Thrustmaster Dual Analog Gamepad

The sturdily constructed controller features 13 action buttons, 2 analog sticks, an 8-way directional pad, and both USB and gameport interfaces. Thanks to USB, installation of the controller proves simple--you just plug it in, install the software, and play.

Molded hard rubber makes the gamepad comfortable to use, even for long periods of time. Designed like PlayStation-style gamepads, the action buttons include four on the right side of the pad, two triggers below, and four on the front. Another button rests below the two sticks, which also serve as action buttons in digital mode. While well positioned, no labels or numbers differentiate the buttons, so you'll need to get to know them.

In analog mode, the sticks work very well for racing games, such as Superbike World Championship--using one to steer and the other for acceleration and braking. Although Guillemot touts the gamepad as ideal for first-person shooters (and it works well with the sticks in analog mode), we found its best uses are for racing and action gameplay.

The ThrustMaster keyboard emulation software makes it a snap to use the controller for a variety of games, from Falcon 4.0 to Half-Life, via preset commands. You can also create your own presets easily with the Dual Analog software. It would have been nice to have more information in the physical manual about calibration and configuration, but the software manual included with the gamepad covers the issue thoroughly.

This gamepad meets all the standards of a PC controller, and with its sleek design, well-positioned buttons and pads, and excellent software, the ThrustMaster Dual Analog Gamepad hits the ground running and doesn't stop. J. Curtis

Pros:

• Both digital and analog mode
• USB interface
• Comfortable design

Cons:

• Limited manual
• Buttons not labeled

I run windows 2000 and the pad works excellently with all the latest games, Even with emulators for obsolete consoles like the snes and megadrive.

I am more than happy with the price of this customisable and comfy gamepad. And with over 10 buttons this gamepad means you can sit back and relax without having to mess about with the keyboard.


Decent   May 25, 2002
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The feel and action of this controller are great but the install was a pain in the neck.I have Windows ME and it wouldnt recognize it as being connected,so I went into the little paper that comes with it(there is no detailed Instruction manual) and it stated that if this problem happened ,to uninstall the drivers and go to the Thrustmaster website.I had to download and install a NEW version of the Setup.exe and manually install the driver(which Ive done many times before but never with this much aggrivation).Finally after an hour(it would normally take 3 minutes to install this if they included the proper files)I got the thing installed and it's working fine.
I would only reccomend this to those of you who are familiar with computers and able to manually install the drivers.Maybe they'll get a Setup.exe together before too long that will make this truly a "plug-n-play" controller.


You can probably find better for your money   May 20, 2002
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The controller itself is good, but the documentation is poor and pretty confusing. The manual is on the cd-rom that comes with it, but it is hidden in a .html document a few folders in. And it took me a couple of hours just to figure out which driver I needed to download from the website (they probably could have put the driver(s) right on the cd-rom).
There are many programmable buttons though, and if you're much better at this stuff (or much more patient), its probably a good deal.


Will break -- But it is a good pad before it goes   December 13, 2001
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

My third Thrustmaster Dual Analog Gamepad just broke for the same reason -- the flimsy analog joystick. While otherwise a comfortable and precise pad, it's poor joystick design makes this a product ready for recall. When it breaks, the pad can go in the trash because the analog pad is the only useable X-Y controller since the D-Pad is useless ... .

Unfortunately for me, I otherwise like this pad. The buttons are Playstation layout, so the other reviews complaining about the button layout are probabily used to other pads. There are a lot of buttons, but most games don't use all them all. Unfortunately, two of them are below the analog pad (another design mistake) so they have an annoying 'click' when you press down on the stick with your thumb (which, of couse, occurs each and every time you are about to shoot something and your reflexes kick in). This click will eventually go away (if your pad survives) after you break the plastic part which 'clicks', leaving a spongy feeling to the stick. Oh yea, dont drop it off your desk onto a hard floor -- instant product death.

Still the overall shape is ergonomic and ideal for adults, and the force feedback is great (but with the three I have I've noticed variations in overall intensity of the shock from unit to unit). Bottom line -- 2 stars. If Guillemot can get there act together in vers. 2.0...I'd get another.