Introduction
I was contacted by the engineer of the Speed Freek
product available from Kontrol Freek. He asked if I would be interested in giving the Speed Freek a try and write up a little review of the product, which I glady accepted. Unfortunately for him, i recieved it just in time for the Halo 3 release - so I haven’t gotten to give it enough time for a full review.
I started by gathering times on Forza Motorsport 2 time trials based on my best times on a single track over a course of 10 laps. Giving me time to get familar with the controller again, the track, and the car’s handling. I then did the same exercise a week later with the speed freek attached. I did in fact get better times on all the tracks using my speed freek, I had my doubts at first simply because the add on doesn’t fit snug around your thumb or anything (unless you have really huge thumbs i suppose). What it does do though is give you a little be larger area for turning, allowing you to use the side of your thumb to start the turn, or to ease into the turn much smoother. I found it easier to make very sharp turns using the speed freek, simply because I didn’t have just the thumbstick to use but could just shove my thumb to the far left, using the curved add-on device without worrying about my thumb slipping off the stick.
The speed freek is a pretty simple device in nature, but still comes with instructions in the event that you need them. It also comes in a neat little tube which you can use to carry or store your freeks when they aren’t attached to your controller. Which for me, this is a great plus, I hate having my games, controllers, and accessories disorganized. The device fits snuggly on your controller without getting in the way of the actual operation of the thumbstick, and is made of what looks to be a pretty sturdy plastic. That is not to say that it isn’t a flexible plastic, it is, it just looks pretty durable - and i don’t think during the normal use of the product you will destroy it. I snapped my speed freek on and off the controller at least 50 times and it still fits just as snug as it did the first time. I would say that anyone that is looking for an upper edge (even though it might be a very slight advantage) should consider giving the speed freek a try. Granted my times did not get 100 times better or anything, but I think with extended use with the product and the extra precision it provides you have a good chance of increasing your lap times in the long run. I also think that with a cost of just under $10 for 2 speed freeks is definately reasonable - thats about the cost of a single rental from blockbuster - and those of you that are looking to make the best of your racing scores, it might really pay off. For those recreation gamers, that aren’t hardcore race fans, or are just here to have fun - I wouldn’t say you HAVE to have it, but if sounds interesting to you, for the cost of a rental you could have 2 and probably never need to buy them again.
+ Inexpensive
+ Did increase my times after getting used to the device
+ Durable
+ Comfortable
- Limited use (mostly for racing games, but designers mention you could get benefits on other genres)
- Some games use the back button to reset a car and it made hitting the back button more difficult.
You can get your very own Speed Freek at Game Crazy - head on over to KontrolFreek.com to check for a participating store near you.
