Manufactured By:  InterAct

Retail Price:      $39.99

Review Date:  9-25-99

Enter the first force-feedback gamepad- InterAct has been offering some truly innovative controllers in their line-up lately, with more on the drawing board.  InterAct transformed itself from a company offering almost generic-like controllers to one with some of the most sought after features overnight.  Their latest release- The HammerHead FX comes with 3Dfx Gamer Approved Certification.  The 3Dfx logo adorning the box and centered on the controller is the result of a co-branding agreement between the two companies.

Of course 3Dfx co-branding means little to most of us but it shows that each company believes in each others products enough to form the association.  Later this year Voodoo III cards will be offered bundled with either an InterAct HammerHead Fx or Force Feedback Fx Racing Wheel.  The marketing potential for both companies is very synergistic; both will receive exposure to customers they might not otherwise have.  InterAct has more to gain from this alliance since their product is the lower priced item.

In the end an alliance like this won't matter if one of the products is not that good (or perceived that way).  When the game Forsaken was released Spacetec and Acclaim bundled the SpaceOrb 360 controller with the game through selected retailers.  The end result was many gamers hating both simply because of the steep learning curve of the controller.  (I love both the game and the controller!)  The alliance was short lived and many Orbs ended up in the hands of people who didn't like them.

The HammerHead Fx uses Microsoft's DirectInput API for force feedback.  There are currently 2 API's available for use- DirectInput and I-Force.   Both offer similar effects but are implemented differently.  In most cases, games supporting one support the other.  For the user this means that your gameport must meet specific requirements in order for proper operation.  The gameport must offer SoundBlaster compatible MIDI through the gameport.  Luckily, most gameports on soundcards meet the requirements and incompatibility should not be a problem.  However, you should assure you card is supported by visiting the Microsoft Controller site and viewing the FAQ on incompatible cards.

I have to admit there has not been a controller that has gotten an audible response from me the first time I used it.  Upon installing the HammerHead Fx and testing it with the test utility I emitted a very evil laugh.  The fun was only beginning!

• 10 programmable buttons
• 8 way digital hat switch/D-pad
• dual analog joysticks
• Rumble feedback

• Driving (Motocross Madness; Need For Speed III, High Stakes; Re-Volt;  Carmageddon II, Star Wars Racer, etc.)
• Sports games (NHL 99, FIFA, Baseball 2000, etc.)
• Space Sims (Descent III, Forsaken, Descent Freespace, Mechwarrior III,  etc.)
• 1st and 3rd Person Shooters (Quake III, Tomb Raider, Star Wars Phantom Menace, etc.)

The first game played with the HammerHead was the enclosed demo of Descent III.  Once I perfected my setup I found the HammerHead to be an effective 3D controller.  I assigned forward/back and left/right sliding to the d-pad/hat switch.  I then assigned rolling to the right joystick and turning to the left joystick.  Buttons were programmed for the various weapons, views, etc. of the game.  Everything was a total blast.  Control was superb and the force effects very nice.

Also given a whirl were a few racing games such as Re-Volt, Need For Speed High Stakes, Powerslide, Star Wars Racer, etc.  I used Mode 2 with the left joystick for turning and the right for acceleration/braking.  The controller offered more than enough buttons to play all of the games without having to use the keyboard (something most wheels and joysticks don't usually have to their credit).  Again, the force effects were well implemented by these games and felt good with the controller.

The HammerHead was also tested with non-force-feedback games.  Used as a gamepad for sports games like NHL 99, FIFA Soccer, etc. the d-pad functioned well for control.  The extra buttons offered the ability to use some of the lesser, but important features of the games without having to use the keyboard.

Setup 92% -
The HammerHead FX requires 2 AA batteries to be installed in the compartment on the underside of the controller for operation.  Once the batteries are installed connect the plug to your gameport (with the system off).  Start your system.

Insert the included CD with the HammerHead applications on it.  A menu will appear allowing you to install the application/drivers, install DirectX 6.1 or view the read.me file.  If you do not have DirectX 6.1 or later already installed perform this step first before proceeding.  Select the Install Application button and follow the described steps.  Be sure to only select the Jet 3.5 option when installing the DAO portion of the setup.  Once installation is complete you will be prompted to restart your system.

In addition to the different profiles available the HammerHead has several different modes-

• Mode 1- default with the d-pad configured as a hat switch.  Each joystick controls 2 axis's.

• Mode 2- split mode with the left joystick controlling the X axis and the right controlling the Y axis.

• Mode 3- d-pad is the primary controller and the joysticks are used for additional features.

• Mode 4- this is the fully programmable mode.  You can select the function of each control surface.

The Game Profiler Software is much improved over previous versions.  Earlier versions would bring my system to a crawl with it active in the system tray.  No such problems with the version shipping with the HammerHead.  The Profiler is a powerful utility.  It allows you to assign keystrokes (single keys or complex combos) to buttons on the controller, assign forces to button presses and allows you to specify how the button presses will implement the keystroke (repeating or 1 time). 

You can create your own profiles or download/import them from others and from the InterAct website.  I created a few simple profiles assigning forces to button presses and mapped buttons to keystrokes.  The profiler functions quite well.  The manual does a great job describing how to effectively use it.

InterAct notes in the manual that some systems may experience system slowdowns with the Profiler active.  They recommend disabling the profiler if this occurs.  On 2 systems tested (AMD K6-2 450 and 300) no problems were experienced.

Currently the InterAct website has basic information on this controller available.  At this time downloads including profiles and drivers are not yet available. 

Because of its different mode capabilities it functions as a gamepad, joystick and wheel- all with the price of a typical game.  The programming capabilities of the HammerHead make it even more functional.

The Control Center places the HammerHead FX high on its recommended list!

• Very affordable
• Force-feedback
• 3 separate control surfaces
• more than enough buttons

• Incompatibility with some soundcards and gameports

1 Stick  - Not Recommended
                                     
2 Sticks - Functional
                                                
3 Sticks - Recommended with some issues
             
4 Sticks - Recommended
                                         
5 Sticks - Highly Recommended!

Buy the Hammerhead FX Pad