Will You Buy A CH Game Pad For $50

[Spidey]

http://chmaps-spidey.freeservers.com/CHGamePad.JPG

The design will be similar to the PS2 pad that you see here. It will have a mode rocker switch so that you can switch Map Modes on the fly. It will be fully compatable with Control Manager. Which means full scripting capability as well as the ability to combine with other CH Controllers into one device.

For now, let's say the price will be $50.

Give me a serious answer on whether you will buy this or not.

Thanks

[Revvin]

I'll be a 'maybe' I don't really play any games on a joypad apart from maybe the EA sports series. If I'm flying I have my CH HOTAS, if I'm driving I have a steering wheel. I also own a console (an Xbox as it happens) and I plan to get an adapter as I don't feel there has been a joypad that could match the PS2 or Xbox official pads. I feel a joypad would still be a small market which I suppose could be supplemented if CH decided to branch out into consoles but again I don't know how viable that would be. Most console owners I know buy official pads as they just can't be beat. Years spent on design (especially the PS2 pad which is of course second generation) with strong brand name loyalty would make it hard for CH to break into this market IMO.

[Spidey]

I have the adapter for PS2 to USB. I paid $20 for it and it was pretty much crap. Sure the buttons work but you can't map anything to it. The axes work but since you can't really designate which axis do what, it's use is very limited.

How many people who already own a full CH setup would go spend additional money just for a ForceFeedback or F18 throttle? Not a whole lot. How many people who mostly play games on a game pad would even think about getting a F18 throttle for $120 (probably none). We need to do a similar poll like this for a F18 throttle for $120.

We also need to poll in a bigger population.

[Revvin]

How many people who already own a full CH setup would go spend additional money just for a ForceFeedback or F18 throttle? Not a whole lot. How many people who mostly play games on a game pad would even think about getting a F18 throttle for $120 (probably none). We need to do a similar poll like this for a F18 throttle for $120[/b]

I plan to include a polling booth in the front page to the site that requires no registration but will have measures to minimize the effect of people trying to rig the poll. One click away would mean more people outside of the regular CH community would vote, the point in doing that is CH are not just catering for current CH users, they'll be wanting to attract new customers who may be using one of their competitors devices. The PC is blessed with a vast array of many different controller types, flight sticks, yokes, steering wheels and even train controls so gamepads are catering for a much smaller audience than they were. A number of threads before christmas in the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim newsgroup showed that a force feedback stick would be very popular indeed, perhaps acompromise would be to do an F18 force feedback stick this time rather than an F16 style stick or perhaps even better have a force feedback base unit with interchangable handles....'CH Chimera' anyone? ;)

[MichaelCHProd]

Well that makes three of us who voted :P

Spidey.... I feel your pain brother but there is no way I could cover molding costs for $50 per unless I could sell 10K in the first year, and then see my numbers rise for the next two.

I think your inexpensive UBER Game Pad is not coming any time soon.

But hey what do I know, I am a marketing idiot.... I just play video games for a living. :D

[Spidey]

Well $50 is just a starting price. I think current top gamepads are going around that.

With CH adding scripting beyond what's out, i am sure we can justify a higher price.

How about this though? Instead of making the controller, you guys make the PS2 to USB adapter. They are currently out there but it will only get detected as a 10 button, 1 hat, 4 axis controller.

If you can get that input, can you make it interact with CM? Then you don't have to worry about the GamePad design itself. Just the adapter.

[MichaelCHProd]

We could and it would probably be cheap. Problem is some misguided souls have non CH USB controllers and they can see that without the Control Manager their life is hollow and without joy.

So these unfortunates would snatch up these cheap...strike that nothing we make is cheap...inexpensive converters and slap the PCB's into their Cou...cough cough.. cool.. yeah that's right....cool non CH joysticks. Damn spell checker.

AND BANG now they have the Control Manager for their controller.

Bad juju Spidey. Good plan but I already pitched it.

[Spidey]

That would suck. Wouldn't want the CM to fall into the wrong hands now :(

[MichaelCHProd]

My thoughts exactly. But you see where I am coming from. :(

[Spidey]

Yeah i know.

What would be your guess on the unit cost you would need to charge to cover the molding. I am assuming the tooling would be your biggest cost.

[MichaelCHProd]

Now for that I would need to go and bug the Tool Room Bubba's and at the moment they are finishing another project. :D

[Spidey]

The quadrant?

[MichaelCHProd]

Technically at this moment they are asleep but for the next six weeks (give or take a week) they are finishing up something else.

[Spidey]

Well time for me to catch some Z's as well. Good night

[MichaelCHProd]

Later brother <s>

[Twilight]

OK, I voted...I already have a gamepad, but I seldom use it. In fact I bought my CH HOTAS to replace the gamepad. I am not in a hurry to go back.

And since the MFD idea is dead, I'll switch my vote for interchangeable handles. That would be extremely COOL!! :thumbsup:


Twilight

[MichaelCHProd]

your killing me Twilight :blink:

[DDoutel]

Sorry, Michael; I don't play anything for which a gampad would be of use...

[ruggbutt]

No gamepad for me. I'm trying to get a mouse and keyboard to work (well) w/my Xbox.

[Cobra360]

We need to do a similar poll like this for a F18 throttle for $120.

We also need to poll in a bigger population.
[/b]

Spot on. I feel the F-18 throttle has a future. And at around $120 maybe $150, why not. I'd buy one tomorrow if you made one. As for a bigger population I think the official should go where the majority of your peotential target customs hang around. e.g lo-mac.com lockon.ru the Il-2 and Falcon 4 sites.

I have raised this issue in the lo-mac.com forums already but I think CH need to get the word out there. There are many people that have not even heard of CH products before. I would also like the F-18 stick to be made as well with the throttle and have a full real life Hotas.

[Revvin]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Spidey @ Feb 12 2004, 10:40 PM) 658
We need to do a similar poll like this for a F18 throttle for $120.

We also need to poll in a bigger population.
[/b]

Spot on. I feel the F-18 throttle has a future. And at around $120 maybe $150, why not. I'd buy one tomorrow if you made one. As for a bigger population I think the official should go where the majority of your peotential target customs hang around. e.g lo-mac.com lockon.ru the Il-2 and Falcon 4 sites.

I have raised this issue in the lo-mac.com forums already but I think CH need to get the word out there. There are many people that have not even heard of CH products before. I would also like the F-18 stick to be made as well with the throttle and have a full real life Hotas. [/b][/quote]

The polls you see in these forums are open to all but generally speaking it will be CH users that vote in those polls while everyone can vote in the polls on the front page of this site as no registration is required to vote, examples of past polls can be seen here (http://www.ch-hangar.com/oldpolls.php). Those front page polls are generally set up by me, the ones you saw regarding sim choices were to help in directing me on what profiles woulkd have the most interest for users while the operating system one I thought would perhaps be helpful to CH as a rough guage on what kind of systems CH users are running. One poll you don't see there is the one that ran in tandem with this (http://www.ch-hangar.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=150) poll in the forums that was linked to in various forums and newsgroups frequented by users here (Ghost did a good job pimping :D ) That poll ran for quite a while and the results were pretty similar to what you see in the forums.

Let me tell you a little story of just how aware the CH guys are when it comes to the gaming community. A while back when I tossed out the idea of a site like this for CH users I was contacted by Debby at CH and encouraged to do so, during our e-mail conversation she also mentioned some other threads along a similar theme, some of which I had not read even though I visit a number of forums and newsgroups. You may not see CH posting every day in every forum but I know they do read many forums and newsgroups daily and take note of ideas and wishes put forward. If you use the Control Manager software you will see changes and additions that were suggested by users. The CH team are gamers too, I've had the pleasure of shooting down Michael in IL-2 (though he will deny it ;) ) and shot most of them in Counterstrike:Source and chased Debby around in Call of Duty :D Be sure they have their fingers on the pulse!

[Debby]

The polls you see in these forums are open to all but generally speaking it will be CH users that vote in those polls while everyone can vote in the polls on the front page of this site as no registration is required to vote, examples of past polls can be seen here (http://www.ch-hangar.com/oldpolls.php). Those front page polls are generally set up by me, the ones you saw regarding sim choices were to help in directing me on what profiles woulkd have the most interest for users while the operating system one I thought would perhaps be helpful to CH as a rough guage on what kind of systems CH users are running. One poll you don't see there is the one that ran in tandem with this (http://www.ch-hangar.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=150) poll in the forums that was linked to in various forums and newsgroups frequented by users here (Ghost did a good job pimping :D ) That poll ran for quite a while and the results were pretty similar to what you see in the forums.

Let me tell you a little story of just how aware the CH guys are when it comes to the gaming community. A while back when I tossed out the idea of a site like this for CH users I was contacted by Debby at CH and encouraged to do so, during our e-mail conversation she also mentioned some other threads along a similar theme, some of which I had not read even though I visit a number of forums and newsgroups. You may not see CH posting every day in every forum but I know they do read many forums and newsgroups daily and take note of ideas and wishes put forward. If you use the Control Manager software you will see changes and additions that were suggested by users. The CH team are gamers too, I've had the pleasure of shooting down Michael in IL-2 (though he will deny it ;) ) and shot most of them in Counterstrike:Source and chased Debby around in Call of Duty :D Be sure they have their fingers on the pulse!
[/b]

Yes, we are everywhere!! muahahahahaha

I don't know about shooting us ALL in CS, but I do know that Revvin chasing me around in CoD was only because he couldn't CATCH me!!!
:P



And...I know I speak for the masses when I say that this site it top notch and we couldn't thank Revvin MORE (well, without giving him a FF stick) for providing such a great place for all the (brilliant) CH users!!!

Thank you Revvin!!! :salute:

[Revvin]

Yes, we are everywhere!! muahahahahaha

I don't know about shooting us ALL in CS, but I do know that Revvin chasing me around in CoD was only because he couldn't CATCH me!!!
:P [/b]


LOL and when I did shoot you out came the "it was my son playing" excuse :P


And...I know I speak for the masses when I say that this site it top notch and we couldn't thank Revvin MORE (well, without giving him a FF stick) for providing such a great place for all the (brilliant) CH users!!!

Thank you Revvin!!! :salute: [/b]

It's been my pleasure, and who knows my almost daily nagging for an FF stick may one day pay off :D

[Debby]

It's been my pleasure, and who knows my almost daily nagging for an FF stick may one day pay off :D
[/b]

Don't hold your breath, my dear! ;)

[MichaelCHProd]

WAIT WAIT WAIT.... I remember some ones base defenses shooting me down but I DO NOT RECALL any aerial gunnery touching my airframe.

[Revvin]

I can feel a rematch coming on ;)

[MichaelCHProd]

I am always ready to fire up some IL-2, DoD Source is starting to bother me especially with the cheaters starting to show up in force.

[K6_Scorpion]

Gamepad...hmmm...I've got one around her somewhere...I use it for EA Hockey....otherwise, it's a dust magnet. $50??? Isn't that kind of expensive comparatively? I mean, I bought my Saitek P880 for $19 and it's got dual analog sticks with the option to switch to digital, a thumb pad 11 buttons and it collects dust like nobody's business :thumbsup:

[mariah]

Well that makes three of us who voted :P

Spidey.... I feel your pain brother but there is no way I could cover molding costs for $50 per unless I could sell 10K in the first year, and then see my numbers rise for the next two.

I think your inexpensive UBER Game Pad is not coming any time soon.

But hey what do I know, I am a marketing idiot.... I just play video games for a living. :D
[/b]
So, Michael - who is that cheerful fellow? Don't recognize the quote or the photo>

[MichaelCHProd]

George Orwell - 1984 is the book I quoted from :)

[Swagger200]

Think wireless folks - see Logitech RumblePad 2


Think wireless folks - see Logitech RumblePad 2
[/b]

and Bluetooth would be even better

[Revvin]

Mmmm Bluetooth..now you're talking! no hubs, no add in PCI cards no cables! but no gamepad please :D

[Revvin]

I think this poll has now run its course along with the new products poll