MadCatz announce GBA gadgets
The inevitable collection of third-party peripherals makes its way onto the market
MadCatz have long been known for their peripheral support for systems like the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and PC. They recently secured a very useful deal to produce peripherals for the Xbox, and now they have plans to produce unofficial gadgets for GameBoy Advance owners. Most interesting is the "Battery Grip", which is an ergonomically designed grip that encases a Ni-Cad rechargeable battery, good for up to 15 hours of continuous gameplay. This should make it very popular with long-haulers, who are often forced to stop by the petrol station on their way down the M1 for a can of Coke and a packet of AAs for the passenger. Another toy for long-haulers is the travel pack. Featuring multi-link cable, roll cage, light and magnifiers, it should keep even the most rugged gamer out of trouble. We particularly like the idea of a roll cage, because God knows how irritating (and heart-breaking) it is when your tiny LCD screen develops bumps and scratches. Elsewhere, the company also intends to produce a docking station, for recharging the Battery Grip it seems, a Car Adapter, and separate releases of the roll cage, and light/magnifier. The jewel in the crown though is the MP3 player, which uses smart cards for unlimited storage (as long as you can buy some more, obviously). We're at a loss as to how this is a better arrangement than say, minidiscs, but it's definitely convenient. The MP3 player also includes a built in PDA for storing contact information, a scheduler and memo devices. There really ought to be a "boss key" for when the man walks in and spots you fiddling with your GameBoy mind. "Honest guv, I was just looking for a phone number!" Related Feature - Microsoft accessorize