NEWS - Saturday, March 3, 2001

InterAct coming to XBOX
In a press release issued yesterday, third-party manufacturer InterAct and Microsoft have joined in a licensing agreement for the manufacturing and distribution of licensed third-party gaming accessories for the XBOX. For those of us who can remember, the first SDKs for the XBOX were shipped with the Interact Hammerhead 3dfx controller as a reference. The full press release follows.
Hunt Valley, MD (March 2, 2001) – InterAct Accessories, Inc., a Recoton company (NASDAQ:RCOT), and Microsoft have joined in a licensing agreement for the manufacturing and distribution of licensed third-party gaming accessories for the highly anticipated Xboxä console. InterAct is proud to be one of the first third-party companies to secure a worldwide licensing agreement for this future generation console that is expected to deliver unprecedented game play experiences.InterAct‘s product development team is already creating a variety of innovative peripherals and accessories that will take full advantage of the power and features of the Xbox platform. The company expects to have samples available for industry viewing at the Electronics Entertainment Expo, or E3, in Los Angeles, May 17-19.
“Microsoft will raise the bar for the gaming industry with the introduction of its console,” said InterAct company founder and president Todd Hays. “The anticipation of Xbox, a cutting edge product that allows InterAct to stretch its product development capabilities, has invigorated us.” Anticipating a record number of software titles available at launch, InterAct will support the needs of gamers with everything from basic gamepads and controllers to arcade sticks and racing wheels.
“InterAct has experienced more than 10 new platform introductions in its history“, said Ken Tarolla, Vice President of Business Development for InterAct Accessories, Inc. “This experience has given us an intimate understanding of the breadth of products that retailers and consumers need and expect from us at launch.“
“InterAct is a key player in the video game peripheral business and will help drive the success of Xbox,” said Scott Loomis, Xbox 3rd Party Peripheral Program Manager. “Our primary goal is to work closely with InterAct to ensure that a full line of compatible accessories are available to enhance the Xbox user experience.”
Source: http://www.interact-acc.com/