Batter Up

Batter Up**

Manufactured by: Sports Science

Price: $5 and up (US)

Review date: 10-14-00

Like so many other classic controllers the Batter Up controller from Sports Sciences, Inc. really came into existence before its time. The now defunct manufacturer had a number of sports related controllers in its lineup of products that also included a golf club that read your swing and sent it off to your computer.

The Batter Up controller can still be found for sale through E-bay and close-out retailers for as little as $5. I received mine with next day shipping through an on-line auction for only $6.99.

Features:

4 buttons

8 way D-pad

Unique bat control

System requirements:

DOS or higher operating system, 15 pin gameport

The Batter up controller requires little setup under a Windows environment. Simply plug it into your gameport and select either a 4 button gamepad or create a custom configuration under the game controller applet. The bat has 4 dip switches to determine which of the 4 buttons will be mapped to the swing function. Set the switch to the desired button, calibrate and test the setup before hitting the field.

I used the Batter Up in a few baseball games I own including Microsoft Baseball and Triple Play 2000. Setup in game was easy and the bat performed well. There is an inherent danger of having a bat near your computer and you will need to step back from the system to assure your monitor is not wracked during play. The upper portion of the bat is covered with foam rubber but it could still do some damage.

The disadvantage of having to step back from your system is that the on-screen menus are more difficult to see. having a large monitor is a definite advantage. The d-pad was used to select my swing and the bat was swung to activate the swing of my batters. Your rotation and stroke of the bat does not matter; I found myself hitting home runs with simple check swings. The placement of the d-pad and buttons are half way up the bat. You will need to reposition your hands before and after swings for controls other than batting such as swing select, menu navigations and base running.

The bat also can be used for defensive play such as pitching and fielding. Again, the way you will need to hold it is a bit silly for this type of gameplay but functional. All in all the Batter Up controller is a fun, gimmicky controller. It will never improve your gameplay but may just make it a bit more like the real thing.