Controllers(again)....

Over the last week or so I've picked up some more extra pc hardware. Two of which, a steering wheel and a mini controller.

The controller(and a long story)....

I've had a liking for the Rock Candy controllers made by PDP. It started when I needed a controller; One that wasn't a full price Xbox One controller.... Not in a being cheap kind of way; Just looking to get something that's good quality and value for money and they do fit the bill well.

Besides, the lime green controller made me all nostalgic(more on that below). It's tackiness is fun to me. The controllers are well made and proved themselves over time. So for a cheaper well made product they've been great. I'd rather have 2 cheaper well made and well used controllers than trying to be careful with one Xbox elite controller..... That's a me thing and a whole other story.

I've since gotten those thumb caps, which is a massive improvement over the 'built in' thumb stick molding. I did need to snip off the bumps on those grips as they were uncomfortable(for me). A lot of give and take with getting things right. 

During the last summer I came across a site that sold Rock Candy lime green versions of a keyboard and mouse! I never knew they existed and although out of production I'd love to have them. Maybe more for a display on a top shelf than to use but dámn, tacky goodness!

Like I said I've a soft spot for the lime green. It reminds me so much of Construx parts; Which I played with as a kid(today's iteration is even more green and with magnets!). So an unrelated nostalgia is sparked when I see the PDP lime green tech.

I'm really doing an injustice to the quality of the products by saying they are tacky. It's just my take on the looks; I've nothing but good things to say about the products I've held in my hands. The thumsticks did need the addition of the extra thumb grips but like the controllers overall it's all personal preference.

On another side note my previous 'more costly' thumb caps started to crack and no longer gripped the thumbsticks. The cheaper more plentiful versions were much better, more robust. 

Which all leads me onto the actual controller I did get. The 'mini' version of the Rock Candy controller in 'blue'.

It's a good little controller. While the thumb sticks top molding is a lot more comfortable than the 'larger' versions, I still put the rubberized grips on for my comfort. A very sturdy controller; Not a surprise given it's compactness. Comparing it's buttons to the 'full' size controller, particularly the triggers feel softer and are a lot more quiet when pressed. They are soft but not in a mushy way. The controller is smaller but not my much; Yet still not so small as to get button access in the way of each other. The main part they pared back on is with the palm grips, specifically the part that your ring and little finger would wrap around. The mini has also cut the 'special' button that allows extra functionality for audio etc.

I picked this up as a cheap(€17) novelty, for no real reason other than it being 'cute' and it caught my interest. It'll live with my Chromebook(Linux Beta) as a smaller controller option away from home. Being wired(deal-breaker for some)makes no difference to me.(updated 25/12 - Chromebook in Linux mode was a no go as it wasn't supported.... So it's with a 'normal' Windows laptop now).

The steering wheel.....

The X Rocker XR Steering Wheel for Xbox One, PS4, Switch(and yes it works with PC as well).

Cheaper and with the features of a steering wheel twice it's price. It was €70 but with winter 'sales' I've seen it for as little as €45. What a steal!!! 

I highly recommend it if your interested in a steering wheel for casual gamers. The bang for buck is great. Especially for a gamer looking to test the waters before fully going down that Sim rig path.

For me I'm super casual but I've always wanted something less costly to use with Euro Truck Sim 2. Some consideration into the bang for buck made this wheel really stand out from the crowd. No wonder it goes 'sold out' so fast!

USB plug and play connection to pc (Windows 10) is simple and works just like any Xbox controller so no faffing about with drivers.  USB connection from pedals to the wheel and another from the wheel to PC. Configuring it for ETS 2 was likewise just as easy. The game had no problem 'seeing' it; Or setting the buttons for each key press/function you want in game.

As another consideration I selected it as it's got a clamp system for desks(and sim rig frams) rather than suction cup feet(for the wheel). A small thing that's gamer specific but an important option to me. It made it a lot handier to setup and it feels sturdy on the desk. 

It ticks all the boxes and delivers on each. Not much more to say about it. I've been using it with ETS 2 and done a lot of trips for the Winter event in game, no complaints at all!

Controllers again....

It's been a few months since I blogged about getting the new cheaper yet surprisingly good quality controllers. But I've been lazy and not ordered the thumb caps, which I mentioned in my original post. A trip out shopping last weekend found myself randomly see a set of 4 Xbox One thumb caps for a few euro. I took the option to get them. I know I could have gotten more, cheaper online but that hadn't happened yet and these were right there....

Grips from gioteck. Talk about over stating the product. The packaging makes them seem like they're part of a space program. Just rubber thumb caps, one step above a party balloon!

The grip textures on the ones I bought are the opposite colours, the four-dot is white and the multi-dot is black.

However the two multi-dot caps are not worth the money, the feel may be the same material but they are concave, so hump up in the middle; I prefer them the other way for thumb comfort. 

The original finish to the controller thumb sticks isn't the worst but it's not the best either, but way better than anything else concave I can put on them. Small but very subjective thing.

With the new (2 convex 4-dot) caps fitted the improvement is immediate, well worth the few extra euro to 'finish' off the feel of the controller. Softer yet still sturdy. Little differences matter.

As for the other two caps I'll ignore their existence and maybe in the future buy the ones I originally mentioned.... At some stage.....

Controllers Everywhere....

I'm no reviewer but I feel the need to waffle.

I like the Xbox 360/Xbox one controllers. Not just because I've always been an Xbox fan but the layout is (at least for me) more natural. Mainly due to the offset thumb sticks. The PS controllers just don't do it for me. So in getting more controllers over the years it's always been additional 360/one controllers, especially for use with pc.

Recently it's become harder to get 360 controllers at a good price. I've always found 3rd party controllers to be shoddy, cheap and unusable. Not that I've bought any, but I've seen them through friends etc. Official controllers are overpriced, even if it's paying for quality sometimes you just need something reasonably priced.

360 controllers new are €80 upwards to insane prices. My local Game store sells second hand 360's with a controller for  €80-100. I pondered the second hand market but was always put off by it regardless of the good deals on price, mainly due to the chance you take on quality. If I was going to spend that kind of money on a 360 controller why not just go for an official new xbox one controller for the same price. Yet it's still a lot of money.

My need for another controller was down to a need for something I could use across multiple systems, PC, Laptop. Something that could get used and abused without feeling any loss if it does degrade/break. Quality but cheap, a tall order. I'm ánál enough to have good controllers, 'general' controllers and nobody touches my Elite controller!

So I found myself looking at the best of the second hand 360 controllers in a local chain. The shops buy cheap and sell overpriced but I saw a controller that seemed decent in both quality and price.
Getting it home I cleaned it up, took it apart and removed the usual funk n gunk. The shops do nothing but a cursory clean. Deep diving requires a screwdriver, alco wipes and some ear buds. All said and done the €22 controller clean was looking pretty sad. Which was a disappointment. The wear and tear really showed. Thumb sticks worn, case dented and scratched in places that seemed impossible. Disappointment but no regret. I decided a genuine controller with a face-lift was going to be worth going the extra mile for. Doubling down on my new buy meant buying a new shell/buttons etc. They are sold in kits online, so a few weeks later via China and a slow boat I got to refit the controller. It wasn't bad. A bit fiddly to do. I kept some original parts in place, the A,B,X,Y and xbox buttons and both trigger mechanisms but it all worked out. I was quiet happy with my Frankenstein creation.

Was it worth all the effort, yes I think it was, price wise it all cost about half of what a new xbox one controller would have cost and as a 360 controller is so rare...... Well it was worth it until it wasn't three weeks later. To be specific, the new case was more flexible at the seams than the original (materials matter); With use, a screw came loose and in a rushed annoyed action I pressed the shell together not noticing until it was too late, that I had trapped and snapped off the controller sync button(internal connection). Which made it useless. I had used it mainly on PC but in a switch over to a 360 console had re-synced it; With the button gone it didn't want to connect to anything. More damage done than I thought. I could have tried soldering it, I could also have fixed up the case, bought a cheap play/charge cable and used it wired...... But in fairness I'd had enough fecking about with it. I stripped it for parts and binned the rest. Cursing all the while. I was really done with the experience. I didn't want to chance more unknown or potential damage. It wasn't working out and putting a plaster on a plaster on an old gaping wound wasn't going to fix anything longterm. Enough was enough.

That was about two months ago. Long story short I was still looking for a decent controller. I'd put it on the back burner till a random search this week found a wired(usb), official licenced non Microsoft made Xbox one controller, compatible with windows. The "PDP Rock Candy Microsoft Xbox One Controller"; I even like the colours(Green / Red), retro and nostalgic(some might say gaudy but not me). With the €14.99 price it ticked a lot of boxes. Internet research was done and I was happy to buy. My PC is mainly themed on green, my laptop on red. Was this meant to be! I went all in and got two, one green and one red.

I expected the basic of basic but I am impressed with them. They really feel good in the hand. The buttons and triggers all feel right. The shape of the body is not totally smooth I'm sure for license reasons, but the angles that are there really work on an ergonomic level. The angle of grip for the bottom where your little/ring finger goes feels better in a way than a normal controller. The "Xbox" button works as normal on xbox and with Steam. It even has it's own audio additions.

The cable isn't an issue for length at 8 foot (usb/micro usb). It's connection to the controller is worth noting as the connection shroud is itself a part of the connection to the controller. This adds stability with enough moment that if it is tugged about it'll stay in place. Something that's not 'just' going to fall out.

PDP do a massive range of controllers, with variations on variations. I'm sure I've previously ignored this range, dismissing them as cheap and not worth it. They do slightly more expensive controllers at the €25-ish range and then up again, might be worth it if your after wireless or a different look.
Overall a range well worth it. 

The only down side (Such a minor, minor issue but I have to mention it) is with the controller thumbsticks. They bulge out rather then cave in. I'm more comfortable with the opposite so I'll be making another purchase to up the controller from 99% to 100%. Thumb Grip Caps.

Waffle, Fifa, controllers.... Stuffz.

About once a month or so there is a small family gathering for a dinner out, recent years has seen this happen in a specific restaurant that accommodates location and tastes for all involved.
Despite the usual crowds that go there for birthdays and other family celebrations there are gatherings of all ages; There are also a lot of business people. It really is a restaurant that caters to a wide variety of customers; Not least because the owner also owns a hotel that is and yet not connected/co-located. Long story short the table next to use had two business gents discussing in a loud enough manner about real world soccer players. Not in the way people talk about stats and last night's match but about scouting soccer players, arranging to meet and see them in action. I have never been into sports and definitely not in a participating way. It did get me thinking about the Fifa games I've played. Sports related eh... eh.... see I had a reason for all the waffle.

Before getting a PC I played Fifa '95 on a cousins Megadrive (Genesis), a vastly different experience to the PC '97 version. The PC versions I did play seemed to cover a particular time period and were:

FIFA 97,
World Cup 98,
FIFA 99,
FIFA 2000,
FIFA 2002,
World Cup 2002,
FIFA 2003.

I have no idea why I followed the franchise for those years other than to say I must have enjoyed them for the gameplay. It's not like I'm a massive soccer fan.... Not at all.

For me at least, the Fifa Version's were the ones to play, not least because Pro Evo (PES) seemed to be aimed more for the playstation at that time and I'm an Xbox/PC gamer.

I did get to reload and relive Fifa '97; it made me cringe hard at it's graphics and interface. Reliving the nostalgia didn't take long to make me move along.

 

With nostalgia out of the way I turned my attention to the latest version of the game, Fifa '17.

It seems synchronicity strikes again, 1997 and 2017, the first and the latest I've looked at a Fifa game on PC. 20 years apart. I feel old. This new version has a lot more detail in game systems never mind the graphics. But the trial didnt' last long for me either. I felt the game was too detailed. Too many button combinations in different situations. It didn't feel intuitive or easy to learn. I ended up doing what I do in Street Fighter games, button mash. Fifa didn't allow for a dumbed down version and I wasn't bothered with it to stick to leaning it. The new "story" mode is a great addition.

My game style now seems to be more aimed at a management sim rather than as a gamer playing the matches (I never got Football manager '16 but I heard it was great, FM '17 by all accounts was a disaster). With FM '18 due out this November it will be interesting to see what they have learnt, if anything.

I'm also interested in Sociable Soccer made by the designers of sensible soccer which was king in it's day. The new version seems to be less about simulation and more about arcadey fun.....

Sociable Soccer

All of this has also got me thinking about the controllers I've used over the years. I wont' go into too much detail but the late 90's saw me get these:

The Logic 3 Swift Pad, cheap at the time, a pad that did the job, no style points here.

Followed in short order by the Playstation rippoff Gamepad Pro from Gravis. Better at the job and with the Playstaion feel. It was an upgrade.

But being on a PC more buttons were required. With my gamplay also moved into space/flight games.... Wing Commander 3, 4 and prophecy, Privateer 2, Freespace 1 and 2......
The Gravis Xterminator was needed and proved to last the test of time until I got a 360 controller setup for pc.

 

I had both the 'normal' and digital versions. Both were compatible with each other and could be daisy chained to a single gameport on a sound card or separately if you had a gamecard installed.

I used both methods but when getting the digital version I also got an ISA gamecard (ThrustMaster ACM Game Card game controller adapter).

All a blast from the past....

Today even with an some Xbox One controllers in the house I default back to the 360 controller's on PC.