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Archived from The Control Center, 1999. Hardware, prices and links are historical.

Nintendo 3D1

Originally published on joy-stick.net, 2 May 19992/5 sticks

3D1 Joystick

Manufactured By: Nintendo

Retail Price: $19-69

Review Date: 05-02-99

Nintendo licensed their name to the Laral Group (the 3D1's manufacturer) for this product and obviously rolled the cost of this purchase into the initial pricing of the 3D1.

Despite its goofy looks the 3D1 is a feature packed controller. I still have no idea what the "loop" on the back of the stick is there for! The stick itself is made entirely of high impact plastic. The texture of the material is just too smooth to offer a good grip. However, the stick is mounted on a nice wide base offering great stability. Button placement is nothing special and reminds me of the Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro.

I just did not like this stick and think I am not the only one who felt this way since the controller is no longer being produced (although you can still find it offered through discount outlets and on-line).

Features 95%-

  • 4 stick buttons
  • 4 base buttons
  • Slide throttle
  • Stick-twist rudder
  • 4 way hat switch

Appropriate For-

  • Flight Sims (MS Combat Sim, MS FlightSim 98, etc.)
  • Driving Games (Need for Speed III, DethKarz)
  • Space Sims (Descent Freespace, Mechwarrior)

System Requirements-

IBM compatible, gameport, DOS, Windows 3.x, 95, 98

Price -

The Nintendo 3D1 sells for ~$25. Considering its feature list this is a fair price but the quality and performance make its average price too high for what you get.

Warranty-

Limited 1 year.

Performance 45%-

Performance of the stick itself shows pretty good response but there are other factors that drag its rating down. First, the slide throttle control on the unit I tested would stick in different positions. Using the throttle was very difficult especially if you were trying to throttle up smoothly as in the start of a race in Need For Speed III. I was forced to apply heavy pressure to the throttle to break it free and the end result was spinning tires and a poor start. I gave the throttle a week worth of use to see if it would magically smooth itself out but nothing changed.

The second problem I encountered was button number 3 on the stick didn't function properly. When pressed and held a signal was sent for the action you have the button set for but it was not sustained. In other words, holding the button was the same as giving it a quick tap. This rendered stunts in Motocross Madness quick and low scoring. This problem did not "self-rectify" over time either.

The twist rudder control that worked so well for Microsoft controllers might have been better with the 3D1 if the stick was better contoured for your hand and offered better grip. Flight sims played alright with the 3D1 because it offers the rudder support but you'll never find me defending the skies with the 3D1 in hand. There are just too many issues going on at one time to contend with.

Setup 90%-

There is nothing special to the setup of the 3D1. Plug it into your gameport, start the system and enter the game controller setup. Here you can either select a CH Flightstick Pro of Thrustmaster FCS with rudder pedals for an ID. Depending on which you select you will need to set a switch on the base of the joystick identifying which "mode" you have selected. Calibrate the controller and the setup process is complete.

You can also use the controller under DOS by setting up the calibration and other options within the DOS games. Another available "mode" is the Arcade mode for side scrolling action games. I am not sure what benefit this mode has and the manual really didn't explain it well, nor did I test it. Overall, setup is fairy simple.

**Software N/A%-

** No software is provided with the 3D1.

**Documentation 66%-

**The 11 page manual that comes with the 3D1 explains setup and use of the unit. It also offers a fairly decent description of the special features of the joystick. The manual is missing words, punctuation and other vital information throughout. The manual constantly refers to the "Thrustmaster" as if it is a joystick and not a company who manufacturers joysticks.

Although the controller's box mentions support under all Windows versions and DOS the manual only covers Windows 95 setup and use. Both the Nintendo and Laral Group's websites fail to acknowledge the existence of the 3D1.

Overall Rating 63.75% -

The Nintendo 3D1's saving grace in the overall score is its extensive feature list. However, when you consider the fact that some of the features just didn't work (reflected in the poor performance score) you really should look elsewhere for a controller. Nintendo should stick with the console platform and the Laral Group stick to communication equipment.

Pros

  • Nice list of features

Cons

  • Poorly written manual
  • Terrible throttle control
  • Poor button response

Similar to-**

Review date as printed on the original page. Images from the original page are not reproduced.