Paradox Available For Pre-Order: BodieLobus Reflex Control

[AzBat]

Well it looks BodieLobus has finally started their pre-orders for their trackball/FPS controller. You can go to their new web site http://BuyReflex.com/. There are only 30,000 up for pre-order and they're only available for the PS2. Units will not start manufacturing until all 30,000 are sold. Yes, you have pay all up front. Color and insignia will not be decided until after the 30,000 have been ordered. They will be limited editions and won't be used for future production. When pre-orders are done they said the controllers won't ship for another 6 months. Currently they cost $21.99(about half of retail) and ordering is done through Google Checkout. Wished they would have used PayPal. BTW, each week the pre-order price will be increasing too. Anyway, there is some kind of contest dealing with referrals. Whoever has the most referrals gets to design the insignia. As for color, you'll be able to vote on it starting in mid-February.

Here's a list of the titles supporting the controller. More will be added later:

Resident Evil: Dead Aim
The Sims Bustin’ Out
Myst 3: Exile
Final Fantasy® XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan™
Unreal Tournament
DIRGE of CERBERUS™: FINAL FANTASY® VII
Armored Core: Last Raven
Armored Core: Nine Breaker
Armored Core: Nexus Red Faction 2
EverQuest Online Adventures
Deus Ex: The Conspiracy
Half-Life
Age of Empires: The Age of Kings
Silent Scope 1 – 3
Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force
Soldier of Fortune


I think I might order one even though I don't own a PS2. Might be able to use a converter to get it to work on my 360 though.

Tommy McClain

 

[Acert93]

PS2? I have wanted one of these for a looong time, but PS2 only? I don't even own a PS2 and it definately isn't a FPS heavy platform like the Xboxes or PC

 

[AzBat]

PS2? I have wanted one of these for a looong time, but PS2 only? I don't even own a PS2 and it definately isn't a FPS heavy platform like the Xboxes or PC

I think they started on the PS2 because it was and still is the largest platform out there. BTW, in the email they sent me here's what they said about the choice and the future.

Now if you’re thinking, ‘what about next-gen systems?’ or ‘I really don’t play the PS2 these days,’ then order up a Paradox and prepare to dust off your PS2, because believe us, if you want to see and experience REFLEX Control™ in all its glory, supporting Paradox is the only way to make that happen for any future version.

Tommy McClain

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I can see the economics of it on sheer scale of numbers, but I'd have thought XB may have been a better choice. Halo is still strong, and I'm sure you'd find 30,000 Halo players who'd want this thing.

the whole sales system sounds pretty crazy actually! Preorders, none until all are filled, and escalating prices over time?! It's a shame someone like Logitech isn't up-fronting the production costs to get them made, for direct sale instead of a 'your wait is 6 months plus however long you have to wait until order number 30,000 comes in.'

 

[AzBat]

I agree that Xbox would have been a more suitable platform. Unfortunately I think this project started back in 2003 or so. With such a long delay in actually getting the product out I'm starting to wonder if they never got any outside funding. They probably had too stringent of requirements for licensing. So it seems like the pre-order is just confirmation that they don't have the funds to do the first run of manufacturing. If they had, they would have just mass produced themselves anyway. The color vote and referral contest is just a way to add value to the pre-order. Without it, I'm not sure they would have been able to get any sales at all. But you got to admit, $22 is not a bad price at all for the controller. Especially considering you're getting a 20% Lifetime Discount and a 2 year warranty. BTW, I agree it's crazy they're increasing the price each week. Maybe they should hold up on that until they get some more sales first. Right now I only count about 70 total units sold. At that rate they'll never manufacture the 30,000 units. At least they have a stipulation for that in their Conditions of Use Policy:

Unless specified elsewhere, if the Pre-order Limit is not reached, the Program will terminate three hundred sixty-five (365) days from activation; and we will, at our obligation, cancel your order and notify you of such cancellation and resulting refund.

Tommy McClain

 

[kyleb]

The Xbox doesn't have games that support mouse look and that is what is needed to make the trackball work right, otherwise you are just using the trackball to emulate an analog stick's movement.

 

[Acert93]

Even though the PS2 has a large install base few (no?) new games would support it and the current games are quite old. Picking up a perephrial for a 3 or 4 year old game isn't a hot market.

Their best bet would have been to target one of the new consoles, probably the 360 because

a.) it has a robust amount of FPS
b.) the 360<>PC synergy not only in games but as well as 360 perephrials working on the PC

Not to mention being supported by 1 or 2 new, hot selling games would create a MUCH larger demand than the PS2 route.

My guess is that the licensing fees on the 360 and PS3 are quite high and that MS has their own "XFPS" controller coming and don't want competition.

Really too bad.

 

[kyleb]

The new consoles don't have any games with mouse support either.

 

[Acert93]

The new consoles don't have any games with mouse support either.

I wasn't suggesting that. Seeing as there are dozens and dozens of FPS in development, IF their product is as good as they and the press claim getting one or two of these games to support it wouldn't be that hard... especially, as I noted, with 360 controllers working on the PC.

Considering the market for devices like Belkin's N52 and such I am sure a gamepad with mouse like aiming would be welcomed by quite a few consumers.

A lot more so than trying to find 30k PS2 gamers who want to play really old games.

 

[Npl]

Who came up with "BodieLobus Reflex Control"?
Every time I see it it sounds like something that prevents you from uncontrollable leaking.

 

[kyleb]

I wasn't suggesting that. Seeing as there are dozens and dozens of FPS in development, IF their product is as good as they and the press claim getting one or two of these games to support it wouldn't be that hard... especially, as I noted, with 360 controllers working on the PC.

Right, by my point is the current library wouldn't be able to support the controller unless the games were updated. That along with future game support would require getting MS onboard with the product, where as working with the PS2 they are just building it around existing support in games.