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09 September 2010 

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Imagine the scene, you invite one of your best friends over for a quick game of Soul Calibur II on your Playstation II console...

Sony Playstation II.

Booting up and starting a two player battle, you both proceed to take your seats in this so called 'battle of death'.

There's just one problem: those short controller cables on your Dualshock Controller's are restricting you both from sitting on your cosy couch. Any attempt to do so will result in the Playstation II shooting out from under the TV stand and come crashing to the floor in a horrible mess.

So, sitting on the floor with the battle well underway you attempt to pull off a super combo move... but sitting next to each other has meant that as you flap about and button bash the controller, you accidentally knock into your friend and fail to pull of the move successfully... your health is now zero... game over...

Now if only you were sat further apart somehow? Enter the Monster Freeplay from Monster Game.

The Monster Freeplay is a Two Player Controller Extension Cable, giving you an extra 7ft (2m) of cable in addition to the length of cable as standard on the Dualshock Controller. It is the first of its kind to feature a dual-headed design that accommodates two controllers rather than just the one.

The Monster Freeplay.

This gives you ultimate freedom to extend your playing range to almost anywhere within your gaming room area... with or without your friend as the case maybe.


Product Features:

- Dual-headed design connects 2 controllers off a single cable for maximum convenience.
- 18 high performance conductors for fast and accurate signal transfer.
- XLN® construction rejects noise for fastest, most reliable connection possible.
- 24k gold contacts for maximum signal transfer and corrosion resistance.
- Cool-looking blue LEDs confirm proper & reliable connection of each controller to the PS2.
- Duraflex® protective jacket for greater flexibility and long-lasting durability.
- Ergonomic connectors with rubber grips for easy handling.
- Optimal 7 ft. length extension cable provides perfect range of play.

First Impressions:

The Monster Freeplay ships in a colourful, tough plastic retail package. On the reverse of the packaging we are given a nice in depth account of the product and what it can do. Its features are listed and two diagrams show how to hook to product up to your controllers and console. (although this is an extremely simple process) A key shows exactly what is what on the product.

Your first thoughts are "blue" and secondly "quality". The Monster Freeplay is constructed of a deep blue colour, contrasted with black areas on the connectors. As you look closer, you can see how well built and tough this cable is:

The Monster Freeplay.

Rescuing it from its packaging, your first thoughts are confirmed as out indeed comes this very solid, well built cable.


The Cable:

The majority of the cable has been tied in a circle in order for all two metres of it, to fit into its retail packaging. At first glance, I cringed as I saw what I thought was some clear tape holding it together. Thankfully this was not the case, the cable had been held together with some clear cling film like material, and upon removal, left no sticky residue behind like what would have been if tape had been used!

Cling film | The cable is 'stamped' with text.

Unravelling the cable, the product is ready to go. All it needs now is to be plugged into your controllers and Playstation II console.


A Closer Look:

The whole cable has a very solid and 'heavy' feel to it - marks of quality. The cable sheath is constructed of something that Monster Game call a 'Duraflex® protective jacket'. This Duraflex® technology means overall greater flexibility and longer-lasting durability of the cable.

Under the sheath the cable is shielded with 100% Mylar foil, for maximum rejection of any stray radio frequency interference and electromagnetic interference. The actual cable is made up of the finest Xtra Low Noise (XLN®) wire, creating a clear and noise free environment for a jet-stream of maximum signal transfer to take place between your console and controller.

Thus meaning that the action on screen will be identical to your button presses with no delay or error... something that is critical to gameplay, any delay could be costly. 24k Gold contacts on the connectors aid with maximum signal transfer.


Ergonomics:

The Monster Freeplay has ergonomically designed connectors. Each connector is a large, solid block with a black rubber grip. (the rubber grips feature the Monster Cable logo embossed on them).

 

Ergonomically designed, with grips.

Each connector block 'feels' the right size and is comfortable to hold in your hand.

Comfortable to hold.

Hooking Up:

Connecting the Monster Freeplay to your console and controllers is a very simple process:

Hookup Guide

It is just a case of plugging two of the connector blocks into the console and the other two in your two controllers. There is no confusion about which end to use, the 'console' end connector blocks are a different shape and addition have a neat little feature - blue LEDs that light up upon connection.

Controller connectors | Console connectors.

These LEDs are included in the connectors for a couple of reasons. One to confirm proper and reliable connection of each controller to the controller ports on the console and secondly they just look good!

Blue LEDs light up confirming good connection.

Each connector block is numbered at both ends, so that you know which end is connected to which controller easily. The controller connection on your Dualshock Controllers simply plugs into the controller connectors on the Monster Freeplay.

The connection feels tight and it will not come apart easily, without being physically pulled and there is no worry about the connection between the Monster Freeplay and your controllers coming apart during gameplay.

Connecting the controllers to the cable.

The majority of the Monster Freeplay is a 'single' cable - although it supports up to two controllers, you do not have two lengths of cable running the distance between your console and controllers. Instead there is a thicker middle part that splits at both ends into two connector blocks, this is good design to minimise cable clutter and possible hazards from tripping over.

Cable 'splits' at both ends.

Conclusion:

The Monster Freeplay is like a 'two in one' product, it allows you to simply extend two controllers with minimum fuss and hassle. Its unique Dual-Headed design allows you to connect two controllers to a single cable, reducing cable clutter.

Its entire construction is solid and quality from end to end, using quality components such as 24k Gold Contacts and Xtra Low Noise (XLN®) wire to ensure maximum clear signal transfer from controller to console. Meaning that the action on screen matches your movements on the controller without delay.

The bright blue LEDs are a nice feature and as well as looking good are a troubleshooting tool to check that the connection into the console is correct and solid - as they do not light up unless the connector is seated correctly into the controller port.

Overall, the Monster Freeplay has impressed me with its ergonomic design, build quality and user-friendliness with a fair price tag. I would happy recommend this product to anyone looking to extend their gaming environment for freedom and comfort.

modtown rating: 5 out of 5



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