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While E3 is typically a place for new software to be gawked at, Nyko has really turned heads with what they call the first air-cooled controllers. While adventurous PC modders have long since installed small fans into their mice to prevent sweaty hands during first-person shooters and other mouse intensive games, their Air Flo marks the first time anyone has seen this on a joypad. Using a 40 mm fan, the controller takes in air from the underside of the controller and exhausts it through many small holes placed libreally on the handles of the controllers. With PS2, GameCube, and Xbox versions, the Air Flow seems to be just thing for gamers who want to put a damper on sweaty palms.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be as effective as Nyko would hope. With both the high and low setting, the GameCube model which we first tested seemed to have little cooling ability during a run of SSX Tricky and the PS2 model didn't perform any better. This was made more disappointing by the very audible whine of the controller's fan, despite the background noise level which E3 is famous for. Considering that these two versions are closer to retail than the Xbox prototype available on the show floor, I was quite surprised to find that it performed rather well, providing sufficient cooling, though at the expense of a very slightly louder fan. It seems the larger volume of the Xbox controller compared to the other models makes for a controller which moves air more efficiently from the central intake to the handles. This Xbox versions should be hitting retail fronts this year's holiday season, while The GameCube and PS2 versions will find their place on store shelves this summer.
These are some of the most interesting third party controllers around, and at a price point of around $30 USD, are definitely worth a shot for gamers with chronically sweaty palms. Nyko has a very good idea with this line of products, and I encourage them to persue this concept. Now how about an Air Flo arcade stick?
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