It is definitely no secret that I’m a huge auto culture freak. I’m not just into cars, but into heavily modified hi-performance cars and no one represents that more than HKS. HKS is a Japanese tuning company that has been building hi-performance cars for decades. In fact, if you know someone who has a modded car, they most likely have some part from HKS’s huge catalog of upgrades whether it be an air filter or a turbo upgrade.
Imagine my excitement when I heard a few months back that HKS was working with a company caller Interworks to bring a dedicated racing controller to the Playstation 3. Well, I finally got a look at the new controller and I must say that it is indeed very different from anything out on the market right now. It’s not your usual steering wheel controller. Instead, HKS opted to make a controller that is based on the current PS3 controller design with a custom buttons. On the left side we have a thumb wheel that simulates steering. This is something I have not seen before and could actually be more accurate then using the standard thumb sticks. Also on the right, we see dedicated acceleration and brake pedal buttons. This too I have never seen anyone else do as most people use the triggers for that.
“InterWorks passion for innovation aligns with HKS passion for drivingperformance,†said Rick Lafferty, president of HKS USA, Inc. “Their newvideo game controller will take racing games to a new level of challenge andrealism by allowing players to replicate the bets driving techniques used byrace drivers.â€
It will be interesting to see how this controller actually works in an actual game but if having this controller actually improves gameplay in driving games, sign me up for one as Gran Turismo 5 is coming out this November and I need to get my race on. Pricing has not been set yet.
