Customer Reviews

MICROSOFT Freestyle Pro Controller w/ Matt Hoffman Pro BMX

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got my first Freestyle Pro in the very late 90's/early 00's, right about the time it's first-run retail life was winding-down. It was the first PC gamepad I ever purchased, and let me tell you, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT.

Not counting the Atari 2600 or Vic-20 , I had cut my console-gaming teeth on Nintendo and PlayStation 1 controllers, which worked well, but were limited in the level of control they offered. Analog joysticks afforded more precise control, but I found them somewhat unwieldy and less intuitive with the button layout. When I found the Freestyle Pro, it seemed like it would be a good compromise between the two. I had no idea.

Despite it's bulky size and (at the time) unorthodox shape, the ergonomics are pretty good. It fits comfortably in my adult male hands, though others might not find this so. Buttons are fairly well-placed (the fire buttons could be a little lower), sufficient in quantity (10 total: 6 fire, 2 shoulder, 1 "start" and 1 scroll/misc.) and usually programmable (depending on the game--I never bothered installing the drivers which allow independent button assignment, but most people said were useless). The "sensor" button turns on/off the tilt function only and is therefore not counted. Level position (remember, it's a tilt controller) is easily located and quite natural to maintain. The throttle wheel is right where it should be and makes the controller absolutely ideal for flight games. The D-pad, though well positioned, has always been a little troublesome for me to get reliable accuracy out of and thus sees little use.

For me, there was virtually zero learning curve, the tilt function is incredibly intuitive. Wonderfully responsive and accurate, the Freestyle Pro possesses a level of precision that made my joysticks seem downright clunky. Mastering the really fine control it's capable of was about the only hurdle there was to jump. It wasn't long before I found myself doing a fair amount of my gaming one-handed. About the only thing the tilt function isn't well-suited for is scrolling through lists, which can be accomplished with either patience or briefly disabling the tilt to use the D-pad.

I have been using this controller for years. I use it for all my motorcycle and other driving computer games. I bought another one not too long ago just in case something happened to my original. There is nothing else like it, smooth, easy to control and versatile. I wish I could use it on my PlayStation 3 or I wish Microsoft would come out with its equivalent for the PS3 because it blows the sixaxis controller away.

I bought my Microsoft Freestyle Pro game controller after my InterAct PC Powerpad Pro 6 (which I was 110% satisfied with!) had unfortunately surrendered to obsolescence when I upgraded my PC; serial controllers have since gone the way of the dinosaur! I looked into the serial-USB adapter cables but have heard nothing but bad things about them!

So, I started looking for a USB controller that had six buttons minimum and found this Freestyle Pro; to my surprise when I unpacked the thing I discovered that it comes with it's own Serial to USB cable! (which works just fine by the way!)
I thought there would be issues when I discovered that the CD-ROM only provides drivers for Windows 98 and other reviews that I had read (shortly after ordering the thing!) claimed to have issues getting drivers to support the controller under Windows XP; fear not though people, whilst I don't dispute the fact that these customers had issues installing the controller under Windows XP you can be assured that XP does have the appropriate drivers for which the controller performs perfectly.

Criticsms?

The directional controls are a little vague and you are often pressing up or down when you mean to press left or right!
Fortunately I hardly ever play anything other than racing games which do not require the up and down directions very often!

There is also this funny motion sensor built into the controller that provides the user with the option to input directions into your game by literally tilting the controller in the direction you want to go; for me at least this function is next to useless!

Bottom line though, I think that this is a great controller you won't find that many that offer as much as this! Shopping for any controller that offers more than four buttons on it was not as easy as you might think!