Mad Catz L.Y.N.X.9 Mobile Hybrid Controller with Bluetooth Technology

I have many many game controllers. I've been searching forever to find a PORTABLE game controller with GOOD controls that I can always have with me, so I can play games when I am away from home. Unfortunately, my search continues. You see, I said PORTABLE.Since Madcatz is afraid to list the dimensions of this 'portable' controller, here they are as I have just measured them with the cell phone mount attached and in folded up 'portable' position238 grams12.5cm x5.75cm x 7.5cmif you remove the cell phone mount it goes down to 4.75cm from 5.75cmI have pants with HUGE pockets and while this fits, it bulges comically and there is no way it would ever be comfortable for anyone to have this in their pocket on a daily basis. Yes you can bring it with you sometimes, but you wont be having this in your pants pocket on a daily basis. This from a guy who HAS carried an ipad mini in his pocket on a daily basis. If I can carry that, but not this, you know its not portable. The problem is the shape- its not thin enough. If you are going to make a pocketable device, it has to be thin enough to remain in your pocket comfortably on a daily basis. Like the ipega, if someone would just make something like that with a quality dpad/analog stick.....I have an ipega pg9025 which weighs 80 grams and is a lot thinner which does fit in pants pocket without issue, but the problem with that device is its cheaply made and the controls (dpad and analog) are a bit crappy.The LYNX 9 controller itself is awesome and extremely well made and a joy to use. The dpad was better than average but worse than any of sonys dpads (psp go, xperia play both have way superior dpads). However the analog stick is so epically well made it can substitute for an arcade stick and I was able to play street fighter and enjoy the experience and many many other arcade games using just the analog, including games like commando which require very quick precise movements. I gamed for five hours experienced zero discomfort. Buttons are great as well.P.S. Just to give you an idea, I own a psp go(good, but lacks the android flexibility/software and lacks multiplayer capabilites without having to carry another psp go) , xperia play(poor gps and internet browsing capabilities), ipega(bad controls), 8bitdo tiny controller(needs to be constantly repaired every time via bluetooth), impulse controller(annoying random chirps when the battery gets low that cant be turned off, yes im serious) , a few more Chinese knockoffs (lack sufficient number of buttons), and even a much i5 gaming phone ( crappyish controls). At the moment, the xperia play is the best solution for a portable gaming phone setup, however it is so dated that browsing the internet can be painfully slow and the gps is unreliable and sometimes fails altogether, so its not really a workable solution either. I may have to go back to carrying a psp go or xperia play and my main phone.In summary, while the LYNX 9 is a great, quality well made controller, durable with great controls,I do feel a bit disappointed and deceived, because this was advertised as a solution to the problem of portable gaming, yet IT ISNT PORTABLE. Madcatz or somebody, please please please make a portable gaming controller with controls that I can play street fighter with (I say street fighter because it is the most demanding game control wise, if its good enough for street fighter it'll be good enough for any other game). In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can have some kind of custom ankle band made to hold this controller to my ankle underneath my pants, lol......

This is a pretty big purchase, but I feel like it was worth it. At $300, this controller is not for kids to mess around with.The controller has a lot of stuff to cover, and I feel like just having a small paragraph does not do this controller justice especially for those of you who want to know if you are getting your money's worth.Like the Mad Catz C.T.R.L.R., the L.Y.N.X. has three different controller modes built into it indicated by a blinking LED. When Blue, the controller is in 'Android' mode having the buttons configured to the Android's standard. When Red, the controller is in 'Direct PC' mode supporting Microsoft's Direct Input API. When Purple, the controller is in media mode. Using the left analog stick as a mouse, the face buttons as the Play, Pause, Track Backward and Track Forward media buttons, and either the analog triggers or clicking the analog sticks will simulate a mouse's left and right click, and the shoulder buttons will increase and decrease your volume. The upper black square on the L.Y.N.X. is a finger sensor that acts as an input device for a mouse. Sliding your finger across this sensor will make a mouse curser appear, and you can click it. This is quite useful for Android, as a lot of games will splash advertisements on the screen that need a click to close out, preventing the switching of modes.The controller comes folded up inside of it's box. When opening the controller's arms and analog sticks, you can attach two metal arms that are affixed via magnets. This gives the controller a contemporary feel that is comfortable to hold onto. The analog sticks do feel a bit odd when using them for the first time, as the sticks are less resistant than the Xbox-1 or PS4 controllers, but there really is nothing wrong with them. After getting adjusted to how the sticks feel, I was power-sliding in Asphalt 8 and fighting aliens in The Conduit. If you play games on your cell phone, there is a clip that can be attached to the controller that holds your phone in place. This holster is made of metal and is nice to look at when closing the controller up.If you are more of a person who likes to text while on your phone, you can attach a keyboard module. This does allow you to type out full emails and tweets while you are playing, eliminating the need for having a virtual keyboard. I like the idea of these small keyboards being an option for controllers but I never found them very useful for typing out long messages. I would recommend getting the S.T.R.I.K.E Mobile if you're looking for a good quality keyboard for typing out a lot of emails on your phone or tablet. But, for simple text messages or in game messages that are short and sweet the L.Y.N.X keyboard module works great.Pressing the lower center button between the analog sticks make the left and right arms come completely off. This allows the three components, the two arms and the brain, to be attaches to a tablet frame. This allows tablets up to 7 inches to fit inside, the brain is attached to the top, the left and right arms of the controller attached to their respected sides, and the bottom of the frame can be extended to hold onto your tablet. This will not hold larger tablets, or even gaming tablets like the ones made by Nvidia and Acer. In this case, the frame can be used as a stand so you don't have to get a special case or prop your tablet against a coffee mug to game at a comfortable angle. Also included are what Mad Catz calls the, 'PlayBig' cable. This is a Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) cable that attaches to a tablet's USB connector and is able to mirror the tablet's screen to a television's. The MHL adapter supports 5 and 11 pin plugs with an included adapter, and Mad Catz also boxes in a HDMI cable as well. This is great for smaller tablets, but tablets that are bigger and made for gaming have a mini HDMI port on them, which this MHL adapter will not work with. In the PDF manual for the L.Y.N.X. 9, Mad Catz does include a list of compatible tablets just in case you are wondering if it'll work with yours. You can see if your tablet works at www.madcatz.com/compatiblity/playbigOn your device, you can either play with the L.Y.N.X 9 on it's default settings as a mobile gaming controller, but you also get a lot of fine tuning with the driver, downloaded as an app on Android or Windows. This app allows you to customize your L.Y.N.X. with the ability to fine tune different profiles, from viewing the detailed information of the controller to defining dead zones on the analog sticks to meet your playing style. Whatever changes you make are saved on the separate apps and are not remembered on the controller. On Windows, you have the ability to customization what each button does. Like the android app, these profiles are only remembered on your PC.Every product will have their faults, so this spot is to let you know what doesn't quite work with the controller.There are four buttons in very close proximity in the upper central part of the brain. These buttons, from left to right, are the power, back, start, and mode. When messing up on a stage and needing to reach for the pause button, my thumb naturally hits the mode button, which is bigger and easier to reach than the pause button for some reason, switching to media mode. When playing a racing game, the right trigger tends to be 'accelerate' and 'fire' in first person shooters. This trigger happen to be the volume up button in media mode. I've had a number of occurrences where I wanted to pause the game I was playing, and ended up blasting music in my ears startling me.With the design of the L.Y.N.X. being modular, there is a some wiggle room that exists from where the left and right arms attach to the brain. I've never had any issues with a part of the controller snapping apart or not working. Just don't get yourself worked up to the point where you feel like you need to break the controller, because you very well may, or throw the controller, because the metal arms are more likely to get stuck in your wall than bounce off.There is no force feedback. So if you like having rumble in your games, this controller does not support it.Over all, the L.Y.N.X. 9 works well. It is one of the best controllers that I have used and it is packed with all the accessories you'll need to game in the mobile world. For me, the $300 is worth it as this controller feels like it will last years and be able to take the wear and tear mobile controllers receive from traveling with its metal frame. If you like the idea of having one of the controllers, but you don't want to shell out the $300 for this one, there is the L.Y.N.X. 3, an all plastic controller that is very similar to the 9.

I don't normally write these kinds of reviews, but my disappointment here is intense. For the record, I'm just a guy in Alaska who purchased this controller based on a recommendation in "Wired" magazine. I am not the competition for this product. The controller is so flimsy and poorly made that it fell apart literally as we were putting it together out of the box. A small plastic bit broke off at one of the arm rests (inner handles). The thumb knobs popped out of the assembly. Within 30 minutes, the controller was worthless. I have a long history of handling electronic equipment well (owner of a Nikon D800, several laptops, gaming consoles, and other more delicate gear) without any problems. I have lenses 40 years old without a scratch. This is a piece of junk. If I had paid 1/3 of the cost, I probably would not be writing this, but when you're spending $300 for anything, the expectation is that you'll get a well-constructed device. I'm also going to vent on "Wired" magazine for promoting this thing, and on the company itself on Monday. My advice is not to purchase this controller. It was an expensive lesson in advertising.

This product is brilliant in theory. But imperfect in executionThe grips are pretty uncomfortable. They just dont feel right. The Right & Left Triggers feel really junky, and feel like they will break. The mouse in the center was poor, and I couldnt get all the buttons mapped properly on my PC.If it worked as well as it looks, it would be nearly a perfect product