A Cool Gamecube Controller From Nyko...

At E3 2002 nYko unveiled their Air Flo line of controllers. The main feature of which is their patented 'Air Flo' Technology. Essentially, this feature incorporates a fan and air-circulation system into a game controller; the air is sucked into the controller and then pushed out via special air channels in the grips of the controller. The result? Your hands stay cool and dry. If you're playing a 'twitch' game and your hands start to sweat - the moisture merely makes the Air Flo system work more efficiently!

So - what is the Gamecube version like? Well, the effect was definitely noticible and effective at keeping my hands cool and dry. However, the type and positioning of the control for the Air Flo mechanism left something to be desired. On the Xbox version the buttons are push buttons and are easily slapped on-the-fly, allowing for easy adjustment of the cooling device. The Gamecube compatible version I tried had a sliding toggle switch that had three seetings (OFF, 1, and 2) that controlled both ON/OFF and the fan speed. This toggle switch was located just above the select and start switches. This all leads to a tendency to set the switch in one position and leave it there during gameplay, which might not be best, depending on stress levels at different parts of a game. Additionally, the positioning next to the start and select buttons could cause accidental triggering of one switch while trying for the other. Whether this actually proves to be a problem would take a longer amount of gameplay to determine. I look forward to putting the Air Flo controllers through their paces...