Finally, after years of waiting, the age of analog control is actually here. Various flightsticks have been released, but until now nobody has created an actual analog joypad (The possible exception being the Nintendo 64, released in the US slightly after the Sega pad).
Console game systems have traditionally used digital joypads. Digital joypads detect movement in only two states. They can tell if the button is pressed, and they can tell if the button is not pressed. They cannot sense varying degrees of movement.
Digital control is not precise at all. During racing games, you must constantly tap the pad to control your car. A right tap moves the car to the right, but then it automatically re-centers. You need successive taps keep it moving proper direction. You cannot hold the pad at a certain angle and expect the car to continue to turn.
Analog control is a different story altogather. Analog is very precise. Move the pad at a 45 degree angle, and your car will move at a 45 degree angle. No taps required. Analog is pure gaming joy, at least in theory.
I shelled out 79.49 (tax included) for my copy of Nights with the analog pad. I figured it was worth it, here I get a revolutionary game with a cutting edge analog controller (something I've wanted for many years). It can even be switched to digital mode when needed.
The controller looked awkward at first. I didn't think it would feel right. Once I picked it up, I realized I was wrong. The controller felt great. Using this controller feels quite natural. It hardly took any time to adapt to this new layout.
I especially like the left and right shift buttons. They are at the top, yet underneth the controller. You access them with your index fingers. I never liked the Saturn shift buttons, they always felt funny and stiff to me. This controller is different. The shift buttons are it's stong point.
The A,B,C - X,Y,Z button layout is traditional Sega style. No complaints there. However, I sometimes find
myself pressing the wrong button. When you switch between modes (analog or digital), your hands change positions slightly. This makes the buttons feel like they have moved too. Yet, this is minor complaint, and is easy to adapt to. It might've helped if the A,B,C buttons were larger than the X,Y,Z buttons (Like the Saturn pack-in controller). They might be more distinguished that way.
This controller contains two D-pads. Both on the left hand side, with the analog pad positioned on top. They felt good, but here again it was sometimes akward changing hand positions.
Of the two directional pads, I actually liked the feel of the digital best. It felt great, and was very responsive to input (for a digital controller). My thumb rarely got tired of pressing it. The pad is made of hard rubber which Sega softens the feel by making it spring. In the future I would like to see a rubber coated pad. That would soften it further. Still, this digital pad is top-notch.
The analog pad didn't feel as good to me. My thumb seemed to fit it perfectly, but it felt high. Like my thumb was on a mountain or something. I guess I can't complain too much, because I don't have a better solution. It could just be because I'm not used to it yet.
The analog controller works well with Nights, barring a few exceptions. While playing for extended periods, my thumb was often sore and usually felt cramped. During intense moments, it would occassionally slip off the mountain (er..) directional pad. Most of the time however, it worked really good. I never had the feeling that the character was moving in any direction, other than what I was pressing. The control was very precise. Loops, spins, ect.. were all performed with ease. I once tried the digital setting with Nights, just to see the difference. It was unbelievable. Control was almost unbearable, Loops were a nightmare, and my thumb was considerably sorer! The contrast showed me just how much better the analog control was for this type of game. The digital setting, which I raved about earlier, failed me on this game.
Since I liked the analog pad for Nights, I decided to try some racing games. That's what I really wanted the pad for. I was itching to play Hang-On GP without the bike shimmering from lack of control.
Some games should only be played with an analog controller, and Hang-On GP is one of them. The Arcade Racer works fairly well, but it is still a little too big. Plus, it feels funny driving a motorcycle with a car steering wheel. I always wanted a joypad with analog control, now I had one. Sega saved the day (or so I thought!).
In theory, this is a great controller for racing games. It's the right size, it feels fairly good, and it is analog. In actuality, it is a horrid controller for racing games. I could hardly play Hang-On GP, control was just too touchy. I wanted touchy all along, but this has no forgiveness. To maintain a certain angle around a curve your thumb must be perfectly still at the desired angle for the entire length of the curve. One slight movement, and the turn is ruined. It is way too easy to oversteer a corner on analog setting. It's definately much easier to maintain a constant position with an analog joystick. I guess I was hoping for that joystick feel, but yet in the pad. It didn't happen. The length of the joystick helps greatly. This is just not the case with the pad.
Not many games will work with this pad now. They must be analog compatible. Nights is the only platform game (if you can call it that) that I know of. Yet, many of the current racers are backward compatible.
Here is a list of games we tested with the controller, and how they responded with the analog setting on:
GAME- RESPONSE
Nights- Great, yet may tire your thumb
Hang-On GP- Way too touchy, no control
Daytona USA- Touchy, improves over time
Need for Speed- Not compatible
Wipeout- Not compatible
Cyber Speedway- Touchy, not much fun analog
Sega Rally-Touchy, improves over time
OWI Extreme- Not compatible
Galatic Attack- Not compatible
Impact Racing- Not compatible
Of this list, only Daytona USA and Sega Rally showed promise. They were touchy but seemed to improve over time. However, even after extended play, the digital setting was still easier to use. Hopefully, this problem will be addressed by savy programmers in the future. I don't see why it couldn't be.
Overall, it is a decent controller. It was designed for Nights, and it works well with Nights. I'm sure Sega will create many future games with this controller in mind, and they should work well. For now however, Nights is the only real reason to purchase this controller, which is not a bad reason at all!
RATINGS
CONTROL 80%
LAYOUT 90%
INNOVATION 99%
VALUE 70%
OVERALL 85%
