Logitech WingMan Warrior

Logitech WingMan Warrior**

WingMan Warrior

**Manufactured By: Logitech

Retail Price: $15-60 **

Review Date: 12-17-98

This is the only controller to receive an endorsement from Jon Romero, co-creator of the classic game DOOM. That was in 1996. Since then Jon Romero has left ID Software and the WingMan Warrior has been dropped from Logitech's WingMan series. Its passing was evident as soon as I opened the shipping box. The WingMan Warrior originally shipped with flashing red LED's inside of the box to grab your attention. The unit I received had seen many days on a warehouse shelf where the batteries faded. It was replaced with the CyberMan II which failed to impress gamers enough to give up their keyboards and mice (it too has been dropped from the Logitech lineup of controllers).

Reviewing the WingMan Warrior from a historical perspective shows its innovation and contribution to today's 3D controllers. As a stand alone review, the Warrior has some features that still make it a useful controller. The Warrior uses a free serial port for its digital interface or a game port for analog operation. In order to use the spin wheel you must be connected through the serial port. Game port connection offers identical function as a WingMan Extreme.

Like so many other early analog controllers you can either use the hat switch or the throttle depending on the game and the mode selected. In digital mode (using the serial port) you can use the spin control, hat switch and throttle if they are supported in a Windows 95/98 game.

I found the Warrior comfortable to use although it is not as large as other sticks. The placement of the buttons is somewhat off, having to reposition your entire hand to switch between the different buttons and hat switch.

In fairness I fired up the WingMan Warrior with the games it was designed for: Duke Nukem 3D, Rise of the Triad, Hexen, Dark Forces and threw in Quake II for good measure.

Features -

• 4 buttons
• 4-way hat switch
• throttle wheel
• trim controls
• spin control

System Requirements-

386 Processor or Higher, Game port or serial port (for full use), DOS, Windows 3.1, 95 or 98

Price -

This discontinued item can still be found through discount and close-out outlets for ~$25.

Performance -

The WingMan Warrior does a pretty good job in 3D, first-person shooters. With the exception of Quake II most of the games I tested were good old DOS titles from the day when joysticks were not very common. In all the games I tested movement was very natural and easy to adjust to (something difficult to say about most 3D controller).

I was performing circle strafes of the enemies and ducking behind corners like I had been using the Warrior since the day it was made.

Setup -

Setup was strait forward using both the game port and the serial port. Be sure your serial port is properly configured before attempting to install the Warrior.

**Software -

** The Warrior I received shipped with both the 1.0 and 2.3 versions of the driver/configuration software. Logitech also has 3.X software available through their website. I used the 2.3 software for my testing. I found the Windows 95/98 software easy to use and configure.

The WingMan Warrior also ships with demo versions of Jedi Knight, Duke Nukem 3D, Mechwarrior II, Rise of the Triad, Tempest 2000, Ultimate Doom, Hexen and Heretic.

Documentation -

Documentation has always been one of Logitech's strong points. The documentation provided with the Warrior is no exception. The unit I received came with a users guide to walk you through setup under DOS for various supported games. Although the cover said Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 there were very few details on setup under these operating systems.

The most valuable piece of documentation is the Survival Guide packaged with the Warrior. Here you will find descriptions and helpful hints on pulling the killer moves such as strafing, circle strafing and quick flips.

Overall Rating -

I think the WingMan Warrior blossomed before its time. When it debuted in 1996 the controller market didn't seem ready for its innovation. If you are looking for a basic 3D controller to support your older games I recommend the Warrior. If your into the latest/greatest your probably better off continuing your search.