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Saitek's $300 dedicated Farming Simulator 15 controller setup

by Mark Tyson on 12 June 2015, 13:36

Tags: Mad Catz (NYSEAMEX:MCZ), Focus Home Interactive

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A new dedicated games controller setup targeting Farming Simulator 15 players has been revealed and is now open for pre-orders. Mad Catz/Saitek went live with pre-orders for the farm game peripherals yesterday. The tractor-esque controller array will be made available from autumn this year for both PC and Mac Farming Simulator 2015 players.

Saitek must have seen pent-up demand for a more full Farming Simulator experience complemented by an array of dedicated peripherals. I am referring to it as an 'array' as there are three components that Farming Simulator users will lust after to provide a fuller agricultural simulation, but Saitek has modularised them to provide both placement configuration possibilities and pricing options.

The games peripheral maker boasts that with its peripherals you can "bring your tractor home, without the mud". Interested gamers have a choice of buying the dedicated wheel and pedals for $149.99, the vehicle side panel with loader stick for $149.99, or all of the gear for $299.99.

Saitek says that its Farm Simulator wheel with 2m USB connector cable offers a "properly tilted, centre-sprung wheel with 900 degrees of rotation". You can see from the pictures that the wheel is graced by a removable turn knob for easier one-handed turning too. The wheel is said to offer a low profile ergonomic design and clamps to a surface such as a desk with ease. The wheel also includes twin analogue push sticks, 4-way hat switches and ergonomic trigger buttons round the back.

The pedals, which can't be bought separately, connect to the wheel peripheral via a 1.8m cable. Their angular travel "is set to 20 degrees to give you utmost control," we are told. One is the throttle and the other the brake pedal.

Saitek's Farming Simulator Vehicle Side Panel for PC and Mac looks a pretty complicated bit of kit. The peripheral is designed to "command it all" including the ability to switch tools, activate cruise control, operate your lights, view your map and PDA, interact with ranch hands, and even check your finances with the push of a button.

It is equipped with more than 25 programmable buttons, an Up/Down/Left/Right/Twist Action and Mode Button Loader Stick (for intuitively controlling things such as tree harvesters, cranes, chainsaws, chippers, trailers, and more) and a speed dial. Again it is built with a secure desk clamp to keep it rock steady even under the most demanding farm sim conditions. This peripheral connects via its own 2m USB connector cable.

The Saitek Farming Simulator controllers will be available as mentioned above in the US. European farm sim enthusiasts will have to wait a little longer for pre-orders to open and the peripherals will only be available in a Farming Simulator GOLD 15 bundle. There will be more details at E3.



HEXUS Forums :: 14 Comments

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Buy the two parts separately, you'll save 1p.

Would like to see the sales figures for this in the future, pretty sure it's a tiny crevice in a niche market but interesting nonetheless :-)

Edit: I mean 1 cent. Hmm, even less than I thought :eek:
Hexus
One is the throttle and the other the brake pedal

Thanks for that key bit of info, we'd never have worked it out for ourselves.
I doubt they'll be selling out of those in a hurry…….but then what do I know? I laughed at the thought of a farming simulator yet they have sold a fair few units.
I had to check the date when I saw this. Thought it must be April the 1st! Gosh I know some people love farming simulator but can't believe anyone would drop £300 on a peripheral for it!
cheesemp
Gosh I know some people love farming simulator but can't believe anyone would drop £300 on a peripheral for it!

Some people can get really obsessive. I don't know anyone into farming simulators, but I know someone called Joe who is into tractors.

As a young boy, Joe was completely obsessed with tractors. He had pictures of tractors all over his bedroom walls; he had tractor toys, tractor T-shirts, a tractor carpet, and duvet cover, the whole works.

He ate, drank and slept tractors. On his 17th birthday he was thrilled to get an invitation to go to a tractor factory nearby and test-drive a brand new tractor.

His excitement was incredible as he told his family and friends. The great day came and he went to the factory for the test-drive.
Unfortunately something went terribly wrong with the tractor when Joe was driving it and it flipped over, trapping and breaking Joe's leg and fracturing his skull.

He was so upset and tried to sue the tractor company for negligence. But the company would have none of it and told him there was no liability
and he could get lost!

You can imagine he was very annoyed with tractors after this and vowed to shed them from his life completely and forever. All the posters came down, the toys were given away - tractors were GONE.

Many years later, Joe went into a bar for a drink. Inside, the cigarette and cigar smoke was terrible but through it he saw a beautiful girl seated at the bar on her own. Tears were streaming down her face.

Joe asked her what was wrong and she said that the smoke was making her eyes sting and stream with tears.

With that, Joe looked around and then took a huge breath, sucking in all the smoke. He then walked outside into the car park and blew all the smoke out again. He goes back into the bar where the air is now clear and sweet and sits down next to the girl.

“That was amazing!” she said, “How did you do that?”

“No problem”, said Joe…

“I'm an ex-tractor fan”