Is it form over function or the other way around? Well, aesthetics has to come into play when you are going to buy a joystick. The pretty ones get more attention. Though I never liked the clear plastic look, atomic purple on N64 controllers and Gameboy Color, it suits the VR well, giving it a futuristic look. The clear buttons and the LEDs add to this. The base is made in the same style, though lacking the LEDS, and has, I think, a metal plate inside that gives it the weigh it has.
Front view
The joystick package comes with the actual stick, the base, instructions, and a software bundle consisting of an Xgaming 50 level gaming pack which is packed with many demos, Descent 3: SOL Ascent, Freespace 2: Colossus, and Freespace: Darkness Rising. Nothing special here.
Rear view
Installation was a snap. Just plug it in, let windows detect it, insert the Windows CD, and voila! It is done. In the device manager, Windows shows a Human Interface Device, the drivers for the joystick. Calibrating it wasn’t so simple. Using the base, I found it hard to gauge the outer limits of the range of the stick. I kept on wondering can it go further? Or have I gone too far? After calibration, the stick still didn’t seem to be centered. Though centered on the base and in my hand, the position didn’t register correctly. After recalibrating numerous times on and off the base, I finally gave up and started play testing.
Side view
Here comes the hard part. To test this joystick I played a variety of games including Flight Simulator 2000 Pro, Crimson Skies, Unreal Tournament and Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed. For flight simulator games, the VR Pro 2000 is fairly precise; not all small hand movements will register correctly (the calibration screen makes tracking a little sketchy, and it is at times). In Flight Simulator 2000 Pro, taxiing down a runway or going in for a landing was simple, but since there is no resistance, I overshot more then once or twice. Also, because of the placement of the rudder controls, they are sometimes awkward to press. Generally, I like the twist control on a Sidewinder better. There were no problems in Crimson Skies, nice smooth flying, jittery at times (my hands can’t stay completely still). The dogfights I encountered showed a flaw in the button positioning. I was fumbling around with the stick, which led to me dying or crashing numerous times. The sensitivity the VR packs comes at a cost. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to tilt the stick a minute amount to have the airplane swing out of control. But this is where the sensitivity controls come in handy. I personally like to have it on the highest sensitivity.
I have never really liked using a joystick for first person shooters, the simplicity of the mouse and keyboard is the way to go. Again in Unreal, control is smoother and a tad quirky, and the trigger could use some work. It doesn’t respond as quickly as my old Sidewinder and has a mushy feel, but does have a satisfying click. In any racing game, a wheel works the best. This stick will suffice if you play a few here and there. Again, without a base or no force feedback, there is no feel to the car. Driving around in a Porsche with a poorly weighted stick and no feedback makes for bad maneuvering.
Off the base
