Looking to the future, Mad Catz is bringing some exciting new hardware and games to players.

 by Matt Eberle

E3 2005 - The digital wizards from Mad Catz, pioneers of the RF wireless controllers that have become a fixture of the gaming industry, are at it again.  Working with their partners and some licensing they are looking to bring great peripherals and collectors’ designs to gamers.  The people at Mad Catz are working to bring games and software to the market that will take advantage of their hardware, expanding the number of games available to players.

Working with movie licenses like Batman Begins and the Fantastic 4 they are rolling out a series of customized controllers and skins.  I was shown a selection of their wide variety of personalized add-ons for gaming systems.  Unique controllers with images from the movies, skins for gaming stations, and more are rolling out this summer.

As if this was not enough Mad Catz is expanding their horizons with licensing from professional sports teams.  They will be releasing 92 distinct controllers over the next few months with the emblems and team colors of all your favorite teams.  The NFL controllers have already been shipped to retailers, so expect to see them soon.  The NBA controllers will be shipping between June and July, while the professional baseball league controllers will ship in August or September.

While they are expanding their presence with these new products Mad Catz is continuing to release their quality products for hand-held consoles.  They have already created carrying cases for the PSP and the DS, chargers that work with the cigarette lighters in cars so you can play your games on the go, and products to help keep your games organized and safe.  They have also produced the Game Shark media manager.  The device allows players to connect their PSP with their PC.  Once connected gamers will be able to quickly and easily manage their files.

Fans of the dance game genre will be excited to hear that Mad Catz is bringing new games to the market.  MC Groovz Dance Craze, MC Groovz Country Dance Craze, and Pump it Up are all making their way onto the American Market.  The MC Groovz Country Dance Craze, for example, can use an expanded dance pad that Mad Catz has released.  Double the size of the standard dance pad, the country pad allows dancers to use all their favorite steps.

Mad Catz was kind enough to give us a first look at some of their upcoming hardware for the Xbox 360.  As a licensed partner with Microsoft, Mad Catz is already working on controllers for the Xbox 360.  They showed several production models for their standard controllers, the higher end controllers with better grips, and the micro controllers so many players enjoy.

The expansion of their hardware continued in even more exciting ways.  Mad Catz will be releasing a modular design, all-in-one control system for the Xbox 360.  The modular design allows players to rearrange the components, switching between left- and right-handed arrangements.  Players will have access to a flight stick, a trackball, and a pad with all the controls gamers need.

Finally the people at Mad Catz showed me a system called the Game Trak.  A floor mounted unit combines with a pair of gloves that players wear.  Wires connect the gloves to the floor unit, allowing the device to track exactly where the player’s hands are.  They were showing off two games, one for golfing and one for baseball, that take advantage of the Game Trak.  I watched one of their staff demonstrate the golfing game.  The game followed his hand movements and mapped out his golf swing.  It was very impressive.  At the moment there are not many new games available for the Game Trak, but that will change- and soon!

By keeping up their existing product lines, Mad Catz is proving why they deserve their position in the market.  By looking to the future they are working to expand their reach.  Gamers should be very excited to see what the people at Mad Catz are bringing to the market.  The future of gaming is going to be more fun and more exciting, thanks to Mad Catz.

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