Caanoo Reviewed

However, the first thing you no doubt noticed was the nub. That very controversial analog stick.
When the Caanoo was announced, the community was divided. Since a lot of people used the Wiz to emulate classic systems such as SNES, Genesis, MAME, Neo Geo etc, they were used to a Dpad, to provide very precise direction controls. And sure, it was a valid concern – how could the Caanoo emulate properly when the controls are different to the original systems?

Well actually, quite easily. I’ve been playing around with the Caanoo now for about a week, and I think its safe to say that only the most puritanical of classic gamers would find issue with the analog stick here. I’ve only been able to test it with MAME and Neo Geo emulators, since they are they only emulator software available at the moment, until GPH releases the Software Development Kit (SDK) in early August. However for all the games I’ve tested, the analog stick seems to be a fine replacement for the Dpad of the Wiz. The only caveat I can see is for those who enjoy Fighters. Although great for most genres, you won’t get the same level of accuracy for pulling off combos as with a Dpad. That’s not to say that its impossible to play them, only that its going to take a bit of practice to get used to.