Adrenalin Pad
Score: 55% Developer: Saitek
Function: Let's face it. The Xbox's greatest weakness lies with its huge, awkward controller; use it for a couple of days and you'll swear your old Saturn gamepad is suddenly too tiny to hold. During the supposed thousands of testing hours that went into design considerations for Microsoft's big-ass gadget, I guess someone must've forgotten to mention comfort along the way. But, for those gamers with smaller hands and a preference for coziness over performance, Saitek has constructed an Xbox controller that goes against much of the original's intentions. Gone are the giant jewel logos and hard, bulky handles we all know -- they've been replaced with slimmer, rubberized grips and shifted buttons. The D-pad has been smoothed out into an ambiguous plate (arguably the worst decision the developers could have made), and the analog thumbsticks have been moved closer together. The shoulder triggers are smaller, springier and more angled, while the six face buttons have shrunk in size. At first glance, the Saitek Adrenalin Pad doesn't even look like an Xbox product at all!
Performance: It's definitely comfortable and the side grips make a difference, but Saitek's benefits end there. I tested the Adrenalin Pad on four games (Halo, Fuzion Frenzy, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X, and TransWorld Surf), finding performance faults with each one. Halo puts the analog thumbsticks and shoulder triggers to use more often than any other Xbox title out there, and this isn't the gamepad to play it with. These sticks just seem too loose for their own good, and you can expect your fingers to slide off the triggers more than a few times during a heated firefight. Ugh. Fuzion Frenzy, on the other hand, only requires a couple of buttons for the majority of its minigames, so moving the characters isn't a problem. Things only begin to go awry when the under-sensitive face buttons don't register input unless pressed harder than usual -- and sometimes gamepad responsiveness is the last thing on your mind when you're jumping hurdles in 'Twisted System!' The two extreme sports titles work almost identically in controls; Tony Hawk uses triggers for spins and face buttons for ollies/tricks, while TransWorld assigns grabs to triggers and jumps/snapbacks to the buttons. Similarly, both suffer from the same setbacks Saitek has to offer: limp analog sticks provide awkward player control, and crucial actions never come out unless the buttons are mashed. Even if the controller is slimmer than ever before, it can't perform well enough to prevent frustration.
Features: Two analog thumbsticks with two digital thumbstick buttons Two USB controller expansion slots for add-ons Smooth vibration function 10-foot controller cable for long-distance play Breakaway cord to prevent accidents and console damage Green rubber grips on each side for comfort
Drawbacks & Problems:: As previously mentioned, the D-pad is next to useless on the Saitek pad. No arrows are molded in the face -- it's all just a smooth, nearly flattened surface with little distinction between directions (good luck using this in a fighter, much less any game that makes use of the digital pad!). And yes, we've already established the fact that the buttons are too close together and the sticks aren't tight enough, but there's one more poor design choice that really hurts the Adrenalin Pad: Back and Start are now between the left thumbstick and the six face buttons, where the Xbox jewel lies on the Microsoft controller. This little renovation wouldn't matter if only these buttons weren't so tiny, triangular, and within a millimeter of each other in the deepest section of the pad. Why even bother? But, in all fairness, the Adrenalin Pad isn't a terrible piece of hardware. Saitek meant well with the sleek, skinny design, yet failed to implement the sensitivity and functionality of Microsoft's mammoth. If you're looking for a cheap third or fourth controller to use with group games like Fuzion Frenzy and Cel Damage, this one'll do. If you're looking for a second player controller or one to replace your current original, though, consider going with the stylish Mad Catz Control Pad Pro instead. You'll be glad you did.
-Ben Monkey, GameVortex Communications AKA Ben Lewis
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