Mad Catz purr-ipherals see strong Q2 sales
Peripheral manufacturer Mad Catz saw net sales up over 50% to $25.8 in the second quarter, but that didn't stop it from experiencing a net loss of $1.2 million at the end of the balance sheet. CEO Darren Richardson believes the company's strong sales come from purchasing competitors Joytech and Saitek late last year.
Although dubiousness still haunts the quality of Mad Catz products in gamer's minds, that's never stopped mom from buying one of the company's controllers because it's cheaper and asking, "What's the difference?" The company has certainly tried to alter gamer's perceptions of the company by getting the license to Rock Band 2 products. Although, like in the case of the portable drum kit, we don't know if it's making headway.
Although dubiousness still haunts the quality of Mad Catz products in gamer's minds, that's never stopped mom from buying one of the company's controllers because it's cheaper and asking, "What's the difference?" The company has certainly tried to alter gamer's perceptions of the company by getting the license to Rock Band 2 products. Although, like in the case of the portable drum kit, we don't know if it's making headway.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
lee @ Nov 18th 2008 7:51PM
madcatz suck balls
Jason @ Nov 18th 2008 7:57PM
This has got to be propaganda. Nobody wants their crap. I'd rather have a chinese knock-off of the original thing. At least then I could pretend it didn't suck ass.
A Pissed-off English Gamer @ Nov 19th 2008 8:04AM
They make their pads out of an inferior sub-plastic; they do so out of the bones of children, possibly the ones who worked for them.
A Pissed-off English Gamer @ Nov 19th 2008 8:06AM
Oh, had to add this. The madcatz logo is a great touch.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/8/1/
Premature ejaculation man @ Nov 18th 2008 7:53PM
I've forgotten about 3rd party peripherals this generation actually. Perhaps 1st party stuff rocks?
CynicalStrike @ Nov 18th 2008 8:13PM
Whenever I think of 3rd party controllers I think of this utter monstrosity of an N64 controller a mate had back in the day; tacky gold plastic (literally sticky-feeling), about the size of a housebrick and with a analog stick purpose-built to cripple thumbs and cause huge blisters. They're always just plain wrong.
Premature ejaculation man @ Nov 18th 2008 8:42PM
I hope your friend has learned to not buy things because they are cheaper and shiny :P
CynicalStrike @ Nov 18th 2008 8:51PM
Nope. He's an idiot like that.
Alien Lord @ Nov 18th 2008 7:59PM
The only mad catz product I ever bought was a tiny controller for my nephew when he was 9 and it worked fine but the rest of their shit seems pointless.
Jeff @ Nov 18th 2008 9:32PM
Funny comments! I do agree, the ONLY item I bought from them was a smaller xbox controller for my son.
Again because they were the only option.
brighenne @ Nov 18th 2008 8:03PM
$25.80! Sweet.
DiL @ Nov 18th 2008 8:03PM
mad catz is like my rash... it wont go away...
Markez @ Nov 19th 2008 12:45AM
That's what you get for chasing all those 3rd party and 2nd rate clown prostitutes.
Chase @ Nov 18th 2008 8:25PM
Your products are still terrible, Mad Catz.
Trizero @ Nov 18th 2008 9:12PM
Yeah, yeah, keep in mind: When you're the only company that has a deal with Harmonix for cymbals, you pretty much made a money printing machine.
Their cymbals are the first thing I'm buying after Christmas, they seem sturdy. Looks like they MAY finally have turned around!
DVersion @ Nov 18th 2008 9:30PM
I guess it pays to make some good quality products for one. People don;t believe that the Rock Band bass guitar I have was made by mad catz
Jesse @ Nov 18th 2008 9:57PM
The problem with 3rd Party stuff is people only want official stuff. I remember a time when Logitech was tiny and made products that weren't all together perfect but now they practically rule the PC world and have some great respect in the gaming community (force feedback steering wheels).
I know I've gotten all of my controllers for my consoles much cheaper than MSRP because I buy them when I find them on sale. If I needed a controller and a Madcatz controller actually looked like it might work work, I'll take the cost savings over the 1st party controller.
Although, the controller better look like it will last longer than a month and it should fit nicely in my hand (this in turn is a big problem due to copyrights)
Dave @ Nov 19th 2008 3:34AM
I think the greater problem is that there isn't a "premium" 3rd party manufacturer. You hear nothing but complaints about "Wah, the PS3 controller is too small", "Wah, the 360s controller is too big", Wah, the Wii Nunchuck isn't wireless"
Logitech is the best we've got, (in my opinion, I don't doubt Logitech quality for a second), but Madcatz, Pelican, and others choose to play the part of the discount option instead of taking on the first party peripherals head on.
If they ever did, though, I'd be excited as hell.
Jesse @ Nov 19th 2008 9:52AM
That is a good point. Even though people do whine about the 1st party controllers we have, we've accepted the fact that nothing better will come along.
Personally, I don't know how I would react to a different shaped PS3 controller. The Wii... oh boy... I just was playing Super Paper Mario and while the wii's controller is versatile it's uncomfortable. And there are plenty of design flaws with the Xbox360.
But if I were the 3rd party vendor... trying to convince mommies and daddies and bratty children that my controller was far superior to that of Sony's, Microsoft's, or Nintendo's will be pretty damn difficult unless the price is drastically less.
The problem associated with that is the manufacturing process needs to cost as little as possible to maximize profits, resulting in cheaper materials and cutting lots of corners. So until a company like Madcatz or even Logitech for that matter can convince the world that their version of our console controllers are just as good, if not better and make it cost only a small amount less, ill-informed soccer mom's will just continue to disappoint their spoiled children on Christmas morning.
Covarr @ Nov 18th 2008 10:22PM
Interestingly, the quality of Saitek products doesn't seem to have gone down since they were purchased by MadCatz. I wonder if Saitek-branded products are also being included in this figure.
Levi @ Nov 19th 2008 12:17AM
Mad Catz controllers break in less than two weeks or your money back!
Dave @ Nov 19th 2008 12:36AM
Haven't tried their recent products--but the Mad Catz Panther XL was the best FPS controller. Ever.
Jake B @ Nov 19th 2008 3:06AM
They sell chinese knockoffs of chinese made video game accessories. How do they not turn a profit? They must be paying their workers $.75 an hour instead of the usual $.45
Farseer (GDI) @ Nov 19th 2008 8:15AM
Friends don't let friends buy Mad Catz.
Farseer (GDI) @ Nov 19th 2008 8:16AM
Friends don't let friends buy Mad Catz.
Farseer (GDI) @ Nov 19th 2008 9:39AM
I was going to apologize about the DP, but then I realized how important the post was. I think it deserves to be reiterated.
ZaxCG2 @ Nov 19th 2008 9:52AM
*shooting star*
The more you know.
SlimPickinz96 @ Nov 19th 2008 8:34AM
Only thing good about MadCatz controllers is the price.
When pissed off @ a game/online match, you can hurl one of these and shatter it to smithereens and not even feel and ounce of guilt or despair.
Farseer (GDI) @ Nov 19th 2008 9:38AM
A stress ball is even cheaper. ;)
Canilash @ Nov 21st 2008 12:55PM
Anyone else ever had a PlayStation 1 not take normal controllers after using a 3rd party one? I'm scared of 3rd party stuff ever since...