Readers ask all sorts of gear related questions, and then we answer them. It's a pretty straightforward system. If you've got questions, click my name (Gerry Block) at the top of the article and send it in.

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Just wondering if you could tell me where to find the MegaMan X GameCube controller.

Thanks, Dominic

Hey Dominic,

The MegaMan X controller was made by NubyTech, which, sadly, has now shut down. It's a real bummer, as the company made some of the very best licensed products that commemorated major gaming franchises, like their Street Fighter Arcade Stick and totally sweet Resident Evil chainsaw controllers.

At this point you could consider a lot of NubyTech's products as collector's items to a degree, as the company never made any of its gear in very large quantity and has now closed up shop for good. Ebay is probably the sole remaining source if you're really dying for that controller.

-Gerry

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Hey Gerry!

Thanks for the info about the Wii Zapper. Can you confirm that the entire unit doesn't have any electronics? It's just a plastic shell, correct? The B trigger on the Zapper just pushes the B trigger on the Wiimote mechanically, right?

The same seems to go for the Wii Wheel, right?

Navarro

Hey Navarro,

Both the Zapper and the Wii Wheel have no electronics whatsoever. The Zapper's forward tommy gun style trigger makes a mechanical connection to the Wiimote's trigger, and that's it. My big complaint with the Zapper was the fact that the spring between the Zapper trigger and the Wiimote trigger is mushy, so half the time when I was trying to shoot the Zapper trigger hadn't actually sprung back all the way, which meant no shots went off.

So far I prefer Core Gamer's Wii Blaster (review) due to the fact that it gives direct access to the Wiimote's trigger as well as the buttons on the top of the Wiimote for playing legacy games like Red Steel.

-Gerry

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Hey Gerry,

I love the gear section and I've been reading your work for a while. What other tech websites do you read? Also, what's your favorite piece of gear you've reviewed after years of running the site?

Tif

Hi Tif,

Glad you like the site. I'm a big fan of Digg.com for breaking news. All the stories that show up are user submitted and voted upon, so a lot of rather diverse stuff gets listed, but the peeps are fast on gear-type news and a lot of the time products that don't have PR representation get noticed there first.

I've had a lot of favorite gear over the years, but at the moment I'm totally crazy for my iPhone (review). Volumes have been written about it both before and after launch, and there's a contingent of people that like to talk it down. I'm not a big Apple fan, and before launch I had my doubts about the iPhone too. I had to get one though, and from the second I turned it on I've been in love. It's simply the sexiest piece of gear I've ever used, and using it for anything just feels fun. I camped on launch day to get one with IGN's other big gear fans, Peer Schneider and Matt Casamassina, and after weeks of use none of us have any real complaints with the device, other than the fact that AT&T;'s coverage sucks.

-Gerry