Thrustmaster Dual Analog Gamepad

by Guillemot

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004SYN8
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 19, 2000

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

PC gamepads can be a difficult peripheral to get right--care needs to be put into the design, the layout of pads and buttons, and the appropriate software interface. Guillemot's ThrustMaster Dual Analog Gamepad pretty much nails it.

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

Amazon.com Product Description

The ThrustMaster dual analog gamepad offers progressive operation for racing and first-person shooter games. Analog operation means the more you push, the more response you get. The two analog controllers allow you maneuver with one stick and accelerate with the other. The provided software lets you program 13 quick-action functions. The ThrustMaster gamepad is compatible with all USB-equipped PCs and Macintosh computers and is covered by a one-year warranty.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bad, bad product, September 12, 2000

By 

"scl004" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thrustmaster Dual Analog Gamepad (Personal Computers)

I will never buy an other Guillemot product. The fact is that the software included with this controler is aweful. It slowed down my powerful system to the point where games are unplayable. Customer support was lacking as well, and I was informed that the problem must lie somewhere in my system software (even though my computer is brand new). The manual contains less than 500 words in English, the buttons are not labled, and the controler was not compatable with contemporary EA titles. Do not buy this product.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great product, June 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Thrustmaster Dual Analog Gamepad (Personal Computers)

I found this gamepad to completely blow away my exisiting Gravis Gamepad PRo USB. installation took two seconds, calibration was easy, and soon i was playing NBA live. the control is amazing, your hands never get tired, the thing is exteremly comfortable too. Plenty of buttons in the right places too. All in all, highly reccomended.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This could'a been a contender - but it sucks, October 25, 2000

By 

Doug Hillman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thrustmaster Dual Analog Gamepad (Personal Computers)

The other reviews slamming this product are correct. The associated programming interface is useless and slows the system down to unplayable status. And due to the layout of the buttons, it is next to useless as a geenric controller. The shoulder buttons are set up as 1 & 2 on the left and 3 & 4 on the right. The regular pad buttons on the face of the controller are 5, 6, 7, & 8. Without the ability to use the programming interface to change these, it's too awkward to play just about any game. This is unfortunate as the analog sticks work smoothly and the physical layout & feel of the controller is pretty nice. So much so, that I'm gonna rip it apart and see if I can resolder the connections to put the buttons in their standard places.

As it stands though, this controller is frustrating and next to useless.