Mad Catz Panther XL: Trackball+Joystick Oddware from 1997!
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Date: 2023-10-06
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Comments and reviews: 13
Tobormax
This is so weird! I used to play Mech Warrior 2 back in the day using a MS Sidewinder joystick for my left hand and a mouse for aiming with my right hand. It was actually something suggested in the manual and worked pretty well. So, the idea of a joystick and trackball pairing together isn't insane. But having the trackball on the left hand side? I don't know about that. When I saw this I immediately thought it was a left-handed setup, but I guess not. I never had any MadCatz PC peripherals, but I did have a terrible MadCatz controller for the N64 that drifted like a leaf on the wind. It was the punishment controller among my cousins and me when we played Smash Bros. Anyway. yeah, even if this had been oriented in the preferred way I probably would have rather taken my 79. 99 and thrown it in the trash rather than spend it on a MadCatz product from the era.
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This is so weird! I used to play Mech Warrior 2 back in the day using a MS Sidewinder joystick for my left hand and a mouse for aiming with my right hand. It was actually something suggested in the manual and worked pretty well. So, the idea of a joystick and trackball pairing together isn't insane. But having the trackball on the left hand side? I don't know about that. When I saw this I immediately thought it was a left-handed setup, but I guess not. I never had any MadCatz PC peripherals, but I did have a terrible MadCatz controller for the N64 that drifted like a leaf on the wind. It was the punishment controller among my cousins and me when we played Smash Bros. Anyway. yeah, even if this had been oriented in the preferred way I probably would have rather taken my 79. 99 and thrown it in the trash rather than spend it on a MadCatz product from the era.
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Zlotac
I have 2 in my basement, waiting for a usb conversion for quite some time now. Played for YEARS UT99 on one. I still swear this is and always will be the best controler i have ever used in my life. Also keep in mind when this was released, keyboards had 3 key limit and were, as today, digital, so no minor movement. The trackball was the biggest selling point because you could keep the sensitivity reallyyy low and just yolo it to a side to make a 180, but still have precise movement when aiming. Thanks for the video, this reminded me i have to bump the guy doing conversions to have one on USB and enjoy the good ol days again.
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I have 2 in my basement, waiting for a usb conversion for quite some time now. Played for YEARS UT99 on one. I still swear this is and always will be the best controler i have ever used in my life. Also keep in mind when this was released, keyboards had 3 key limit and were, as today, digital, so no minor movement. The trackball was the biggest selling point because you could keep the sensitivity reallyyy low and just yolo it to a side to make a 180, but still have precise movement when aiming. Thanks for the video, this reminded me i have to bump the guy doing conversions to have one on USB and enjoy the good ol days again.
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KrissyBoo
oh my gosh i have been waiting for this thing!
Hey, since im early, does anyone have any information regarding an old ass laptop? I have an averatec c3500, the parent company of averatec is Trigem, the same people who made the EeePC. Im missing the drive caddy which has an interposer attached to it. Ive been looking for an image of it to try and make something that will work for around 6 months, but to no avail. If anyone has any info, id love the help! I posted on the subreddit about it a few weeks ago.
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oh my gosh i have been waiting for this thing!
Hey, since im early, does anyone have any information regarding an old ass laptop? I have an averatec c3500, the parent company of averatec is Trigem, the same people who made the EeePC. Im missing the drive caddy which has an interposer attached to it. Ive been looking for an image of it to try and make something that will work for around 6 months, but to no avail. If anyone has any info, id love the help! I posted on the subreddit about it a few weeks ago.
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GreyWolfLeaderTW
I had a MadCatz PS1 analog controller back in the day. It ironically lasted longer than the official PS1 analog controller that came with the console, although bits and parts of it began breaking down before then. The analog stick functionality became finicky and temperamental, turning itself off automatically at bootup more and more frequently over time until the whole thing stopped working.
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I had a MadCatz PS1 analog controller back in the day. It ironically lasted longer than the official PS1 analog controller that came with the console, although bits and parts of it began breaking down before then. The analog stick functionality became finicky and temperamental, turning itself off automatically at bootup more and more frequently over time until the whole thing stopped working.
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RainMakeR
I actually have pretty fond memories of Mad Catz products. Had an og Xbox Mad Catz controller which I preferred over the Duke controller I had. Had a fightpad by them, my first good arcade/fight stick was one of theirs and my first gaming PC back in 2013, I had a STRIKE 7 keyboard and RAT 9 mouse.
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I actually have pretty fond memories of Mad Catz products. Had an og Xbox Mad Catz controller which I preferred over the Duke controller I had. Had a fightpad by them, my first good arcade/fight stick was one of theirs and my first gaming PC back in 2013, I had a STRIKE 7 keyboard and RAT 9 mouse.
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D.
Friend of mine back in 2001 or so praised the hell out of the PantherXL that he had before we met. When he got another, he paid way to much for one off ebay. Then broke it within a week heh.
My fave old school PC controller was the 3Dfx Hammerheadfx. Loved that thing back in the day.
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Friend of mine back in 2001 or so praised the hell out of the PantherXL that he had before we met. When he got another, he paid way to much for one off ebay. Then broke it within a week heh.
My fave old school PC controller was the 3Dfx Hammerheadfx. Loved that thing back in the day.
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Dukefazon
Have you tried switching hard, crossing one with the other, operating the trackball with your right and the joystick with the left? I know it would be awkward and you wouldn't be able to use all the buttons correctly but worth a try.
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Have you tried switching hard, crossing one with the other, operating the trackball with your right and the joystick with the left? I know it would be awkward and you wouldn't be able to use all the buttons correctly but worth a try.
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buckarooholiday
the non standard control schemes are the last thing i miss about gaming 's wild west
there was a similar joystick that i remember hacking to play backwards, sort of like the design of that gravis gamepad
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the non standard control schemes are the last thing i miss about gaming 's wild west
there was a similar joystick that i remember hacking to play backwards, sort of like the design of that gravis gamepad
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John
the Wingman Warrior was my first Logitech Joystick.
First Joystick ever was a Gravis Analog joystick pro, and while that one is long gone I did find another one Thrifting
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the Wingman Warrior was my first Logitech Joystick.
First Joystick ever was a Gravis Analog joystick pro, and while that one is long gone I did find another one Thrifting
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Chris
to me the inversion seems natural. To look up in real life, you tilt your head back, which is what the joystick mimics with the trackball.
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to me the inversion seems natural. To look up in real life, you tilt your head back, which is what the joystick mimics with the trackball.
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Retro
I owned & loved those exact games: Jedi Knight, Quake 2 and Unreal Tournament. I was never able to get into playing them using a joystick.
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I owned & loved those exact games: Jedi Knight, Quake 2 and Unreal Tournament. I was never able to get into playing them using a joystick.
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Darcy
Did the stick not have a twist function on the PC version? The Dreamcast on e did, so you could turn by twisting the stick left or right.
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Did the stick not have a twist function on the PC version? The Dreamcast on e did, so you could turn by twisting the stick left or right.
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B.
+lazygamereviews Know ye of any legacy Intel PCI gameport adapters with an interrupt function? Would've been essential for this controller.
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+lazygamereviews Know ye of any legacy Intel PCI gameport adapters with an interrupt function? Would've been essential for this controller.
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