Type – Portable Screen Manufacturer – Mad Catz MSRP - $199.99 Platform – PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube (Universal)
Want to take your console with you wherever you go, but hate the idea of having to hook the thing up? Want your gaming-on-the-go to be with your richer, deeper, technologically-superior console games? Well then, you’re going to want – no, you’re going to need -- the 7.0 Universal Game Screen from Mad Catz.
The $199.99 price sounds steep, but once you know what you get in this compact little package, you’ll understand that it’s worth every penny. A meaty seven inches of ultra high resolution backlit LCD goodness -- complete with 16:9 aspect ratio -- makes up the unit’s display. And boy is it gorgeous. Depending on the television setup you have for your consoles, you may very well end up enjoying the beautiful picture you get from this screen more. Even though you have full access to independent brightness and color controls, you’ll likely only use them for personal preference, as fumbling with the controls in an attempt to find a quality picture is a thing of the past with this. The picture is always crisp and clear, whether you’re using it for games or movies. There are never any unwanted particles onscreen, and you never need to make unnecessary picture adjustments. The unit comes with an S-video jack and cable, so the optimal S-video is available to you right out of the box (no Component outputs though).
The audio is good, but the quality is a little lower than expected, given the extravagance of the screen. Not that the sound system is a slouch, however. It is a fully integrated sound system, and comes with two headphone jacks built in. Again, the sound is a bit tinny, but more than adequate and has an impressive volume spectrum to play with.
The attachment system is both a blessing and a curse. The method of attachment is a simple clamp that can be opened and closed via a large handle. With this method, you can mount the Gamescreen anywhere that can be clamped, not just the consoles themselves, making it very versatile for almost any condition. The only downside is that there are quite a few different positions you can set the screen, which is a good thing, but there doesn’t seem to be enough cable to support some positions, making the connection cables a tight fit sometimes. The attachment clamp is also made up of quite a few workings, so you’ll fumble around with the clamp a few times until you get used to it.
What the Gamescreen eliminates is one of the best aspects of the peripheral. You no longer need to hope that the place you’re going has a television. You no longer have to hope you brought the right cables for your needs. You no longer have to worry about where you’ll set your console up. All you’ll need are two standard electrical sockets and you’ve got a better display than you’ll likely get at any hotel, beach house, or wherever, and you can mount it almost anywhere. Even better, it’s universal, so simply pick a console and go. This is the best portable screen out there, so if you’ve been looking, your search is over.
