Thrustmaster Ferrari F430 Gamepad

Product: Thrustmaster Ferrari Motors F430 Gamepad
Provided By: Thrustmaster
Price: ~$30 USD

Introduction:

In the the world of gaming, most gamers want the next best thing to experience the most adrenaline pumping and fun adventure with the gear that's been made.  Thrustmaster has tried to bridge console and PC gaming with a game controller similar to a PlayStation 3 controller and designed to work with both platforms.  As much as I wouldn't mind owning a Ferrari, using the controller for racing beats using a keyboard! 

In The Box

Back of Box

When I got the controller I was very excited to be able to control my PC driving games with the same ease as my PS3.  I typically don't do a lot of racing on the computer as I started off "my racing career" on the PS2 which uses a game pad similar to the PC one we are going to be taking a look at today.  The bundle was pretty lean as not a lot of accessories came with it when I pried open the box - just the owner's manual, installation disk and the controller itself.  Software installation was quick and easy, and once that's done, simply plug it into your USB port.

Bundle

You can set the controller settings and test button functions in the control panel where it will pull up some mode settings for the controller itself as well as changing different types of vibration of the controller.  There's 3 different modes that you can use; 4 axis, 5 axis and 7 axis.  When using the 4 axis mode the light is off and the L2, R2 triggers are the same functions as the right analog stick and optical wheel has the same function as the left analog stick.  The 5 axis mode the light is red, the L2 and R2 triggers are independent from the analog stick but the functionality is shared between the 2 triggers it self and the optical wheel still works the same as the left analog stick.  Last but not least, the 7 axis mode the light is green and the triggers and optical wheel are independent functions; they're not shared with other buttons on the controller like axis 4 and 5.  You can change these modes in the Thrustmaster's control panel or on the controller itself.  I personally play it on the 4 axis mode because it seems to be the default one, but you can always check out the manual to program and configure to your liking.

Features & Closer Look:

As we journey on down the road with Thrustmaster's gamepad controller we'll take a look at some features that it boasts.  As I pulled it out of the box, I noticed that it was wired, silver on top with a bit of a race car skin print and black on the other side.  It looks and feels similar to a PlayStation controller as far as shape and buttons, but it actually has a few extra buttons!  The average PlayStation controller has about 16 buttons, this one has 20. 13 on top, 4 on the side and strangely enough there's 2 underneath!  Talk about extra button coverage!  What I find interesting is that it has a button called the optical wheel as you've heard in the paragraph above.  It works the same as the left analog stick as a steering wheel which is on and circles the D-Pad which is part of the 13 on top.

Bottom Buttons

Shoulder Buttons

The 4 buttons on the front/side are your R1, R2 and L1, L2 buttons.  The map button is for programing and connection status; the mode button which has been explained already changes the type of axis you want to use.  This can be changed in or out of game. The set button selects the programing that is chosen for your game if you have set up custom settings.  The controller has a rubber grip on a few buttons including the analog sticks, optical wheel and the L2 and R2 triggers as they are to be called.  The cord length is nothing special, but it appears to be adequate.  Whether you have USB ports on the front of your rig or the back it will reach great and not have you feel short corded.