Logitech Cyberman 2

Logitech CyberMan 2**

Cyberman II

**Manufactured By: Logitech

Retail Price: $30-100 **

Review Date: 10-6-98

I had great hopes for the CyberMan 2 because of the innovation associated with the original CyberMan. I just could not get the control from it that I was able to achieve with other 3D controllers. Even after many hours/days of trying. Despite my patients, I kept moving in directions I did not intend to.

The CyberMan 2 is a low profile desktop 3D game controller. It uses a digital interface to control the X, Y and Z axes (pitch, yaw and roll).

Features -

• 6 degree of freedom puck controller
• 8 programmable buttons
• digital interface

System Requirements-

486, CD-ROM, Gameport.

Price -

I find the full retail price excessive. It can be found at discount and closeout outlets for much less.

Performance -

Operation of the Cyberman 2 is comfortable. In the attempt to make the controller as streamline as possible a few things were sacrificed. The puck ranges for the controller axis's are not equal (i.e. the rotational turn has much more play than the up/down movement) making the controller difficult to use. Without much practice and tweaking of the setting for each game it will be difficult to become a "CyberMan Master".

Setup -

Setup of the CyberMan II is easy with the provided software. Individual game setup varies. You must first associate each game with a batch file that the software executes through its launch program.

**Software -

**The control panel provides detailed setup options for individual games. There is even a tester that allows you to run a simple application to test the settings (despite my being able to control well using this it did not perform as well in the games).

The package also comes with a demo of Descent II to test the controller with.

Documentation -

The setup manual will guide you through the setup of the controller and the software. The manual does not provide enough detail on "tweaking" the settings and building custom configurations.

Overall Rating -

I would love to recommend the CyberMan 2 controller for 3D gaming BUT it has many shortcomings that hinder its use. It does work but will require many hours for game setup and practice. Your controller dollars are better spent on one of the other 3D controllers available.