Thrustmaster will bring the 2002 FIFA World CupTM Football Stadium to you, the first pitch dedicated to soccer games for video game consoles, an officially licensed product of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/JapanTM.
Thrustmaster will release 2 versions in May 2002: one for use with all PlayStationsand one for use with GameCubeTM.

“We have created the 2002 FIFA World CupTM Football Stadium for all soccer enthusiasts, eager to get hold of an interactive gaming accessory which means that they can really live out the biggest sporting event of the year. Football Stadium will allow them to become totally active players and to make the most out of their soccer games”, says Jocelyn Denis, Worldwide Product Manager. “Now they can enjoy the game, not only on a real pitch but in front of the console too, with family and friends!”

The 2002 FIFA World CupTM Football Stadium comprises a non-slip mat, designed like a soccer field to totally absorb players in the game. Three vertical sensors, based on the latest technology, detect the player’s movements, reproducing his actions in real time in the game: actions made in attack (shoot, pass, lob) or in defence (tackles…). The player can adjust the power of his shot or pass by keeping his foot above the sensor, within range of the vertical beam.

A gamepad is required for controlling the directional movements of the soccer team players in the game or for other specific actions. It plugs directly into the Football Stadium’s gamepad port. The Football Stadium also offers 4 preset configurations that make it fully compatible with all soccer games.

The Football Stadium is part of a complete range of accessories for PC and consoles, made by Thrustmaster under the 2002 FIFA World CupTM license. This exciting range will include gamepads for PC, PSone, PlayStation2, Xbox and GameCube, an arcade stick for PlayStation2 and memory cards for GameCube, Xbox and PSone.

The Football Stadium will RRP for �34.99 inc, samples to be confirmed.

The GameCube version of the 2002 FIFA World CupTM Football Stadium is compatible with all Thrustmaster gamepads for GameCube and also with GameCube controllers from Nintendo.

Hopefully we'll be able to give you an actual picture of this new product soon.