| Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro by Leonard "Viking1" Hjalmarson |
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SUMMARY:
Test System:
The potential for force feedback for simulation play is tremendous. First, in suspension of disbelief, the feeling of "being there." Second, for the increased situational awareness. If you are diving too fast in your Spitfire, you'll know it by the rapidly increasing buffet. If you are about to stall in your aircraft, you'll feel it. Other aerodynamic effects can be added. And those explosions that are rocking your fighter will be transmitted physically to your hand and wrist. If this doesn't capture your imagination, it may be because you've never used one of these gadgets. The first time I engaged force feedback was in Flying Corps early this year. Not only did I hear the "thup-thup" of the Vickers gun, I felt it! And when the engine rpm changed, I felt that too! Testing the stick in Fighter Duel I began to rely on my hand to tell me when I was nearing stall speed or pulling too many g's. Force-feedback is one of the most exciting areas of growth in computer gaming hardware. Unfortunately, the price point hasn't been right, and some gamers have been hard pressed to find the extra serial port that the Force FX required. I'll be honest, I'm no great fan of Microsoft. I tend to favor the underdog. But you have to give Microsoft credit for creativity, and they did a nice job of doing away with the need for a serial port and reducing the cost. Microsoft redesigned their Sidewinder stick to incorporate force-feedback technology, dropped three games in the box, and slapped on a less daunting price tag of $149.95. (You can expect to pay less through wholesalers).
Frankly, I didn't mind the large size and weight of the CH stick. It did have a sometimes annoying buzz, however. Microsofts stick isn't perfect in this department either. While it occupies less real estate on the desktop, it does have a built in cooling fan that may bother some people. In my case, with a PII system cooled by rejects from a laser printer sitting eighteen inches from my eardrum, I really didn't notice. The feel of the stick is actually quite good. The motors give it some solid weight but a glass filled handle would have been nice. Compatibility with older games will be an issue with some. Games that support the Force FX will not support the MS stick. However, the new games that are in development now will support Microsofts technology through DirectX 5 and DirectInput. Its a bit difficult to tell just what this stick will do via the games that are packed with the stick. The MDK: Mission Laguna Beach demo causes the stick to sway with your alter-ego's footsteps. The Shadows of the Empire: Battle of Hoth demo is better: running under 3d acceleration via my STB Velocity 128 the framerate was good and the stick simulated pulling g's in the snowspeeder. Interstate '76 has some nice effects, like different vibrations for on-road and off-road terrain and a cool flat-tire effect, but for some reason the effects were on again off again. I am almost certain that the problem lies with the game itself and NOT with the stick. |
What about simulation titles? Zombie Technology's coming armor simulation Spearhead will support the Sidewinder FF Pro, as will Activisions coming Fighter Squadron: Screamin Demons Over Europe. DiDs F22: ADF MAY support force feedback. You can count on the same support for Flying Nightmares II and Confirmed Kill. I had a chance to check out an early alpha of Spearhead with the Sidewinder FF Pro. A number of forces are modelled including impact, recoil of the main gun and machine gun, and even some gravity forces like the tilt of the tank as it jostles over an obstacle. The tendency of the machine gun to pull upward while firing surprised me! When I took a hit I almost lost my grip on the stick. Software and Programming The FF Pro mounts two DC motors in the stick's base. This provides the effects and also allows you to set different levels of stiffness. You're used to the TM F22 Pro? No problem, we have a setting for you! Oh, your last stick was a light weight Gravis, fine. You can set it up that way if you wish. One of the drawbacks of the Force FX is that if you want to program it you also need the CH Pro Throttle which will store the info for each button. The Sidewinder FF Pro has a built in throttle wheel that is about as good as its going to get for this approach. I found it no trouble to use with Janes Longbow, for example, or in Flying Corps. The stick is programmable within Windows, using the same interface as Microsoft's other sticks.
The new Gaming Device software is a snap to use and loads configurations instantly. But beware if your primary implementation is DOS games. The FF pro works great with DOS games that run windowed, but it's not gonna work with games that require you to boot to DOS. I know, small consideration for more recent games and virtually all coming sims.
How many functions can you actually program to the stick? You can select a total of 16 functions plus the throttle. The hat is not programmable, and while its described as an eight way switch this ability depends on the particular game. However, the "shift" feature, much like the S3 button on the F22 Pro or the toggle on the Pro Throttle doubles the function of each switch of the eight other switches. The hat itself can be selected for Thrustmaster or CH hat emulation mode and its functions are pre-determined by the emulation and the particular game you play. If you need more functions than this or like to make your own hat choices, go for the Force FX. Oh, did I mention the swiveling shaft? Yep, this stick has it all. The shaft turns on its base to give you rudder control or movement along the y-axis. As for the guts, try state-of-the-art digital-optical tracking. This means no wear on potentiometers and none of the drift problems associated with them. It also means that you'll never have to calibrate the stick. For most people this isn't a big problem, but there are some games which can drive you to the loony bin when it comes time to make this adjustment. As for the program files that come with the stick for the likes of EF2000 and ATF Gold, I dont' think a player of these sims programmed them. So count on having to make your own. Why are you buying a programmable stick in the first place? =) Honestly, most sim fans are going to find this stick too limiting, but if you don't mind using the keyboard a lot or if you have a Masterpilot Quickshot, this could be the stick for you.
For a games support list check out: Microsoft Games Support
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