Path: news.uh.edu!barrett From: bath0011@fh-karlsruhe.de (Thomas Baetzler) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews Subject: REVIEW: Competition Pro Super CD 32 Professional Control Pad Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Date: 15 Jun 1994 15:53:15 GMT Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett Lines: 213 Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator) Distribution: world Message-ID: <2tn85b$qur@masala.cc.uh.edu> Reply-To: bath0011@fh-karlsruhe.de (Thomas Baetzler) NNTP-Posting-Host: karazm.math.uh.edu Keywords: hardware, game, gamepad, joypad, control, commercial Originator: barrett@karazm.math.uh.edu PRODUCT NAME Competition Pro Super CD 32 Professional Control Pad BRIEF DESCRIPTION A replacement joypad for the CD^32 with extras like Turbo and Auto Fire for each of the six control buttons. AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION Distributed in the USA by: Name: Happ Controls, Inc. Address: 106 Garlisch Drive Elk Grove, IL 60007 USA Telephone: (708) 593-617 FAX: (708) 593-6137 Distributed in the UK by: Name: Powerplay, Ltd. Address: Slackcote Lane Delph Oldham Lancashire OL3 5TW UK Telephone: 0457 876705 FAX: 0457 871058 LIST PRICE I paid DM 60 (about $35(US)) at a local store. Mail order prices seem to get as low as DM 49.- (about $30(US)). SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS HARDWARE A Commodore CD^32 SOFTWARE None. MACHINE USED FOR TESTING A plain CD^32 hooked up to a 1081 monitor. INSTALLATION The Super CD 32 pad should be plugged in as either the first or second controller on the CD^32. At first, I had some minor problems with this, as the pad's plug did not fit into the socket. Scratching off bits of plastic at the sides of the plug with a knife helped, though. REVIEW I have been trying hard to develop a liking for the CD^32 joypad for six weeks - and so far, I haven't been successful. The problem isn't just that it looks weird, but also that the steering acts weird. So when I heard that a local dealer had picked up the Super CD 32 pad, I knew I had to get one. After a bit of haggling about the price, I left the shop with a small, colorful box bearing pictures of the pad, some promotional information, and a "Made in China" designation. At a first glance, the Super CD 32 pad looks suspiciously like a controller from a Sega Megadrive (also known as "Genesis" in North America), souped-up. It looks solid and definitely not as "cheesy" as the original pad. However, the similarities with the Megadrive pad end with the general design of the pad and the steering cross, as there are quite a lot of additional buttons and switches. The "left" and "right" buttons can be found just where they are supposed to be at the back of the pad, while the field of colored fire buttons on the right side of the pad appears rotated by 45 degrees counter-clockwise with respect to the original Commodore pad. This layout gives better access to the "red" standard fire button, but it also makes reaching the "yellow" button a bit harder. While the buttons on the Commodore pad are done all in color, the buttons on the Super CD 32 pad are just standard grey, with colored function symbols embossed. These symbols correspond to the functions of the CD^32 CD-player control screen. The upper middle of the pad is dedicated to a bank of six switches which activate Turbo or Auto Fire for each of the six buttons. The Turbo Fire mode toggles the button continuously while you hold it down, while Auto Fire just blazes away whether you press the button or not. The start/pause button has its own Auto Fire switch, which is labelled "slow", because it can toggle the "pause" function of a game that supports this feature, thus slowing it down considerably. There is no way to set the rate of the Auto/Turbo Fire function. The cord of the Super CD 32 pad is 1.90 m in length: a bit shorter than that of the original Commodore pad. Still, it enables you to sit back at a comfortable distance when playing. The kidney-shaped pad fits well in your hand, and you can reach both the steering cross and the button field quite comfortably so that you don't have to strain your hands. The steering itself is pretty sensitive, and it takes some time to get used to it. I found it especially difficult to produce straight "up" movements without adding a "left" or "right" component. Besides that small gripe, I was fairly satisfied with the performance of the pad. DOCUMENTATION The Super CD 32 pad comes with a small foldout leaflet that contains general operating instructions. Instructions are in 5 languages, with two A6-sized pages per language. As most of the functions of the pad are quite obvious, you'll probably throw the leaflet away soon. LIKES Having selectable Auto/Turbo Fire isn't as vital nowadays as it used to be. Still, it's great to have such an option for all six buttons - you might never know when such a feature comes in handy to abuse a game. DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS Just like the Commodore pad, the Super CD 32 pad was obviously designed with the young player in mind, as the whole layout is a bit cramped. Somebody with big hands might have problems with the the small steering cross and the small, closely-spaced buttons of the button field. The steering could be a bit less sensitive to minimal movements. Maybe using microswitches instead of the cheaper "foil switches" would help. (I don't know the exact term in English.) COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS The Super CD 32 pad measures up quite well against the original Commodore CD^32 joypad, which doesn't quite come as a surprise. Its main advantages are its appealing design, the improved steering cross, and the Auto/Turbo Fire selectors for all buttons. In direct comparison to console joypads, I'd say it's about as good as a Megadrive pad but not as good as the Super Nintendo ones. Of course this is a rather subjective rating, so please don't roast me alive if you happen to like the Megadrive pad better. BUGS Apart from the oversized joypad plug, there is nothing wrong with the pad. VENDOR SUPPORT None. WARRANTY The package states that there is a 12 month warranty for the original purchaser on the joypad, and that you need a proof of purchase in case you have to send the pad in. Of course, the warranty just covers defects in material and workmanship, but not the normal wear and tear, which is ironically called "industrial use and abuse" on the package. CONCLUSIONS The Competition Pro Super CD 32 joypad is not a perfect product, but the overall performance is quite fair. Considering the fact that it is cheaper and better than the Commodore pad, I would say that this is pad to shop for when you're looking to buy an additional or a replacement pad. Still, I would like to see more competition on the market from other established names like Gravis or ASCIIware. My personal rating for the Super CD 32 pad is three stars out of five. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright 1994 Thomas Baetzler. All rights reserved. You can contact me at: thb@mil.ka.sub.org (used to be quite reliable) bath0011@fh-karlsruhe.de (my "official" address for now) Medic BSS, 2:2476/454.2@fidonet (fido, neither fast nor reliable) Thomas Baetzler, Herrenstr. 62, 76133 Karlsruhe, FRG Voice: ++49 (0)721 29872 Medic BBS: ++49 (0)721 496821 --- Daniel Barrett, Moderator, comp.sys.amiga.reviews Send reviews to: amiga-reviews-submissions@math.uh.edu Request information: amiga-reviews-requests@math.uh.edu Moderator mail: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu Anonymous ftp site: math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews