New driving controller for Vectrex.

[Matt Fisher]

George at Fury Unlimited is at it again, this time with a new driving controller for Vectrex, called the "Overdrive":

 

http://www.furyunlim...m/_sgg/m2_1.htm

 

Looks pretty awesome and I've already ordered mine. The title "Night Trucker" sounds intriguing. (Does this mean we can expect Speed Freak at some point? Let me now make an official request.)

 

Also on the site are pix of the Warrior boxes, which look great. Does this guy sleep?

[ComputerSpaceFan]

I ordered mine last night. I can't WAIT! Really looking forward to trying out Hyperspin and Vectrace on this controller. And I'm very intrigued by "Night Trucker". I totally hope it's a Night Driver / Speed Freak type game. That would rock!

[Turbogfx]

Looks awesome. I have Hyperchase, so I might consider buying one eventually. Do you know if he limits the quantity of the controllers he'll sell?

Edited August 7, 2012 by Turbogfx

[FURY]

Hi, no limits, order when ready. Thanks!

[Matt Fisher]

Got mine yesterday! Looks good, and hope to get a chance to try it out tonight. I believe Hyperchase is the only analog driving game, so I imagine it'll work best for that. I will report back.

[Crazy Climber]

Yeah, thats bad-ass! Definetily putting it on my "to order" list I was able to pre order a Warrior as well a little while back, pretty excited for that one

[+TrekMD]

I'm waiting on mine. Can hardly wait to get it!

[FURY]

Pole Position is technically analog as well. But the difference between Pole Position and Hyperchase is that most people find Hyperchase to be almost unplayable using the standard controller. The Overdrive Controller makes Hyperchase an excellent playing experience! Pole Position, on the other hand, already plays very well with the standard controller. With Overdrive, you have to turn the wheel quite a bit to begin to enter the analog zone on Pole Position. So technically it's compatible, and does provide a more authentic experience because of the steering wheel, but might not necessarily be "better" than playing it on the standard controller. I somehwhat apprehensively added Pole Position to the compatibility list after being bombarded with emails telling me that it is, in fact, setup with analog steering. I checked it and sure enough it is, but it's not setup like Hyperchase at all.

 

Compatible homebrews! VectRace (another racing game) and Vaboom by Ronen Habot are both free to download and use on VecFlash or VecMulti, or to make your own cartridge. Spike's Water Balloons by John Dondzila, is also available for free! Links are on my website.

 

If you're considering purchasing Overdrive, keep in mind it's currently about a 3-week wait on any new orders. Thanks!

[Matt Fisher]

After playing a few games with the overdrive, I can confirm all Fury says about Hyperchase and PP. The OD controller turns me from a terrible HC player into a somewhat less terrible player. In all seriousness, HD is near impossible with the standard controller and pretty darn fun with the OD. Steering is a breeze, with the fine adjustments needed to dodge other cars much more easily accomplished on the OD. Shifting is also easier, as I found that I could steer with my left index finger and thumb and shift up without even taking my thumb off the wheel. I did have to take the thumb off to downshift, but that's less of an issue as you mostly downshift after a wreck. All in all, a must for HC, at least. The one issue I had was that after a crash off the side of the road, I sometimes didn't center the wheel well enough and just crashed right back into the wall when play resumed. I'm probably going to put a piece of tape on the wheel to indicate center, as it is not self-centering and there is no indent. This is not to be taken as a criticism, however; I'm just noting that you may have to adjust your technique a little. I'm sure that after a while, I will not be crashing into walls so much.

 

The overall performace and build of the OD is excellent. With the incredibly nit-picky exception of the filed-off DB9 connector, the OD appears professionally made. The wheel is sturdy ans smooth and the buttons are just where they need to be. Excellent job, Fury!

 

As Fury indicated, though, don't bother to use the OD with Pole Position; suffice it to say that you'll be sticking with the standard controller for that one. Haven't tried it with the home brews yet.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

I've asked George if he's going to make Vector Racing for this controller ........ like he's not busy enough!

[FURY]

Cool review, thanks Matt!

 

Yes, as noted on the included Overdrive sheet with warranty info...

 

"Hyperchase relies on the spring-return feature of the Vectrex controller joystick. Because of this, you will need to return the steering wheel within the range of the center position just following a crash along the side of the road. Otherwise, the car will continue to crash to that side. Similarly, if you play Hyperchase with the joystick and hold the stick to the left or right after a crash, the car will also continue to crash. It is simply a characteristic of the game that you will quickly adust to."

 

The decision was made not to add a spring-return feature because Overdrive would then ONLY be completely compatible with Hyperchase.

 

VectRace, Vaboom, Spike's Water Balloons, Purgatory, and Night Trucker do not rely on spring-return.

 

Thanks again Matt, enjoy!

 

Note to buyers...shipping them out as quickly as I build them! Hang on, they're on their way!

Edited August 12, 2012 by FURY

[Matt Fisher]

Cool review, thanks Matt!

 

Yes, as noted on the included Overdrive sheet with warranty info...

 

"Hyperchase relies on the spring-return feature of the Vectrex controller joystick. Because of this, you will need to return the steering wheel within the range of the center position just following a crash along the side of the road. Otherwise, the car will continue to crash to that side. Similarly, if you play Hyperchase with the joystick and hold the stick to the left or right after a crash, the car will also continue to crash. It is simply a characteristic of the game that you will quickly adust to."

 

The decision was made not to add a spring-return feature because Overdrive would then ONLY be completely compatible with Hyperchase.

 

VectRace, Vaboom, Spike's Water Balloons, Pole Position, Purgatory, and Night Trucker do not use spring-return.

 

Thanks again Matt, enjoy!

 

Note to buyers...shipping them out as quickly as I build them! Hang on, they're on their way!

 

That's what I get for never reading instructions! Well, it didn't take me long to figure it out, at least. I should have known that there was a reason no autocenter function was used. Fury, just like on the overlay redesign for Warrior, you seem to think of everything. I wonder why the controls for HC were so crappy to begin with?

[+save2600]

Well ain't that the cutest little thing! Hmm... will have to give this purchase some thought.

[FURY]

Thanks. Also wanted to address the minor DB9 plug mod that Matt mentioned. With Overdrive, because of the number of connections, I use generic Sega-compatible cords. With Vectrosis, which uses fewer connections, I'm able to use generic Atari-compatible cords, and these fit the Vec perfectly with no plug modification necessary.

[ilovethevectrex]

George at Fury Unlimited is at it again, this time with a new driving controller for Vectrex, called the "Overdrive":

 

http://www.furyunlim...m/_sgg/m2_1.htm

 

Looks pretty awesome and I've already ordered mine. The title "Night Trucker" sounds intriguing. (Does this mean we can expect Speed Freak at some point? Let me now make an official request.)

 

Also on the site are pix of the Warrior boxes, which look great. Does this guy sleep?

i love all of the controllers you guys make i wish i owned one!

[Greg2600]

Is there anyway to buy one of these again?

[50TBRD]

Overdrive was discontinued January 18th. Fury won't be accepting any more orders and will more than likely never make them again. There are/will be over 200 of them made though as George finishes all his orders, so chances are good that they'll pop up on ebay from time to time.

 

Alternatively, you can modify at 2600 paddle.

[Greg2600]

3 days ago? I was on his site prior to last week and it said discontinued.