Mad Catz Lynx Wireless Controller

Mad Catz Lynx Wireless (Xbox)

Written by John Yan on 12/20/2002 for Xbox

I must say it'southward nigh time the Xbox started getting cordless controllers. I've grown very fond of the Playstation 2 ones and the pseudo cordless setup of the Saitek With Out Wires unit. With that said, MadCatz has launched their Xbox wireless controller dubbed the Lynx Wireless and if yous're not an Xbox Live user and want a practiced responsive cordless controller, this is information technology.

If you have whatsoever experience with MadCatz'south Control Pad Pro, and then you know what the Lynx Wireless feels similar. Well, well-nigh. Before I go into the small-scale changes, allow'southward first out with the layout and operation for those who don't know anything well-nigh the Control Pad Pro Here'south an excerpt from my Control Pad Pro review describing the peripheral.

Officially licensed for the Xbox, the Control Pad Pro is a slick alternative to Microsoft's controller. As you can tell from the pictures, the Control Pad Pro has a slight physical shape design difference from the Microsoft gamepad. The handle grips protrude from the gamepad a piddling more while the overall shape is closer to the Playstation controller and it's also not as bulky. A very nice feature of the Control Pad Pro is the rubber grips on either side of the handles. If you play long sessions, y'all know your easily can get very sweaty thus making it harder to go a good agree on the controller. The rubber grips profoundly enhance the feel and hold on the controller. I admit I felt more than comfy holding the Mad Catz gamepad over Microsoft's.

Button placement on the Control Pad Pro is more than aligned to what most people are used to. Microsoft'due south four colored buttons are placed at a skewed diamond layout that was unlike from Playstation or Dreamcast. The Control Pad Pro places the four colored buttons at a normal diamond scheme that'southward perpendicular (or parallel depending on where you phone call the diamond the height) to the normal property position of the controller. That left the black and white button placed about 45 degrees north of the yellowish and red push. Spacing between all buttons have been increased. I found that it worked out pretty well and I felt pretty confident in knowing what push button I was pressing without any problem.

The triggers on the Command Pad Pro are more like Saitek'south Adrenaline Pad in that you press the triggers with your fingertips rather than the crook of your fingers. I did prefer Microsoft'south trigger placement but I didn't accept any problems with Mad Catz' implementation either. It'south really a small matter of preference and this little pattern didn't make me dislike the controller at all. That said, the triggers felt responsive and the strong leap provided a good experience.

All that I said in my review of the Control Pad Pro and so far applies to the Lynx Wireless. In addition, the D-pad is a cross-shaped design and features a very potent spring underneath.

Now here are the small-scale differences. The condom on the Lynx Wireless that covers the surface of the analog sticks are different and a little slipperier than the Control Pad Pro. It didn't feel every bit comfy as the old ane and I do wish Mad Catz would've stuck to the material used earlier. The Lynx Wireless doesn't accept macro programming unlike the Command Pad Pro.
Three AA batteries power the unit. I'm not certain how long they last equally I played with the controller periodically but yous can lengthen the battery life by adjusting the vibration strength. At that place's a heavy, calorie-free, and off setting. The batteries sit underneath and make the middle of the controller a footling more than bulbous than the Control Pad Pro but it'southward not something y'all'll notice when using it. On the left side of the controller is an LED to let yous know when the batteries are low. Curiously, the light stays off until the batteries start to wind down. I would've preferred the lite prove the battery forcefulness rather than be lit only when the battery is low.

The expansion ports take moved to the receiver unit. In place on the pad is a plastic cover that is green and clear. The same articulate plastic is besides featured at the base of the analog sticks. Now you lot're probably saying if the expansion ports take moved to the receiving unit, what almost using the Xbox Live microphone? Well, you can get a actually long extension cord for the receiver simply that defeats the purpose of being wireless. If you don't like talking on the mic or listening to the people on the other line, then this shouldn't be an consequence for you equally you tin have the XBL plugged in to play XBL games simply not talk. For me, I'g not an XBL player and so it was a not-factor but i of the big selling points of Xbox is the Xbox Live peripheral and this lone could turn people abroad from the controller.

Working in the 900MHz range, the controller performed great I tried the controller with Mortal Kombat: Dark Alliance, NCAA Football 2003 and Hunter: The Reckoning to test out how well information technology worked. In Mortal Kombat, I didn't have any problems performing whatsoever of the combinations while completing a good portion of the Konquest mode. Additionally, using the controller in arcade mode provided a wonderful virtual lag gratuitous feel. If in that location were any lag, I didn't notice and it didn't hinder me fighting confronting the computer. In NCAA Football game 2003, I was able to quarterback my Ohio State Buckeyes to a few victories with skilful running control, crisp bullet passes, and accurate lob passes. The analog buttons worked correctly giving me the ability to control my passing and perform hard or soft jukes. During a session of Hunter: The Reckoning, I was able to employ the analog sticks to perform a walk or a run depending on how far I take the sticks pushed. The controller vibrated with the various guns I used and the motors are pretty strong giving you some good vibrations.

If you want to employ more than one Lynx Wireless controller, all you have to exercise is set up the channel to employ on the receiver and the controller. Up to four carve up controllers can exist used then everyone can play with a Lynx Wireless if they want to.

The Lynx Wireless for the Xbox performs exactly as expected. You lot do have to sacrifice using the headset of Xbox Live to accept advantage of the cordless capabilities. It's also pretty expensive and the size, while smaller then the old Xbox controller, is still pretty large. I definitely prefer the MicroCon size only the size of the Lynx Wireless isn't too bad. It's ane of the few cordless controllers out there for the Xbox and I call up Mad Catz did a good chore fifty-fifty with the few shortcomings. The Lynx Wireless is definitely for you if you're not into Xbox Live and desire quality cordless controller.

The Lynx Wireless controller is expensive and those who use the Xbox Live will be disappointed to see that the expansion ports are on the receiver. Other than those ii issues, the controller works quite well and y'all'll be costless from cords.

Rating: eight.7 Very Skillful

* The product in this article was sent to usa past the developer/visitor.

Most Author

I've been reviewing products since 1997 and started out at Gaming Nexus. As one of the original writers, I was tapped to do action games and hardware. Nowadays, I work with a great grouping of folks on here to bring to you news and reviews on all things PC and consoles.

As for what I savour, I dear action and survival games. I'grand more of a PC gamer at present than I used to exist, merely yet savour the occasional console fair. Lately, I've been really playing a ton of retro games after building an arcade cabinet for myself and the kids. There's some old games I love to revisit and the cabinet really does a great job at bringing back that nostalgic feeling of going to the arcade.

View Profile

Source: https://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/Mad-Catz-Lynx-Wireless-(Xbox)/Item128.aspx