Mad Catz has always been known as the number one third-part accessory maker for consoles and portables alike. They’ve been around since the late 1980s, and have made quite a name for themselves in the market. Since then, they’ve bought up other big players in the accessory market, including Saitek, Tritton, and Joytech.
While that’s all well and good, with a new console on its way in less than a week, we are happy to say that Mad Catz has a veritable ton of Wii U accessories in the works.
Luckily, these accessories aren’t the usual battery packs and charging cords you might be used to from sub-par accessory manufacturers. MadCatz starts things off with their Flipstand Protective Cover which acts as both a way to protect the GamePad’s screen when not in use, but also as a stand when you’re playing in front of a table and don’t need to hold the controller.
There is also a charge dock for the Wii U GamePad. This is an accessory aimed at the market of buyers who aren’t picking up the Deluxe Set (which includes its own charging cradle) but still want a bit of flash when they display their new toy. Of course, it will probably come in much more useful when games supporting dual GamePads hit the market next year.
Mad Catz also decided to produce a Kunai headset designed to match the Deluxe Set’s dark aesthetic, given that this range of headphones is higher end and is likely the same audience that would spend a bit more for the complete Wii U package at launch. The headset includes an inline control to adjust volume, as well as a detachable microphone.
Finally, there is a charging stand for your Wii remotes called the Power Up Remote Charge Dock which holds your Wii remotes to its base with magnets embedded in its rechargeable battery packs.
All of the accessories seem to be very well designed, and we had the chance to play around with all of them at E3 this year. While what we saw was prototype form, we got an excellent feel for the quality of the products. The days of cheap, plasticky third party accessories is long gone.
If you’re going to be in line for a Wii U on day one, be sure to get your hands on a few accessories from Mad Catz. It’ll make your launch experience that much better and make sure you keep your batteries charged and your GamePad in tip-top shape.