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Logitech Wingman Rumblepad USB
By Joe "Impaler" HighmanThe controller incorporates two sophisticated counter-rotating weighted motors inside the hand grips. These motors generate vibration in the grips that emulates the force-feedback signaling from force-feedback enabled software. The resulting vibration feedback intensity may be modified either in the software control panel applet or toggled enabled or disabled with a single push of a button on the gamepad. The vibration should not be confused with the type found in pagers or cell phones. This type of vibration, if set to maximum intensity, can rip the pad right out of your hands!
The Wingman Rumblepad ships with Logitech’s Wingman Profiler software, allowing quick efficient programming of each and every input mechanism. Many current titles have built-in configurations included in the software and updates are now available for download.
The Logitech Wingman Profiler Software. Ah, simplicity
Testing, testing, Check One Sibilance...
I tested this controller using EA Sports NHL2001 for the sports/arcade representative, and a combination of Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2, Jane’s USAF, Jane’s Longbow 2, and Interactive Magic’s Warbirds v.2.76 for my flight simulator representatives.
In the sports/arcade mode, the controller’s two analog joysticks are disabled and the 8-way Point-of-View pad operates as a traditional Directional pad. In the flight simulation mode, by default, the 8-way Point-of-View pad provides, you guessed it, 8-way Point-of-View functionality and the left-hand analog joystick controls the pitch and roll while the right-hand analog stick controls the yaw rate. The user may alter this using the control panel Gaming Options applet. This configuration offers precise true-360 degree movement.
The easiest test you'll ever take
I played through a complete season in NHL2001 using this pad and throughout, the familiar console-type feel played very well. It was simplicity itself to program the buttons to include shoot, pass, change player, speed burst, body check, and line change controls. While the title did not supply a force-feedback option, the device still provided a solid control that kept competitive with the fastest game on ice.
With Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2, the flight controls were as sharp and crisp as I would have expected from a desktop joystick. The vibration feedback shook the controller mercilessly with each blast from my cannons or each burst of machine gun fire received. Sadly, I received far more punishment than I inflicted! As my burning aircraft spun violently to earth, the pad buffeted and rattled as if possessed until I finally plowed headlong into the sea.
Using the reversed stick settings for Jane’s Longbow 2 provided the truest sense of collective and cyclic management I have ever encountered in a single device. While testing with Interactive Magic’s Warbirds 2.76, I learned another benefit of the single integrated design. I can use one device to control all the aspects of my aircraft, including gunnery! I can seamlessly fly my laden B17G Flying Fortress to target, switch to the Bombardier station, aim the bombsight, drop my ordnance, and switch to a gunner’s turret for accurate defense. All using the same control set and without any need to switch “modes” or affect any other settings.
It can't be all smiles now can it?
Now for the ugly part. No device that attempts to be all things to all people can hope to be completely successful. The buttons feel slightly undersized, underemphasized and somewhat out of place, requiring some effort to hit with accuracy with adult male fingers. By the same token, the feature-rich design results in a large bulky gamepad that may be too heavy for young arms and too ample for young hands. Additionally, the extended use of the vibration feedback system can contribute to extremity numbness or painful stress injuries, although the instructions and documentation repeatedly and earnestly warn against this and suggest solutions.
On a positive note, I found the extra weight and meaty grips more comfortable in my adult hands. The triggers are large and accessible, and with practice and proper setup, the combination of programmable buttons, dual analog joysticks, and large triggers can prove deadly efficient. The vibration feedback, if metered, exposes a new experience of gaming immersion unknown to traditional gamepad veterans. The well conceived Wingman Profiler software and USB interface accelerate the installation and configuration process to new levels of simplicity and effectiveness.
Overall impressions
Logitech offers simulation enthusiasts another stellar option for a terrific price. At a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of under $30 US, any gamer would be doing themselves a tremendous injustice by not owning this pad!
Granted, it is a gamepad, and not an exact replica of an F16 Falcon control stick adorned with 60 or 70 buttons, rocker switches, and view hats. There are other products on the market that are more realistic or more configurable, and in general, more geared toward the serious simulation buff. However, one simply cannot argue this simplest and most rational of reasoning: The Logitech Wingman Rumblepad gets the job done, and gets it done exceptionally well.
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