Prop Sims

Favorite games: Mig Alley, European Air War, World War II Fighters
Controller to use: A joystick with force feedback technology

Now, things are getting interesting.

Propeller-driven World War II-era fighters, unlike military jets, do not "fly by wire". These planes shudder as high-altitude winds buffet the aircraft. Dogfighting and combat maneuvers strain the airframe with g-forces as bullets slam and ricochet inside the plane's fuselage. All these are felt by the pilot, allowing them to react appropriately to dangerous situations.

If you want to feel the tension and difficulty of piloting a vintage aircraft, then a joystick with force feedback fits the bill - albeit, an expensive one.

With the exception of Mig Alley, which is a first-generation military jet sim, force feedback technology belongs in the cockpits of British Spitfires and German Focke-Wulfs found in European Air War and World War II Fighters.

The ideal controller: Microsoft Force Feedback Pro

The Microsoft Force Feedback Pro is a SideWinder stick modified to accommodate force-feedback technology. This is a behemoth joystick so be prepared to clear the clutter off your desk to make room for its Godzilla-like footprint.

The two DC motors in the stick's base (one for each axis) create variable levels of rigidity, so you can tailor the stiffness to your liking. The device is easily programmable within Windows95/98.

Even with non-force-feedback enabled games, the Force Feedback Pro is a good stick. There are eight buttons, an eight-way hat switch, and a SHIFT feature that gives each button and the hat an extra function. A throttle dial replaces the sliding throttle on the first-generation SideWinder stick, but Microsoft retained the "twister" handle for rudder control.

Calibration is optional because the Sidewinder Pro has digital-optical tracking.

There are a lot of force feedback sticks in the market that stand toe-to-toe with the SideWinder Force Feedback Pro. One example is the Logitech Wingman Force. The Pro's advantage is in its use of the DirectX API, which support all force feedback technologies (Immersion, Microsoft) so all "FF-enabled" games will work with this stick. Because of this, we feel that the SideWinder Force Feedback Pro is the better choice.

The "no-frills" controller: SUNCOM F-15 Hawk

No moolah to buy a force feedback joystick? The F-15 Hawk is a simple, yet elegant implementation of a "no-frills", four-button joystick. It looks identical to its big brother, the F-15 Talon, except it does not have the programmable buttons. It also sports the same high-tech looking McDonnell Douglas control yoke without the functional hat-switch.

The Hawk's internal working are also similar to the Talon and imparts the same sense of precision and silky-smooth control of the aircraft at cruise altitudes and during combat.

Best of all the F-15 Hawk is cheaper than the Talon

Sports Games

Favorites: Trickstyle, NBA Live 99, Motocross Madness
Controller to use: Gamepads

Gamepads rule the sports arena! No other controller can keep up with the player's frenetic, reflex-triggered jabs on the controller than the D-pads. These games cry out for gamepads and will absolutely kick the daylights out of joystick players.

Most sports games recognize multiple controllers and allow up to four players to compete head-to-head. Our choice of gamepad can do that without working up a sweat.

The number of buttons and controls isn't extremely important because most gamepads have at least six or eight buttons, and sports games usually only require three or four.

Besides its multiplayer capability, the most important feature to look for in a gamepad is comfort. Intense gaming with a poorly-designed grip can result in stiff wrists and sore thumbs.

The ideal controller: Microsoft SideWinder Gamepad

Once again, the SideWinder Gamepad stands out from the rest as the ideal controller. Its configuration of six comfortably placed thumb buttons and two triggers offer lots of control in sports games. The D-pad is soft and most gamers can play for hours quite comfortably.

And it gets better - you can daisy-chain up two four Side Winders for head-to-head play options on one PC! Games like Sega Rally 2, a high-speed off-road racing game allows up to four of your speed-demon buddies in a fender-to-fender race (split-screen).

A really cool controller: Microsoft SideWinder Freestyle Pro

If you like Trickstyle, Ski Racer, Motocross Madness and other similar games, then you need to take a close look at the SideWinder FreeStyle Pro. This is a uniquely innovative controller which takes normal gamepad play and adds tilting motions as control inputs. Motion sensors inside the gamepad detect the controller being tilted and translate it as input.

The FreeStyle Pro is a pure digital controller with a normal gameport adapter. A USB adapter is included which allows it to be used as a USB device on a Windows 98 PC.