« Happy Photoshopping! | Main | Review : Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer »
Review : MadCatz Lynx wireless gamepad for PS2
I gave in to my curiosity and purchased a MadCatz Lynx wireless gamepad for PS2. Since there is no first party wireless controller made by Sony this is the next best thing.
This is clearly inspired by the Nintendo Wavebird but they made a very good wireless controller with a definite Playstation feel to it.
It had a good form factor and ranks up there with the rest of MadCatz product line for the best third party controllers. It is a bit big but not bulky this is due to the three AA batteries needed to power the unit. Now it does take batteries but I have a good amount of modern generation rechargeable batteries so I plan on never buying disposable batteries for this baby. That really helps and I would not recommend you use something like this until you get a good recharger and supply of rechargeable batteries.
Now one of the really cool thing about the MadCatz Lynx is that it had motors for vibration feed back and the connection with the PS2 is 2 way and I was actually surprised when the unit started to rumble. This will eat your batteries a bit more and there is no switch on the controller to turn vibration on and off but most games have the ability to disable rumble in software so it is not that big of an issue.
It has rubber grips on the handles and thumb sticks and good buttons and no programming for macros that no one uses. Besides the on off switch this has the same button on the PS2 Dualshock and there should be no learning curve. There is an compact antenna unit that plugs into the controller port on the PS2 and is black to match well with the design of the console. It looks cool.
Using a PS2 to Gamecube Adapter you can use this with the Gamecube vibration and all. I was a bit miffed that it did not work with the Gameboy Player but i had the same problem with wired PS2 pads.
Now I did not like the price at forty bucks and it is about as much as I ever want to pay for a controller. I read some positive reviews online and I have been impressed with MadCatz track record so I was not too worried. The Scottish guy at my local GameStop had a bad experience with one of these but he chalks it up to the abuse low batteries that it faced at the hands of it's owner. I noticed no lag and played some Ikaruga, Virtua Fighter 4, Mario Sunshine, and GTA 3 all from the comfort of my couch with no wires.
Good range but I was not able to test it to it's fullest giving the visible range of my TV in my apartment and I noticed no noticeable lag as the distance increased. BBQ and I should see how far the unit can go at his place. It uses the 900 khz range and is not in the same radio spectrum as my Wifi and cordless phone.
This is a really cool product and I look forward to using it on a daily basis. It is the damn best thing to a Wavebird for the PS2. If you have the rechargeable batteries that this would be a good choice if you have a large living room. It is much cooler than using an extension cord.
Jake at August 9, 2003 
Reviews
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.8bitjoystick.com/cgi-bin/mtype/mt-tb.cgi/325
Comments
Considering how much I hate the cords for the PS2 controllers that always seem to be laying around, I would love to have these. Can you use two at the same time? Probably not, huh?
(What is a Gameboy Player?)
Posted by: Christine at August 9, 2003 10:44 PM
Actually you might be able to. There is no channel select switch like the Nintendo Wavebird so I am assuming that the antenna and controller are uniquely identified but I am not sure. I guess I'll check the website and read some other reviews. I can't imagine they making it so you can't use two of them but I have not tried it. The Gameboy Player is a unit that you add to the bottom of the Nintendo Gamecube that lets you plat Gameboy Advance games on your TV like a Super Nintendo ( http://www.8bitjoystick.com/archives/jake_review_gameboy_player_for_gamecube.php )
Posted by: Jake at August 10, 2003 12:47 AM
I remember when MadCatz first put out wireless PS2 controllers when the PS2 was launched, the packages were either marked "A" or "B" on the back so that two controllers could be used simultaneously. I'm not certian if this is still how they are manufactured, but I would imagine this is still the case.
Posted by: InsaneDavid at August 10, 2003 1:15 AM
No lettering on the unit and I threw out the packaging. I will check next time I am at the game store. One of the other reviews says that it would get 50 hours of game play out of three AAs no world on if that is using rumble.
Posted by: Jake at August 10, 2003 1:37 AM
Right on -- as discussed elsewhere on here, wireless is the way to go. However you do have to contend with searching for the oddly-located controller occasionally. Hint: Check the kitchen first.
Hope that $40 won't eat into your RetroCON budget. So many controllers...
Posted by: Trapp at August 11, 2003 9:35 AM
I haven't lost it. It is a bit larger than a remote control and would not get lost between the seat cushions easily. My problem is that I have to remember to turn it off when I am done. a light would be cool or a more visible power switch. It didn't break the bank and there are no new games on the market that I want so I figured why not.
Posted by: Jake at August 11, 2003 10:24 AM
I'm totally getting one of these. To hear it comared with the Wavebird really sold it, and i like the wavebird even without the rumble function. Rock on.
Posted by: pellinore at August 11, 2003 12:44 PM
I've just made a controller discovery myself that needs to be shared with all:
http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/225742.asp
It has fans for your hands!
Posted by: Trapp at August 12, 2003 12:15 PM
You know my hands have not sweated playing games since the early 80s.
Posted by: Jake at August 12, 2003 12:20 PM
I'm with Jake, my hands don't sweat when I play games. But, word to the wise, the controller has fans that burn out after only a few uses and is NOT worth the $25 price tag.
Posted by: Mici at August 12, 2003 4:06 PM
okay, lemme break it down...yes you can use two controllers at a time, because on the adapter plugged into the the port on the ps2 has a switch, so you can select from up to 4 different wireless controllers. Second, yes you can turn off the "rumble" concealed within the battery compartment there is a switch that allows you to turn it on or off. and i really didn't like the controller, it was too big, and lagged a little.
Posted by: Chase at December 28, 2005 11:07 PM
