang Pro guitar review
Next week's Rock Band 3 launch marks a giant step for the franchise, with the pro mode edging its gameplay closer to actual musicianship. The keyboards and drums are easier transitions to make, given what's essentially one-to-one mapping for notes and logical input solutions. But what about a guitar, arguably the genre's flagship instrument? We've seen and tried two solutions to the pro guitar input conundrum: the Squier Stratocaster, an actual guitar that's still not ready for primetime, and the Mad Catz Fender Mustang, a 102-button replica more reminiscent of peripheral than instrument. Still, with a mid-November release date, the latter's likely to be your only official option for pro guitar rocking this holiday. So, how does it fare? Read on to find out! P.S. For all your other Rock Band 3 queries, check out Joystiq's exhaustive review! %Gallery-105735%
Exclusive: Mad Catz Cyborg Rat 9 review
In a world full of the shapely blobs we call computer mice, the Cyborg Rat stands out. It's skeletal, metallic, and almost completely asymmetrical. Though most mice are one-size-fit-few, the Rat lets you transform the hardware itself to fit the shape of your hand. It's got two scroll wheels and a special button that lowers DPI while it's held -- and this new Rat 9, due out November, is completely wireless as well. Whereas Razer, Microsoft and Logitech all built their premium wireless gaming mice from scratch -- and with cord-based charging in mind -- the Rat 9 instead integrates a hot-swappable battery pack and a 2.4GHz radio into the same modular design. Is it a half-baked attempt at wireless bliss, or do we have a new king of mice? Find out after the break in our full review. %Gallery-105601%
PlayStation Move accessories charge controllers, keep your pesky imagination in check
If there's anything Microsoft's Kinect has over the PlayStation Move -- neither seem to have a killer app -- it's that peripheral manufacturers (hopefully) won't be able to generate wave after wave of cheap plastic junk to wave in front of a camera. As you can imagine, PlayStation Move peripheral purveyors have no such problem, and Nyko, Mad Catz, Interworks, CTA Digital, PDP and more are pumping out plenty of plastic shells and chargers for those ball-tipped motion controllers. Hit the links below to just see how far we haven't come. Read - GamingBits Read - IGN Read - Amazon
Mad Catz's Black Ops PrecisionAim gamepads and Stealth mouse hands-on
Mad Catz' Modern Warfare 2 peripherals won't know what hit them when Black Ops debuts this fall -- the quality of the company's gamepads has increased yet again, and of course, this year the Call of Duty-flavored lineup ships with a genuine R.A.T. mouse. We snuck down the streets of San Francisco for a top secret rendezvous to test these controllers out, and discovered a pair of the most comfortable gamepads we've tried for our trouble. Read our full impressions after the break -- totally declassified. %Gallery-101645%
Mad Catz sales down 11 percent in Q2, no thanks to Street Fighter 4
Activision isn't the only company that dropped financial facts on us today -- accessory maker Mad Catz also held a conference call to do some fiscal reporting, and the outlook wasn't so good over there. Q2 2010's net sales were reported as $19.9 million, which is down 11 percent from the same period last year. Mad Catz blamed the fall on a lack of Street Fighter 4 accessory sales, but said the rest of the year should be fine, with its official Rock Band 3's accessories plus an assortment of stands, cases, chargers and the like due out for Move and Kinect as well. Elsewhere in the report, Mad Catz notes that North American sales were the biggest loss, while sales in Europe and other countries rose. And while the Xbox 360 and Wii accessory sales held fairly steady, the PlayStation 3 saw a loss of about five points from 24 percent to 19. Audio products saw a big jump, which Mad Catz says is because of the recent Tritton Technologies acquisition.
Saitek keeps flight simulation alive with new gear, no word on robot air hostesses
Microsoft may have axed its Flight Simulator franchise a little while back, but it appears that there are still enough virtual pilots out there to keep Mad Catz abuzz with making new apparatus. In fact, the notoriously expensive Saitek Pro Flight range will be seeing an addition of three new products in October. First we have the self-explanatory Backlit Information Panel, which could probably double as a pricey mood light if you have $149.00 / £129.99 / €149.99 to spare. Next up is the identically-priced Throttle, Pitch and Mixture System box that's supposed to replicate the controls found on the Cessna, Piper and Money Bravo light aircrafts. If these two modules fail to drain your piggy bank, you could always fork out another $199.99 / £179.99 / €199.99 for the F16 / F35-inspired, die-cast alloy Combat Rudder Pedals. Bundle these with the other Saitek hardware and you might get close to having the full cockpit.
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.
Rock Band 3 Fender Mustang Pro guitar controller and MIDI-Pro adapter eyes-on
We still can't get time with the Fender Mustang Pro guitar controller while actually playing Rock Band 3, but the gang at the Mad Catz booth were fine enough with us letting us toy around on its own, sans game. So, how does it feel just silently going through chords and scales? Sturdy as can be, sure, and the 100-plus buttons for the neck feel like they'll stand up for a good bit of time. That said, it felt harder than a real guitar locating the strings and frets -- especially a pain for faster chord changing. Also a burden? No ability to bend strings -- not that you'll be able to bend on the Squier Stratocaster either, as it turns out, but that's a whole 'nother issue. We also got some eyes on the MIDI Pro Adapter for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii; there isn't much to look at for now, but if you get your kicks from plastic dongles, hey, we've got all the photos you need below. %Gallery-95481% %Gallery-95483%
Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster plays both real and virtual guitar... at the same time (video)
As unfair as it is, what initially gave us hesitation about Mad Catz and Squier's Stratocaster Pro guitar controller was that, well, it's Fender's second-tier brand. Despite these prejudices from our youth, Harmonix pretty much sold us on it with one pretty badass trick: the ability to simultaneously play Rock Band 3 on Pro Expert and rock the same tune through an amplifier. Bonus: in the presentation we saw, extra notes and added fills didn't seem to affect score. So, that just about turns the uncanny valley of plastic peripherals on its head. Just make sure you crank your TV's sound system to 11 to not be drowned out from what's likely an even worse screw-up sound. See for yourself in the video after the break (caution: a few naughty words contained within).%Gallery-95362%