[GDN] Do you believe other professional gaming leagues will follow suit and ban it as well? What about other tournaments?

[Robert Krakoff] Honestly, I really doubt it – we’ve heard only good things from pro-gamers and the community. Razer has always developed our products for the good of the gamer and professional gaming leagues have supported these goals. Unfortunately, sometimes this might not sit well with the expectations of some leagues. We had these same questions with our first gaming mouse, the Boomslang™ and now our mice are used daily in tournaments around the globe.

[GDN] Do you believe the reasons they stated for banning it remappable bumpers, chance of mod/hacking the controller, their inability to check every controller properly) are valid?

[Robert Krakoff] I disagree with that statement and it’s possible that the MLG misunderstood the functions and features of these buttons. Every controller, even the original equipment Xbox controller, can be hacked. This has nothing to do with remappable buttons or the inability to check every controller. I have been to hundreds of PC events where the refs check every system for cheats. MLG needs to listen to the community of gamers who have tested the Onza, or test one themselves before making these judgments. We are willing to work with the refs to oversee any cheating in tournaments. Since the controllers in tournaments are already being checked for cheats or mods, we’d gladly train any refs to familiarize themselves with the Onza controller in order to ensure there won’t be any cheating.

[GDN] Do you see the ability to remap buttons on a controller as an unfair advantage provided everyone has the opportunity to do so?’

[Robert Krakoff] It’s already built into a couple of games. It doesn’t quite make sense, especially since everyone should have the chance to play the game the way they see fit. As I said earlier, remappable buttons do not necessarily mean that they are modded, just simply that gamers can relocate buttons to where they desire. What is unfair is not allowing us to cater to the gamers’ needs by banning a product before they have had a chance to see one. The Onza controller can also aid those who have a disability, allowing them to have the opportunity to play in tournament leagues. If anything, we are making it more fair.

[GDN] What kind of compromises or solutions are you willing to discuss with the MLG, aside from complete reconfiguration of the Onza?

[Robert Krakoff] We’ll need to find out what they have in mind. This is an officially licensed and approved Xbox 360 controller. It was designed to improve ergonomics and increase human factors within any console game. Our biggest question is why not use it?