GR:FS MadCatz XBOX360 Pro Wired GamePad

Introduction

When ODG6Actual dropped off a 3rd party controller for me to review I cringed. I have tried 3rd party controllers in the past that were absolutely horrible.

I have to say that MadCatz has made me a believer again; well at least in their products that is.

The MadCatz company is known for making great controllers and nice headsets for video games; and they continue that manufacturing expertise with the Ghost Recon Controller.

Features

• Precision AIM  Instant sensitivity adjustment for sniping
• Quick-fire triggers
• Remap action button and thumbstick commands to the XL Combat buttons
• Braided 9.8ft (3m) cable
• Immersive backlit analog stick modules
• Ergonomic non-slip pistol grips
• Vibration feedback technology

Ease of Use

The controller is easy  to use; you will not have a hard time with setup.

Design

The Game Controller box is a thing of beauty and well put together with Green and Blue highlights with a metallic skull in the middle. You have a magnet closure in the front that hides the quick reference buttons on the controller. Overall the box for the controller is well done and the attention to detail is evident throughout the case.

The Controller is very light and if you are used to the MadCatz past designs you will find no difference here in weight. They have compensated for the lightness of the controller by adding very functional side grips to the controller. The side grips are made of some type of hard rubber; this is good news for you guys and girls that have sweaty hands.

The quick fire triggers are very responsive in game; I will need to try them with some other titles but it appears to be very responsive.

The braded cable on the controller is designed to give you very low latency in game. If you activate the precision aim you should be able to fire with more accuracy in game. I am not a super FPS player but I found that the cable was a lot more responsive than my standard Xbox wireless controller. The cord is also very long at 13ft and durable.

Another thing to note is that the MadCatz did not develop a wireless controller for the Xbox so you wireless guys that have a PS3 you can purchase the MadCatz wireless only for that platform.

The button layout is very familiar on the face of the controller; the Xbox button in the center feels very firm and the A, B, X Y buttons feel good as well.

When you turn the controller upside down you will find two new buttons for Ghost Recon. The combat 1 and combat 2 buttons. These two buttons can be configured for different squad commands or attacks in game. The nice thing is if you are playing Modern Warfare you can map action buttons to it as well. I am sure you can find variable uses for the fast buttons to help you play better in game.

I have saved the best for last. The Analog Stick Modules are backlit with blue LED’s. They stay on all the time and it gives the controller a very sleek and sexy look. You can turn the lights off but why would you ever want too. My only concern for you super FPS players is that in pitch black the light will bleed out more than usual. It is more of a distraction if anything and I am sure you seasoned veterans won’t have a problem compensating.

Backlit Blue LED’s ohh yeah

Performance

As I stated previously in the review; I felt that the performance was slightly better with the braded cable than my standard wireless controller.

Quality

The overall quality is up to MadCatz standards you will not be disappointed.  I personally love the weight of the Microsoft Wireless controllers; but I can get used to using this one for future games.

Value

If you are a hardcore FPS player and you don’t like the inherent latency with wireless controllers this is the one for you.  I would spend the $49.95 in a second it’s a great buy.

Final Intelligence Report

My final thoughts are that MadCatz worked in tangent with the game developer to create a unique experience for the Ghost Recon gamer.  By integrating the LED’s with the thumb stick controllers to add visual stimuli and adding the intelligence of the programmable functions; MadCatz has pushed the controller a little further down the design path for the better.