Thrustmaster game devices

Review by Mark Arnott Name: Formula T2 wheel, X-Fighter and Top Gun joysticks Publisher: Thrustmaster Format: Hardware Available: Now Requires: Game-port or Thrustmaster ACM game card Tested on: O/S: Windows 95 Processor: 100Mhz Pentium RAM: 32Mb Graphics: 2Mb SVGA (Matrox Millenium) CD-ROM: x4 Soundcard: AWE32 Controls: Mouse, Keyboard

Formula T2 Racing Wheel

The only reason I ever visit PC World is to have a play with the steering wheel that they always have on demonstration, even it means waiting behind a gaggle of ten year olds who can’t seem to keep the car on the track for five seconds. So I was pleased when asked to review this new racing wheel from Thrustmaster. It comprises of a dashboard that clamps to the desktop and a foot-rest that incorporates the two pedals.

The wheel is ten inches in diameter and has a rubberised finish all round. This gives a really good grip, and as the total range of movement is 190° you don’t have to move your hands when driving. It is spring loaded to the "straight ahead" position, and the loading gets progressively harder the further you turn the wheel. This has the effect of simulating feedback forces from the tyres and gives a very realistic feel when cornering. The gear change is made via a small gearstick on the right hand side, push forward for shift up and pull back for shift down, and this is also spring loaded to the centre position. The shift action can be reversed in the calibration if required.

The accelerator and brake pedals are mounted on a well weighted 10" by 10" base. The pedals and wheel are on their own "Y" splitter cable, so only one plug gets connected to the PC. A Win95 converter is supplied to combat some problems caused by Windows joystick detection. Calibration is different but not too complicated, and a full instruction manual is supplied.

The first game I tried it on was Geoff Crammond’s Formula 1 - Grand Prix 2. I play this game quite a lot so it seemed the obvious choice to start with. As I negotiated the turns in the pit exit at Silverstone I was banging into them like a true novice - this was a whole new feeling. At first it was a case of getting to know how far to turn the wheel to take a corner, as the lock was different to that of a joystick. After a few laps I was starting to get the hang of it, and starting to get some decent lap times. "This is bloody brilliant" I was thinking to myself. It had turned the game into something completely different, and for the better.

I found that my knuckles would sometimes brush against the gear-change stick and put me in the wrong gear. This is not really a design fault, but more down to thee fact that I have very big hands (size 10 glove). So instead of holding the wheel like some demented joyrider with full grip I used my fingers and thumbs. This did not detract from the experience at all, and still allowed for accurate driving. I had a similar problem with the pedals, my feet are size 15 and the pedals are only 1¼ inches apart, so it felt slightly uncomfortable. These problems are the result of my outsized limbs, and the three other "normal" people that had a drive did not suffer these entanglements.

I also used the wheel with "Network Q - RAC Rally" and "Indycar" with the same enjoyment to be had from each. If you take your driving simulations seriously then this wheel comes highly recommended. I didn’t want to return it!

X-Fighter Joystick

Here we have a device that is best suited to anything that is flight related on a PC. It looks similar to the high-end sticks that are produced by Thrustmaster. Consisting of a full scale military "B8" neoprene covered grip mounted on a heavy base that measures nearly eight inches square, the total height is nearly ten inches. There are three buttons and a trigger, also a 4-way hat switch. The smooth movement provided by the geared potentiometers is a joy to behold.

The buttons and hat-switch can be configured to do anything, the limitations are enforced by the game that you are calibrating in. The hat-switch is great for a quick look around in games such as EF2000, and in Comanche 3 it can be used to alter the collective force. The other buttons can perform actions such as next target select, change weapon, drop flares or chaff, and I found in the F/A 18 Hornet demo that one button added another four views to the existing ones allocated to the hat-switch.

The heavy base lets the stick move full range without tipping, and rubber feet prevent slipping. This is an excellent joystick and I intend to purchase one myself as I really enjoyed using it, which is what counts. If you have previously been put off by the UK prices of the previous Thrustmaster range, this is a good alternative.

Top Gun Joystick

This is the smaller brother of the X-Fighter joystick. Sporting the same three buttons and hat-switch, with military styling and neoprene grip. It is smaller, 8½ inches high with a 6x6 inch base which is still quite heavy, but lacks the stability of the X-Fighter. There is a rubber boot protecting the stick where it enters the base which is rather stiff and I had problems with the base tipping over when applying full stick movement during combat. The general fluidity of motion is nowhere as good as its big brother.

With the stick being smaller it felt a little too compact for my liking and not as business-like as the X-Fighter. It would be a good choice for a young PC aviator, but I would avoid it if you use flight sim’s often. In my opinion it would be worth spending a little bit more and buying the X-Fighter.

All three items in the review were easy to setup and came with good documentation.

Mark Arnott for Game-Over!