Earlier this month, Microsoft released a Wireless-N network adaptor for the Xbox 360, bringing faster speeds to users who’ve up until now been stuck with 802.11g. Now Mad Catz is shipping its own adaptor with a suggested retail price of $US79.99 to Microsoft’s $US99.99. The Wireless-N Gaming adaptor connects directly to your console’s Ethernet port, allowing you to position it for the best possible. And since it uses an Ethernet cable, it can be plugged into the PlayStation 3 as well, giving PS3-owners a bit of a speed boost as well.

Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz commented, “With more HD entertainment content and online gaming being delivered via Xbox Live and PSN, we anticipate the need for Wireless-N gaming adapters will increase. Our Wireless-N adaptor allows Xbox 360 users to access the network wirelessly and for PS3 users to upgrade their wireless technology to the faster N standard.”

I actually have my apartment wired, as I cannot stand the slow speed of wireless when compared to a direct connection, but for those of you averse to tripping over cables, this seems a fine way to go. The adaptor should be shipping to retailers in North America and key European territories as we speak.

Is it worth buying a piece of plastic to slap onto your controller? Let’s see.

Loved
Fanboy Look: If you’re a big fan of Modern Warfare 2 and want everyone to know it, this is a great way to do that. The vinyl faceplate snaps tightly onto the controller leaving very little to tell it’s an aftermarket add-on.

Feel: Once locked in place, the faceplate doesn’t really change the feel of the controller at all. And that’s a good thing. The only seam you’ll notice lines up with where the controller halves are screwed together, so it even looks like your controller came splashed with Modern Warfare 2 art.

Hated
Flimsy Alone: If you plan on not leaving this faceplate on all of the time you’d better be careful where you store it. The thin vinyl feels like it could snap if bent, sat or stepped on.

I’m not a big fan of customising my gaming equipment to advertise a particular title, but if I were this $US15 faceplate seems like a pretty good option.

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller Camo was developed and produced by Mad Catz for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 10. Retails for $US14.99. A camo PlayStation 3 faceplate was given to us by Mad Catz for reviewing purposes. Played several games for several hours with the faceplate snapped onto a controller.

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The wireless PlayStation 3 controllers include assignable macro buttons, LED lighting and a digital camo design, but are they worth picking up?

Loved
Triggers: The controllers buttons feel like they push in a bit more and the d-pad feels much more responsive, but the biggest win for me on this controller are the thinner, slightly curved triggers. They feel like gun triggers and seem to be a touch more responsive. They also spring back much faster than the R2 and L2 triggers on the traditional PS3 controller. I love these things.

Macro and LED Buttons: Being able to assign the always-awkward thumbstick buttons to macro buttons located on the back of the controller is fantastic. If pushing in the thumbstick to do stuff isn’t as annoying to you as it is to me, you can also choose to assign those tiny twin, back of controller buttons to by the X, Y, A or B buttons. And unlike the Xbox 360 controller, the PS3 controller lets you turn the LED lighting around the thumbsticks on and off. A nice little addition.

Wireless: As I said in the review of the Xbox 360 version of this controller, I’m not a big fan of wired controllers. I’ve never noticed any difference in lag and the annoyance of having something strung across my room, usually something not long enough to reach my couch, is a pretty big deal for me. Fortunately, the PS3 controller uses a tin USB receiver that pops into one of the front ports on the console. It’s slightly annoying that the controller doesn’t use Bluetooth, but you forget about the dongle pretty quickly. Because the controller is wireless, it enters sleep mode after ten minutes of inactivity. There’s also an on/off switch on it.

There are a lot of things to like about the PlayStation 3 Modern Warfare 2 controllers. The grey on black camo design is a nice, subtle touch. The LED light thumbstick sockets add a bit of flare to the controllers, and the textured grips help it stay put in your hand. My only minor reservation is that the original PlayStation 3 controller’s grips are a bit thinner, making holding it for long periods of time more pleasant.

If you’re looking for a controller upgrade to go with your new gaming obsession, and don’t mind the dongle, the Combat Controller is a nice option.

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller Camo was developed and produced by Mad Catz for the PlayStation 3 on Nov. 10. Retails for $US49.99. A black controller was given to us by Mad Catz for reviewing purposes. Played several games for several hours with the controller.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

I spent yesterday and today taking the PlayStation 3 Combat Wireless headset for a spin. It looks nice, and with few official PlayStation headsets to choose from, there’s certainly a gap to fill. But is this the one for your in-game chat needs?

Loved
Look: The diminutive Bluetooth headset is lightweight and features a subtle design that hints at Modern Warfare 2 support without screaming that you’re all about the military shooter. I’d be OK using this headset out and about with my mobile phone without worrying about people thinking that I was a bit too gaming-minded.

Hated
Pain in My Ear: After about 20 minutes of gameplay, the in-ear headset started feeling really uncomfortable. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of these sort of headsets, but I was surprised how quickly this particular one went from unnoticeable to downright painful.

Clicks and Pops: Not sure what was going on, but during my time with the headset I kept hearing little clicks and pops. Nothing super loud and when people were talking it went away. But it was a little annoying to hear during the often-silent battles fought online in Uncharted 2.

The Bluetooth headset is quite nice looking and according to those I chatted with the 2.0 technology sounded pretty good too. But the combination of the occasional noises and the uncomfortable feel means I won’t be using this headset for my nights of gaming.

What I came away with after hours spent using the headset is a much greater appreciation for the Throat Communicator that Mad Catz is selling for the Xbox 360. Comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, that’s the sort of headset I’d love to make my peripheral of choice for the PlayStation 3. I realise there are some issues in trying to come up with a working system for the Throat Communicator on the PS3, but I’d like to think Mad Catz can overcome them. Until then, I’ll be without a voice on this console.

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Wireless Headset was developed and produced by Mad Catz for the PlayStation 3 on Nov. 10. Retails for $US39.99. A headset was given to us by Mad Catz for reviewing purposes. Played several games for several hours with the headset.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

The wired Xbox 360 controllers include assignable macro buttons, LED lighting and a digital camo design, but are they worth picking up?

Loved
Triggers: The controllers buttons are snappier and the d-pad feels a bit more responsive, but the biggest win for me on this controller are the thinner, slightly curved triggers. They feel like gun triggers and seem to be a touch more responsive. I love these things.

Macro Buttons: Being able to assign the always-awkward thumbstick buttons to macro buttons located on the back of the controller is fantastic. If pushing in the thumbstick to do stuff isn’t as annoying to you as it is to me, you can also choose to assign those tiny twin, back of controller buttons to by the X, Y, A or B buttons.

Hated
Plugged In: There is no amount of cool, no design or art work that can make me accept the fact that in this day and age I need to have a cable stretched from my controller to my Xbox 360 while I play games. I don’t care whose fault it is or why it was done. I’m having none of it.

There are a lot of things to like about the Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 controllers. The grey on white camo design is a nice, subtle touch. The LED light thumbstick sockets add a nice flare to the controllers, and the thinner design makes holding it for long periods of time more pleasant.

If you can get over needing to plug this controller into your Xbox 360, it’s probably worth the upgrade.

Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller Camo was developed and produced by Mad Catz for the Xbox 360 on Nov. 10. Retails for $US49.99. A white controller was given to us by Mad Catz for reviewing purposes. Played several games for several hours with the controller.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Mad Catz has rolled out an entire line of third-party peripherals, including PC keyboards and mice, controllers, headsets and, most intriguing of all, a nifty Xbox 360 throat communicator.

Does Mad Catz deliver with the military-inspired microphone or is the Throat Communicator a waste of time and space?

Loved
Comfort: The lightweight throat communicator gently hugs your neck, making it easy to forget it’s there within minutes of putting it on. The attached in-ear earpiece features soft rubber that fills your ear canal without any strain or pain. No more ear or scalp irritation for you.

Isolated: These aren’t military quality, so to use the throat communicator you will have to speak at normal levels. That kills off my dream of whispering to team mates during late-night gaming sessions. But the microphone, which presses up against your neck, does a great job of cutting down outside noise. That means less echoes and less noisy roommates and music. I even tested eating with it, though to Fahey’s disgust, he could hear what he swears was the sound of my mastication and swallowing.

Hated
Muting and volume controls: With the fancy behind-the-neck design, it would have been nice if Mad Catz came up with a better system for earpiece volume control and muting. The dangling, rather small piece of plastic features a tiny switch to mute and a dial for volume which works just fine. But the extra plastic sort of kills the whole “I’m a cut-throat mercenary” feeling, leaning more towards the “I’m a douchey walk-and-talk businessman” vibe.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the Throat Communicator. In my time spent using it, the communicator was very comfortable and did an admirable job of doing what it says it will do. The volume dongle is a little off-putting but not a deal breaker. When it comes to inexpensive microphone upgrades for Xbox 360 Live, this seems like one of the best deals around.

Mad Catz Throat Communicator for the Xbox 360 was developed by Mad Catz for the Xbox 360 and released on November 10. A Throat Communicator was given to us by Mad Catz for reviewing purposes. Played several hours of Halo ODST and on Xbox Live with the communicator. Ate, cranked up the volume and had my son yell to test isolating effects.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

I’m in the middle of going through them all now for a review, but while you wait take a look at how these controllers, microphones and headsets look unboxed.

Included in the box were the throat mic, both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 controllers, a wireless headset for the PS3 and a faceplate for a PlayStation 3 controller.

Boxed

More than just an extremely pretty face, the Fender Telecaster ‘Player’s Edition’ comes complete with fast-action ‘Shredderz’ fret buttons, an exclusive addition to the model with a rapid action that the company says is perfect for difficult solos. The Telecaster also has four different methods for kicking Rock Band into overdrive — the optional Electro-Harmonix Overdrive Pedal, the back tuning button, the old-fashioned tilt mechanism and a new touch sensitive pickup, conveniently located above the strum bar.

The Telecaster retails for $US109.99 and is now shipping to stores across North America. It’s a little on the pricey side, but it sure has a hell of a lot of character.

Round 2 of Mad Catz officially licensed Street Fighter IV controllers features the same Tournament Edition FightSticks and FightPads as the first batch, only this time around they look different! The FightStick has had a nice makeover and the pads now features designs based on your favourite fighters, including Bison, Cammy, Guile, Crimson Viper, Sagat, and Zangief.

“Capcom is pleased to continue working alongside Mad Catz to deliver a second wave of high quality FightSticks and FightPads to the Street Fighter community,” said Christian Svensson, vice president business development & strategic planning at Capcom Entertainment, Inc. “Our fan base has responded enthusiastically to the first range of Street Fighter IV controllers and we are dedicated to continue surprising our loyal audience with products which do justice to this highly acclaimed title.”

With all the redesigns and limited editions they released so far of the FightSticks, I’d say Mad Catz is starting to overdo it a bit, but hey — if they sell, sell em!

Here we get our first look at the Mad Catz Modern Warfare 2 lineup. First announced last month, it consists of custom controllers for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, that lovely Cyborg keyboard and a mouse for the PC, the obligatory decals, and a couple of communicators for the console versions.

Perhaps the most intriguing is the Xbox 360 throat communicator, modelled after the same ones the military uses to facilitate clear communication in combat situations. Now I’ll be able to hear other Xbox Live users calling me a dickhead with a clarity I’ve never before experienced! I can’t wait.