PS2

  News 
  Reviews
  Previews
  Hardware
  Interviews
  All Features

Areas

  3DS
  Android
  iPad
  iPhone
  Mac
  PC
  PlayStation 3
  PlayStation 4
  Switch
  Vita
  Wii U
  Xbox 360
  Xbox One
  Media
  Archives
  Search
  Contests

 

DVD Wireless Remote
Score: 79%
Developer: Mad Catz
Device Type: Controller


Function:

Remotes. We can?t live without them. And one of the drawbacks of the PS2 is that, although it can play DVDs, you have to use the standard controller with it. This is something of a pain, especially for when your parents want to watch something with it, and feel foolish using a ?joystick? to make the movie play.

The Mad Catz DVD Wireless Remote cures that, but it?s not without its issues. It?s multi-function, with every button on the PS2 itself represented in some form on the controller, and a few extra buttons for the TV and changing the mode of the remote.


Performance:

First off, it?s something of a ?universal? remote. You can program it to work your TV and VCR along with your PS2. But this is where you start running into problems. The instructions tell you to hold down Rewind and Previous Chapter, but you actually have to hold down the Previous and Next Chapter buttons to get into the programming mode. This error is repeated, at least in the French instructions, and for people not astute enough to read the tiny text on the programming page that says press L1+R1 and then translate that into the buttons on the controller itself, it can be tantamount to having a worthless controller. Once you get past this major error, it?s actually quite simple to program the remote. I had it working with my TV and VCR within minutes, although the tiny print for the chart hurt my eyes.

The remote?s buttons also glow in the dark, but their glow isn?t bright enough to be of any use whatsoever. Sure, you can see that there are buttons, but you can?t tell what they are. It?s a rather pointless feature.

Some of the buttons are also curiously labeled. The button that should be labeled ?Title? is labeled ?Menu,? and the one that should be labeled ?Menu? is labeled ?DVD.? Huh? While you can always look up the help in the PS2 itself, it?s rather confusing when you?re trying to press buttons to get to the Menu and it restarts the movie instead.

Along with that, the remote?s infrared receiver has no pass-through port. While you can use the remote as a standard controller, it?s useless for all but the simplest games, as the button layout is not conducive to hardcore gaming. So you have to switch it out with a standard controller every time you want to play a game. Argh.


Features:
  • Multi-function ?universal? remote that controls your PS2, TV, and VCR
  • Glow-in-the-dark buttons
  • Pretty LEDs

Drawbacks & Problems::

Besides the aforementioned issues with the buttons, instruction book, and receiver, the controller turns off certain buttons in certain modes. Well, my VCR happens to have different ?input? options (it?s how I use my Dreamcast), and the remote turns off the TV/VCR button when you?re in VCR mode. This means I have to pull out my other remote to mess with that.

And some coworkers of mine tried to use this remote with their TV and couldn?t get it to recognize it, even with the codes given in the book. Argh.

While it?s not terrible, this DVD Wireless Remote has some definite issues. The need to swap it out with your real controller, the fact that the instruction book is just plain wrong, and some misnomer buttons all make for a frustrating experience when you first use it. Although you can certainly get to the point where it?s quite usable, it?s a matter of accepting its limitations instead of fixing the problems. Perhaps a second iteration of the controller is in order. Until then, unless you absolutely must have a remote control for your PS2, you may do better with the standard Dual Shock or Dual Shock 2.


-Sunfall to-Ennien, GameVortex Communications
AKA Phil Bordelon

Sony PlayStation 2 System Stand Sony PlayStation 2 GameLink 300 S-Video Cable

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated