Subject: REVIEW: Turbo Touch 360 game controller
From: [email-masked] (Wayne Wallace)
Date: 2 Feb 1993 03:12:21 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	Turbo Touch 360(tm) The Technology Break-Through Controller

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	After my Epyx 500XJ joystick with 2 buttons and autofire started
having controller problems, I looked for a replacement in the long list of
Sega Genesis Controllers which are compatible with the Amiga.  The TT360 has
a special sensor pad instead of a joystick, is shaped like a standard Sega
controller, has 3 buttons each with autofire control, and a start button.
It promised greater circular and diagonal control.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		Triax Controls Inc.
	Address:	11 Computer Dr. West
			Albany NY 12205

	Telephone:	(518) 489-3563
			(800) 858-7429
				(TT 360 questions only. I don't know if they
				make anything else)

LIST PRICE

	$29.99 US

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		Joystick port.  I don't know if CDTV has one.

	SOFTWARE

		None, beyond any program that uses a joystick.

COPY PROTECTION

	None.  (Since it is a hardware device attached to the Amiga, it is
just like a dongle. :-) The copy protection is not noticeable, unless you
try to exceed the cord's 4-6 foot length. :-))

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	A2500 w/ A2620 board (68020 14Mhz w/ 68851 MMU and 68881 FPU)
	OS 2.1, KS 37.175, WB 38.35
	1 Meg chip, 2 Megs Fast
	200Meg HD, ICD AdSCSI 2000 controller
	14.4K bps Supra FAXModem
	Sony 1302 Monitor

REVIEW

	The Turbo Touch 360 (TM) (called "TT360" from now on) is a Sega
Genesis Controller.  However, Sega's controllers use the SAME connector as
Amigas, Atari STs, Atari 2600, C-64, and others.  This means that EVERY Sega
Genesis controller can be used on your Amiga.

	On to specifics:  if you haven't seen a Sega controller, you should
go to your local video game store and stare at them for a while, and ask to
try one out.  It's not much different from the NES and SNES controllers,
except that you can't use NES and SNES controllers on the Amiga, and they
have differing amounts of buttons.

	The TT360, like all Sega controllers, has a movement controller on
the left, and buttons on the right.  The buttons are the following:  Button
A, B, C, and Start.  In addition, buttons A, B, and C have autofire on/off
control.  The controller looks something like this badly-typed ascii diagram
I'm about to make:   ;)

|------------------------------------------------------|
|                                                      |
|  __                            Start                 |
| /  \                                 auto C          |
| |  | <-- sensor pad.                auto B            |
| \__/                             auto A              |
|           ________________________________           |
|----------/                                \----------|

	The actual controller is MUCH more ergonomic than my drawing, and is
easily held in both hands, with the right hand thumb controlling buttons,
and the left hand thumb controlling movement.

	Getting used to the TT360's touch pad takes some time, and the most
important things to do I'll paraphrase from their documentation:

	o Slide your finger over or touch the "sensor plate" in the
	  direction you want to move.

	o To stop the movement, lift your finger off the plate, or rest it
	  directly on the round ridge in the center of the plate.

	o Tapping, sliding or touching the plate [outside of the middle area]
	  will start movement again.

	o DO NOT LIE YOUR THUMB FLAT ACROSS THE PLATE.  If you do, nothing
	  will happen.  Instead, arch your thumb for best results.  [i.e.,
	  treat your thumb as if it were an index finger, and not a
	  fire-button pusher.]

	o Don't push down on the sensor plate.  That only slows down your
	  game and tires your thumb.

	o Try rocking your thumb from side to side for quick, easy action.

	o Try using your index finger instead of your thumb.  With TT360, you
	  can use any finger.

	[Their final recommendation:]

	o GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME ON ALL OF YOUR FAVORITE GAMES TO GET
	  USED TO TT360.  LIKE WITH ANYTHING NEW, YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO
	  USE IT, AND MASTER IT.  ONCE YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH IT, YOU WILL
	  HAVE BETTER CONTROL [especially circular and diagonal] AND YOU WILL
	  ACHIEVE HIGHER SCORES.

	After trying using TT360 with just my thumb, and then with fingers,
I found that the TT360 is THE best controller for playing Amoeba Invaders (a
Space Invaders clone).  When you put the controller on your lap (at your
computer desk, for example) or on any stable surface in front of you, you
can use your left middle and index fingers to alternate tapping the left and
right sections of the pad, just like the keyboard controls.

	I had some trouble using TT360 with Wings by Cinemaware, but then I
discovered that I shouldn't be using my thumb for flying.  The middle/index
finger combination works much better, and with time I'll be able to play the
game just as well as I can on the joystick.  I'm going to try the index
finger solo next time I play.  I suspect that will be the best way for
Wings, and any other game where you need to send a clear direction to the
game.  The thumb is simply too wide for flight simulators, IMHO; but then,
for flight simulators, you should use the keyboard or an analog joystick.

	The buttons are quite nice, work effectively, and the autofire
capability is much faster than the autofire on my Epyx 500XJ.  There is also
autofire capability for all three buttons, so Turrican players can finally
autofire the firewall weapon. ;)

	[For the curious, Epyx made a 500XJ w/ one button, no autofire, and
then a 500XJ, w/ autofire (first button only) and second button.  There was
no separate model number.]

	Now then, which buttons do what?  Button "A" and "start" have no use
whatsoever, unless you are on a Sega Genesis, or game programmers start
using them.  Button "B" is the standard joystick button on the old Atari
2600 joysticks, and Amiga joysticks today.  Button "C" is the second button
for games like Turrican I and II, and others.  I'm not a Euro-games guru, so
I can't elaborate further.

	I truly enjoy my TT360; and because I've had the opportunity to use
NES, SNES, and Sega controllers in the past, I know how much better they are
than standard joysticks.  The great ease of directional and circular control
(just move your arched thumb or index finger around the sensor plate pan's
edges) make it one of the best controllers for just about anything, except
for programs that don't use the joystick, or want a calibratable analog
joystick.  Since the TT360 and other Amiga controllers are not calibratable,
there are some things they just can't do well.

	This controller WILL suit the typical arcade-junky, however, and
worked quite nicely in Gauntlet II.  The autofire makes games like Galaga
'92 (PD, on fish disks) VERY nice.  I wish I had more Euro games and that
they didn't choke on accelerated machines so much, for then I'd get a lot
more use out of it.

	For $30 US, you're getting a great bargain, considering that a
normal Sega controller is $18, with no autofire, and when autofire is added,
Sega controllers then cost $25 or so.

DOCUMENTATION

	The documentation is terse, but operating the TT360 is pretty easy.

	As the docs say, this is a standard Sega controller, and the sensor
will take some getting used to.  Since it's a consumer product, I did not
expect them to tell me how to rewire the buttons to redefine button A (not
used on the Amiga, yet.) as something else, but I would have liked the
information to be there, as some games use the "up" direction for jumping
(ala SF2 or Turrican) and a jump button would be nice.

	The documentation is written for beginners, and has a heavy hand
pushing the "be patient in learning the TT360" line into you, which is good.
Otherwise, you might damage it if you pushed too hard, much like breaking the
stick on a joystick with rapid action.  I have been smart enough not to
break mine.

LIKES AND DISLIKES

	I enjoy the sensor pad, as it enables me to make more precise
motions in some games, and can act as a keypad in which you tap the pad in
the right area to move a little.  The main use, though, is quick movements
of the finger to shift between different directions.

	As in the ads for TT360 (also made for SNES and NES), the sensor pad
is the best way to play the Street Fighter II cartridge, and if you have an
SNES and SF2, you should get this.  As well, since the Sega version works on
the Amiga, and U.S. Gold has released a port of Street Fighter for non-AGA
Amigas (pretty bad port, from the hearsay on the net), the TT360 becomes a
consideration there as well.  I rate the sensor pad as 5 out of 5 stars.

	The buttons are very nice, as well as the autofire switches, and all
softly click audibly when you press them, except for the start button.

	I do have one minor gripe with the TT360 when playing Wings by
CinemaWare.  Although I got used to the TT360 pretty fast, I still can't
tell by thumb touch where one direction ends and the other starts.

	It might just be me, as the pad has a pseudo-Braille setup where the
diagonal directions have two raised dots, and the four main directions have
two parallel lines.  This created problems in Wings, as when I use a
joystick I know by touch what direction I'm in.  I can't always tell if I've
hit the diagonal direction with my thumb just right without looking.  It'll
probably just take time, just like learning where each key on a keyboard
is.  The thumb position is the most comfortable, however.

	I think that doing two parallel lines in all the positions would
have been better, since each pair would then be at an angle to the others.
Another idea might be to move the pair of dots (which are in a single line
pointing in the correct direction, but too close to the stop-sign pan the
sensor pad sits in, back towards the center of the pad.  I don't think of my
hands as being bigger than average, (for a male) but my thumb has a hard
time feeling those dots which only hit the edge of my thumbpad.  The lines
reach to the center of my thumbpad, so I have no trouble feeling those.
People with thinner thumbs should be able to feel the dots better.

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	There is no real similar product, as no one else has done a
touch-sensor controller for any machine.  Comparing it to a "rocker" pad on
a standard Sega or NES or SNES controller, or the Gravis controller, leaves
the rocker pad in the dust, once you get used to the TT360 and you know
where your thumb is at all times.

BUGS

	No bugs.  It works flawlessly.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	You can call them via phone, or mail them.  I haven't done either,
since my TT360 works just fine.

WARRANTY

	The warranty is for one year to the original purchaser only.  It
covers "defects in material or workmanship." All you have to do is send them
"proof of purchase, postage or shipping prepaid, and the controller" and
they'll repair or replace it.

	The warranty does not cover "industrial use or abuse."

CONCLUSIONS

	I'm really pleased with the TT360, and have no plans to return it to
the "Software, Etc." store I bought it from.  I really wish Amiga developers
would wake up and start using the Sega 3-button (plus start button, so I
guess it's four) controllers in games.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	This review is Copyright 1993 Wayne Wallace.  All rights reserved.

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