Manufactured By:   InterAct

Retail Price: $29.99 (US)

Review Date:  12-16-00

The Go Pad FX has a nice little design.  The cable is detachable from the controller.  The only benefit I found to this is it makes it easier to pack it away into the included carrying case.  I suspect most users will plug it in, attach the cover (locking the connection into place), and leave it alone.  The Package also contains bonus free ear bud earphones.  I already have a pile of these which I have replaced with easier to wear headphones- still, for those that have a few portable devices they're a nice addition.

• 8 way digital D-pad (also functions as mouse control)
• 8 buttons (6 face buttons and two trigger buttons)
• Detachable cord and handy carrying case

I used the Go Pad for a few different styles of games.  I tried the pad with Motocross Madness 2 to gauge the rumble effect against other rumble and force feedback devices.  I'd compare the effects to a weakened console controllers rumble effects.  When landing a jump the pad offers a moderate wiggle.  Likewise, in shooters supporting the effects blasts to my ship/car/self produced a bit of a shake.  None of the effects contributed greatly to the experience nor did they detract away from the game.

The button layout is pretty good but the two trigger buttons on the shoulder of the pad are a bit close together because of the pads size.  The material the pad is constructed of is nice to hold and offers a good grip.  The d-pad is the best part of the pad.  The socketed pad offers better than most control.  The proportionate feature of the d-pad allows better control and accuracy.

Setup -
Setup includes the basic assembly I described in the opening.  The USB cable can be removed from the gamepad and needs to be connected before you begin use.  A small cover plate on the back of the pad slides off and exposes the 1/8" connector.  Plug in the USB cable, replace the cover and forget about physical setup.  

Software installation is also easy.  The interface and driver software is a modified version of that from the HammerHead series.  The noticeable difference is that it works much better and does not have the same issues of the older versions.  The CD auto-plays and walks you through the installation process without much effort.  Once the installation is complete and the pad is connected you will need to chose the setup of the pad.

The software is much improved over previous versions of force and rumble effect coding that controlled InterAct devices.  The properties button of the game controller applet will bring up an image of the Go Pad.  The screen allows you to check a box enabling rumble effects.  From this screen you can also test the d-pad and button operation.  Selecting the configuration tab switches the screen to another view of the pad with additional options.  Here you can assign which button number (1-8) is assigned to each button.  You can also select the pads mode choosing: mouse, digital pad, mouse + pad, and analog pad.  Autofire of the buttons can also be selected and the acceleration of the cursor in mouse mode can be adjusted.

The problem I ran into with the software was consistent with both my laptop and desktop- the setting I would choose for the layout of the GoPad would not be saved once I powered down the system.  This was an incredibly annoying bug that really hindered the pads use; especially when using it for mouse control on my laptop.  

Right now the InterAct website has only product specs and the original drivers for the Go Pad FX posted.  There is nothing additional in the help section beyond how to use the pad with Windows ME.

With the software issue, the moderately pricey nature and other controller options available I cannot recommend the InterAct Go Pad FX.  It has some merit but they are outweighed by the problems that interfere with functionality.