A few weeks ago, sister blog ThatXbox360Blog.com wrote about SpeedFreek – a $10 add-on for the Xbox 360 controller that’s supposed to considerably increase accuracy in racing games. I was both skeptical and intrigued by that little piece of plastic and decided I wanted to try the thing out for myself. Sure enough, after contacting the manufacturing company they were happy to send us a piece for review.
And it arrived just in time, a day short of Project Gotham Racing 4 – the game I wanted to try it with the most. I’ve had over a day to play around with it now and I have to say that while it took some getting used to, the high walls of the SpeedFreek definitely allow for an increase in accuracy and taking more precise corners has indeed become easier.
I took it for a test drive in a few other racers too – Burnout Revenge, Test Drive Unlimited and Forza Motorsport 2. Since taking precise turns is not nearly as important in Burnout or TDU, Speedfreek played a very small role. It could have been detached from the controller even. In Forza 2 however, things were quite different. Just like in PGR4, taking more precise turns became easier and turns on curvy stretches of road become a lot smoother.
SpeedFreek is of course no substitute for a proper wheel and pedals setup but if you don’t want to invest in one then for $9.95, it’s pretty much impossible to go wrong with Speedfreek.
The packaging itself is minimal, as you can see from the photos below – the only things in the tube are the pieces themselves and a manual on how to best attach the pieces to your controller.
You can order it from their website at kontrolfreek.com – two for $9.95 or four for $17.50.
