Microsoft Force Feedback Joystick

First there was sight. Then there was sound. Now Microsoft
adds the sense of touch to revolutionize the gaming experience.

Initial review, long term test to follow.

Date of Review 20/1/1999

Verdict	A quality joystick with the added benefit of force feedback.
Price U.K.	£99.99p
Supplier
Availability	Now

Microsoft's SideWinder® Force Feedback Pro is a very well made and an extremely comfortable joystick to use. The are eight buttons, a shift control , a throttle control and a mini hat stick sitting on top. It connects to the PC's game/joystick port and has a separate power supply to run the onboard motors.

There are some 30 force effects stored in the joystick's ROM plus 2K RAM, into which games can introduce their own variations. The onboard CPU works out all the effects calculations, leaving your PC's processor to concentrate on running the game " does not slow game down" The is two very tiny infrared led sensors that detects when a hand is holding the stick and turns on the effects, stopping them when the hand is removed.

Setting up the joystick in Windows 98 is made painless by the excellent software supplied. The joystick then appears in Device Manager and the effects can be felt through the demo option. These effects are positive and add to the enjoyment of playing games. One game came supplied with the joystick, Urban Assault.

Some time ago, I read a report re this joystick which stated how noisy it was when NOT in use and that it had to be switched off at the mains when not needed. My example was total silent when not being used and is left switched on all the time. The joystick adds a whole new dimension to game play, the dimension of force feedback.

I highly recommend this joystick, I would add that over the years I have tested and owned a large number of joysticks and have never been 100% happy with any of them. In this case I am 100% happy with the sidewinder force feedback pro joystick. A quality product, the Rolls Royce of the joystick world.

Endurance Test

This is our first long term tests, as you can see we now have had Microsoft's Force Feed Back Joystick for some 6 months. The first impressions we had then, are still true today. This is the Rolls Royce of the joystick world, in cost and quality. During those 6 months we have made it go to hell and back and its still as good as new. Believe us this is the only joystick that has survived our testing, all others simple gave up and died.

The only complaint we have is how the power connector plugs in to the base of the joystick. It can be pulled out all to easily, we think a more positive connector should be used.

That said we liked it so much we went out and purchased two more. So if you need a joystick that will last, we think this one will fit the bill. The next review will be when we have had it for a year.

Its been a whole year now and we never expected this joy stick to last. But we should have known better. Its still as good as the day a year ago when it came out of its box. We have no hesitation in awarding this joystick our only the best award:

Date page was last edited 06/08/00

For those that like to know these things this Joystick was our first ever hardware review