Product face-offs
Saitek Cyborg Rumble Pad
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| Dimensions (L x H x P) | NC | ||
| Poids | 215 g | ||
| Boutons | 4 | ||
| Gâchettes | 4 | ||
| Connexion | USB 2.0 | ||
| Drivers nécessaires | Yes | ||
Take it apart ...
Saitek has shown some real innovation with this pad, adding a 'Cyborg' module, which allows for an easy swap between the left analog stick and the directional arrows. In a few seconds, you can move from the Playstation 360 configuration to that of an Xbox 360.
All you need to do is press a small button on the back of the pad, release the module, turn it to face the way you prefer and snap it back into place.
All you need to do is press a small button on the back of the pad, release the module, turn it to face the way you prefer and snap it back into place.
Pierre-Jean Alzieu
Test date: 2008-09-03
Test date: 2008-09-03
Saitek's high-end gamepad is part of its Cyborg range. According to the manufacturer, three words sum up this product: precision, performance and handling.
The pad's aesthetics hark after the Xbox 360's 'two drops of water', but the Cyborg is bigger and better suited for people with larger hands. It has all the buttons you'd expect: four buttons, four triggers (including two analog), two sticks and one directional pad.
An 'FPS' button in the middle of the pad allows for a very speedy configuration of the pad with a variety of different games. A 'Precision' button is also available, and once you have an up-to-date driver installed, pressing it makes a temporary adjustment to the analog controls, slowing down their responsiveness for more accurate control.
And if you don't like the sound of this feature, you can always manually reprogram it using the Saitek Smart Techonology software that comes bundled with the product. Well, that's the idea anyway, except that using the thing is bloody difficult. Keep your fingers crossed that the feature that you want is already available, because otherwise you'll need a lot of patience to battle with this very counterintuitive interface.
The software also lets you set up vibrations in the gamepad, but these never actually seem to work when you're playing games. Let's hope that this thing will actually manage to vibrate one day, even if nothing has happened since it was launched back at the end of 2007.
In-game behavior
The Cyborg works excellently when playing games. The sticks are responsive and are accurate in all directions. It's easily possible to do as well with this pad as it is with the one supplied with the Xbox 360.
After a while though, it becomes clear that the analog triggers could do with a little more depth as, with more room, they would be a little more precise.
The pad's aesthetics hark after the Xbox 360's 'two drops of water', but the Cyborg is bigger and better suited for people with larger hands. It has all the buttons you'd expect: four buttons, four triggers (including two analog), two sticks and one directional pad.
An 'FPS' button in the middle of the pad allows for a very speedy configuration of the pad with a variety of different games. A 'Precision' button is also available, and once you have an up-to-date driver installed, pressing it makes a temporary adjustment to the analog controls, slowing down their responsiveness for more accurate control.
And if you don't like the sound of this feature, you can always manually reprogram it using the Saitek Smart Techonology software that comes bundled with the product. Well, that's the idea anyway, except that using the thing is bloody difficult. Keep your fingers crossed that the feature that you want is already available, because otherwise you'll need a lot of patience to battle with this very counterintuitive interface.
The software also lets you set up vibrations in the gamepad, but these never actually seem to work when you're playing games. Let's hope that this thing will actually manage to vibrate one day, even if nothing has happened since it was launched back at the end of 2007.
In-game behavior
The Cyborg works excellently when playing games. The sticks are responsive and are accurate in all directions. It's easily possible to do as well with this pad as it is with the one supplied with the Xbox 360.
After a while though, it becomes clear that the analog triggers could do with a little more depth as, with more room, they would be a little more precise.
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Cyborg Module
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Reactive, precise sticks
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Good finishing
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Excellent handling
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Shallow analog triggers
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No vibration during gameplay
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Overcomplicated system for programming controls
This gamepad is perfect for all types of game. Thanks to the Cyborg Module, swapping between Playstation and Xbox 360 configurations is easy. What's more, the excellent precision should lead to better results under all conditions.
