Never Again! (Third party accessories)

[vintagegamecrazy]

This is the definitive list of third party companies that you will never buy products from again. I have many numerous controllers and accessories for every new console and the ones I won't purchase from again.

Mad Catz
Interact
Pelican
Doc's (if they are still around)

They are all crap. The only one I honestly love is Hori, as they totally rule for usage and quality.

Which ones are good or bad? Can anyone reccomend any small controllers for Cube and X box, my fiance has small hands and likes the smaller controllers. Any help would be appreciated. How are the Capcom controllers? I've heard good from them but haven't used them yet.

[GM80]

Can anyone reccomend any small controllers for Cube and X box, my fiance has small hands and likes the smaller controllers.

My wife really liked the smaller of the two Logitech controllers for the Xbox, and it's available in wired and wireless, although wireless is heavier because of the batteries.

[insinion]

Yeah i also own a set of logitech wireless controllers for my ps2 and i love them. Maybe i even like them better then the official dual shock 2 controllers. :)

[bangtango]

If you are the rare kind of man who wants to lose all the voices in Nintendo 64 games that use speech and hear nothing but grating static during your games that sounds like a tv frying, then use either a Madcatz RF cord or a Madcatz AV cord for the N64 because your ship has finally come in.

[Chrome]

Aren't Hori accessories backed by Nintendo?

Don't forget Nyko on the do not buy list. I don't think I've ever had any of thier products last very long. I have a Cube memory card that erases everything from time to time. Very frustrating the first couple times.

Also, in regards to MadCatz, thier items seem hit and miss. For instance, I really like thier controller cable extenders with the clamshell built in. I also like my MC2 wheel for my Xbox. However, thier Xbox and GameCube controllers are the typical third party controller.

Later,
Chrome...

[heybtbm]

Logitech and Hori accessories are equal to and in some cases superior to 1st party accessories.

Specifically, the Logitech wireless PS2 and Xbox controllers are worth every penny. As a bonus, the wireless PS2 controller works on the PS1 as well.

[diskoboy]

Honestly, the last good thing I remember Madcatz making was the steering wheel for the Dreamcast.

Chrome - Hori is liscensed by MS. And honestly, I've seen better arcade sticks out there. The DOA4 stick is sub-par, IMO. I wish MS would let let X-arcade make sticks specificaly for the 360.

[Gamereviewgod]

Intec is pure and complete shit. Their parts are flimsy, and taking apart a controller reveals even more plastic inside instead of other companies that use metal for sturdy construction.

At least one of every product we've sold by Intec at work has come back at some point.

Pelican on other hand is great. They produced the best consumer level switch box ever, and I have a super-cool Gamecube controllers full of color changing LEDs that's too cool. Didn't they also do the controllers with the fans in them? Those were superbly made too.

[PallarAndersVisa]

i havent purchased a 3rd party accessory since the early PSX days when I was simply too young to afford anything better. I would have to convince my mom to buy me a mad catz controller from Blockbuster so I could play with my friends.

Ever since then, its been 1st party accessories only, for the Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, and now Xbox 360.

[Captain Wrong]

First teir: Hori, Logitech

Second teir (hit or miss): Pelican, Mad Catz

Utter shite: Performance, Interact

[Push Upstairs]

Pelican switchbox \\^_^/

Logitech wireless controller for XBOX. :hail::hail:

I want all my controller to be as good (and wireless) as that Logitech one.

[Chadt74]

My Logitech wireless controller has finally started to have 1 small break down after about a year. The X button is starting to stick a little, but after completely finishing FFX, KH and GoW just to name a few in that time there has been a LOT of X button pushing.

Other than that I can be a room away and it will work, I have to agree with the other posters, Logitech is more than worth the extra $10!

[vintagegamecrazy]

Ahhh! I forgot Performance, another one I loathe!

[Richter]

how do the wireless Logitech controllers compare to the official wired ones? in terms of size, button feel, etc

[boatofcar]

The wireless Logitech PS2 controllers I tried feel pretty much the same as their first party wired counterparts.

I've sworn off all third party controllers since the ASCII SNES pad I bought with my SNES crapped out on me.

Ok, that was a lie, I just remembered I bought a 3rd party PS2 controller, don't remember the manufacturer. It stopped working too.

I've never, ever had a first party controller die on me. Ever.

[DigitalSpace]

I have a Pelican PS2 DVD remote. Works great and has never given me any problems. Mad Catz is indeed hit or miss. The only Mad Catz product I have is a PS2 Retrocon controller that works great. I've heard mixed reviews on their stuff from friends and around the net though.

However, I won't even risk getting a third party memory card, EVER. You get what you pay for there, and it's worth the extra price for a first-party card. I wouldn't even touch the Sony-licensed Nyko PS2 cards.

[Slate]

I've had great success with pelican's accessories, And a bad day LA with madcatz's stuff. After two months and about five hours of use, That Madcatz PS1 Controller crapped out.

[Amy Rose]

Hrm, no one's mentioned Power Wave yet? I've never had a problem with them. :)

[c0ldb33r]

Logitech's PSP case is incredible.

I agree with the above, but find that controller extension cords seem to be an exception. Third party controllers generally suck, but the controller extension cords seem to be fine. Maybe it's because they're so simple.

[Push Upstairs]

how do the wireless Logitech controllers compare to the official wired ones? in terms of size, button feel, etc

Well, I only own one for XBOX. The controller is shaped different than the official controller, but the button placement is the same as on the S controller. Its slightly heavier because of the batteries (two AA).

Upon looking for pictures i see there are two different Logitech wireless XBox controllers, I have the newer, slimmer model which is reviewed HERE (http://reviews.cnet.com/Logitech_Cordless_Precision_Controller_for_Xbox/4505-10110_7-30897108.html).

[MarioMania]

I don't even buy 3rd party stuff for the Xbox, Gamecube or the PSX

But I got the SFAC Controller for the Xbox/PS2

[FantasiaWHT]

Throwing in another thumbs up for Logitech here. Absolutely love my wireless controllers!

[kedawa]

I've always liked the build quality of Logitech products, but their designs used to suck hard. Fortunately, all of their newer stuff has decent dpads and comfortable shells.

I also really like ascii gamepads, even though their FT pads pale in comparison to the Saturn pad. Back in the 16-bit days, their SNES and Genesis pads were the best.

[Auxilla]

Logitech makes fine controllers and ther PS2 Headset can take a beating like no other.I was unimpressed with the Hori DOA4 stick.Mad Cats sucks majorly.My Nyko Gamecube Memory cards have worked fine for years.

[Snapple]

I have a policy against third-party hardware. Remember those third-party memory cards for PS1 and N64 that could hold a crap-ton more memory than first-party memory cards? Those things always failed on me and people I knew who had them. Too unreliable. So I always stick to first-party accessories whenever possible.

I have made two exceptions, out of necessity because there aren't first-party accessories to fill these needs. One is a Nyko keyboard controller for my PS2, which I used for FFXI. I didn't want to have to use a keyboard AND a controller, and switch between the two constantly.

The other exception I made was an AC adapter for my GBA. Nintendo, to my knowledge, never made an official, plug-in the wall, AC adapter for the GBA, which is very silly. All handhelds need these, so I don't have to waste batteries.

[Ed Oscuro]

I find the title of this thread ironic in a bad way. Gaming is becoming more sophisticated thanks mainly to the giant peer-review process that is the Internet; companies that create garbage will suffer at retail when word gets out. It's worth realizing that the world of business changes constantly so traditional "enemies of gaming" might actually have turned around - no company is an unchanging monolith; if they were, maybe their products wouldn't break (in fantasy land, maybe). If you stubbornly refuse to believe that any product from a company (which produced something bad over seven or even ten years ago) can have improved, you're being blind and are actually stifling the market because you're not buying for quality, but rather by brand. Although the polar opposite of fanboyism, its effects on the market are the same, as the other parties get an unfair leg up.

The dark side of anti-fanboyism is that you aren't giving companies a chance to grow better. I'm not asking people to go out and buy things from companies that did bad in the past; I'm asking people to look up reviews and ask around instead.

I have my doubts that any of the folks here who are claiming "lol Mad Catz suxx" have even tried their new 360 pad. As far as 360 peripherals is concerned, their successful licensing from Microsoft shows that they're at least taking steps towards making quality products - and my 360 pad has operated perfectly for months now with regular use (including some very strong hammering on the face buttons) in case anybody was actually interested in hearing a case for them. I'd go so far as to say their 360 pad redesign is brilliant, in fact.

Thinking back to older (N64-era) products I've used, I realize that the crappiness of many of them was due to the tech of the time - the design of the original N64 controller is quite horrible - I always tried to use the damn thing like a Dual Shock and I just realized that makes my left hand ache. I guess despite all my ranting, it IS too old to teach some dogs new tricks.

[Ed Oscuro]

I have a policy against third-party hardware. Remember those third-party memory cards for PS1 and N64 that could hold a crap-ton more memory than first-party memory cards? Those things always failed on me and people I knew who had them. Too unreliable. So I always stick to first-party accessories whenever possible.
Mine failed too, and I hurled it against a wall just to be funny. So what? They don't make them anymore. I then went and bought about five new no-name branded cards off eBay for a pittance and have been happy as can be. Besides, we're talking about a non-volatile memory; those things have a limited number of read/write uses before they go. Not so amazing if you put on your thinking cap - everything will break down and generally suffer due to entropy over time.