INTERVIEW WITH MAD CATZ
(STREET FIGHTER IV ACCESSORIES LINE)
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SFD: What is your favourite feature of the Tournament Fight Sticks?
MARKMAN: My favorite feature? That’s like asking me to pick my favorite child! Hrm… I honestly like the actual design look. Our designer that worked on the stick, Lawrence Yeung, did an excellent job designing the casing and giving it the Vewlix look/feel. Our art director, Roentgen Reyes then put together some very nice art for the main faceplate and did an amazing job on the box packaging.
CHRIS: Ahhh…I was going to say the design and packaging as well but beyond the look and feel, my favorite feature is the button layout and components. Having spent quite a bit of time on the actual Vewlix panel, and having had the pleasure of playing early builds of the game with the TE, I can honestly say both the game and the FightStick feel arcade perfect.
ALEX: I have to say the feel of the Stick, it simply feels "right" in a way that no other commercially available stick ever has...
XBOX 360 Console Skinz & Faceplates
SFD: Are any of the accessories wireless?
MARKMAN: The only wireless product is the PLAYSTATION 3 FightPad. Everything else has a 4m cable (approx. 13 feet).
SFD: Are there any bonus materials coming with each package?
CHRIS: The standard FightStick includes a character move’s list inspired by the moves list on the actual arcade machine. The TE stick includes the best packaging ever created for a FightStick and is something that the end user will definitely want to hang onto for display. It truly is a great out of box experience.
SFD: What is the expected price for each of the accessories?
ALEX: Prices differ from region to region, we don’t set retail price but the estimated SRP in North America is as follows:
Arcade FightStick: Tournament Edition : $149.99
Arcade FightStick PS3: $69.99, Arcade FightStick Xbox 360: $79.99
Fightpad: $39.99
Xbox 360 Console Skinz and Faceplate: $29.99
PS3 Controller Faceplate and Console Skinz: $29.99
Wall Scroll $14.99
SFD: Can you tell us a bit about the Official Street Fighter IV Wall Scroll?
CHRIS: Wall scrolls have been popular for displaying anime artwork for years and we feel is a perfect match to display the beautiful artwork created for Street Fighter IV.
ALEX: We wanted gamers to feel free to customize their entire gaming environment should they feel free. That is why we have Faceplates and Console Skinz as well. The Wall Scroll gives your gaming area a really cool ‘dojo’ like feel!
SFD: What are the designs like for the Faceplates (XBOX 360), Console Skinz (XBOX 360 & PlayStation 3) and Controller Faceplates (PlayStation 3)?
CHRIS: Console faceplates and vinyl console "Skinz" have been popular items for many of our previous licenses and give your console a truly custom look. The controller faceplates are hard plastic top covers that clip onto your official Microsoft or Sony first party controllers and require no modification to the controller. The key with these is that they don’t interfere with the buttons or D-Pad.
SFD: Where could fans purchase these accessories?
CHRIS: These are available at most major retailers like GameStop and many online stores including gamesharkstore.com.
ALEX: Officially they are not a limited edition product but realistically, they may well be hard to find now and impossible to find a year down the line. I advise fans to get their orders in now!
Street Fighter IV Wall Scroll
SFD: If you could BE a Street Fighter, who would you be and why?
MARKMAN: I’d be Zangief. I already have a red thong. (I hope you guys pictured that!)
SFD:...dude... *laughs*
CHRIS: I would be Guile. I am jealous of his sweet haircut. And I have seen Mark’s red thong…but we will save that story for a different time.
ALEX: I would be E Honda, let’s face it, I pretty much look like him already….
SFD: Nice. And finally, do you folks have any additional messages to the Street Fighter community?
MARKMAN: Yes. More specifically… Thank you to SHORYUKEN/SRK, CAG Fighter Thread, NeoGAF, SDTEKKEN, Tekken Zaibatsu and everyone else who believed in the project and provided feedback. Extra special thanks to Seth Killian and everyone else at Capcom, Microsoft US/Japan, Chad from Lizard Lick, TheRealNeoGeo (Per) from Akihabara Shop, ShinJN, Shin-RoTeNdO, Paik4Life, akuma001, and everyone else in the ‘arcade stick’ community! And last but not least, thank you Street Fighter Devotion for all your hard work!
CHRIS: It is great to see the Street Fighter community strong and growing. It’s not like it ever disappeared, but SFIV will definitely pull some of the older fans back in and introduce the game to an entirely new generation. It is a shame that many will never experience the anticipation of putting your quarter up and waiting your turn, but with the excellent port of the game combined with either of our FightSticks, we will give the fan the next best thing to a genuine arcade experience.
ALEX: I would just like to thank the fans for the overwhelming support and feedback they have given us thus far. Genuinely, we’re all gamers here at Mad Catz and we hope you all enjoy the range as much as we have!
SFD: Thank you again guys. Can't wait to add all of these accessories to the Street Fighter Devotion museum. We look forward to seeing more products from MadCatz! Keep in touch!
CHRIS: Thanks SFD
MARKMAN: Thank you SFD!
ALEX: Thanks guys, stay tuned for more!
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For more on the MAD CATZ SF4 Accessories, check out the: OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
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