If you signed up for a 3 month VIP subscription on PlaySEGA, you’ve either already received your limited edition controller, or you will be receiving it soon. We got ours into the office a few days ago, and I’ve been playing games with it to see how different it is from the keyboard. (I know, my job is hard. )

First, let’s get some basics out of the way. The controller only works on VIP games, and the description of the game on the website will indicate if you can use the controller with it or not. The controller has a USB plug on the end and works on both PC and Mac (with Snow Leopard). (I don’t have a Linux machine to test it on, but would be interested in knowing how it works.) I’m told that the games (and therefore the controller) don’t work on Macs running an OS older than Snow Leopard, but our development team is working on it. The controller has two shoulder buttons, the d-pad, a start button, and six buttons on the right side.

The controller itself is plug and play — you don’t need to install any drivers or software for it. However, you will need to do some setup on your game before you get to playing.

First, plug in your controller, then select your game. I selected Sonic Spinball. Once the game is loaded, go to the Menu button in the upper left corner of the game screen. Go down to Controller Setup and select the controller from the drop down menu. Then click the button right below the drop down marked “Player 1 – Setup” and it will ask you to press the button you want to use for A, B, C, etc. This requires a bit of setup, but you can set the buttons however you want them. For example, I found it more natural to use the shoulder buttons for the right and left flippers in Spinball, but I might want a different configuration for Streets of Rage. This allows you to set the buttons how you want them. This is just one reason that I like the controller better than using a keyboard and/or mouse.

If you want one of the limited-edition controllers, you’re in luck! You get one free with a 3 month VIP membership for PlaySEGA. Your membership allows you access to all of the VIP games (including many Genesis games) and the level editors for Sonic and Stuntmaster Motocross. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so here, and your controller will be on its way to you!