PDPI/ACT Labs Dynamic Duo

**Dynamic Duo

**(ACT Labs RS Wheel, PDPI L4 Digital Gameport and PDPI L4 Cartridge)

Manufactured By: PDPI and ACT Labs

Retail Price: $179.99

Review Date: **05-18-99

Updated: 05-24-99**

The first step in setting up, using and reviewing the Dynamic Duo is setup of the PDPI Lightning 4 Digital Gamport. Rather than cramming this information into this review I'll refer you to the complete review of the L4 Gameport here. Go to it, read it and hit the back button. The L4 as a stand alone product is very sweet. It offers features you just can't find in any other gameport out there.

Team the L4 port up with a a versatile wheel and you have a.... Dynamic Duo! The Dynamic Dual actually consists of 3 separate pieces of hardware- The RS Wheel from ACT Labs, The PDPI L4 Digital Gameport and the PDPI L4 cartridge for the RS Wheel. The ACT Labs RS Wheel offers the ability to switch between different console systems and the PC via its unique cartridge system. Moving the wheel between these systems is quite easy by simply unplugging the cartridge from the back of the wheel base and inserting the next. Cartridges are available for the PC, Playstation, Nintendo 64 and the PC through the PDPI L4.

The RS Wheel may soon become my favorite. It has a great feel to it and a stable set of pedals. The simulated leather wheel padding helps you keep your grip on the wheel, feels great and looks nice. The wheel has all the buttons you can ever want and even has a 8 way hat switch (4 way with the Dynamic Duo setup) that is left off many of the competitors wheels. It also offers expansion. ACT Labs recently announced the RS Shifter that will be available as an add-on for the wheel. It offers multiple shift configurations and you can add after-market shift knobs to match your tastes.

The wheel is very comfortable. From the heavy, sturdy pedal base to the sleek padded wheel it looks and feels great. The construction is very solid and should hold up for a very long time. ACT Labs wasn't afraid to use metal where necessary. The table clamping system is effective. It consists of two metal clamps that are tightened with large flywheel spinners on either side of the wheel base. The clamps are also capable of accommodating a desk with a small lip.

Features 100%-

• PDPI L4 Features
• Padded simulated leather wheel
• Cartridge system for multi-platform use
• Expandability
• 9 buttons on wheel face
• 4 way hat switch
• Stable pedal base
• Single/dual axis pedals
• Paddle gear shifter
• Flywheel table clamps

Appropriate For-

• Racing Games (Need For Speed III, Andretti Racing, Nascar Racing, DethKarz, Powerslide, etc.)

System Requirements-

DOS, Windows 95/98, free ISA slot (for PDPI L4)

Price -

You can purchase the entire combo for $179.99 or buy it piece-meal if you already have some of the components (PDPI L4 $59.95, L4 cartridge for RS Wheel $49.95, RS Wheel and PDPI Cartridge $119.95).

Warranty-

RS Wheel 1 year; L4 and PDPI Cartridge 5 years from date of purchase.

Performance 95%-

Thanks to Need For Speed III I have become a dedicated PC race fan. Before that as far as I got into racing was the hours I spent playing POD. Now I am constantly looking for an edge over my competitors, AI or other. Enter the Dynamic Duo...

I wish I had the means to measure performance on a CPU usage basis. As seen in the L4 review it offers more resources for other computer functions while giving superior control. The Dynamic Duo gives this same performance boost to your racing. I ran it through the paces with the regular driving sims and arcade racers. I also tested it with the new release from Microsoft- Midtown Madness.

With Midtown Madness you can race a variety of vehicles through the streets of Chicago. Like FlightSim 98, you can have beautiful graphics with a powerful computer and good video card. Using another wheel and my standard gameport I had to turn down the higher graphics options to keep it smooth on my system. With the Dynamic Duo I was able to crank everything up and play it in 1024 x 768 resolution without compromise. I appreciated the hat switch for looking both ways before proceeding through stop signs (their are many busses running through the city that won't hesitate taking you out!). Separating the gas and brake pedal axis's also fed into the realism. Without the separation you would slide into reverse if you applied the brakes past the stop of the vehicle. This also allows you to drive with two feet without the signals canceling each other out if you desire (this is my dads preferred method of driving his big, old-man Lincoln Town Car with the left blinker on).

Need For Speed III and other arcade racers zoomed with the Duo. Thanks to the many buttons available I was able to avoid using the keyboard for advanced controls such as spike strip deployment in NFS3. The paddle shifter is situated behind the wheel and travels with the wheel as it is turned so it as always located at your finger tips. The only problem I encountered with the wheel is that the shifter paddles are connected to each other. The paddles are one piece that goes through the wheel shaft. You can, and I did, push the opposite shifter to activate the other. A few times I accidentally pushed the up shift lever while turning and dropped the gears down. Ooops.

The pedal base of the system is nice and heavy with a low center of gravity. This is one of the few pedal sets I have come across that offers a base large enough to rest your left foot on it also. The base is constructed of metal and plastic and stays in place incredibly well no matter how hard I was stomping on it. The pedals are also very comfortable to use. No sore ankles here.

Setup 90% -

As I already stated, rather than filling this review up with information already covered in the PDPI L4 review I'll just refer you to it. The first step in the setup process was installing the L4 Gameport. Once that was complete you can unpack and assemble the RS Wheel. Assembly and setup of the RS Wheel is fairly simple.

Set the pedals on your floor wherever most comfortable, and clamp the wheel to your desktop. The pedals connect to the wheel's base with a PS2 style connector. Insert the PDPI RS Wheel cartridge into the opening at the back of the wheel base and plug the 15 pin connector into one of the L4's 4 gameport plugs and start your system.

The L4 software disk has a registry entry utility that will add the PDPI L4 to your Game Controller selection menu. Two possible modes are available- combined and separated gas/brake axis's. Prior to selecting one of these modes you must select the desired mode on the wheel. Simultaneously press the mode button and the corresponding wheel button for the mode you would like (modes are described in the manual). Besides the pedal modes you also have 4 or 13 button mode selection available to you. Then its a matter of selecting the correct description in the Game Controller setup and running it through the calibration regiment.

In order for setup to go as planned you either need to read the manual or have plenty of luck. I recommend reading the manual simply because there are so many setup options available to the user.

**Software 90%-

** The software included with the L4 consists of the drivers, manual, and utilities on a single CD. Also added to the CD are copies of the on-line flight sims Dawn of Aces and Warbirds. The software is an easy install and auto-play will do most of the work for you.

Also included on the CD and needed for the Duo's operation is a small registry entry that places the L4 and RS Wheel identities in the game controller selection menu. Both a combined axis and separated axis selection are added. Depending on the button mode selected through the wheel mode selection either will have 4 or 13 buttons shown in the test window.

Documentation 100% -

Again, for the PDPI L4 I refer you to its separate review. The RS Wheel manual is written in several languages and offers setup instructions for each supported platform. It does a good job of describing the different features of the wheel, cartridge care and basic setup. The manual that describes the use of the Dynamic Duo is where the meat is.

The Beta copy of the manual I received did an excellent job of describing just how to setup the Duo. It goes into great detail on how to switch modes and calibrate the setup. The manual arrived from PDPI and I gave it a review. The manual is in the format and layout of the standard RS Wheel manual but it goes into great detail on how to setup and use the wheel in combination with the PDPI port and cartridge. The manual does a great job of describing the advantages of having separated pedal axis's and lists a few sims that support this feature. Also described are the various modes of the wheel and how to properly set them up. The manual is very well written and actually offers you information you might not otherwise know.

Neither the PDPI and ACT Labs web sites have extensive information on the Duo posted yet. The combo offers features different from the RS Wheel with the PC Cartridge and it would be beneficial for both companies to brag about the product a bit more.

Overall Rating 95.5% -

Ladies and Gentlemen start your engines! The Dynamic Duo combines to great products (via the PDPI RS cartridge) to make a wonderful racing setup. The PDPI L4 offers an incredibly smooth, reliable gameport connection that doesn't tax your system and the RS Wheel provides the means of control. Anyone looking for a high performance, realistic racing setup for a great price has only one option- the Dynamic Duo.

Pros-

• Quick, responsive control
• Many features not found with other wheels
• Cross platform use (RS Wheel)

Cons-

• Shift paddles somewhat awkward