17 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
It's not the best but it works for me.
Date of Review: Aug 24, 2000
I bought my Logitech thunderpad digital gamepad for one reason and one reason only. That reason was my personal satisfaction with every other logitech device that I own. And this purchase was no different.
I own several logitech peripherals including a marble mouse track ball, a logitech natural style keyboard, logitech pc speakers and several other styles of logitech mouse which I use at each of my three computers. I use each pc for something specific and the mouse at each terminal is matched to it's use. None of my logitech products have ever given me any grief and the thunderpad digital is no exception.
I've heard of several people who have had calibration and driver problems with this gamepad but I must confess the few initial problems I encountered were easily solved and have never recurred. After logitech released their update for the wingman software (version 3.30) performance has seemed to be slightly smoother than with the previous version.
One thing you definitely don't want to do, or you will have hardware conflicts (At least I did every time I allowed it.) is to allow windows to detect the gamepad first and prompt you to install the drivers, it just won't work right. This could also be highly dependant on the brand and type of sound or gamecard you are using though. For me it (The gamepad) installs flawlessly as long as you simply plug the pad into the gameport with the system already booted to windows and then run the installation program from the wingman software.
I've used the gamepad with several different games and it has performed at least as well as I expected it to considering the low price I paid for it. I don't game extensively so I didn't really want a high dollar controller and for what I paid I believe the product was worthwhile. I've had no problems with Quake (Any version), Mortal Kombat, various RPG's, several simulators (Although honestly a joystick controller is certainly the better option for these.) and many other combat games.
This gamepad is also extremely comfortable as I have played for hours on end without feeling the cramping and discomfort I've experienced with many traditional gaming system controllers. If they would release some kind of similar controller with say, memory expansion and rumble packs, for the pc, I would buy one instantly simply to gain those features and retain the comfort of it's size and shape. It would be nice to see a bottom trigger added though.
There are without doubt, better controllers out there but if you don't want to put a huge dent in your bank account for a gamepad then I would recommend giving this one a try. Besides, logitech offers great technical support if and when you do encounter a problem and they update their software and drivers frequently unlike many other manufacturers.
