Logitech Precision Gamepad
by Logitech
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List Price: Our Price: $8.99 You Save: $1.00 (10%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Precision Gamepad
Customer Review: Used for emulators - Great for the price point, but poor quality
Summary: 3 Stars
I use this controller exclusively for emulators (MAME, ePSXe, etc.).
I have used many different controllers, including Nyko, Saitek, and all the console controllers, (Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, and Gamecube). The one trend that I have noticed is that there is not a SINGLE third party controller that comes close to OEM quality, and Logitech is no different.
However, the best part about this controller is that it is incredibly easy to configure. It will work with every emulator and can be mapped very quickly. Windows detects it easily. It is incredibly light and ergonomically decent. It also sells for $10 or less. This is perfect for that old-school gamer who wants nothing more than to play NES/SNES type games on his PC without breaking the bank.
The biggest problem is that, over time (and this happens very quickly when you play any fast-paced game), the buttons and the d-pad develop a bit of "give". The plastic housing on the d-pad starts moving around more, and you have to press down more on the buttons to get a response on the screen. This sounds harmless, but trust me, it will get to the point where it will be almost unusable for games requiring quick reflexes (many popular games on the old systems.) This quality degradation becomes apparent when you compare it to any equally used OEM console controller. This is a common problem across ALL of Logitech's controllers. I also own the Logitech Xbox and PS2 controllers, and this effect becomes worse on these systems. In fact, I'm shocked at the positive reviews that I have read for these.
Bottom line: This is the best cheap, no-hassle controller for emulator gaming, but don't expect much in terms of durability. For anything else, get the Xbox 360 controller for the PC. Now THAT is a controller.
Customer Review: Beware of bugs
Summary: 1 Stars
i bought this controller to make gaming more fun, and was disappointed for two reasons.
1. the "Blaster" or "Blow Stuff Up" type games i like really don't operate well with this controller. i should have purchased a Joystick, or a Gamepad. Lesson learned.
2. THIS IS IMPORTANT: I BELIEVE THAT THIS GAMEPAD INFECTED MY COMPUTER. about a week or so after i plugged it in, my computer became noticeably SLOWER. i didn't know why, and it bothered me. i have two programs to protect my computer with no problems. then i heard a podcast interview of a government guy about Cyber Security. he noted an investigation into cheap digital picture frames made in China and sold all over this country. it seems that these picture frames, which rotated photos uploaded from your computer, were infected, no were actually MANUFACTURED, with a secret program which "took over" your computer and made it do things you never wanted them to do. like attack web-servers, or hack sensitive sites here or anywhere around the world. your computer becomes a "ZOMBIE", working in concert with thousands of other "zombie computers" to do malicious things. a slower computer was one of the warning signs. i had never heard of that, but it made sense. i removed the controller from my computer and will never use it again. i used my Windows Vista System Restore and haven't had any problems since. here's what i advise: beware any cheap gadgets made in china. think twice before you plug it in to your computer. i know china makes everything now, but if its a NEW product, and it hasn't been on the market long enough that i hasn't been thoroughly tested by others, and if its so cheap that its hard to see how anyone is making a good profit on it, except if the product has its own HIDDEN agenda, I WOULD STAY AWAY!!!
Customer Review: Pretty good gamepad
Summary: 4 Stars
For $10 this controller is a good value. It has 10 standard buttons and a well-designed directional pad. (The D-pad is nothing new, though; the Genesis 6-button gamepad had pretty much the same thing on it more than a decade ago.) There are some things for Logitech to improve:
1. The prongs hook downward quite sharply, even more so than the PlayStation controllers--I find this rather restrictive. The angle of the prongs in relation to the button surface should lessened to about half of what it is.
2. The two center buttons (9 and 10) should be toward the lower side of the gamepad, instead of the top, where they are harder to reach.
3. While this gamepad works OK with games on my Mac without extra software, Logitech's website seems to offer software for Windows only... If you have a Mac and you want to assign key combinations to the controller, or configure it for use with Finder or other apps, you'll have to install a third-party program.
Some points of advice for shoppers:
1. You may actually want a controller with more buttons, if you're using it with an emulator, to access extra commands like freeze, defrost, turbo, reset, etc. For example, if you set up all the buttons to correspond with the Super NES's, you will have only 2 buttons left for all those other functions.
2. After using a gamepad, I realized that I was actually doing worse in some games than I did while using the keyboard. I think it's because on a keyboard, I have 3 fingers controlling 4 direction keys, which makes reaction time much faster than with 1 thumb. A gamepad is more comfortable to hold, but will not always improve your ability, at least after you've become accustomed to the keyboard.
Customer Review: GREAT FOR EMULATION GAMING
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this controller for emulation gaming and after spending about 30 hours with it, I am very pleased with it.
Although it is designed like a Playstation controller, I found that it really excelled as an SNES controller. Mapping the "Freeze" and "Defrost" buttons to the bottom-most shoulder-buttons made saving and reloading an absolute breeze!
The four "circle buttons" took quite a beating due to lots of grinding on SECRET OF MANA, but they are still holding up very well.
The direction pad worried me at first, because it seemed a bit loose, but after trying it out on a few different games, it's solid enough to guide your character/vehicle where you want it to go. I did find it a bit difficult to control characters in fighting games, where precise combos have to be executed.
The controller comes with a cord that is actually longer than most will probably need. If you're playing on a laptop one is usually no more than a foot or two away from the screen anyways.
This controller is "plug and play" with OS X Leopard. No special software needed.
My only negative is that the controller does seem really small and I myself have pretty small hands. If you can grip a basketball with one hand (I sure can't) then I think you'll have a hard time getting used to this controller.
For the very low price that they're offering this controller, I think it's a bargain, especially if you're into emulation gaming.
Customer Review: Solid gamepad, throwback to earlier consoles
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this gamepad for the sole fact that I needed a way to play RPGs on my PC, that didn't involve a lot of mouse pointers and random hotkeys. the solution was either a really tacky and expensive gamepad, or this gamepad that not only looks good, but had just the right form.
I grew up playing the NES, graduated to the SNES and Playstation later on. By the time the PS2 hit the market, the Playstation's (eventual) Dualshock shape was the most comfortable shape in the world to hold onto. The Logitech gamepad comes very close (if not exactly) to those dimensions, with all the buttons minus the dual thumbsticks (though that's available).
The gamepad itself feels solid when held, and the USB plug-in makes it very handy and portable. My PC and Laptop both (Windows XP Professional) recognized the gamepad without any additional help or software, and the buttons were easy to map out in-game. All in all, the only downside to this gamepad is also it's greatest strength: Simplicity. It doesn't have analog sticks (though it does have an 8-way directional pad). Other than that one thing (and I think they sell an option with analog stick/s), this gamepad is just about perfect in my opinion.
A very solid gamepad, I'm very pleased with my purchase :)
Feel/Design: 5/5
Looks: 5/5
Useability: 5/5
Overall: 5/5