Microsoft Dual Strike (die mouse...bang bang)
Written: Apr 12 '00 (Updated Apr 13 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: USB, ease of use, ergonomically designed
Cons: Limited range of movement
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| cocacolajhk's Full Review: Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Pro (656-00004... |
Why do some people buy computers? GAMES!!!! I really didn't buy a computer with playing games on my mind, but after playing few games it seems like that's all I use my computer for these days. I have a Playstation, but the graphics between the two are not comparable anymore. But the only drawback on playing games on computer seems to be the usage of keyboard for people who like to play games only with joystick. So I got myself a new joystick called Microsoft Dual Strike recently. I tested my "toy" on few games and this is how I felt about it....
First Sys. req. for using Microsoft Dual Strike....
Multimedia personal computer with Pentium 166 or higher
USB port
Microsoft Windows 98 operating system
16 MB of memory (RAM)
10 MB of available hard-disk space
Quad-speed CD-ROM drive
Super VGA, 256-color monitor
Microsoft Mouse, or compatible pointing device
Dual strike has 8 way directional pad, 6 buttons, a shift key and 2 triggers. The 6 buttons can be programmed for certain moves using the software provided with it. It is ergonomically designed so I haven't felt any muscle pains on my hand even after using it for extended periods of time.
The installation for this joystick cannot get any simpler than this. Once you plug it into your USB port, Win98 automatically detects it and asks for the installation disk. Even the most computer illiterate person can install this joystick. It's fast and efficient. After installation a short demo of Dual Strike runs on the Windows Media Player. I didn't find it helpful because the usage seemed straight forward to me, but more information the better so I give high marks to Microsoft for this too.
The setup allows you to configure every part of the joystick to your liking. The programmable buttons setup allows you to input any combination of buttons, however long you like it so I found this very useful. You can also set the controller up to imitate a mouse, but I don't see why anyone would not choose that function because this joystick was made for people who didn't want to use a mouse in FPS games or whatever game that uses mouse. Only annoying thing about this function is that even after the game is closed, the joystick will act as a mouse and make your mouse pointer move around freely. To rid of this problem just go back to the setup and disable the function. Even opening the setup is easy; sidewinder stays in the taskbar so just click and adjust...simple as that. Everything about this joystick is about simplicity and efficiency. To add more to the list, Microsoft has added 20 or so pre-configured setup for popular games such as Quake, Rogue Spears and etc. Isn't it great? I think so. :)
When you open up a game, the left side of the joystick controls the walking and strafing, while the right side(the mouse part), which has a round ball attached to it to allow free movement in all direction, controls the aiming and viewing. At first(in Rogue Spear that I was playing with pre-configured setup), I was really disoriented with the controls since I was so used to playing with a mouse for viewing. But after playing for only few minutes or so, I was totally comfortable with using this joystick. Just change few settings to the setup and I was ready for some action. As I said before, even after playing for few hours I had no sign of muscle ache on my hands, and killing those goons are all about how healthy your hands are...you know. :) Anyway, the usage of this joystick is very intuitive so there are no problems whatsoever getting used to it. Only problem I found about using this joystick was that the viewing range of motion is limited. Once it reaches maximum distance to one direction a digital sensor kicks in and moves your view, but I found this to be a problem because I couldn't move my view any faster than the speed pre-set by the controller (you can set the acceleration speed and sensitivity of the movement on the right side of the joystick). Even at highest acceleration, I noticed that it was still slower to some degree and would have liked a faster movement. But that's one minor problem for me or it can be a great problem for you; that's for you to decide. The directional pad is large and fits very well on the thumb and the buttons are large enough so that you don't miss it in those hard times surrounded by many many monsters. Also, the 2 triggers are on the front side of the joystick making it easy to use.
This controller is definitely a must for all FPS gamers who are tired of using keyboard and mouse combination. I'm not a FPS gamer really but I still like this joystick for usage in any other games. I have used it on NFS5 and it worked great on that too. This joystick has great feel to it and it's one of the easiest joystick to setup and use I presume. There are minor problems here and there but nothing big. Just turn off the mouse function after the games over and don't break the joystick by trying to go further than it allows. I would recommend this joystick to anybody who wants a new joystick. Good job to Microsoft.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cocacolajhk
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Member: Jae Kim
Location: NYC
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 11 members
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