The market for video game console accessories has ebbed and flowed over the decades, but it has really taken off during the past few years. The driving factor is that most recent consoles offer the space for four controllers, but they often ship with one. So, if you want to game with your buddies, you'll need to accessorize.

You can always pick up video game console accessories from the console manufacturer, but you'll usually pay a premium price. That's where trusted third-party vendors like MadCatz make a great option. They've been around, they make great products, and they'll save you a nice chunk of change. Take, for example, their Xbox 360 Game Pad Pro. It looks and feels a lot like the official (wired) controller, but with some nice additions and a cheaper retail price.

If anything, the MadCatz Game Pad Pro is more comfortable to hold than the standard Xbox 360 controller, thanks to the rubber ridges on the side grips that fit snugly into the palm of each hand. The face button placement is similar to the traditional layout, with all of the buttons within easy reach--although the Start and Back buttons have been moved above the central Xbox Guide button. MadCatz has improved on the official controller with the shoulder buttons, adding some size and making them easier to hit without accidentally depressing the triggers.

But the best feature may be the analog stick invert switch. If you invert the look-view controls in first-person shooters, then you know the hassle of digging through the options and changing the view so you don't end up staring at the ground. (Some games don't even let you invert the view.) The Game Pad Pro bypasses all that by letting you invert the actual stick response by flipping a switch on the base of the pad. Kudos to MadCatz for incorporating this into a video game console accessory.

For button mashers, you can also set turbo response to any of the pad's buttons, letting you get multiple activations (from five to 30 per second) from a single press. Our only knock against the Game Pad Pro is the sharp points at the end of each grip that can sometimes dig into your hands during intense gaming sessions. But MadCatz has made a video game console accessory that stands up to, and in some ways surpasses, the more expensive original.


Pros: Can invert analog sticks, improved shoulder buttons
Cons: Sharp points on grips

Warranty
5-year limited