Thrustmaster Top Gun Fox 2 Pro

Top Gun Fox 2 Pro

Manufactured By: Thrustmaster

Retail Price: $39.99 (US)

Review Date: 02-15-01

Its an old intro but since its used so heavily in the flight newsgroups I'll go with it...

When Thrustmaster was bought by Guillemot the future of quality flight gear was uncertain. Thrustmaster had a near cult like following. Guillemot had very big shoes to fill. When the continuation of the Top Gun line was announced with a press release stating that Paramount Pictures had licensed "Top Gun" the name it looked as if the doubts may have been an insightful prediction of what was to come. How could you slap the ™ of a good but aged movie on a joystick made in the new millennium?

The appearances of the new Top Gun joysticks look like they had design assistance from the engineers at Matel or Playschool. They do not have the look of serious flight gear. Look into the features of the sticks though and things begin to emerge differently. The reviewed Fox 2 Pro has all the basic features of the latest comparably priced offerings from Microsoft, Logitech, Saitek and other manufacturers. The Fox 2 Pro offers 4 axis of control (X/Y stick controls, rudder axis through stick twist and throttle through slide lever). It also features an 8 way hat switch and 7 buttons. One of the buttons is covered under a flip up mask and is designated as the "Fox 2" button. Add to this an adjustable stick tension setting, USB or gameport connection option and a fairly powerful mapping utility and from a feature standpoint the Fox 2 Pro makes a welcomed addition to the flight simmers considered buy list. It not only reads well on paper but functions well too.

See, I said days after Guillemot bought Thrustmaster that we would simply have to wait until we had the gear in our hands before we could judge the future of Thrustmaster. Now that I have the Fox 2 in my hand (an am not judging it simply on its looks) I am convinced the Thrustmaster line will continue to provide simmers with quality gear.

Features-

• Twisting handle
• Enlarged hand rest
• 8-way hat-switch
• Sliding thumb throttle
• Rubber-textured grip
• Weighted metal base with removable suction cups
• Up to 56 programmable functions via ThrustMapper 3.0 software
• 8 programmable buttons: trigger, Fox 2 button and 6 action buttons
• Adjustable resistance
• Precision enhanced by Digital Integration™ technology

Appropriate For-

• Racing Games (Need For Speed series, Powerslide, Midtown Madness series, Re-Volt, Star Wars: Racer, etc.)
• Arcade Games (3rd person shooters, side scrollers, etc.)
• Space and Flight Sims (mech style, realistic and arcade flight games, free space and futuristic shooters)

System Requirements-

• Game port: Windows® 98 or 2000/Pentium® 133MHz or higher with game port/16MB of RAM/15MB of hard disk space/4x CD-ROM drive/SVGA video card min. 256 colors/DirectX™ 7.0 compatible
• USB: Windows® 98 or 2000/Pentium® 133MHz or higher with USB port

Price-

At just under $40 the feature packed Fox 2 Pro is a good buy. The stick is comfortable and has some great features that make it a good, versatile controller.

Warranty-

1 year limited.

Performance-

If there was a complaint to be filed about the performance of the Fox 2 Pro stick it would have to be the minor annoyance of the Fox 2 button. The cover that protects it from being accidentally being fired is exciting to use the first few times- after that it becomes a nuisance. It can be propped upright so it is less bothersome and some may elect to completely remove it. Still, this is a minor gripe and is far outweighed by the great performance of this stick.

The stick provides excellent control in flight sim games where the additional axis are crucial. The throttle is easily controlled with the left hand and provides a good sense of where the position actually is in the throw of the slide. There is no center detent to provide a feel for actual center but it is easily visually determined. The twist rudder control also provides that extra bit of control needed for advanced landings and targeting. As with other twist-stick rudders it does not provide as much accuracy as rudder pedals for helicopter sims but it is better than being without.

The button layout is comfortable and each stick button has a unique shape that allows you to feel what you are using without creating an error. The Fox 2 button is shielded by the cover which I recommend either removing or propping up permanently unless you are actually deciding the fate of the world with a button press. The base is well weighted and is further stabilized by the broadness of the base. Suction cups are provided for additional security but I did not find them necessary and did not use them.

The digital nature of the stick provides good, consistent control. I found no performance differences between the gameport or USB connections although the USB connection allows for hot swapping of the controller. Game setup was easy and straightforward. I did not need to use the ThrustMapper application for any of the games I tested since they all allowed in-game action assignment. Still, I did test the application with a profile I created and it worked great. I prefer to use the in-game option where ever possible but it is nice to have the option where this is not supported.

Setup-

To setup the Fox 2 Pro on the gameport connect the 15 connector to your system gameport and start the system. Insert the enclosed CD and follow the on screen instructions. You will most likely be asked to restart your system before the operation is complete. To setup the stick using the USB connection attach the enclosed USB adapter and connect the plug to an open USB port with the system on. Feed the system the enclosed CD and direct the plug-and-play setup to your CD drive. Again, you will most likely need to restart your system at some point and may need the Windows CD for additional files.

The Fox 2 has another setup feature that can be explored once the software is installed and the stick is confirmed to be functioning well. The tension of the stick is adjustable through a wheel on the underside of the base. By turning the wheel you can increase or decrease the stick tension to your liking. I prefer a stiff response on the stick so I cranked it to the maximum. I thought the extreme loose setting offered too much play but that is why they're called personal preferences.

** Software -

** The drivers contain a few features beyond the typical setup/calibration/test options. By accessing the "properties" of the stick a test page will be displayed. The graphical representation of the stick displays stick movement and button presses. You can also access the button programming utility- Thrustmapper from your Start menu.

As mentioned earlier, the Thrustmapper utility allows you to adjust the axis parameters to your liking. This is especially useful in games where the sensitivity in not adjustable within the game itself. Button programming allows you to assign keystrokes to different buttons on the stick. Again, where this is not supported in the game its a useful utility. I still prefer to do this in game if an option though. The preset programming screen allows you to save multiple axis and button configurations for different users and games.

One option worth exploring is the keyboard emulation utility. This allows you to change the frequency of communication between the stick and the system. By lowering the frequency of this setting you can perform actions quicker due to the freeing of the system resources being allocated to the wheel reading. However, "your mileage may vary".

Documentation-

The Fox 2 ships with a Quick Start Guide. The guide is a foldout printed in seven different languages. It only covers basic setup and software installation. Rather than detailing the features of the ThrustMapper utility it refers you to the on-line help. The production expense of a full manual would have increased the price of the stick but would have been a welcomed addition. At least the on-line help files can be printed for reference.

The Thrustmaster website offers good information on the pad and other products from the company. Drivers and useful utilities are available for download from the site and the site has FAQs for most of their products. The people at Thrustmaster have also setup "communities" for both flight and racing enthusiasts featuring game news, screenshots, add-ons, etc.

Overall Rating-

The Top Gun Fox 2 Pro joystick is a great stick. Don't pass this one by based on its appearance because you'll miss out on what it has to offer- many advanced features and practical function. It also has a few unique additions such as the adjustable stick tension setting and the easy to use ThrustMapper software.

The Control Center recommends the Top Gun Fox 2 joystick.

Pros-

• USB or gameport connection
• Button programming option
• Many buttons and axis options

Cons-

• Fox 2 button cover annoying at times