Air Flo Controller

nYko's Air Flo for Xbox

There's nothing like having a few buddies over for a friendly game of Halo. Likewise, there's nothing like having your turn come up and someone hands you a controller that feels like a dead carp. Palm sweat makes a controller slippery, hard to manage and is just plain gross. Luckily, the think tank that is nYko Technologies realizes this and has put their best men on the problem. Their solution: put an air conditioning unit in it. Thus was born the Air Flo Controller for the Xbox, GameCube, and PS2.

With an internal variable-speed 5V fan, air is drawn through holes in the front and blown out vents in the handles. This not only keeps both hands cool and sweat-free, but also adds a little sensory stimulation during game play. On its lowest setting, the Air Flo moves five cubic feet of air per minute and eleven CFM on high. The fan draws power directly from the console itself, so no batteries are required. It can also be turned off if palm scum doesn't happen to be a problem that day. These guys think of everything.

But how does it play? Very, very well. We tried the Xbox version and not only does the Air Flo system work as it should, but the controller is actually a better fit for the hands than the one that originally came with the console. All the bells and whistles have been carried over with a few extras: rubberized grips, dual analog sticks, 8-way D-pad, shoulder triggers, variable vibration function and dual expansion slots for memory cards and accessories. Surprisingly, the brushless and bearingless fan runs fairly quiet and doesn't add any significant weight; one can still play for hours without getting unduly tired.

All in all, the Air Flo controller delivers what it promises and then some. It keeps the hands cool and dry without slowing down the action. For about thirty bucks, you can get one just about anywhere games are sold or online at nYko.com.