POWER A, otherwise known as Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. has been making officially licensed Nintendo accessories for quite some time. Now the company is set to release unlicensed products, but with the same high quality.
When I arrived to the POWER A booth, I was greeted and shown around by John Moore, former Director of Channel Marketing for Nintendo of America. Moore spent nearly two decades with NoA and even helped the launch of Wii and Nintendo DS. Although most of the products I was shown were unlicensed, they had the quality that most accessories that bear the Nintendo Seal tend to offer.
Up first were a series of Star Wars licensed accessories for the Nintendo DS line. One case in particular that’s available at retailers already is a LEGO case that features a sheet of LEGO bricks on both the top and bottom surfaces. They’re standard LEGO too, so users are able to build whatever they’d like on top of the brick foundation. A mosaic of select Star Wars scenes also covers the front if the user does not wish to build as well.
The next accessory and probably the highlight of my appointment was the Pro Pack Mini for Wii. These are tiny Wii Remotes & MiniChuks that fit in the hand quite snugly. Moore explained that the material used to cover each of the Minis is elastomer which gives it grip, but also a slight powdery feel. Although this solution may not be ideal for those with large hands, I found myself wanting to use it more than a standard Wii Remote, simply due to how much more natural it felt in my hand. The buttons all had a decent feeling, with no mushy response when pressed. The Pro Pack Minis are also compatible with the official controllers as well, so you’ll be able to attach Wii MotionPlus and use them accordingly.
Last but not least was a PlayStation 3 controller which was in the shape of an Xbox 360 controller. Upon gripping it, I noticed the notched material where your palms rest that add a bit of grip to the controller. As is the case with a standard 360 controller, the analog stick has been moved to the top left, while the D-pad has been positioned below said stick. When pressing the buttons, they felt great, except the R & L 1/2 triggers felt a bit mushy. This controller also has the Six-Axis feature built right into it, so there’s no need to switch to a standard controller for games that may require it.
On my way out I was given a PS3 Media Expansion Bar, made specifically for the PS3 Slim. Due to the fact I cannot test this since I own an 80GB model, this will be given away as part of the yearly E3 swag give away. Keep your eyes peeled to see how you’ll be able to win that and much more!
