Mad Catz Celebrates Sonic’s 20th With Limited Edition Wii Remote Charger


Gaming accessory company Mad Catz is celebrating Sonic’s 20th Anniversary a little early with a limited edition Sonic the Hedgehog Figure Inductive Charger for Nintendo Wii Remotes. As you can see in the above pictures, the figure has Sonic posing with a classic peace sign on a Green Hill Zone themed platform that holds and charges two Wii Remotes at a time, even when in their jackets. This piece of merchandise is very collectible, as according to the press release they are not only limited, but individually numbered, too. Mad Catz may have only announced the item today, but fans will be glad to hear that it is shipping out to retailers today and will cost $49.99 in the U.S. No word on if this will be released to the rest of the world, but we’ll keep our eyes open.

For more information, check out the press release below:

Mad Catz® Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog with the Release of Limited Edition Inductive Charger for the Nintendo® Wii™ Video Game System

Individually Numbered 20th Anniversary Collectible, Speeds Onto Nintendo Wii in Time for the Holidays

San Diego, December 22. 2010

Mad Catz® Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz” or“the Company”) (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, today announced the release of the limited edition Sonic the Hedgehog Figure Inductive Charger featuring a six inch tall Sonic and charge base for use with the Nintendo Wii video game system. Now shipping, the new Inductive Charger is released under the Company’s Mad Catz casual gaming brand.
Complementing the Mad Catz’ officially licensed Sonic the Hedgehog video game accessory range and just in time to celebrate Sonic’s 20 th Anniversary, the Inductive Charger is a limited edition, individually numbered, highly-collectible method for storing and charging up to two Wii remote controllers.
Sonic the Hedgehog is carefully sculpted, standing six inches tall, guardedly watching over gamers’ Wii remotes as they silently charge atop a green plateau representative of the classic‘Green Hill Zone’ that fans are sure to recognize and appreciate. Built-in magnets help ensure controllers and battery packs are aligned in the most efficient charging position while rechargeable NiMH battery packs rapidly energize to provide up to 15 hours of game play. With innovative electromagnetic induction technology providing the means to charge Wii remotes without the need to remove protective protective silicone covers or Wii MotionPlus™ add-ons, the Sonic the Hedgehog Figure Inductive Charger delivers a fun, hassle-free charging solution.
Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz commented,“We are delighted to be a part of Sonic’s 20 th Anniversary with the new licensed Inductive Charger. Working alongside SEGA, we believe we have created a charging solution which will prove irresistible to Sonic fans and gamers alike and one which continues to illustrate our strategy of bringing premier licenses to market via products which evoke a passionate consumer response.”
The Sonic the Hedgehog Figure Inductive Charger by Mad Catz is now shipping within the United States and is available on the Mad Catz web store (store.gameshark.com) for an MSRP of $49.99.


If you want a cheaper option at $39.99, there’s also the 3D Lenticular Inductive Charger.

Thanks to Blue Blood at the SSMB for the heads up on this particular item!

Also revealed with these items is the official 20th Anniversary emblem:

Sources:
Mad Catz via MCV
Pics via HiTechReview.com

Both items are available to purchase from GameShark.com:
Sonic the Hedgehog Figure Inductive Charger
3D Lenticular Inductive Charger

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New Sonic DS Merchandise

Mad Catz, a company well known for creating gaming accessories over the years look to have acquired a Sonic license agreement with SEGA for DS accessories. The accessories are even tagged with SEGA’s modern Sonic The Hedgehog logo. Among the accessories being produced are plastic DS shells, wallet thingies and those trendy fad DS socks. They’ll be hitting shops soon but no date has been revealed yet.

Source: Kotaku

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Mad Catz To Produce Sonic the Hedgehog Branded Accessories

Third party accessory maker Mad Catz has just announced that they have signed a multi-year agreement with SEGA America to produce peripherals using the Sonic the Hedgehog license. Naturally, as is the case with these press releases, everyone’s really happy about it as well.

This week’s happy quote comes from Mad Catz President and CEO, Darren Richardson; “Sonic is one of the videogame industry’s most popular and enduring characters and we are thrilled to initiate this relationship with Sega to create Sonic-branded videogame accessories. We look forward to offering unique and exciting accessories to fans of this truly iconic videogame and popular culture character.”

It’s likely, with Project Needlemouse around the corner, that Mad Catz saw an opportunity for a potential hedgehog rebirth and tried to jump on the chance of uber profits. And who could blame them? The agreement gives Mad Catz rights in North America only, which opens the question as to whether we might see them in Europe at all. Importing might be your best bet.

Mad Catz Press Release (heads up by Joystiq)

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