In 1999, Microsoft introduced a new controller for the computer and was primarily intended to make shooters more enjoyable. However, this model has almost nothing in common with modern devices.
With the SideWinder Dual Strike, a gaming controller was launched in 1999 that was aimed at PC gamers. That was before Microsoft launched its first Xbox. Because this only appeared in November 2001 in competition with the PlayStation 2.
Today’s gamers are likely to be skeptical about the design of the controller. This controller is now a long way from today’s ergonomic devices. The model came on the market for 80 US dollars (around 100 euros today) and could not convince everyone. Maybe also a reason why you won’t find this model among the best controllers for PC and Xbox:
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Controller already offered modern functions in 1999 that everyone uses today
What could the gamepad do? Above all, the SideWinder Dual Strike offered a lot of buttons. On the left is a D-Pad and three buttons. On the right, four buttons on the front of a flight stick, connected to the left part by a huge ball.
The idea behind the bullet is to be able to aim precisely at opponents. This should make the mouse in shooters superfluous in the long term. All other keys on the keyboard lay on top of the other keys on the controller.
In this respect, the device already offered some modern features in 1999 that we also know from today’s hardware: You could program 8 keys with 16 functions. Thanks to a switch feature, you could assign all keys twice. A feature that all major manufacturers such as Razer, Roccat or Logitech are now integrating into their hardware.
You can watch a test video including unboxing on YouTube:
Testers criticized the steep learning curve
At the time, the testers were only able to convince the new controller to a limited extent, which was mainly due to the strong competition from the mouse and keyboard. The ideas were imaginative, but the mouse and keyboard already worked excellently in PC games and many found gaming with the SideWinder Dual Strike simply too complex. British magazine PCGamer describes gaming as “like trying to play System Shock 2 by solving a Rubik’s Cube.”
For many, it just wasn’t worth the hassle of digging into a control that didn’t work as well as a mouse and keyboard. On top of that, you were a strange sight at every LAN party where you showed up with such a controller.
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