Newest MS Force Feedback Joysticks are Weaker, but Quieter.
Written: May 07 '01 (Updated Feb 25 '02)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Grip feels great. Plenty of buttons, all reachable. No longer has unusually loud fan.
Cons: Still has unnecessarily large footprint. Feedback isn't as strong as older models.
The Bottom Line: An excellent joystick, and it has Force Feedback.
|
|
|
| grimjack2's Full Review: Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Pro (656-00004... |
I tried out my friend’s MS Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro about four months before I bought mine. This was back in 1999. I really liked the feedback in the race games I played with him (Carmageddon 2 and Motocross Madness are the only ones that come to mind). My old Gravis Analog had been a great joystick for the few games that I played with it. Yet a number of new games were coming out that really needed a hat. Freespace 2 and Mechwarrior 3 just didn’t play as easily with only a four button joystick. When I decided to buy a new Microsoft Joystick I was certain that it was worth the extra $30 for the feedback features over the $70 price of the regular Sidewinder.
However, after using it, I was certain that something didn't seem quite right with it. It felt much weaker than I remembered it being. At my local Electronics Boutique, the manager loves racing simulations so I was certain he probably would know something about these joysticks. He didn't know what I was talking about, but he said he owns both a first generation Microsoft force feedback joystick and the newer one without the fan, so he would compare them for me. The next day he said there was a definite difference between his older joystick and the newer one. The older sticks were infamous for having a very loud fan that was always on, and you couldn't silence it without unplugging it when you weren’t using it, or didn't want to feel the feedback.
The newer ones no longer have any sort of audible fan at all! However, I would say that they have possibly only half the kick of the older ones. The strength may also have been lessened because the older ones could break easier when set to maximum force. I just don't know for sure why it is weaker, but it is probably a small price to pay in exchange for losing the noisy fan. The force feedback is still there, but you don’t really have to worry about wrestling with the stick when you are using it.
One complaint I do have is that both versions of the joystick have an especially large footprint. I can't help from feeling that it doesn't need to be as large as it is. Especially since because of my computer setup, I need it smaller on the left side where it seems to jut out at least 3" more than any button. I’m not going to open it up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is hollow in the exact part I’m talking about.
The joystick does have a laser reader so it knows when someone is holding the stick or not, and this probably helps extend its life. If you let go of the stick the feedback won’t be activated. However, I have noticed that sometimes, after playing a game with force feedback, that when I power down the computer, the stick will ‘kick’ forward for no reason. I have never been holding it when it does this. It doesn’t do this that often, but I’ve never been able to figure out why it does this, or how to make it happen every time.
On the front of the stick is a trigger. On the top of the joystick are a large button on the left side, and two smaller buttons on the right. Above these is a four directional hat. On the base of the joystick, on the front left side are four more buttons. There is also a ‘shift’ key (Microsoft’s word, not mine) that makes those four buttons each have a secondary command. Above the shift key is a round knob, half submerged under the stick, that lets you control altitude or speed in most games. The joystick also ‘twists’ a little in each direction, and usually works the flaps in a flight simulation, or turns the head of your mech in a Mechwarrior game.
The software is exceptionally nice and easy to use with Windows, and I wouldn’t expect anything less since Microsoft makes them both. It lets you test all the buttons and the joystick’s calibration with visual aids. And it lets you program any of the multiple buttons, and calibrate the stick. You can also control how strong you want the force feedback to be, and how much force the stick will have when it tries to return to the center. You can also test the force feedback with a dozen different effects. These include a machine gun, a shotgun, a gattling gun, a chainsaw, a diesel engine, a rocket launcher, jumping, falling, windshear, and even an engine idling. All these feel perfect, and it makes a great way to show off the joystick to your friends.
Like many electrical appliances, the joystick has a very large transformer box where it plugs into a wall socket, making it very hard to fit into any power strips without using an extension cord.
The joystick is very sturdily made, so I doubt it is going to be breaking on me anytime soon.
The joystick came with Mechwarrior3, and I believe that if you buy it today it comes with the newer game, Mechwarrior 4.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
grimjack2
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Location: San Rafael, CA, Marin County
Reviews written: 181
Trusted by: 124 members
About Me:
Film is my favorite art form. I live a life of constant amelioration.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.