Most hardcore fans of the genre know that playing a racing game on consoles or a PC without the proper wheel and paddle set up can be discouraging and almost downright frustrating. The normal standard game pads today aren’t quite equipped to handle the demands many racing games have on precision driving.
Thrustmaster has released a brand new game pad which is designed specifically to handle some of these demands and improve the performance of player input. The new Thrustmaster GPX can be purchased in a flush black or white and red Ferrari licensed edition as pictured below.
During the review of this controller I tested it playing Dirt 3, Formula 1 2012 and Forza Horizon – these three games range between Arcade and Simulation and gave me a comprehensive variety of driving models. When holding the GPX game pad the first thing you’ll notice is the rubberized bottom of the pad as well as the convex sticks on top. During long sessions the rubber helps avoid slipping of the pad and specifically the sticks during precise apex turns.
The next feature are the curved triggers which are mapped to accelerator and breaks for nearly all modern racing games. The triggers are shaped in a way that makes it feel more natural to hold them while providing a better angle to aid in applying the right amount of pressure. The resistance of the triggers are also heightened when compared to standard game pads. Lastly, there are two sets of LEDs which help indicate how much of the triggers are applied on break and accelerator, the same goes for the sticks themselves which also indicate via LED lighting. Both of these features can be switched on and off.
The GPX game pad also features an Xbox Home button as well as good D-pad to go along with the standard headset jack and vibration features. Thrustmaster claims that the joysticks on the latest controller are two times more accurate than other controllers on the market and from my extensive testing I may not be able to give an exact figure but this pad certainly allowed me to be more precise on turns.
The GPX game pad delivers on its promise of being a more accurate controller for racing fans with the precise triggers and sticks along with the rubberized surfaces. The LEDs are a nice touch and can provide some additional sense of how much throttle is applied but may be somewhat difficult to use since it is located below the eye line when playing. The one thing I would suggest is the that the weight of the controller is a little lighter than I would like. Overall, I can rate the GPX from Thrustmaster very highly and may never go back to using the standard Xbox controller.
Score: 9 / 10
The GPX LightBack Ferrari F1 Edition was developed by Thrustmaster for Xbox 360 and PC. The final retail build was provided to us by Thrustmaster for reviewing purposes.
