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Thrustmaster puts a board on your (balance) board

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 5th 2009 at 10:30PM }

For those of you who aren't totally bored with boards and board-based peripherals, Thrustmaster has just the thing for you. Introducing the T-Freestyle NW, a skateboard attachment designed specifically for the Wii Balance Board. The peripheral is crafted of maple and includes "Rolling Motion Board" technology for "true lateral movement capabilities." Also, unlike your real skateboard, the T-Freestyle NW includes a "safety stopper" to keep overzealous virtual skaters and snowboarders from tipping over.

Perhaps such a peripheral could interfere with games designed to work with a naked Balance Board but, assuming it works as advertised, the T-Freestyle NW just might be the thing to make your extreme games that much more extreme. For the asking price of $29.99, it had better.

Expect the T-Freestyle NW to hit shelves at the end of November.

Gallery: T-Freestyle NW (Wii)

Splitfish brings the Fragchuck back just in time for Modern Warfare

by JC Fletcher { Oct 22nd 2009 at 6:00AM }

Despite having released a product called the "fragchuck" once, and (if there's any justice) being roundly humiliated for it, gimmicky peripheral maker SplitFish is releasing a new version of its PlayStation 3 FragFX controller, called the Dual SFX Frag Pro. In addition to the ... fragchuck ... it features a 2000 dpi mouse, and loses the wire between the two halves. It'll be out at a cost of $90 on November 10, which, coincidentally, is also when Modern Warfare 2 comes out. If you like the Fragchuck but don't care for the mouse part, there's also this thing.

The good news: the more people see the word "fragchuck," the worse they'll feel about using the outmoded, kind-of gross word "frag" in general.

[Via Engadget]

New Sony controller patent is rich with opportunities

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 21st 2009 at 3:15PM }

Sure, Sony's orb-tipped PlayStation Motion Controller has yet to land in our laps, but that doesn't mean the company's not allowed to test the waters of other peripheral designs. Siliconera recently uncovered a series of patent illustrations for a new Sony-developed remote. There's little info about the controller in the patent filing, but based on its shape and the manner in which the dotted hand is holding it, we've come up with a few titles which might implement the device.

Buzz: Extreme Buzzer Trivia Challenge
Champagne Shake N' Spray
Box Cutter: Deluxe Edition
Imagine: Pipe Bombz
Scene It?!: The Game Where You Pretend to Masturbate
Arthur Fonzarelli's Thumbs-Up Training Program
Stranglin' Ostriches

GameStop-exclusive 360 controller goes radioactive

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 16th 2009 at 7:30PM }

click to irradiate

Major Nelson has revealed a new Xbox 360 wireless controller bundle, which includes the in your face controller seen above. To be carried exclusively at GameStop, the controller features a "carbon fiber" color scheme overlaid by a red trefoil, and also includes a Play & Charge kit so you can keep playing into the wee hours of the morning. If, for whatever reason, you like the design and decide you'd like to put your money down, they run $69.99 and can be pre-ordered now. According to GameStop's website, they go on sale next week.

For those who can do without a Play & Charge kit (normal old batteries work great!), don't forget that the Wireless Controller Game Pack goes on sale next month for $10 less and includes four XBLA games.

Dreamcast controller turned into decoration for iPhone dock

by JC Fletcher { Oct 6th 2009 at 2:00AM }

Deciding that the Dreamcast controller had too many input methods and not enough screens, Flickr user jayhauf removed the D-pad from the device and made the whole thing into an ornamental iPhone dock.

We're pretty sure you can try this one at home, if you've got a (preferably broken) Dreamcast controller: just pull out the D-pad and the cord, and thread your iPhone connector through. Just like that, you've got a telephone sticking out of the left side of your controller! It's certain to be a conversation piece, inspiring questions from your friends like "Why did you do that?" and "How are we going to play Power Stone now?"

[Via Engadget]

Mod: Buttons and analog sticks just don't get along

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 5th 2009 at 3:45PM }

We've seen plenty of interesting Xbox 360 controller mods. From one-handed controls to controls with swapped parts to other one-handed controls, the 360 mod scene is pretty lively. This one is definitely different from the usual mods we see though, with the right stick and face buttons switching places and being pushed to the edges of the control. Built by Acidmods, the controller was designed for a disabled player so that he could hold the control more comfortably. The quality of the build is pretty impressive, with nary a scratch, cut or patch to be seen. And, of course, the best part is that it actually works.

See it in action after the break.

[Via Engadget]

Continued →

Xbox 360 Elite Holiday 2009 Bundle shipping today

by James Ransom-Wiley { Sep 29th 2009 at 10:50AM }

Rumored, pictured, and now shipping to retail, the 2009 edition of the Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle ($300) includes a pair of family-friendly titles from last year in Lego Batman and Pure. But, well, you knew that. (Protip: Grab and stash this before October 5 to be eligible for the $50 rebate.)

Also announced today, the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Game Pack will go on sale in November for $60. The black gamepad and bundle of XBLA titles is so close to perfect with Geometry Wars 2, Lumines Live, Bomberman Live and ... a code for Ms. Pac-Man? Make that a Pac-Man: Championship Edition token and we'd be looking at one of the best gifts you could have given this holiday -- 'cause let's face it, you (should) already own those games.

Oh, and still no official word on that popcorn box o' peripherals.

Gallery: Xbox 360 Holiday 2009 Bundles

Review: Rocketfish Rapid Fire PS3 Controller

by Justin McElroy { Sep 23rd 2009 at 5:27PM }

We don't do a lot of critiquing of controllers, we know, but as stacks of them continue to pile up at HQ, it occurred to us that you might be as daunted in the store aisle as we are staring at this pile of plastic. So, in the spirit of making you a more informed consumer, here's a look at the Rocketfish Rapid Fire PS3 controller.

If you're interested in more snappy peripheral analysis from the experts at Joystiq, let us know in the comments section below.

Mad Catz kicks off Round 2 of Street Fighter IV peripherals

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 22nd 2009 at 6:59PM }

Any alley brawler worth his or her salt knows that when it comes to succeeding at Street Fighter IV, a standard controller doesn't really cut it. You can try and hold out on purchasing a custom-tailored joystick, but consider yourself warned: Capcom and Mad Catz are trying very, very hard to break your spirit. Earlier today, the peripheral manufacturer announced "Round 2" of its line of FightPads and a brand new FightStick, all of which will be dropping later this fall.

At $149.99, you'd have to be a fighting game fanatic to shell out for the Tournament Edition FightStick -- though that black and white motif is strangely alluring. You're more likely to spring for the $39.99 FightPads, each of which feature a design based on one of the game's characters. We'd be remiss if we didn't point out that the placement of the Start and Select buttons on the Crimson Viper FightPad is, well ... unfortunate.

Scene It? will use BUZZ! controllers (on PS3™)

by Andrew Yoon { Sep 21st 2009 at 10:00PM }

The battle of the console-exclusive peripheral-wielding weirdly-punctuated trivia games has come to an end ... with PlayStation the victor. WBIE is bringing Scene It?, the former 360-exclusive trivia game, to PS3 and Wii. While the 360 version was bundled with a set of special Scene It? controllers, the PS3 and Wii versions of the game will let you simply use your ol' fashioned DualShocks and Wii Remotes.

But what if you want to use a wacky peripheral? Don't fret, as you'll be able to use your BUZZ! controllers with Scene It?. Considering many of the modes of Scene It? require buzzing in, the translation is incredibly faithful.

Ben Heck moves Dualshock's shoulder buttons to the front

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 18th 2009 at 2:00PM }

Can shoulder buttons still be called "shoulder buttons" when they no longer sit perched upon the Dualshock 3's shoulders? Could they be more aptly described as "hip buttons?" Regardless, the onus for renaming these toggles now rests upon modder extraordinaire Ben Heck, who made the controller's L1, L2, R1 and R2 buttons "easier to get at" by placing them on the front of the controller (at the cost of the peripheral's rumble motors).

We're perfectly contented with the shoulder buttons' current location, but we suppose folks who lost their index digits in a terrible Chinese Finger Trap incident may find this mod useful.

[Via Engadget]

Best Buy offers $20 racing wheel with purchase of Shift, DiRT 2

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 15th 2009 at 4:15PM }

If you're looking to acquire a PS3 steering wheel peripheral before the release of that one racing game, Best Buy's got a pretty sweet offer for you. If you purchase Need for Speed: Shift or DiRT 2 through the retailer's online storefront, you can knock $60 off the price of the Logitech Driving Force Wireless Wheel, bringing its cost down to a mere $20.

There's no telling how long this deal will be available, so if you're in the market for discounted circular gaming peripherals, you should probably put the pedal to the metal.

Ben Heck swaps 360 D-pad with buttons, world implodes

by Richard Mitchell { Sep 2nd 2009 at 9:15PM }

We're just going to come out and say it: Ben Heckendorn -- AKA Ben Heck -- has absolutely no respect for manufacturer warranties. The man cracks open every single piece of hardware he comes across, voiding warranties like blades of grass through a lawnmower. Case in point: observe his latest affront on warrantability, an Xbox 360 controller with buttons where the D-pad should be. Worse still, the D-pad now occupies the former location of the face buttons.

As if that weren't enough, the warrantless warranty wrecker swapped the left and right triggers and added more buttons on the back of the controller that mirror the functions of the face buttons. Heckendorn claims the controller was made for a paying customer and that he makes such controllers to "allow more options for persons that may have a hard time with normal controller configurations."

Hogwash, we say. We recognize a (warranty) killer when we see one.

[Via Engadget]

Firmware 3.00 blamed for malfunctioning PS3 controllers

by Xav de Matos { Sep 2nd 2009 at 5:45PM }

A growing thread on the official PlayStation 3 forum alleges the recent hardware firmware upgrade to version 3.00 has spawned a host of controller connection issues for PS3 users. According to the forum, various wireless controllers -- some users specifically naming DualShock3 model CECHZC2H (Ceramic White) -- are unable to connect to the console. When turned on, users claim the controller LEDs for ports 1 and 2 activate, but the controller remains inoperable.

Users attempting to troubleshoot the problem claim that resetting the controller (through the built-in pinhole reset function) and plugging it directly into the console (via USB) do not correct the error, with one user going so far as doing a complete system restore to no avail. The issue, however, appears to be isolated, but is still a concern for a number of gamers.

Update: Overnight, the issue has spawned an interesting development. Users are pointing out that the problem may be isolated to "knock-off" PS3 controllers. Joystiq has contacted Sony for an update to see if XMB 3.00 targets these fakes or if the controller issue is simply a byproduct of the controllers not being able to catch up with the new firmware.

FCC exposes, dissects DJ Hero turntable peripheral

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 28th 2009 at 11:29AM }

This has been a big week for pieces of gaming hardware getting explodified -- this time around, the subject of dissection is the turntable peripheral for Activision's upcoming Mix Master Mike sim, DJ Hero. However, the disassembly wasn't committed by a tech-savvy hacker, or even a DIY site. Instead, the operation was performed by the Federal Communications Commission. Yes, your tax dollars are being applied to the destruction of video game peripherals.

Though most of the depictions of the turntable controller have been glamorous but somewhat non-revealing, the FCC completely exposes the controller in it's most vulnerable state. We'd say the FCC is kind of like the Hustler of gaming hardware snapshots -- but we would never actually say that because that would be an awfully creepy thing to say on a video game blog.

[Thanks, Caleb]