| Panther
XL Manufactured By:
Mad Catz, Inc.
Retail Price: $79.95
Review Date:
10-6-98
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I have to admit when I am skeptical of a product; I was
skeptical of the Panther XL. How can a controller provide 3D control, be used as a
flightstick and offer expandability? The fine people of Mad Catz figured it out!
They call it the Panther XL.
The Panther XL is a large controller; it has to be to accommodate all the features
it offers. The layout of the stick, buttons, throttle and controller ball is done
well. This controller is not made for the hands of a child.
The Panther XL setup easily and I immediately ran a few of my favorite games.
Motocross Madness ran with better control than anything I have used so far
(including controllers from the game maker, Microsoft). I found myself instantly
doing something I had never done before- winning races.
I also ran the controller with MS FlightSim 98 and Flight Unlimited II to test its
flightstick capabilities. I was not disappointed. I did not have an
opportunity to try the flightstick with the use of external rudder pedals however.
It would have been nice if an adapter was provided so the pedals from the Mad Catz Analog
Steering Wheel could be used with the Panther XL.
The real test of the controller was of its 3D capabilities. I ran Quake II
and Descent II plus the provided demos of Jedi Knight and Turok. The demos setup
easily with the provided instructions. Control was great! I easily picked up
the methods and was off to "kill stuff".
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Features -
- control ball
- 9 buttons (4 on stick and 5 on controller ball base)
- 2- 4 way hat switches
- dial throttle
- plug for external rudder pedals
- digital interface
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System Requirements -
Gameport, Windows 95/98, 2X CD-ROM.
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Price
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At $70 you get a 3D controller, well laid out flight stick and expandability.
A great value! |
Performance
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Performance as 3D controller is excellent. This is the first 3D
controller that is also practical for flight control and other uses. Its performance
as a flightstick is very nice and ergonomic planning makes it comfortable to use.
The control ball can be used as a mouse control but I found this unnecessary and a bit
tedious since you needed to disable the feature to play games.
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Setup
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Setup using the manual and provided software is easy. A new control panel is
available from the Mad Catz
website. Individual game setup varies. For the provided demos detailed
instructions are provided.
I had no problem setting up the controller for the Demos, Descent II,
Motocross Madness, MS FlightSim 98, Quake II, and Flight Unlimited. The list of
supported games is seemingly short but growing. The list only includes games that
use the Panther XL's controller ball feature. If a game is not listed it can still
be run using the flightstick's capabilities. Controller ball supported games
include:
Unreal
Quake 2
Half Life
Prey
Sin
Duke Forever |
Turok
Daikatana
Quake (GL and V)
Quakeworld
Jedi Knight
Hexen 2 |
Redneck Rampage
Blood
Shadow Warrior
Duke Nukem
Hexen
Heretic |
Strife
Descent 2
Dark Forces
Doom
Doom 2 |
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Software -
The driver and control panel software setup is
automatic under Windows 95/98. After installation you must first calibration the
Panther XL for use in DOS based games. The Panther XL comes with a single CD with
the setup software and demos of Jedi Knight, Turok and Redneck Rampage. Also
included is Earthlink Internet and Gaming Service software.
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Documentation
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The manual and other documentation will guide you through the setup (including
minor assembly) and use of the Panther XL. I found the descriptions of possible
moves a nice addition. The manual also has a helpful sections on maneuvers,
troubleshooting and maintenance.
The manual does not mention setup and use of an external rudder control although
this option is available and the port is shown on a diagram of the controller. It
would have been nice to see a description of how I can expand the capabilities of the
Panther XL.
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Overall Rating
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As I said in the introduction, I was skeptical of a "do it all
controller". However, my doubts have disappeared. The Panther XL is a
great controller for both 3D and flight sims. I tip my hat to Mad Catz for design of
the Panther XL.
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1 Stick
- Not Recommended
2 Sticks - Functional
3 Sticks - Recommended with some issues
4 Sticks - Recommended
5 Sticks - Highly Recommended!
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