Q
uick, call Maxwell Smart. We’ve identified a KAOS plot aimed at destroying
American worker productivity. Now thanks to 3DConnexion, that evil plot
to have 90 percent of Americans flying all over the globe using Google Earth—
instead of working — just got easier, and thus more KAOtic.
Meet the SpaceNavigator Personal Edition, which works as a controller
for 3D applications like Google Earth and NASA World Wind. The 3D knob on
the device lets you effortlessly rotate, pan, tilt, or change altitude with simple
wrist movements in some 3D applications. To gauge the performance of the
SpaceNavigator PE, we staged several Google Earth races among the staff to
see who could traverse the globe more quickly, going from Manhattan to Seattle
or Mt. Everest to the Kremlin—without touching the keyboard. In the end, all we
did was waste an afternoon calling out random locations and racing to them.
After hours of serious testing, we found that the SpaceNavigator didn’t provide
any advantage in our races.
The SpaceNavigator isn’t all about play, though. The bundled driver
includes support for Maya, AutoCAD, 3ds Max, SolidWorks, and a dozen other
apps. In 2D apps like Photoshop, the SpaceNavigator lets you slide an image
around, zoom in, or change brush sizes by jiggling the knob. Unfortunately,
the device doesn’t include support for gaming or the ability to program it for
applications it doesn’t recognize. 3DConnexion said this is because the device’sdriver is complex, doing more than simple key-presses, so it would be difficult
to adapt it for games that expect you to mash WASD to move around.
That limitation is ultimately what really hurts the SpaceNavigator PE.
While we appreciate the fact that this type of device cost $300 two years ago,
a controller whose main commercial appeal is limited to Google Earth and a
few other apps is of limited value. Don’t get us wrong though, it is effective and
if we had $60 to burn and our second job was flying around on Google Earth,
we’d buy one. However, the lack of programmability and extensibility
really sticks in our craw.
—Gordon Mah UnG3DConnexion
SpaceNavigator Personal
Edition
Time-wasting has never been so easy to control
I
played a lot of Halo 2 on the Xbox. Every night for most of a year, I’d fire
up the game with some buddies, lead off with a couple of swords-only
rounds on Lockout, then jump into Coagulation or Zanzibar for some CTF or
team deathmatch action. For that reason, I was looking forward to playing
Halo 2 with the superior mouse/keyboard combination when it finally came
to the PC.
Halo 2 for Vista is essentially the same game that was released for
the Xbox in November of 2005. You fight the Covenant on Earth, just like in
the Xbox version. An amazing twist is in the single-player campaign, just
like in the Xbox version. The single-player story stops just as abruptly as
it does in the Xbox version. And the multiplayer kicks as much ass as the
Xbox version’s. However, the biggest problem is that there just aren’t many
people playing. Even when you log on during prime time, you don’t see
many people playing online. At best, there are just a few dozen populated
servers. Generally, there aren’t enough players for matchmaking (a feature
in the paid version of Live) to work properly.
The most notable addition to Halo 2 for Vista is that it’s one of the first
titles that supports Games for Windows Live—the PC-specific version of Xbox
Live’s friends and matchmaking services. Once you get Live working, you’ll
see your friends list and have a bevy of communication options (text messag-
es, voice messages, or live chat) within the game. I experienced some com-
patibility problems with the service but managed to get it working with a little
help (see http://tinyurl.com/2z6jk9 for more info). You need to pay $50 ayear for the privilege of getting all of Live’s features, but a subscription works
for both PC and 360 games, so current subscribers to Live can log in and play
immediately. Without a subscription, you won’t have access to matchmaking
(which doesn’t work) or multiplayer achievements. Woo.
Despite the crappy graphics and very first-gen implementation, this is
still a brilliant game. Of course, it’s a brilliant, almost three-year-
old game with a $50 price tag.
—Will SMithHalo 2 for Vista
Just released for Vista: the same game I played 24 months
ago on Xbox88 MAXIMUMPC september 2007
reviewsTes Ted. Reviewed. veRdic Tized
the Spacenavigator spins you right round, baby, right round.the heart is a lonely hunter when you can’t find anyone to gun
down on halo’s deserted servers.7
halo 2 for vista
$50, http://www.halo2.com
ESRB: M7
spacenavigator
$60, http://www.3dconnexion.com