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Logitech
Wingman
Strike Force 3D
by Logitech
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 The
latest Logitech joystick is the WingMan Strike Force 3D, a
full-featured peripheral that’s easy to set up and use despite the
plethora of jam-packed controls.
It’s the additional options (and a slightly higher price tag)
that sets the Strike Force 3D from the Force 3D introduced some weeks
earlier.
The Strike Force 3D looks similar to it’s predecessor and while
there may be the same number of buttons as on the previous stick, it's
the little extras that Logitech tweaked that makes this joystick a
control freak's dream come true. First, there are two hats—one is a
squashed cone shape, the other a more traditional concave one and,
unlike the hats on many other joysticks, they both give a satisfyingly
responsive click when you move it in any direction.
The base has a pair of buttons that flank a scroll wheel,
similar to those found on mice. The wheel itself is a clickable
button, and scrolling it up or down triggers a DirectX button press
with each tick. The wheel is handy for scrolling through weapons,
inventory items, MFD displays, or anything else that requires repeated
button presses. Like other joysticks in the WingMan "3D"
line, the Strike Force also has a wonderful throttle and a
"twist" axis that can be locked with a flathead screwdriver.
As the Strike
Force 3D uses cables rather than gears (as it did in the regular
Wingman Force 3D) the forces can be much more powerful if you whack
the strength setting to full. They
feel smoother as the force feedback movements don't grind slightly
like they did with the Wingman Force 3D. Being as we’re fans of
force feedback effects, the Strike Force didn’t disappoint.
Furthermore, the Strike Force 3D is fitted with a hand sensor,
which allows the stick to shut down its force-feedback motors
automatically when it’s not being gripped for extensive periods of
time.
Logitech's premium
force feedback joystick lets you feel powerful weapon recoils, missile
launches, collisions, and more and the unique wheel button lets you
select and fire weapons quickly.
Overall, the Strike Force 3D performed beautifully, with
impressive fidelity and action so smooth it felt almost completely
natural. Its
control set is elegant and easy to program through the included
WingMan software and its forces feel as responsive as any other
current force-feedback joystick.
With two
hat switches, nine programmable buttons, and high-precision throttle,
it will rock your world.
Al
Wildey |
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Snapshot
 Ups:
Tight, responsive, and loads of controls.
Downs:
Difficult to decide between this and MS Force
Feedback 2.
System Reqs:
: P166,
32 MB RAM, Win 98 or Win 2000; USB port.
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