At first we would like to thank Mad Catz for offering us a sample of their L.Y.N.X. 9 Mobile Hybrid Controller for testing and reviewing.

 

 

About Mad Catz:

 

“Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz”) (NYSE MKT/TSX: MCZ) is a global provider of innovative interactive entertainment products marketed under its Mad Catz® (gaming), Tritton® (audio), and Saitek® (simulation) brands. Mad Catz products cater to passionate gamers across multiple platforms including in-home gaming consoles, handheld gaming consoles, Windows® PC and Mac® computers, smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices. Mad Catz distributes its products through its online store as well as distribution via many leading retailers around the globe. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Mad Catz maintains offices in Europe and Asia.”

 

Product Features:

 

Cutting-Edge Superstar

 

• Skeletal, Transforming, Modular, & Immensely Versatile

• Keyboard & Mouse Control for Easy Browsing & Media Navigation

• Built-in Mic Supports Voice Search

• Ergonomically Sculpted for Comfort and Precision

• Premium Components Rated at 1 Million Cycles

• Includes PlayBig Cables to Link Your Phone or Tablet to an HDTV

 

Simply Better Than Touch

 

Touch controls have their place, but let's face it, they just don't cut it for core games. Ever tried to play an FPS using touch controls? How about a platformer? A mistimed jump caused by your thumb drifting away from virtual buttons spells instant death. Good luck with that! L.Y.N.X.9 solves all of this by supplying you with controls you can actually feel. And, certain titles even know when you're using a controller and will remove touch controls from your screen.

 

Mighty Modules

 

Modularity is one of many elements that put L.Y.N.X.9 in a class of its own. Let's look at three different scenarios and how you can make the most of them.

 

Big

 

Playing smartphone games, with an authentic console-quality feel, is only a satisfying click away. Put your phone in the removable clip to regain some game screen real estate. Stop your own fingers and thumbs from obscuring your gameplay, once and for all.

 

Bigger

 

This bit is unique. And it's probably something you've never done before. Rather than attach a device to L.Y.N.X.9, you attach L.Y.N.X.9 to your device. Split the controller into separate pieces and reattach them to your tablet's frame. Now you've got yourself a mobile games console with a 7-inch screen!

 

Biggest

 

Games on mobile devices are best when you're, well, mobile. It's a different story when you're at home. The best place to play is on the biggest screen available, sat back on the sofa. L.Y.N.X.9 lets you do that, too. The supplied PlayBig cables connect your tablet or phone to your HDTV. Mirrored content lets you do everything you can on your smart device, on the best screen in the house.

 

Simplified Media Control

 

Phones and tablets are much more than your go-to gaming consoles. They're also your camera, music player, and portal to the Internet. L.Y.N.X.9 has yet another trick up its sleeve to fulfill these needs. A full QWERTY keyboard lets you type in-game messages, update social media, control music, and even answer email. The perfectly sculpted underside feels sleek and refined in your hand. Play, type, surf and listen, all from one compact device.

 

High-Performance App

 

Tinkering under the hood is one of the best benefits of running Android. You can root around inside your phone and tablet, so why not your controller? L.Y.N.X.9 offers the same flexibility. A companion app feeds you setups tips and tutorial videos. And, a growing list of compatible games gets you right into playing.

 

Once familiar with what L.Y.N.X.9 excels at, you can make custom adjustments to the sticks and triggers. In your favorite FPS, for example, you can save a profile that fine-tunes performance. Set the sticks to be extra precise in the center of travel to improve aim, and extra fast at the outer edges for speedy 180 flick shots. That'll give you a distinct advantage over players using ordinary gamepads.

 

The app also keeps itself fresh with extra tricks and support, plus info on upcoming product releases. You'll be one of the first to know about our next exciting project.

 

Energetic Road Warrior

 

L.Y.N.X.9 travels well, and stores enough energy to outlast most Android devices. Power-efficient Bluetooth gives the rechargeable battery up to 30 hours of juice on a single charge. More than a full day of stamina should be enough to keep you going until you can get to an outlet. The hybrid controller also knows when you've had your fill of entertainment. L.Y.N.X.9 goes to sleep after a period of inactivity you can adjust from within the app.

 

Speak Into the Mic

 

Know what else you can do with your smart device besides game and consume media? That's right, you can talk to it! A built-in mic is ideal for taking a call or using your voice to Google from the couch. The addition of a mic makes L.Y.N.X.9 a natural extension of your paired device.

 

Built to Last

 

Mobile gadgets sometimes take a beating. In and out of pockets and bags, and frequent visits to all sorts of different places. With this in mind, we set out to create a mobile controller that can endure the demands of mobile gaming. L.Y.N.X.9 uses premium components tested to withstand up to 1 million cycles. That's a whole lot of gameplay!

 

More than Just Android

 

Bluetooth-enabled PCs also pair nicely with L.Y.N.X.9. Running Windows 7 or later? You're set. If you enjoy games that support DirectInput controllers, you're good there too. Our downloadable programming software lets you assign keyboard and mouse profiles to buttons and sticks. And to thwart the ever-present threat of outdated PC hardware, firmware updates arrive via Windows PC software.

 

GameSmart products, by default, function with more than just one device or platform. Android and PC together make L.Y.N.X.9 a welcome addition to the GameSmart family.

 

Play Smart with GameSmart – Your Devices, Your Games and Media, Anywhere

 

GameSmart products work wirelessly and seamlessly with a wide array of smart devices. The GameSmart ecosystem brings core gaming experiences to the mobile platform evolution, using Bluetooth, with a range of Control Pads, Keyboards, Mice, and Headsets for gaming, productivity, and multimedia.

 

 

System Requirements:

 

Android: Version 4.0 or Later

Bluetooth Profile: Human Interface Device (HID)

PC: Windows 8.1, 8, and 7

Smart Device Support: Samsung, Sony, HTC, and most other Android Devices

 

Mad Catz is a well-known company which activates in the gaming peripheral market and likes from time to time to surprise the audience by releasing innovative products with features never seen before from other brands. One example is the sample we have had in our labs for review and to be more exact the L.Y.N.X 9 controller, which has Transformers-like body and customization but its main purpose is to be compatible with multiple devices via Bluetooth technology. One of the interesting included features are the OFN cursor control, the voice search microphone, the keyboard module but let’s get in a bit more detail by describing the packaging style. L.Y.N.X. 9 controller is shipped inside a medium-sized cardboard enclosure and on its top layer we will get to see a photo of the main product, along with some usage models:

 

 

 

The technical specifications along with the “Big Cables” bundle are explained on one of the box sides:

 

 

 

Of course, we will also get to see the package contents list on the opposite side:

 

 

 

Even more details regarding the product can be checked out on the back:

 

 

 

After removing the top packaging layer, we will end up with one cool looking blue enclosure, which features the Mad Catz logo in the middle:

 

 

 

The L.Y.N.X. 9 controller comes with the beefiest set of accessories we have ever seen! Its box is split in two separate sections, both which contain extra bundle; some usage instructions are also present here, so it is not needed to consult a manual right away:

 

 

 

After removing the top layer from the right side, we will get to see the set of provided cables and an additional adapter will be addressed a bit later:

 

 

 

The left side comes with one large tablet stand and some extra mounting instructions can be observed here:

 

 

 

The first visual impact with the L.Y.N.X. 9 is quite interesting since it does not resemble to any other controller on the market in its “closed” form:

 

 

 

On its bottom area we will observe that it is not entirely made of metal but also comes with some plastic parts, but these are coated with a rubberized paint for an optimal feel. The large buttons on the laterals must be pressed in order to remove the locks in order to be able to fold back the controller in its “closed” form, which is better when traveling:

 

 

 

The first thing we can do is extend the handles:

 

 

 

 

On the back area of the controller we have the mounting area for the smartphone dock, one USB port for charging/firmware upgrade but also four triggers:

 

 

 

The middle area of the controller features its “brain”, which is made of plastic and has the Home/Power/Status LED, the Back button, the Start button, one Mode switch button with LED, the central Mouse sensor with click and also one Mic:

 

 

 

The analogue sticks need to be folded outwards for a proper operation; this move will also reveal the Controller Arm Eject Button in the middle of the “brain” unit. Also, the controller does also feature a D-Pad on the left along with the X/A/B/Y buttons on the right side:

 

 

 

 

For additional comfort, we can always install the inner handle modules in a snap:

 

 

 

 

Under the analog sticks, we will also get to see the connector for the keyboard accessory:

 

 

 

Moving on, we are going to take a look at the smartphone clip accessory, which is also made mostly from aluminum:

 

 

 

Its insides are equipped with rubber stands and small feet so the adapter won’t bring any scratch to our device during use and will also keep it tight so it won’t fall off:

 

 

 

The small screw will be used to link it to the main controller:

 

 

 

 

We can adjust the height of the smartphone clip quite easily, so it would fit most sizes; in the photo we do have a Meizu MX4 model attached to the clip:

 

 

 

 

The keyboard accessory is also useful during chat sessions without the need of actually reaching our capacitive keyboards or PC keyboard:

 

 

 

 

The two metallic components reinforce the keyboard assembly and also help us center it in order get a perfect fit with the controller:

 

 

 

Here is a view of the L.Y.N.X. 9 controller with both smartphone adapter and keyboard attached:

 

 

 

While quite unbelievable at first, the controller can be fully dismantled, leaving the left and right sides separated from the “brain” unit:

 

 

 

 

What is the reason of the separation…..well, this needs to be done when using the tablet adapter (supported tablet sizes up to 7 inch):

 

 

 

As the “brain” unit, the tablet adapter does also feature “Eject” buttons:

 

 

 

On the top of the adapter, the “brain” will fit right in:

 

 

 

 

The left and right sides of the controller can be then installed in a snap; here is the finalized look:

 

 

 

A travel bag is also offered to us in order to use it for the controller and some of its accessories:

 

 

 

We have reminded you about some cables which are offered as a bundle; well, these are the USB cable, one HDMI cable and the MHL adapter:

 

 

 

Supported tablet/smartphone devices which are MHL certified can use this adapter in order to project the image from the device to our TV with zero lag:

 

 

 

For the MHL adapter we do also get a Micro USB Adapter (5 pin to 11 pin):

 

 

 

Technical support resources are available to be read from a multi-language leaflet, along with a nice set of stickers:

 

 

 

Let’s charge the controller up and take it for a spin:

 

 

 

 

For mobile devices, we have a customization application available; which will first ask for selection of the interface language:

 

 

The Home section will guide us on how to use L.Y.N.X. 9 in different setup modes, check out compatible games, read about GameSmart or access support section:

 

 

Instructions on how to get the controller ready are offered with both drawings and text:

 

 

The list of compatible games can be navigated easily:

 

 

The GameSmart features menu will redirect us to the Mad Catz respective website section:

 

 

Several FAQ’s can be also checked out before operating the controller:

 

 

Controller settings can be also adjusted via the respective sections:

 

 

Axis Settings menu allows us to configure settings for the Left Stick, Right Stick and Triggers:

 

 

We do also have a Settings menu for adjusting the Sleep Duration and monitoring battery percentage, device firmware or application version:

 

 

L.Y.N.X. 9 controller is also fully supported by Windows OS, but we first need a Bluetooth capable machine in order to be able to connect it:

 

 

 

We have paired the device with our Windows 10 machine and it was recognized correctly (even got the pictogram displayed properly):

 

 

 

For enabling the full capabilities on the Windows platform, we will have to first download and install the respective drivers from the Mad Catz website and afterwards the supplied software:

 

 

 

The software allows us to set functions for each button of the controller inside the Programming tab and can also make use of different profiles:

 

 

 

Preset functions are available on the right side and are sorted in different categories:

 

Shortcuts

 

 

 

Keys

 

 

 

Favorites

 

 

 

Custom commands can be also created in the last tab:

 

 

 

We do also have available a Settings menu, where we can adjust the Sleep Timer, but also custom properties for the Left Stick, Right Stick and Triggers:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we have to our disposal the Support menu for accessing different resources and asking for help:

 

 

 

L.Y.N.X. 9 controller from Mad Catz is a highly-elaborated product, which is meant for a large range of devices and we also do get the needed accessories inside the box, without the need of spending extra money. The only missing item would be the Bluetooth LE dongle which could be necessary with some PC setups that do not have one available but these can be found in specialized stores for very little money. Besides the smartphone clip, the tablet stand, the keyboard module, the travel pouch, USB/HDMI cables, inner handles we are also offered a MHL adapter for gaming on our TV with minimal lag.

 

Software is offered for both mobile devices (Android 4.0 or higher) and PC/Mac, but if you are gaming on PC make note that this is a DirectInput device and not Xinput so you cannot transform it into an Xbox 360 compatible controller right off the bat. Before purchase, make sure that your favorite titles do support this, or you could also take the x360ce software for a spin in order to try and to the conversion.

 

As all other Mad Catz products we have reviewed so far, we are dealing with a very solid build and you can be sure that your small gadget will attract a lot of attention given its robotic, Transformers look.

 

The recommended, compatible games we have tried along with the controller on the Android platform seem to work great and we haven’t noticed lags during usage; the controller can be used to control the mouse pointer (Media Mode) on the Windows interface but also on Android, where the platform is “tricked” by telling that we are using a mouse (the pointer will appear on-screen).

 

The only thing which could stop mainstream gamers from making the actual purchase is the price, which is currently on the high side so it can be had for about $299.

Mad Catz L.Y.N.X. 9 Mobile Hybrid Controller is Recommended For:

 

 

 

We would like to thank again to Mad Catz for making this review possible!