Up until now, if you wanted to play DJ Hero multiplayer you were limited to playing online, playing with a guitar controller during select songs, or purchasing two prohibitively expensive copies of the game. GuitarHeroStore.com (formerly RedOctane.com) now adds a fourth option: spending $70 on an additional turntable. It's still pretty expensive for a single-use device, but it's sure as hell cheaper than spending $119.99 on another copy of the game.

The DJ Hero standalone turntable controller is available in Wii Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 flavors.

Sure I looked uncomfortable using my Ki to move stuff around in a game, but it was... neatish. But is it $300 neatish?

Emotiv Systems is rolling out a limited edition version of their Epoc PC controller, which uses sensors to "tune into electronic signals produced by the brain", on Dec. 21 for $299. The fact that it's a limited roll-out and that there's no mention of the games designed specifically for the device gives me major pause.

If you're interested in this tech, I'd say hold off until other early adopters have worked out the kinks for you. And if you must, must, must have this now, go watch the video of me trying it before you buy.

Epoc [Emotiv]

The silver controller, shown here resting in my knobby hands, is already available at GameStop through September. Then in October all three colors will be available at most retailers.

I suppose it is the first video game controller created by a company that mainly manufactures DJ equipment, but to call it a only "legitimate" DJ controller seems like a direct dig at the competition. It certainly looks like solid piece of equipment, and with Numark doing it the quality should be excellent as well, but can't we all just get along?

The MotionPlus add-ons came sheathed in oversized remote jackets and an instruction manual warning me to keep my original jacket in case I ever wanted to use the remote without MotionPlus.

If you're not quite as worried about breaking things as Nintendo, you can extract the MotionPlus sensor and use it latex-free.

In a clever bit of release scheduling magic, the same limited-edition red Xbox 360 controller and play and charge kit that has been sitting on North American shelves since November 2nd will be hitting Europe on March 13th, day and date with the release of Resident Evil 5 and the special red Xbox 360 game bundle. So while the controller has nothing at all to do with Resident Evil 5, it's still red, and that old white controller you've been using is looking so very dated.

The red Xbox 360 controller bundle will be available in the UK and Europe a week from Friday for £39.99.

Yesterday I wrote up my review of Mad Catz' Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition FightStick. If you're interested in seeing what this controller, and its Sanwa parts, look like on the inside check out this video.

After shooting the video, I did a bit more research and discovered that I was right about the Sanwa microswitches, they do come pre soldered to a PCB. This is to make it easier to switch them out and, I suspect, force people to replace all four at the same time. Easier to do, but in the long run, more expensive.

Update: Yes, you probably should open it from the top, removing six bolts with an allen wrench instead of six screws. Though I didn't have any problem getting into the guts of the controller from the bottom and if you want to switch out the microswitch cluster, I think my way would be faster.

I just can't accept that the game that I spent so much of my time playing in arcades, fixing in the arcade I managed, watching being played in hole-in-the-wall bars, has been reduced, yes reduced, to something you sit on your couch and play.

Certainly the bulk of my stubbornness comes from missing the culture that surrounds arcade Street Fighter, but I've also never found a retail stick that lived up to my expectations. Now Mad Catz is promising to deliver that stick for Street Fighter IV with its official Tournament Edition FightStick. Let's see what hours of time spent playing with, and taking apart the stick showed me.

Loved
High End Parts: Inside the solid case are some of the best pieces and parts money can buy. You've got your Sanwa ball handle joystick and low-profile 30mm Sanwa buttons.

Sturdy Design: All of those high-end Sanwa parts are packed into a solid case that while heavy enough to stay put during table-top gaming sessions still feels fairly comfortable on your lap.

Layout: This is very important to me. You can have the best parts on the market, but if they're crammed into a case that's too small you can't rest your hands anywhere. Too big and it gets cumbersome. The Tournament Edition FightStick finds the perfect balance.

Precision Controls: The design, the parts, they all add up to a controller that seems to react to every nuance of movement. I learned Street Fighter on Cherry switch-backed controllers, but it didn't take me long to not only get a handle on this controller, but to almost start to prefer it.

Aesthetic: It's a pretty controller. Sure, the art work may not be your cup of tea, but that's pretty easy to swap out. The design though, is a sheer delight.

Easily Customized or Repaired: When I popped open the FightStick I was disappointed to see that the stick's Omron microswitches were all soldered in place to the PCB. This is done by Sanwa, not Mad Catz, but it still makes doing single microswitch replacement painful, fortunately replacing the entire set is much easier now. The buttons are all easily accessible, and don't feature soldered wires, which is nice.

The Little Things: There's a headset plug hidden away on the front of the controller. The cord packs away nicely in a storage compartment on the back. There's a switch to disable button presses and another for turbo mode for use when playing other games. You can also decider what the stick controls — right thumbstick, left thumbstick or the D-pad. Finally, there are pre-drilled holes in the bottom of the case to make mounting it to a table or stand easier.

Hated
Two Extra Buttons: I know I can ignore those two far right buttons, they're there for people who can't manage to press the other three on the top or bottom at the same time. But this is supposed to be a Tournament Edition stick, so why include it. Occasionally, I found my hand accidentally slipping one button over because of them. My own failing, but sort of annoying.

Price, Limited Stock:The $150 price tag is right on the line. If you were to buy the stick one step down from Mad Catz and do your own upgrades you'd be looking at about $130. But buying and then upgrading a Hori Fighting Stick EX 2 will cost about $100. Of course the case on this one is different than both. So it depends on preference. But, the fact that Mad Catz decided to produce the first run in such a limited quantity, ensuring a healthy and absurdly over-priced grey market, is sort of a raw deal.

This is the only stick I've used to play Street Fighter on a console that actually made me feel like I could pull off all of the same moves, with all of the same timing as when I play in an arcade. There's a bit of a learning curve for those not used to convex buttons and the tiny, precise movements of the Sanwa stick, but this is a purely arcade controller. It doesn't even dip down into the realm of most console sticks.

Official Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition was made by Mad Catz, and will be released on Feb. 17 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for $150. Played Street Fighter IV on Xbox 360 with FightStick for 12 to 15 hours over three days.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

From the looks of it, the remote-sized 3-in-1 wireless keyboard remote functions as your standard Blu-ray disc remote, with a slide-out keyboard complete with tiny dual-analog sticks to help move yourself about. As a person who currently uses a wired USB keyboard for PlayStation Home and has lost his Blu-ray remote, this seems like a lovely solution, especially at only $28. And just look at the product reviews!

Works great and very cheaper.Once I was landing this website , I didn't want to get down ! I wish I can carry all products in breast and take them home!

I dare you to find a more glowing recommendation than that.

PS3 3in1 Wireless keyboard controller remote [Success HK - Thanks Wraggy!]

As the Google Translated (from German) page below would have it "Unfortunately, the D-Pad of the 360 Controller anything other than accurate."

Quite, which is where this nifty DIY Arcade controller project comes in. Just grab some resistors, LEDs, a Pizza Hut box (preferably clean) and and 'old' 360 controller and get to work. Don't worry, the person who wrote this is "definitely not a soldering masterly" either.

my own Xbox 360 arcade controller [fr3Ak blog, via HackNMod]

Of course all of this realism makes for a pretty heavy kit, but I think it's worth it. The controller works with both the PS2 and PS3 and comes with wireless and wired options. I'll make sure to weigh in with my opinion after I've had some time to go a few round with it on the Playstation 3.

I crave this like I have craved no other plastic musical instrument before, to the point where I'm completely bypassing my own built-in safeguards against buying Mad Catz products and actively considering making the purchase. Scary, I know!

Mad Catz Ships the First-Ever Rock Band™ Bass Guitar
Fender Precision Bass Guitar Kicks Off a Full Line of New Rock Band Products

SAN DIEGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today that it has begun shipping its Fender™ Precision Bass guitar for the Xbox 360™, the initial offering under its license with Harmonix and MTV Games to produce and distribute game peripherals and other products for the critically acclaimed Rock Band™ game.

“We are excited to be providing an opportunity for the millions of Rock Band fans to enhance their game-playing experience with our Fender Precision Bass guitar,” commented Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. “This is the first in a series of Rock Band products we expect to release this fall, each of which we believe will add to the realism and enjoyment of this immensely popular game.”

This premium bass guitar provides gamers with a licensed, authentic Fender Precision Bass guitar to complete their ensemble. Compatible with both Rock Band and the upcoming Rock Band 2 games, the Fender Precision Bass can be used to play both lead and bass guitar portions of a selected track. Incorporating all the features of the standard guitar, including Solo Keys, Whammy, and Overdrive Mode, the Fender Precision Bass comes equipped with innovative features designed to enhance the Rock Band experience.

The unique Split Strum Bar allows gamers to strum and pluck notes faster and with more precision, vital for fast tempo tracks. The genuine Fender Precision Bass does not have a whammy bar. To respect the accuracy of the bass, Mad Catz has engineered whammy compatibility by discreetly incorporating it into the volume knob of the bass, providing gamers with essential functionality when playing both lead or bass guitar portions of the track while preserving the timeless authenticity of the original design.

Published by MTV Games and developed by MTV Network’s Harmonix Music Systems, Rock Band is a leading platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music, challenging users to master the lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals as solo artists or cooperatively as part of their own band. Built on deals with the world’s biggest record labels and music publishers, the music featured in Rock Band spans all genres of rock and includes many master recordings from the greatest songs and artists of all time. Rock Band is currently available for the Xbox 360, Wii™, PlayStation® 3 and PlayStation® 2 consoles in North America and for the Xbox 360 in Europe. Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for the PLAYSTATION® 3 and PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment systems and Wii™ later this year.

Eric Ruckman was so desperate to give the DS port of Guitar Hero the thrashing it so richly deserves that he scooped out the innards of his PS2 guitar and melded it with a DS. The DS touch screen is still used for strumming - the plectrum stylus works even better in this context - and the crafty sod even bolted on an FM transmitter to pump stereo sound through his hi-fi.

Hack Guitar Hero DS into a guitar controller [Hack-A- Day via Engadget]

Follow the jump for a video of the mod in action

That's right, Mad Catz are making the Street Fighter IV fighting sticks. I hope that makes you as nervous as that makes me. I've never been a big fan of Street Fighter on a console. Why? Because frankly it's not a game meant for console gaming. Sure you can play around with it at home, but SF is a arcade cabinet game and it always will be. Don't bother arguing with me, I will stubbornly refuse to listen and may even start making blah, blah, blah noises.

So when I started talking to the Capcom folks about Street Fighter IV (Ok, gushing), I told them how I fully expect the console version to suck. Really suck. No Brian, they told me, that's not true. Wait until you see the controllers. They're really going to be something special. Then comes the news today, Mad Catz is making them. Lies, LIES, I tell you. But after a bit of hyperventilating I touched base with some friends in the know and have been reassured (at least they tried to) that the controllers are still going to be filled with delicious awesome.

I wait, arms crossed sternly in front of chest, to be surprised.

Press Release: Mad Catz to make Street Fighter IV line of controllers

SAN DIEGO - (Business Wire) Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today that it has secured a license from Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of videogames, to produce branded controllers and accessories based on the Street Fighter® IV, Bionic Commando® and Resident Evil® 5 videogame properties. The agreement gives Mad Catz North American and European rights to a range of accessories for all current videogame platforms, including the PC.

“We are excited to partner with Capcom to create branded controllers and accessories based on three of the videogame industry’s most popular and enduring franchises,” said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. “We look forward to offering unique and exciting accessories to fans of these games, as we continue to grow and diversify what we believe to be the industry’s leading portfolio of branded videogame accessories.”

“This is a real collaboration between Mad Catz and Capcom,” said Germaine Gioia, senior vice president, licensing, Capcom. “We are developing a broad variety of game peripherals for a wide game-playing audience — from the casual to the most loyal, core fan. These innovative peripherals will maximize the overall experience that comes from playing Capcom games.”

About Mad Catz Interactive, Inc.

Mad Catz is a global leader in providing innovative peripherals for the interactive entertainment industry. Mad Catz designs and markets accessories for videogame systems and publishes videogame software, including the industry-leading GameShark videogame enhancements, under its Mad Catz, GameShark and Joytech brands. Mad Catz also designs and markets mice, keyboards, headsets, PC gaming controllers and other PC peripherals through its Saitek brand, and develops, manufactures and markets proprietary portable earphones under its AirDrives brand. Mad Catz distributes its products through most of the leading retailers offering interactive entertainment products and has offices across Canada, Europe and Asia. For additional information please go to www.madcatz.com, as well as www.gameshark.com, www.airdrives.com, www.saitek.com and www.joytech.net.

The thing when I demoed Wii Sport Resort I noticed that the controller was longer now and asked Nintendo if the charger would still work. Ask Nyko was their reply, so I did.

Unfortunately, it won't work, at least not while the Wii Motion Plus device is attached. The Nyko guys told me they were already looking at ways to solve the problem. They added that they believe the Wii Motion Plus attachment doesn't contain batteries, meaning it likely draws power from the Remote, which would likely reduce the battery life for the controller.

Bad news all around.

While it may look like a snazzy Wavebird-style controller shell, what we think we're seeing is merely the original patent for the Wii Classic Controller. That device thankfully dropped the need for multiple controller shells — others in the style of SNES and NES pads are also in the patent — and kept the Wii Remote tethered to the controller by a cord, not slotted in as seen above.

Feel free to poke around the patent, linked below, for drawings of Wii controller patents that you can color and make your own!

Game Controller Device [USPTO - thanks, Jim!]

Hit the jump for close-ups and a quick explanation of each new feature.

The Slider: The new guitar controller's coolest feature lets players muck with sustained notes with finger slides up and down the slider strip area. It can also be used to tap out notes like a virtual Eddie Van Halen for those note heavy Dragonforce moments. In Guitar Hero World Tour's music editor, the slider acts as an arpeggiator, playing rapid-fire notes with in the Music Studio mode's various arpeggio styles.

The Knob: It's a knob. And it's definitely the least exciting new aspect of the updated guitar controller. Hey, it looks cool. Let's talk about The Accelerometer instead. That little piece of hardware can be used to adjust the pitch of your notes in the game's music editor, doing double duty as the device that sense you want to engage Star Power mode. But if you like to keep things level...

The Bridge: See that "Star Power" line of text on the new bridge button? Yeah, that's how you'll activate Star Power, should you not feel like erecting your axe with a quick thrust. In the game's music editor, it'll let you add palm-muted notes to your tracks for a little variety. Cool.

The ultimate game controller [Cnet]

the ultimate xbox 360 arcade controller [Technabob, via Gizmodo]