Mad Catz talks supply, demand issues of SFIV FightStick

Apparently they only made the 3000 as when they first spoke to people about this product no one showed any real interest and said no one would buy a gaming accessory at that cost. It seems they dont know us at all ;-). Guy i know works for Capcom in Europe and he says it really is a decent bit of kit, so ive already got mine ordered...

Glad to finally hear something from Mad Catz on the issue.

How in the crap do I login.

Alex Verrey and Madcatz,

I checked out the preview, pics and podcast on Gamecyte today and I just want to say how stoked I am that you have teamed up with Capcom to not only provide us long-suffering Xbox 360 owners with quality SF joysticks but also affordable, quality SF-style gamepads, something I have been pleading for since the 360 was launched. I unfortunately do not have the cash or space for the Tournament stick, but I have already put down my deposit at my local EB for one gamepad and I will definitely be getting another once it becomes clearer which art styles are made available here in Canada. Right now EB only has one SKU listed for the controller and they have no idea which one it is (I gotta have my Chun Li gamepad)! And I for one am willing to have faith in the new Madcatz, especially since I have fond memories of the Xbox Microcon controller, which in my opinion was excellent. The Xbox 360 has only recently come into its own as a great system for fighting games, but your efforts only reconfirm that the system truly has arrived.

I'm so frustrated with this controller issue. I ordered mine from Amazon quite a while ago, expecting it to ship right around the game's launch. Amazon now says they'll update me when they have a ship date, but as of now there is no info. I think that Madcatz royally screwed up. Gamers are so frustrated that they're paying WELL OVER TWO TIMES the retail value of the fighting sticks on eBay.

My letter to Madcatz:
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Dear Madcatz,

As a gamer, I follow gaming news fairly closely. During the build-up to the release of the Madcatz controllers and fight sticks for Street Fighter IV, it was apparent that your company was attempting to remake it's image. Many gamers associated Madcatz with low quality, and there was effort underway to reverse that perception.

With the very low quantities of SFIV controllers available at the launch of SFIV, Madcatz missed a massive opportunity to demonstrate competency and clean-up its image. Madcatz failed gamers and retailers, and I'm personally wishing that Capcom had gone with a more reputable company to release the product.

In my situation, I'm waiting with sore thumbs (from playing with the standard controller) while Amazon still has no info on when my fight stick will be shipping. Like many others, I pre-ordered well before the game's release, and was anticipating receiving it within a few days of SFIV's launch.

You've split the biggest fans of the game into two groups: Those who were able to get a fightstick or pad, and those who weren't -- this makes for a frustrating situation.

I've not seen Madcatz make a public apology or provide any kind of explanation, beyond the irritating, "We were surprised at the volume of orders and are doing our best..." statement. I believe that Madcatz is probably the only player in this whole scenario that is surprised by the volume of orders -- it's not difficult to estimate the demand of items that are practically essential to play the game properly.

I'd like to request that Madcatz release more information in regards to the delay -- gamers want to know when they can receive their purchases. It feels as if your company is just counting on gamers being patient and swallowing up your product when you finally get around to producing adequate amounts. In an ideal world, a suitable alternative would pop-up and we would be able to ignore Madcatz until the company showed some degree of competency.

Regards,

Michael H.
Chicago, IL