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Working under licence to one of the world's most famous brands is, without doubt, a game of swings and roundabouts. You need to balance the instant recognition that your new product launches will gain – against the pain of following guidelines where the merest hint that you have strayed – will no doubt meet with half a ton of legal letters through your corporate door.
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KitGuru checks the launch control settings over at Thrustmaster.
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Our Thrustmaster tour guide, Carsten, went to great lengths to explain that vibration and force feedback are two very different things. Why did he spend so long on the difference?
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“Well, with a USB 3 connection, you only have limited electrical juice available – so full force feedback is not possible”, he said. “But we have managed to create a very realistic vibration system – using only the power from your gaming machine's standard connection”. Which is quite cool and quite realistic.
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Haptic technology is the scientist's word for the whole force feedback genre. Originally created around the 1950s to allow for safer, remote handling of radioactive materials, force feedback took almost 50 years to find its true home – in the hands of gamers across the globe.
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This new Ferrari control system will be available in stores across the land from October, at £250. For your money, you will get a foldable USB 3 controller with foot plates, pedals, column and wheel – designed to match the Ferrari 458. Specifically targeted at the XBox 360 market, it is cross-compatible. Overall, it's quite stylish, fully adjustable and a lot cheaper than an actual Ferrari – so will help you visualise for the future.
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In the ‘slightly more affordable' zone, Thrustmaster has a cool looking Ferrari-modelled hand controller for console gamers. What makes this special is its ability to engage ‘launch control' and it also has a series of additional LEDs, which Carsten told us could help you know what speed you're doing in the dark [Er, wouldn't that be on the large TV thing in front of you? – Ed].
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There's a plain version for £35 and an Alonso version for £45 – where the paint/decals match the nose of the 405 Italia.
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Finally, the folks at Thrustmaster have teamed up with Raceroom to create a complete Ferrari F1 racing experience cockpit for £500. This features tooth-rattling force feedback and some very intricate design work. The T500RS is a non-F1 wheel version and weighs in at £400, while the F1 wheel version is a little more expensive, but you get the most realistic F1 driving experience possible for someone who has not left their sitting room. The T500RS can be upgraded to a Ferrari wheel later, if you like.
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KitGuru says: While these wheels are no substitution to haring around a race track in an F1 car, for true Scuderia Ferrari Racing tifosi – these have to be the ideal Christmas/Eid/Chanukah gifts.
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