HKS Racing Controller

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List Price: $44.99
Sale Price: $36.88
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I just received the controller and so far it's amazing. Keep in mind that these are simple first impressions, but thus far, color me impressed. Right off the bat the controller itself feels solid. Build quality is easily a 7 or 8 out of 10. The auto-centering wheel is going to be great for oval races in GT5 and the new NASCAR game. For once I can hold a fairly steady racing line, which has definitely improved my laptimes a bit. So far I've only tested the controller with Burnout Paradise and F1 2010. Burnout I noticed the tighter analog stick helped out while on F1 2010 the steering wheel was smoother. The pressurized gas and brake pedals are phenominal, specially on F1. The great thing about this controller is the ability to change setups on-the-fly. There is a little switch on the back that is labeled "NFS/GT" which swaps the Square/X with L2/R2.

For fast maneuvers like in Burnout, the steering wheel doesn't respond *quite* as fast as I would like, but it still works very well. I think the best part about this controller is how versatile it is. With F1 2010 the steering wheel really helped in the middle of turns where I usually have to put a bit more wheel into it and often spin or get really loose requiring me to get off the throttle. Speaking of which, the throttle on the controller compared to R2 on the official PS3 controller is like night and day. Everyone knows how loose the analog sticks and triggers feel on the official PS3 controller. That is all tightened up quite nicely with the HKS controller. Much more control.

With Gran Turismo 5 now out, I have been putting this controller through it's paces and am happy to report it is holding up quite nicely. The steering wheel on the controller really shines through on the license tests where the difference between Gold and Silver can .001 of a second. With the steering wheel I can hold a steady line through the turns which allows me to keep as much speed as possible. What I'm finding I like most about this controller though is how I can use the analog stick for the hard turns but I can immediately switch to the steering wheel if I come up on a turn that requires just a little more finesse.

My only complaints would be the digital led readout...it's not so much a complaint, but rather that I find it useless as I'm paying attention to the screen, not the controller. This leads me to my second complaint; the controller is wired. While InterWorks has included more than enough length in the USB cord (which is gold-plated, MAJOR props for that, excellent connections!), I'm curious to see if they could have possible removed the led and put in a bluetooth chip and small battery...perhaps gen 2?

Overall, I'm really digging this new controller. There are a few racing games coming out in the future that I look forward to more now that I have this controller. NASCAR 2011 for instance should really benefit from this controller. For anyone who can't afford a racing wheel/seat, or who just don't have enough room for a racing wheel/seat, this is a near-perfect substitution. Definitely recommended!

*UPDATE* September 1, 2011 I've had the controller for almost a year now and I still use it every week on GT5. I'm almost always in the top 3 and that's racing against guys with actual wheels. We usually race 4-5 races during our racing night and Over the past 6 months or so, my average finish is 2nd ;) I have since expanded to NASCAR The Game 2011 and the HKS controller works great. I can hold a pretty smooth line through the turns at every track, but most importantly Daytona and Talladega. You can clearly tell the difference between people using a regular controller and a wheel and this HKS could easily pass for a wheel. I've had people complain that I must be using a wheel and I simply tell them to Google "HKS Controller for PS3" and it shuts them up :)

With F1 2011 coming out in less than 3 weeks (can't wait!) I'll have yet another game I'll be using this controller on an almost daily basis. Still "definitely recommended!" :D

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Here is my small review for this racing controller.

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I've been playing Gran Turismo 5 with the HKS Racing Controller for 2 weeks. Here is a list of pro's and con's:

Pro:

Same size as a normal controller

Button layout feels natural

Well built and has a nice weight

Topside has a racecar design

Underside of controller is of a different material and doesnt get sweaty

MACRO button lets you program the controller how you want

Wheel is precise

Wheel snaps back to center

Takes hardly no time to get adjusted to the wheel

Gas and brake pedals improve throttle use through corners

Switches on the underside can easily be changed from GT to NFS

Con:

Gas pedal becomes uncomfortable during a long race (it would be nice if the pedals were made of rubber)

Center marking on wheel can become uncomfortable

LED display in middle sometimes goes crazy (displaying random h's and U's)

Triangle and Circle buttons feel like you have to reach for them (bad if you use handbrake)

These are things that I dont feel are either pro or con:

It is NOT cordless (which is fine with me)

I dont ever look at the LED display

USB plug-in is gold plated

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Note: I have only used this controller for GT5, I can't comment on how it works in Need for Speed or other racing games.

I bought this controller for GT5 and have had it for 3 months. All in all I'd say this controller is not that great and I got tricked by positive reviews. What bothers me the most is that the professional reviews (Kotaku, Gameinformer, etc.) didn't address the main problem. The LED display shows the real problem with this controller, it's extremely inaccurate. I would attribute this to the lack of support from Sony, PD, and Eagle 3 (Controller Developer). Someone needs to develop better drivers for this. As is a value of 24 is full throttle. The pedals are also made out of a hard plastic that really dig into your thumb after a few races.

I attempted to drive a F1 car with this controller and found it didn't make things any easier, compared to a normal controller. I may not be the best driver but it's impossible to get the throttle response you need while exiting corners, and the brake isn't any better. I found that even when I was gentle I'd usually end up spinning out. Going back to my previous point, the error in the pedals is exponential, as you get closer to 24, each step is equal to a bigger chunk of acceleration. So while 24 is full throttle 21 is about 3/4 throttle.

The steering wheel was a nice departure from the analog, but after using for 2 months, it isn't much better. It helps with holding constant turns, but that's about it.

Since I bought this controller I tried to like it. I am even still using it now, but that's mostly attributed to my attempt to justify this purchase. I haven't heard anything about future driver support for this so this controller, the newest update to GT5 did nothing to improve this controller's performance. If Sony, Eagle 3, or PD develop drivers for this than the controller is worth it. As is I would not recommend this controller to anyone.

In my frustration I bought a Logitech G27 Wheel, I understand that something like this isn't for everyone, but if your in the market, it's 100 times better than this controller.

I also know that Fanatec offers their own PS3 racing controller, I can't comment on how good it is but it might be worth checking out.

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Great product for racing car games at an affordable price compared to a steering wheel system. This allows you to be more precise with the turning, accelerating, and braking. Great for controlling higher power cars as you can easily control the pressure in acceleration and braking. You also have the ability to memorize different button choice options for different racing setups and change the upper buttons on the fly for different race styles.

However, there's 2 things I didn't like. This controller is not wireless so the cable can be somewhat annoying; but, its long enough to make it comfortable. Last the middle acceleration percentage meter is useless as you really can't be paying attention to that; it's just a cool little feature for cosmetic purposes.

Overall, I recommend this product if you're looking to get faster in the game and be more precise in racing and yet not spend $100s on a good steering wheel system.