Gamester is no stranger to experimenting with unique controller features — its Tarantula Pro can automatically swap its face button labels to accommodate alternate layouts, and its Pocket 1 clamps Game Boy controls to your phone. What sets its new Swift Drive controller apart is a tiny steering wheel located smack-dab in the middle of the gamepad, which is connected to what Gamers calls “the world’s smallest direct drive motor,” providing force feedback effects for racing games.
Pricing and availability haven’t been announced yet, but Gamester has provided plenty of information about the Swift Drive’s features and functionality. The steering wheel uses a “high-precision” Hall effect encoder with up to 65,000 levels of resolution for ultra-precise steering. Its speed can be adjusted between 30 and 1080 degrees of rotation, and the wheel itself can be removed and replaced with alternative styles. Hall effect sensors are also used in the Swift Drive’s joysticks and buttons, while its triggers are further enhanced with individual haptic motors to simulate the feeling of ABS braking and wheel slip.
The Swift Drive will rely on a 2.4GHz wireless connection to your gaming machine and, even with reactive RGB lighting effects and its various haptic motors, battery life is estimated to be between 20 and 30 hours between charges.
For racing sim fans who aren’t concerned with portability, Gamester’s new Turbo Drive offers a more traditional steering wheel and pedal setup with a yoke-style wheel that clips to a desk. Like the smaller Swift Drive controller it features extensive customizability, including 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, a Hall effect sensor in the wheel’s encoder, throttle controls and shifting paddles, as well as limiting the wheel’s rotation. Its most unique feature is a built-in turbine fan that simulates air flow and enhances the feeling of motion. With the fan on, the Turbo Drive’s battery life is estimated to be around 15 hours, but turning it off will give you up to 50 hours of play before needing a charge.
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