Feature: Play Hard and Carry A Big Stick

This long-form article was published in the EGM Annual, 1998.

As video games become more difficult, the best way to fight back is equip yourself with the superior firepower of a cool joystick!

Go Behind the Lines and Find Out How They Create Game-Killin’ Sticks

Creating new controllers for today’s next-generation console systems may not be rocket science exactly – but it’s no gig for slackers, either. Recently, Inter/Act Accessories, a Recoton company, allowed EGM to come into its sacred halls to find out exactly how the company creates and markets products. Fortunately, thanks to the place’s informal and slightly crazy atmosphere, we felt right at home (how could we not love a place full of “South Park” and PaRappa fans?).

InterAct is the biggest third-party accessory company, with about 26 percent of the totally market, according to August figures (Nintendo, with 33 percent, is the only company that boasts a bigger share of this particular part of the industry). Its over 200 products have distribution in Japan, Germany, the U.K. and South America through two brand names: InterAct, a line of controllers that enhance gameplay, and Performance, which mimics first-party controllers. It’s also partnered with Datel, the U.K.-based company that created the GameShark. A few years ago, the company also entered the PC market. And though InterAct intends to shun virtual reality-based projects for the time being, it has embraced force-feedback and is currently working with Sony and Nintendo to create standard protocols for that technology.