[Review] Storm Chaser Gamepad - The Perfect Storm?
Help with accessibility in games can come from the most unexpected places, such as peripherals not designed for accessibility. The Storm Chaser Gamepad is one such thing. It’s a PS2 controller made by peripheral manufacturer InterAct. On paper, it sounds like a perfect storm, but should InterAct have taken more precautions before chasing? Since the initial release of MadCatz’s Street Fighter IV FightPads, I’ve been saying that we need regular controllers with 6 buttons. Little did I know however that there was one. Coming across the Storm Chaser was a happy accident. A friend of mine, Tim, who runs a used game store called Game Craze found it in back and saved it for me.
The Storm Chaser keeps the shape of a traditional gamepad controller, although it is a little bulkier and bigger. The controller components themselves are positioned more or less how they would be on a Sony controller. The Storm Chaser also has auto-fire/turbo as well as 2 programmable buttons. These 2 buttons are to the right of the usual 4 action buttons. This gives the controller a 6-button layout.
To remap these buttons, you press the Program button, the button you want to program (either E1 or E2), what button you want to assign, and the Program button again once you finished. Using turbo is your usual fare: you hold the Turbo button and press which button(s) you want it on.
Although minor, there are a couple problems I have with the Storm Chaser. One being that the buttons are a little stiff, meaning they need a bit of pressure to make contact. As such, I wouldn't recommend this controller for fighting games. The other is with the D-Pad. Up, down, left and right are raised up, leaving the diagonals lower and in a X shape. This makes the D-Pad feel very strange to me.
There is one final obstacle to overcome with the Storm Chaser, and that is the price. As of this writing, Amazon is selling it for $54.99 USD. While that's pricey for a controller, it's still cheaper than the PS2 One-Handed controller. Would I recommend the InterAct Storm Chaser Gamepad even with all the issues I mentioned? Most definitely. I even bought a new one from Amazon because I really liked the used one I got. Also, even though it is a PS2 controller, you can use it on PS3 and Xbox 360 as well, with the right adapters. I do, using Hyperkin’s PS2/ PS1 Controller to PS3/PC Adapter and eTokki’s Xtokki 360 Converter, respectively
Product Concept Rating: 5 stars
Accessibility Rating: 4.5 stars
