Manufactured By:  Thrustmaster

Retail Price:      $39.95

Review Date:  7-4-99

  This is Thrustmaster's first USB joystick that was not originally a gameport device.  The TopGun joystick was originally created as a gameport device and later Thrustmaster released a USB version of the Joystick.  USB is quickly become the standard interface for game controllers because of its ease of use and compatibility.

  The Reflex 3D has the feel of other Thrustmaster sticks.  Its construction is of dense matte plastic and is contoured to fit most hands quite comfortably.  I had a brief moment of concern when I unpacked the Reflex 3D because the base design and layout is near identical to the inferior Nintendo 3D1 joystick.  My fears were eased when I put it to work.  The Reflex can actually be compared to the Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro.  Both have the same features but the Sidewinder also offers gameport connection and button programmability from outside the game.  The Microsoft controller will also make you $20 lighter.

  The base of the Reflex 3D is nice and wide for stability.  Likewise, the molded stick is nicely shaped and the button arrangement is fairly well laid out.  The 4 base buttons are located on the front-left portion of the base directly in front of the throttle slider.  The pinky button found on some Thrustmaster sticks is nowhere to be found.  The buttons on the stick are arranged with a single index trigger, 2 buttons to the sides and below the hat switch and the final button being placed within reach of your thumb just below the "head" of the stick.  The profile of the hat switch is low allowing you thumb to maneuver above it when switching buttons without accidentally hitting it.  I prefer the chosen recessed hat switch button to the stepped "pyramid" style found on some controllers.  

• 8 buttons (4 on stick and 4 on base)
• 8 way hat switch
• Slide throttle
• Stick-twist rudder control

• Flight Sims (MS FlightSim 98, MS Combat Sim)
• Space Sims (Mechwarrior III, Descent 3, Forsaken)
• Racing games (Midtown Madness, Motocross Madness, Need for Speed III)

  A joystick is generally the most versatile type of controller you can have, lending itself to be used for many game types.  I used the Reflex 3D for flight sims, racing games, mech games, and space sims.  I did not try the Reflex with sports or first person shooter style games.  

  The Reflex 3D USB is quite friendly to flight sims.  The 8 way hat switch, throttle, rudder control and 8 buttons allows you to concentrate on the sim and not the keyboard.  Microsoft FlightSim 98 and Combat Sim played well.  For both I used the default button configurations and they suited play just fine.  The only change that was made was the disabling of coordinated rudder to take advantage of the twist rudder of the Reflex.  Many hours were spent in the virtual air without issue.  The only anomaly was the identification of the controller in the FlightSim 98 setup.  This is an issue with all USB controllers and FS 98 and does not affect functionality of the controller.

  Some time was spent with racing games also.  For car racing I still prefer a wheel of some sort but some of the best PC racers swear by their sticks.  Need For Speed III easily setup and played alright with the Reflex 3D.  The Reflex offers enough buttons to setup all of the functions available within the game.  Midtown Madness was played with similar results.  The racing game that I really enjoyed playing with the Reflex 3D is Motocross Madness.  The Reflex offers excellent, accurate control for this motorcycle sim.  I was hitting 10,000+ point stunts in my first competition with the controller and kept my bike on the track during races.

  Space and Mech games are also areas of gaming where the Reflex 3D is a great tool.  Mechwarrior 3 takes full advantage of the multiple axis's, hat switch and buttons.  In order to play the game well you really need just such a controller.  Descent Freespace and Forsaken also played well for the same reason.

Overall, the performance of the reflex 3D USB is great.  The stick is steady, comfortable and accurate.  Many hours have (and will) been put in with this controller and it should continue to provide consistent gaming input.  The only criticism of this and other USB controllers is the current inability to add external throttle and rudder controls.  Direct X 7 will allow this feature to be supported but it will still be up to the manufacturers to implement this feature.  Hopefully the Reflex 3D USB will have this implemented. 

Setup 98% -
 USB may force the setup category of reviews on The Control Center to sound repetitive.  The Reflex 3D USB is a plug and play device.  Simply plug the USB connector into a free USB port while your system is running, insert the included CD (and Windows CD if prompted) and run the game controller configuration in Windows to assure the Reflex is properly calibrated.

  You could forego the insertion of the Thrustmaster CD and simply setup the device as a HID Game Controller: 4 Axis 8 button with POV Switch.  Since there is no outside programming utility the Reflex 3D USB does not need to be identified specifically for operation.

Note:  If you have multiple USB ports or use a USB Hub you will be required to repeat the installation for each port if you use a different connection than the one originally setup.

  Also included on the CD is a lite version of the WeCanTalk software (a derivative of the Talk n' Play software) allowing you to verbally communicate over the internet using a microphone and a full-duplex soundcard.  The full version of the Talk n' Play package has received rave reviews.

  The manual will easily get you up and running.  The front page of the manual is actually a Quickstart guide and should be all you need.  The manual also includes a general troubleshooting section that deals with a few USB issues that may be encountered.  The Thrustmaster web site should also be a great resource for information once the Reflex line is officially released.  The site currently has a wealth of information on their current controllers.

Die-hard flight simmers may want to look into Thrustmaster's higher end controllers since the Reflex does not support external devices such as throttles and rudder pedals that add to the sim realism.

• Feature packed, nothing left out
• USB

• Inability to use external throttle or rudder

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

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