Reviews / previews
Motion-sensing peripherals usually offer more gimmick than gameplay, but Microsoft's Freestyle Pro is a nice exception.
What really makes this gamepad is ease of programmability. Sure, it's cool that you can just tilt it in any direction instead of using the D-pad, but even cooler how quickly and smoothly you can change the sensitivity, program various functions, and set "dead zones" so certain inputs won't register.
Apart from the sensors inside (which can be easily turned on and off with a button above the D-pad), the Freestyle Pro makes a decent gamepad. With nine programmable action buttons, comfortable handling, and a thumb-wheel throttle, the Freestyle Pro works well with gamepad-oriented games. We took it for a ride in the included Motocross Madness as well as Harley Davidson: Race Across America and were duly impressed. Our only nit-pick is how close the two handles sit to each other. For gamers used to the more widespread Sidewinder, the Freestyle Pro may feel a bit constrictive.
In addition to easy programmability, the included software also provides 30 pre-set control setups for a variety of games, and it's a snap to create your own. The sensors will work for any games, but we found them best suited to racing and flying games. (Tilting the pad sideways to get Lara Croft to step left felt a bit awkward.) And while the pad connects to a standard gameport, it comes with an adapter that allows you to plug it into a USB port.
While it's nice to have the excellent Motocross Madness included, at $75, the Freestyle Pro definitely shouldn't have "free" in its title. But if you've got the dough to throw, you can do a lot worse than this sensory delight.-- Joel Strauch / GamePro
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