FireStorm Dual Power Gamepad Score: 100% Developer: Thrustmaster

Function: The FireStorm Dual Power Gamepad is absolutely perfect. Most of the time, mimicking a previous controller's design seems unoriginal. However, when that design is similar to the great PlayStation design, you know you have a winner. ThrustMaster's FireStorm builds upon this design by adding two extra buttons underneath the handles and an easily accessible button for switching between analog and digital control. Also included in the design is the PC's version of Sony's 'dual shock,' namely force feedback, in which supported games will vibrate the controller during gameplay. Also included with the FireStorm is the ThrustMapper 3 software. With this, you will be able to map any combination of keystrokes to your gamepad, allowing you unlimited use and functionality. The ThrustMapper 3 software is fairly easy to use, and comes with a very nice help contents package. Using this software, you will have very nice keyboard/mouse emulation in the palm of your hands for playing any type of game, including first-person shooters like Quake or Half-Life.

Performance: ThrustMaster's FireStorm gamepad is absolutely perfect. Did I say that already? Well, it's for good reason! I was able to simply plug this baby into my open USB port and start gaming instantly after minimal software setup. The pad never had a single problem in all of my tests, and the precision control allowed for perfect gameplay. I tested this bad boy on many games, and whether driving a car or controlling a character, the FireStorm performed without a hitch. In fact, a controller like this is what makes great games like Tomb Raider or Driver even greater and more fun to play!

Features: 2 built-in motors for optimized force feedback sensations (No batteries required) 13 programmable quick action buttons 2 analog controllers that enable you to control 4 separate axes 8-way D-pad Complete mouse and keyboard emulation ThrustMapper 3 programming software for advanced customization Digital and analog modes for peak performance (quick-switch button) Rubber-textured gamepad for maximum comfort USB Plug and Play connection Powered by Immersion TouchSense Technology

Drawbacks & Problems:: I was tempted to just leave this section blank to prove a point, but instead I will just type this: BUY THIS GAMEPAD!!! Seriously, if you are at all comfortable with a PlayStation controller, then the FireStorm Dual Power Gamepad will suit your needs perfectly.

-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele

Minimum System Requirements: Pentium 133MHz or higher with USB port; Windows 98/2000; 16MB RAM; 15MB of available hard disk space; CD/DVD-ROM; SVGA video card with at least 256 colors   Test System: Pentium II 400MHz CPU; Windows 98 (upgrade version); 256MB 100MHz SDRAM; Creative's 3D Blaster Annihilator 2 32MB 3D-Accellerator AGP Video Card (nVIDIA geForce 2 chipset); Ensoniq AudioPCI sound card; DirectX 7.0a; using Hewlett Packard CD-Writer Plus 9100 (reads 32x, writes 8x, rewrites 4x) as main CD-ROM; 1 gameport; 2 USB ports; ThrustMaster FireStorm Dual Power Gamepad (USB connection); 56k modem