Superpro Zipstick

Reviews

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ESSENTIAL BUY SWITCH JOYSTICK GRAVIS £39.99 IN BRIEF A l1ttle too b1g to hold 1n the hand, th1s table-top joy- stick certainly offers a multitude of features The f.rst thing to notice is the foam- padded pistol gnp with built-in firebutton. As well as feeling incredibly comfortable, it also offers a firm grip and moulds itself to your hand. The stick comes with e very sophisticated tension adjust- ment system. This a l lows the user to set the amount of ten- sion or resistance provided by the joystick handle. Ten set- t ings, which range from loose to stiff, ensure that there will be at least one settmg which su1ts your playing style In addition. the tension adjuster also reduces the travel dis- tance or throw of the stick, making it ideal for flight sims and arcade games alike. Restricted movement allows for faster reactions such as those needed 1n arcade-orien- tated games. while the softer settings provide smoother movements suitable for flight simulators and driving games. Trigger points are automati- cally set dependmg on the tension adjustment. When the stick IS set at a loose setting, a greater amount of handle deflection is needed befo r e a response is triggered 1n the game. lt's also possible to manually adjust these trigger points f or even more contro l- labili ty . There are also three fire buttons. two located on the base of the unit and one perched on top of the handle. S ting Ray: n popular joystick witlt an IIIIUSIIal desigtt. Button selectors at the side of the machine allow the user to independently select each fire button's function. ranging from normal fire and auto f.re capabilities to forward end backward movements All these features add up to one hell of a joystick A six- foot lead, solid construCtiOn, and a pleasing design help add further to the stick's appeal. Although quite costly , this 1s worth the investment . »If the Zip Stick is the Rolls then Sw i tch Stick is at the very l e ast a Bentley - a superlative stick." 00000 ~-- ~ ESSENTIAL BUY SUPERPRO ZIP ST IK SONMAX £13.99 IN BRIEF : Two firebuttons placed at either side of the unit mean that both right and left- handed players can use this, and the solid construction means the stick can put up with as much wiggling as you can possible throw at it . Even Ocean's aging Daley Thompson's Decathlon would prove no problem to a stick of this stature. The stick's long shaft and knobbly top prove invaluable in overall control and he l ps afford a nice. comfortable grip. Micro-switched throughout, every tug trans l ates in a nice, tight response and an auto-fire feature provides rapid bursts or a continuous stream of bul- lets. From Speedbell to R- Type, from Project X to the Addams Family , the Z1p St1k handled all-corners About the only criticism that can be lev1ed at the stick IS its rethre less than adequate lead of just over f1ve foot. But that could be seen as JUSt nit-pick- mg - play and enjoy" 5/5

• Atari ST Review
• May 1992