For those who don't know, HKS is a well-known maker of aftermarket performance parts for automobiles. Now HKS has expanded the scope of their efforts to reach out to their consumer base by teaming with gaming manufacturer InterWorks by creating a PS3 controller that is uniquely optimized for arcade driving games. Joe, Chipwich, Chunx, and Panther all showed up for an appointment with HKS and InterWorks to try out the new controller concept.
Looking sharp in its candy apple red metallic finish (inspired by the real HKS CT230R drift car), the Hipermax 3 controller retains the standard form factor for a wired PS3 controller but changes the control scheme in an effort to optimize it for driving games. Most prominent on the left side of the controller is what looks like a giant mouse wheel that's easily operated by your thumb. On the right side of the game pad are two spring loaded levers that act as brake and throttle, which are operated by your right thumb. The thumb wheel is easy and intuitive to use with just a little practice. Conversely, the right thumb's brake and throttle seemed to suffer from some backlash and it was tricky-to-impossible to easily work the brake and throttle simultaneously, making modulated brake or throttle use difficult - although for the types of games the developers envision the HKS Hipermax 3 being used with, this probably isn't an important issue.
With a little re-training of your hands' muscle memory, the HKS Hipermax 3 controller pad might be an improvement over a standard game pad, but only slightly. For precise car control in any driving game, a wheel and pedals are still your best solution. However, if you don't have room or budget for a wheel, then this new HKS controller might be a good space- and money-saving alternative.
