Louis Stephen Batty Jr

This is a must buy controller if you love playing ATS or ETS2 and want to be immersed into the game

 

Let's start with the bad things and get them out of the way. This is a custom controller, and it takes time for it to be built and shipped to you. That is the only truly bad thing I can think of with this controller. Even with that being said, I still urge anyone considering this controller to not let the wait time deter you from ordering one.

 

The rotary encoders could stand to be a bit more precise in their operation. I ordered my Heavy Hauler with standard labels and as such set up the encoders to cruise control and retarder. The only problem with doing so is that the game often reads way more turns than I actually tried to make. So the retarder will go from off to full on even though I barely turned it at all. Other times I may want it to turn all the way on or off and I end up with the game getting confused and starting to turn the retarder on then back off then on again. What I eventually did was change the cruise encoder to just control the game radio volume since that is less critical. The retarder encoder is still set to that, but I use it very little. 

Even with these problems, I still think the controller is great.

 

On to things I really like about it.

Let's start with the perceived build quality (I say perceived because I'm not about to go mucking around and opening it up to see what it's like on the inside). It feels great.The case is solid and has a good heft to it without it being overly heavy. The switches all feel really nice. They have a satisfying click to them and are securely mounted.

 

They offer two different mounting options which is nice. I chose the 100mm VESA mounts. I still haven't mounted it to anything. I actually just have it sitting on a little tray table propped up on the mounting pegs. This is probably not the best method, but it will work until you get around to mounting it.

 

I ordered my unit with the CB Mic option which is also really nice. The Mic itself is a real handset and as such means you can swap to another CB handset if needed. The Fuel button that stays in when you push it is a great addition to the box. One thing I have found over time using this box is that I never really made use of the Trailer Brake handle. The game logic and real life just don't quite line up on this point and so I decided to instead use that handle to hold the "zoom interior" button on instead. Using it this way I can more easily see how to back up the trailers using the mirrors on the truck itself instead of the virtual ones. The keyed ignition is one of my favorite features of the box. It is awesome to be able to start the truck by turning an actual key. The backlighting is a must have option as well even if you don't play in a completely dark room. The backlight helps me actually read the labels when I need to glance over at the unit even with my poor eyesight. There are plenty of buttons on this controller overall.

 

On to customer service. These guys offer some of the best customer service I have ever seen from a company, big or small. They respond quickly to any email questions you have and you can contact them on twitter too. I feel like if I were to have any kind of issue with the unit, they would be there doing their best to help resolve the issue. 

 

For me this is a great product from a great company, and I will continue to watch for new products to be released which will further improve my simulation gaming immersion. These units may be expensive, but they are worth every penny if you value immersion in your sim games. Don't even question whether or not they are worth it. Quite simply, they are completely worth the investment.