The MID (motorcycle input device)

Motorcycle Input Device (MID)

MID- Motorcycle Input Device

Manufactured By: John Daniels

Retail Price: $169.00 - 200(including US shipping)

Review Date:01-22-00

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MotoSim fans rejoice- your desire for a realistic, quality motorcycle controller have been answered. Not by the big manufactures (or even a smaller specialty company) but by one of your own. John Daniels has created the MID (stands for Motorcycle Input Device). Like other MotoSim fans John couldn't find a good controller for his sims. With a bit of creativity, some good tools and the experience of the real thing John went to work and came up with the MID.

Now for the bad news- The MID was produced in an initial batch of 20 units. All of the units are sitting under happy users and John is currently not planning another run.

The MID sets between you and your monitor. Its a fairly large device having a full size handle bar with real grips. And yes, the throttle is on the right handle bar and rotates like the real thing. The brakes located on each handle are real too. The brake levers don't have the cable running off them but the adjustment to define their range is present and can be set with a hex driver.

The height of the handle bars is adjustable with a single bolt. It easily accommodates anyone. I also found that you can adjust the tension of the turning mechanism by wrapping the centering bars with a bungee cord. Likewise you can add tension to the brakes by adding a strong rubber band to the inside where the brake cable would normally connect and secure it to the outside of the cable guide.

The one thing you will need for the MID is space. The MID offers full size control and requires about 3 feet between you and your computer. You lean over the pedals at the back of the base so you are not that much further from your monitor than normal. Its a natural position for riding but a way I've never sat in my computer chair before.

Features 100%-

• Full size handle-bar
• Throttle
• Front & Rear Brakes
• Clutch pedal
• Shifter
• Wheelie Axis
• 2 buttons on left handle

Appropriate For-

• Motorcycle Racing Games (Superbike World Championship, AMA Superbike, GP500, Castrol Superbike I & 2000, Motocross Madness, GP500ccm, Road Rash, Motor Racer I & II, Manz TT, Extreme Trial Motocross, Redline, etc.)

System Requirements-

15 pin Gameport

Price-

The price of the MID is an investment. However, its the only moto-controller you can have. Its built well and should last a long time.

Warrantee-

30 Days against manufacturing flaws.

Performance 95%-

How do you spell fun? M-I-D

The MID had one "uh-oh" feature when I unpacked it- the handle bar does not pivot horizontally off the adjustable shaft holding the bar. Instead, the shaft holding the bar breaks to the left or right to control turning. I thought this can't be too realistic, a real bike has the bars pivot horizontally. My concern was gone by the time I had it calibrated. The breaking action of the shaft actually mimics turning quite well.

I have a limited pool of moto sims to throw at the MID. This is due in part to the controllers I previously used- none were to natural and help with game immersion. The MID brings both to your PC. I used the MID with both Microsoft Motocross Madness and AMA Superbikes.

Motocross Madness was the first game I fired up (as usual). Setup took a bit of experimentation. I ended up using the handle bars to turn, the wheelie feature and clutch pedal to control my pitch and the buttons to activate stunts. The front brakes were used for breaking and the throttle for acceleration. Racing was a ball. I even won a few rounds using the MID. In the stunt mode I didn't fair as well. With a stick I can usually double the score of the next closest competitor. With the MID I was at the back of the group. The stunt mode is tailored for non-realistic controllers. As soon as you hit the air you need to hit one of the stunt buttons and move the X and Y axis of the controller to select the stunt. Since the X and Y axis of the MID are mapped to the things much different than a stick it was tricky to hit a stunt. Then again I don't think the MID was designed to play stunt mode all day long.

What the MID was designed for was hardcore moto sims. I had heard AMA Superbikes was a great sim and worked well with the MID. Setup took plenty trial-and-error on my part. I thought something was wrong with the way I was setup because I had difficulty making it through turns. Problem was- I just suck. I gave up on the dream of actually racing against the AI players until they lapped me. I eventually nailed down turning (to the degree where I didn't end up smearing myself on the wall) and put in many hours with the MID.

Calibration held solid through hours of continuous use. The MID is built tough, effective and feels great ( except where I developed a blister on my throttle hand- I should start wearing gloves!).

Setup 85% -

The MID comes broken down in two parts. The instructions for assembly and setup are one of the first things you'll see when you unpack the MID. Follow them and the MID will be assembled and setup within 10 minutes. You need to have a phillips screwdriver and a crescent wrench or pliers on hand for the assembly.

The instruction sheet tells you how to setup the MID under Windows 95/98 using the generic 2 axis, 2 button joystick configuration twice. I initially setup using this configuration but later created a custom configuration specifying a 4 axis, 4 button controller and named it "MID". Either configuration works fine.

Calibration requires you to set the ranges of the axis. If you don't want to use the full throws of the axis you need to only apply what you desire in the setup and Windows will remember the range you apply during the calibration. Test you configuration in the test window before entering a game or you may not get the effect you desire. This also allows you to see what everything is mapped to.

Within games you will also need to setup the mid for use. For both games I have tried so far setup took a bit of trial and error but was not too difficult.

** Software NA-

**No software is provided or necessary.

Documentation 80%-

The MID comes with a single sheet describing how to assemble and configure your MID under Windows. For configuration in games you'll need to experiment.

The MID website offers a list of moto sim games describing what features are supported in each.

Overall Rating 90.6%-

If your a moto sim fan and can find a MID grab it! The CC highly recommends the MID.

Pros-

• Very realistic motorcycle control
• Inclusion of clutch, front and rear brakes, shifter and rotary throttle

Cons-

• Takes up a substantial bit of space