Mad Catz

Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 Combat Controller - Snow
$49.99
Anyone who has given this controller a positive review has tiny hands, has never used it, or is a Madcatz employee :P

I too absolutely loved the idea of this controller- and then I actually got to use it once it arrived :/

Problems:

1. Immediate thing you notice is that the black plastic on the thumbsticks is quite slick...the stock xbox360 controllers have a slightly ruggedized texture, concave surface, and tick marks to help hold your thumb in place: of all of these, this controller has one and it's only the very center of the stick that's concave. I took a knife to the surface to scuff it up, and now it holds in place just fine. Which brings me to problem 2:

2. The headset voice has what sounds like a phase delay- gives an echo to the sound and making any headset sound far less crisp than even the basic microsoft headset (plugging that headset in sounds just terrible). Wish I had spotted this before trying to modify the thumbstick into a usuable feature because I'd have returned it on the spot if otherwise. Test your new stuff in a real game, not in a private lobby alone so you're testing things you might not realize don't work right: which brings me to #3

3. The bumper buttons are huge and the sensor pad for them are near the top- so the bottom portion of the buttons that I touch the most are intermittent at best. Cooking a grenade? I hope not :P Reallllly disliked seeing a grenade I'm trying to carefully time suddenly fly out of my hand because the bottom of the button wasn't applying enough pressure.

4. Trigger frame and bottom buttons. Unless you've got tiny child-like hands, you're going to have a hard time finding a comfortable position to put your fingers so that they sit on the combat buttons on the bottom. I don't know anyone who doesn't wrap their middle, ring, and pinky fingers around the palm grips of a 360 controller, so why not put these buttons there? The sloping of the frame where the trigger is pulled into makes it impossible to hold the controller tightly and use the combat buttons. I'm in the middle of trying to figure out a way to balance a beam across a bearing over the button to extend these down the underside of the palm grips, but I why should I have to redesign the controller to make it usable? That's Madcatz's job and they failed at it. Great idea, incredibly bad implementation. Great controller to let someone you hate use, so unless that someone is you, don't buy one.

Rock Band 2 Triple Cymbal Expansion Kit
$39.99
I bought the cymbal expansion set to go with my Rock Band 2 drum set. I was very pleased with the drum set and how sturdy it was and how sturdy the cymbals were. I quickly assembled the set while following the directions and began playing. To my great dismay, the cymbals on the right (which are on one single support) were not able to stay in place and fell while I was playing due to the weight of the cymbals, which was exacerbated by my playing. I put it back in place and the process repeated. The quickest solution I found (though unattractive) was to use a small bit of tape around the base of the cymbal "tree" to keep in in place. I did that to both cymbal "trees" for good measure. Other than that problem, I have no complaints about the cymbal expansion. They are very responsive and provide an excellent alternative to the drum heads for the creative type. One issue that many complain about is the noise of the drum heads. What they should complain about is the noise of the cymbals, which, when struck, can be quite loud and/or very annoying (especially to a college roommate...). Unfortunately, there are no mutes that I am aware of. Maybe problem solving will fix this too. Though they definitely add to the fun factor, I recommend them more to the people who wouldn't mind thinking outside of the box with regards to the issue of the cymbals falling and the noise.

Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 Throat Communicator
$29.99
I've had no problems with the headset and mic (both were clear), but the throat communicator is just too tight on my neck. This must have been sized for kids instead of anyone 18 and over. The plug that goes into the mic jack also isn't very tight but I had no static because of it.

If they had made the neck part adjustable I probably would definitely keep it, but now I'm contemplating whether or not I should return it to Amazon.

Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV FightStick
$79.99
The raised plastic border around the Street Fighter IV art was very abrasive when resting my wrist on it while playing (right hand, button pushing).

In addition, the medium kick button (B) stopped working after about 4 fights (8 rounds total). I had a choice, wait another week for a different controller (faster than 2 week replacement) or void the warranty and fix it myself. Through other reviews I read, I discovered that this joystick quickly develops other functionality issues, namely the joystick stops working or gets stuck.

SO, I decided to make the best of this opportunity to rid myself of this cheaply made product and go for the Tournament Edition (with the 'arcade' parts).

The reason I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 is because I was having a lot of fun with it for 5 minutes before it stopped working.

Conclusion: Don't buy this product, ever. Any positive reviews for this product were most likely made shortly before the product broke down or by sales representatives.