Name: Xterminator Dual Control
Manufacturer: Gravis
Buttons: Nine
Driver link: Xterminator
4.2
Force Feedback: No
Supported port types: Game port, USB (via included converter)
Price: $59.99
Notes: Unique analogue thumb stick
The Gravis Dual Control joystick has to be one of the strangest-looking
joysticks I've ever come across, with a base shape that looks like it was
inspired by a Butterfly painting from Salvador Dali. The whole unit has a
very rounded and moulded look, which also makes it damn comfortable. While
I suspect gamers with large hands might not find it so comfortable, when I
sat down and gave it a try most of the controls felt exactly where they
should be. The one exception to this is the throttle. The only real way to
use it is with your left index finger, which usually rests on a button, and
doing this can feel a little awkward at times, especially as the throttle
is a little stiff to move compared to the other sticks I tried. I also
found that in some of the more frenzied space battles in Freespace 2,
pulling the stick hard to the right tended to lift the left side of the
base up a bit unless we kept a firm press on it with the other hand,
putting our aim off momentarily. Still, neither of these minor faults
proved overly problematic.
In addition to the odd yet comfortable shape of the Dual Control, Gravis
decided to include a rather unique feature; a small analogue controller
that sits right under your left thumb. You'll usually have to program what
it actually does in games but thanks to the Gravis Xperience 4.2 software
this is a trivial matter. The software lets you assign every button and
stick axis to any control you want and is a breeze to use, more so than the
still good software that comes with the other controllers we looked at. You
can even set the thumb stick up so that each direction is equivalent to a
keyboard button press. While this doesn't fully make up for the lack of a
joystick twist function (handy for quick barrel rolls in flight sims) in
the Xterminator you can at least get the thumb stick left and right
movements setup to do barrel rolls instead.
Overall the Gravis Xterminator is a really nice joystick. It's very
comfortable to use, is a control freak's dream thanks to nine buttons
plus the versatile thumb stick, and is very easy to configure thanks
to the excellent Xperience software. Admittedly it lacks a twisting handle
and the throttle can be a bit awkward to use. It also lacks Force Feedback
although that's hardly a crime and something many people won't have a
problem with.
- Very comfortable design
- Versatile thumb stick
- Sizable rubber pads underneath for extra grip
- Excellent configuration software
- Awkward Throttle
- No joystick twist function
