Major League Gaming Bans Razer Onza Gamepad

Major League Gaming has placed a ban on Razer's Onza controller for Xbox, prohibiting players from using the controller in MLG games and tournaments. However, the news was met with mixed reactions from the MLG community, and many are accusing MLG of banning it simply to appease sponsor and Razer-rival Mad Cats.

Gamers Daily News cites a thread on the MLG forums in which an administrator responds to forum members discussing the Onza controller by telling them it's not allowed because of the two extra, programmable buttons present on the controller.

"Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but the Onza controller will be illegal simply because of the 2 programmable buttons. We spoke to Razer about this and told them that it would be illegal if they kept the extra buttons. I guess it wasn't worth it for them to make a version without the extra buttons. The big issue with extra buttons is how easy it is to mod the controller without us being able to monitor it. Modders will be able to turn the extra buttons into rapid fire buttons or a macro like RRX. We cannot simply check every player's Onza controller to make sure they have not modded it. Sure, someone could do that now with a Microsoft controller, but by doing that they are removing a default button on their controller. People pay a lot of money now for modded controllers with extra buttons that will rapid fire or macro. The Onza would make it impossible for us to monitor this on the circuit. Just to make it clear, there is no conspiracy here. I wish Razer would have listened to us and cared enough to make a version without the extra buttons, but they didn't. Edit: The Mad Catz controller will not have programmable buttons."

Though the MLG rules do state that players are not allowed use controllers with button-mapping or turbo capabilities that allow users to perform sets of actions with just one button, forum users argue that the Onza contoller's extra buttons don't actually allow for macros. Rather, the idea behind these two extra buttons seems to be allowing users to move existing controls around for their comfort. GDN cites users who have actually played with the Onza who say it has mappable bumpers that only allow the user to re-map one key press to the extra buttons, not giving any user the ability to actually "perform a set of actions."

Despite differing opinions on how useful the Onza's remappable buttons are, MLG may have a legitimate reason to disallow the controller because of one feature it offers. When we first learned of the Onza last January, there was mention of an auto-fire function via a sliding selector switch on the bottom of the controller. Though it appears that not all versions have these, this function could fall under a 'turbo capability.' MLG has not talked about this feature specifically.

_{Source: MLG Forums via GDN}