Comments on: The Codec - Edition 1

By: ThomW

ThomW — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 18:05:28 +0000

I own one of those Sidewinders and they were awesome.

I played HOURS of Interstate 76 with that thing and the force feedback was a real blast.

I can’t believe you can buy a stupid 360, get PGR3 and all you get is RUMBLE — even if you buy one a wheel. So lame. Forza on the Xbox Classic is the same way — the most advanced racing game ever? I don’t think so.

If you want a racing game with more realistic effects, you have to get Gran Turismo 4 and one of those sweet Logitech wheels.

By: Tony

Tony — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 16:41:43 +0000

MS used to make a force feedback joystick in thier sidewinder line that was capable of some pretty rockin effects. We used to have a demo that had different buttons like “lightsaber”, “machinegun”, “magnet”, “helicoptor” etc. and I must say it was VERY convincing. The problem is that at that time force feedback joysticks had a very small market share — so game devs wouldnt sink a ton of money into utilizing the technology to its fullest. I think with consoles youre looking at a similar situation — games are released for multiple platforms, so the devs program to the lowest common denomonator. Also, there arent people clamoring for new force feedback the way they do for graphics — so thats where the money goes.

It will be interesting to see what Nintendo does with the revolution controller. I think its a step in the right direction on a lot of levels.

Thanks for the comment.

By: Floyd

Floyd — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 17:00:59 +0000

My exposure to the XBox360 has been limited to about 3 minutes of playing Project Gotham Racing in Best Buy. Yes, the graphics looked good, but I didn’t feel like is was an exponential leap beyond what I have at home in my XBox Classic.

One thing that I did notice was as lame as every other attempt before it, was the vibrating controller. Can’t we make some technological advances in this arena? Since the first vibrating controllers were released for the N64, they have been pretty much the same, and not very convincing. Maybe I’m expecting too much from such a small device, but a lot of the time I would say the vibration detracts from the immersion factor, rather than add to it. Especially when the motor in the controller makes all kinds of noise, and the whole thing rattles.

I don’t know if there is anything new built into the 360, or into the games themselves, that will enable future accessories to provide better feedback than previous generations, but I would say that the key to an immersive racing game is a well built wheel with propper variable resistance, and a set of pedals that are hinged correctly to feel like real pedals in a car. Has Microsoft announced a next-gen wheel to go along with the next-gen racing games?

I forget who the company is that makes those gaming rocking chairs, but I would buy one in an instant if there was a set of attachments for a steering wheel, gear shift, and pedals, all in the right place. Maybe they already do and I just don’t know it.