UltraRacer analog NegCon-compatible for Playstation - Here's the manual

[+wood_jl]

THIS

...is my favorite "wheel" controller for the old Playstation.

 

 

In the days before the DualShock (analog sticks on the controller) came out, the only way to get analog steering for racing games was with the Namco Negcon controller......

 

 

......or something compatible with it. The Negcon is and an interesting "twisty" controller, but it's not for everybody. It's weird, and there's quite a long "throw" to the twists, so on a really fast racing game, you're twisting the hell out of it which can be tiresome.

 

The UltraRacer has a relatively short throw and snaps back to the center quickly, when released. It is reminiscent of radio-controller car controllers. I think it's excellent, and it is CHEAP! It also has fully-programmable button-swapping, so if you don't like the button-mapping, you can swap two buttons. You can also reset it to default. But you need instructions (it's not hard, but how could one know?) to set it. Of course most any used one you find has no manual. I **FINALLY** found one, and I'm just putting it here in case anybody is interested. (manual attached)

 

Note that the Namco NegCon (and controllers like this one that are compatible) are NOT compatible with later DualShock-only games. The NegCon support was gradually phased out, after the DualShock became the standard. The games, then, fall in 3 categories:

 

(1) Games that predate the DualShock. NegCon (and compatible) are the only way to get analog control.

(2) Games that support both the NegCon and DualShock controllers. This was common when the DualShock was new.

(3) Games that support only the DualShock - obviously the later stuff.

 

For game categories 1 and 2, this thing is awesome, because although its short throw makes it easy to use, the ability to grip the little wheel quite well allows a greater degree of precision than trying to precisely articulate the extremely short throw of a DualShock stick.

 

As an aside, did anybody have one of these.....

 

 

......PS1 Mad Catz racing wheels, back in the old days (it was NegCon compatible too, obviously)? While it was cool to have analog, it was work to play. Besides the pedals sliding away from your chair as you played, over time, the "springiness" diminished on mine, to the point where it wouldn't self-center at all and felt "all loose." I took it apart to see what the problem was. It turns out that the "spring" inside it was nothing more than a strip of elastic, just like what's holding your underwear up, right now. As you turned the wheel either way, the elastic would sort-of wrap around the steering shaft to pull it back to center when you released. What a piece of junk! I never scored higher with any "wheels" on any systems, anyway, and what a beast to store them!

UltraRacer Playstation Controller.pdf

[Atariboy]

Does the UltraRacer work for the two Pole Positions in Namco Museum 1 & 3? I have a neGcon and a Jogcon, but if that works, I'd love to give it a try [Edit: Judging by that manual, it should].

 

An UltraRacer for the N64 has long been on my want list. F1 World Grand Prix on the N64 has a bizarre steering system unlike any other analog stick enabled console racer. A slight left turn for instance would have you pointing the stick at the 11 o'clock position instead of just pushing the stick slightly to the left.

 

But it does have a wheel mode in the options. Hoping to finally get my $20 bucks worth out of that purchase I made back in 2000 or so someday when I pick one up.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Atariboy