TRULY SERIOUS GAME PLAYERS must wander away from the software section of a store's computer-game aisle from time to time and have a look at gaming hardware. This month's column covers a trio of hardware products that will add new dimensions to your Mac games.
The GameNet makes connecting up to opponents to play games over a network as easy as playing patty-cake. The Mac GamePad and the Jetstick open up a slew of games you couldn't play without them.
GameNet
Look, Ma, No Wires
The GameNet is a pair of adapters you plug in to two or more Macs to connect them wirelessly. And why do you want to do that? To play networked games, of course. In fact, a two-person copy of Marathon comes with the adapters. (These same adapters can also be used for file sharing, printing, and PowerBook synchronization.)
Setting up the GameNet is a breeze -- just plug one of its connectors in to the ADB port and the other in to the printer port of your Mac and, voila, you have a LocalTalk connection. There's no software to install. You don't even need a power cord, since the devices draw their power from the ADB.
Once you've installed the adapters, you can sit anywhere you want in a room up to 25 x 25 feet in size and still be connected. Aiming the adapters at the ceiling gives you the widest range for connecting, because they use diffuse infrared light.
Overall, the GameNet has one of the highest "wow" factors of any product I've played with this year. I have only one complaint: At $160, it ain't cheap.
Mac GamePad
Control Freak
The Mac GamePad is a joystick and game-control pad all in one. The strength of this device is its flexibility.
The GamePad can work like controllers for Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis game consoles if you choose to control the eight-direction movement pad with your thumb. But you can also use it as a joystick by simply screwing in the stick attachment that comes with the GamePad. It also has four "fire" buttons you can define to trigger up to four different actions. Or you can switch off all those features and use the device as a mouse.
Its control-panel software is smart -- it lets you assign sets of actions to the buttons and the movement pad for each game you play. You can also use the software to alter the sensitivity and repeat rate of actions.
With its low price, good looks, and extensive configurability, the Mac GamePad is a welcome addition to almost any gamer's arsenal.
Jetstick
It Flies Right
The rugged feel of the Jetstick joystick leads me to believe its maker's claims that the buttons and triggers can withstand 10,000,000 shots. I suspect that the Jetstick can take more abuse than the Mac GamePad, although try as I might, I couldn't break either of them during weeks of frenzied testing.
The Jetstick is well suited to flight-simulation-type games, because of its responsive feel and specialized grip. But it's not as flexible as the Mac GamePad. For instance, the Jetstick has only two configurable fire buttons, whereas the Mac GamePad has four. Of the two, only the GamePad gives you a choice of thumbpad or joystick. Both have software you can customize for any game, but the Jetstick's software isn't as refined as the Mac GamePad's.
If you need a joystick for flight sims, the Jetstick is a good choice, because it gives you a realistic feel. The Mac GamePad, on the other hand, can be used with a greater variety of games, is more configur-able, and costs much less.s
Bob LeVitus is a MacUser contributing editor and Power Computing's director of evangelism.
