Logitech WingMan Cordless Rumblepad 2.4 GHz (USB)

The WingMan Cordless RumblePad is compatible with PCs running Windows 98, 2000, Me, and XP, with an available USB port.

Product Description
Some games on a PC work best with a gamepad, like Logitech's 963246 WingMan Cordless Rumblepad. However, this isn't any old ordinary gamepad! The Rumblepad features cordless freedom using 2.4GHz Spread Spectrum technology - the same RF technology that is found in today's best cordless phones! It also features vibration feedback for a more immersive gaming experience. Sleep Mode - when out of range, the controller sleeps to save battery life On/Off Vibration Toggle Includes - 4 AA batteries & a small receiver

The ballance and the weight of this conrtoler are one good aspect of it. I have always hated light controlers. This one is a little heavier than most as it needs batteries and the wireless interface. The runble feature is also good, if you can find a game that it works on.

The accuracy of the control is great for games such as GTA3 (in car), Carmageddon or Midtown Madness. I found this controler to be the best PC controler for racing games I have ever used. The software, and most games, offer ways to fine tune the feedback.

The control is also fair in games such as FF7 and FF8 where the control are setup in "classic" mode. This conrtol does well on any game that has been designed with controler, not the keyboard, in mind.

If you like playing emulator console games, you cannot do better than this control. It works well with Nesicle and Jnes as well as Bleem!, ZSNES, and N64 emulators. Again any game that is built around a controler.

An unfortunate aspect of this control is the lack of control you have in a first person shooter enviroment. Many games such as Medtal of Honor: Allied Assult or Return to Castle Wolfenstein have no configuration files. You have to manually configure the control in the software, which is really tedious. Even when you get it set how you would like you guy just doesn't behave corectly in the games. Also stay away from this control if you are thinking of using it for a RPG such as Morrowwind.

The worse design feature of this control is the battery connections are poor. If you manage to drop it (or thorugh it against you case in a fit of frustration) the battery contacts can become damaged. This leads it to going dead in the middle of games w/o you're knowledge (well until you die :(.)

What this conrtol needs is better battery connections and a more usable software interface.


I own 3 and am very pleased for last 6 months of daily use   November 15, 2003
Richard Lord (Fenton, MO United States)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

I used to use the sidewinder microsoft controllers. My usage of the controller has been for EA sports games, madden/nba/nhl etc. Microsoft sidewinder pros I was wearing out literally within 6 months of purchase. Having been used to the "6 button" pad I didn't want to have to relearn ps2 controls. So when the Wingman cordless came out I gave it a try. I liked it so much I have 3 of them now. I use them daily and I'm not abusive to them but I will say they feel great in an adult's hands. My kids have trouble handling them as they are big and heavy. They usually just put the controller in their lap as they play. The controller key points are the accuracy of the digital sticks are phenomenal. I play online in games and these controllers are the difference many times on big plays or just making plays that in the past I didn't have a prayer. The games I use do not have the "rumble" features and in online play I really don't care for it.

The batteries will wear out every 10-20 hrs on play. I highly recommend you buy nimh rechargeables. The batteries will pay for themselves very quickly.

If you want a great accurate good feel adult controller this is the one to get. If you like the sidewinder controllers this one will make you forget about them real quick.

If you want "rumble" features I don't know how much support is out there so far, so don't buy for that "whistle" that's not supported a ton yet.

Overall I'm totally satisfied, I'd say I've got 2-300 hrs of playing time on them all and they all work like new. They are the best controller on the market.


Great Pad, Terrible Longevity   February 9, 2004
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

If Logitech's corded WingMan RumblePad had the same design and ergonomics, I would have gotten that. However, it did not and I fell in love with the feel and action of the Logitech Cordless RumblePad.

What I feel is great about this pad is everything except the cordless facet of it. There are no hard edges or loose feel to any of the parts. There is nice, solid feel and feedback to the D-Pad (I prefer the solid concave disc, less fatigue). The dual joysticks are also concave which is nice on the thumbs. They also move and feel just like the sticks on the DualShock PS1/PS2 gamepad which is good. The buttons on the Cordless RumblePad are solid and have a good action to them. There are no harsh edges to dig into your skin. There are no loose, hard-plastic reactions or noises to these buttons. And the hand extensions are perfect for my hands. Once again there are no harsh edges and everything is contoured to fit comfortably. The rumble effect is just like the DualShock as well. It's neat and sometimes helpful, but really isn't necessary. Fortunately, Logitech allows you to control whether the Rumble effect is on or off (major battery conservation in having it off). I never had any problems installing this gamepad or getting it to work within games, until recently.

Gamepads are a seasonal item. They're only good for certain games. Often they are necessary for ported Console games. Which brings me to my present. I have the urge to replay Final Fantasy VII and VII on the PC. These games cry for a gamepad, so I fetched my WingMan Cordless RumblePad. After a week of web research I have discovered the my receiver is dead. And that this has happened to numerous WingMan Cordless RumblePad owners who have had their gamepad for a year or more.

There are no replacement receivers sold. The best advice offered is to "try" Logitech Tech Support. :(

With a decent set of rechargeable batteries (total of 4 AA, 8 if you want to hot-swap them) and a good rechargeable battery recharger that drains all the power from the batteries before it recharges them, you will have the best wireless rumblepad for a year. And then after that year you may find yourself with a dead receiver. And after it becomes a lost cause through normal avenues, you may find yourself wanting to open that receiver to see if you can find the short or whatever is causing the problem. You'll find the screw in the bottom holding things together isn't alone and that the seam on the receiver is sealed with some kind of ACME Super Glue and give up.

Wish me luck. I'm off to find a replacement gamepad.

Battery Recommendations: Powerex AA NIMH 1800mAh or better.
Charger Recommendations: Maha Energy MH-C204F


DO NOT BUY   March 20, 2004
9 out of 13 found this review helpful

This product is useless, as hundreds of people can tell you if you google search for calibration problems. The pad has a hardware problem which causes the left analog stick to break after a few minutes of use. You have to unplug it and plug it back in every few minutes to recalibrate the stick. Logitech refuses to fix it, so DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT


No calibration settings with Logitech software   July 17, 2003
Rick Van Hazel (Phoenix, AZ)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I first bought this to play GTA3 and after installing found that the right stick does not calibrate properly (i'm running windows XP), when I try to use this in that game the person starts to spin around until you nudge the stick slightly towards the middle before it ceases this undesirable activity.

In Windows the joystick calibration portion of the device driver allows you to calibrate based on extremes of movement to pick the mid point and the extreme ends of movement in any direction, after installing the Logitech software for mapping keys and functions to buttons I found that they have absolutely no way of changing your calibration. I supposed they thought their product is always going to be perfectly calibrated and will never have a problem.. Anyhow, at the time I figured it could have been a problem with the hardware so I took it back and exchanged it for another one. Same thing happened with the new one. I called Logitech up and they wanted me to send it back and replace it with one of theirs they had..

Figuring a replacement would still do the same thing guessing the RMA process would waste good 2 weeks of my time. I uninstalled the Logitech software and fought with the calibration built into Windows and finally tricked it into finding the proper center of the stick. The problem with doing this is you dont get full functionality from all the buttons in certain games where you cant map functions to specific buttons in game. I am fairly well versed in Windows so I couldnt imagine anyone doing this who's looking for a non nonsense install and setup, I found myself wanting to bash it with a hammer and chucking it out the window. Though I kind of got it to work, many games will not detect a remapping of the two sticks and your either stuck with their default use mappings or you cant use them at all.

Logitech makes decent hardware, but they seem to allways fall short when it comes to drivers and software, I own their Z-560 sound system and a number of versions of their cordless keyboards and mice and find that the default Windows drivers run far better than what they have to offer without irritating programs running in the systray and consuming memory and wasting time with loading useless garbageware every time you boot.

Battery life on this stick is pretty good, after buying it and using it for about a month its sat on my desk for almost a year without use and still powered on when i tried it. To my dismay a couple months later when it did stop working I noticed that a couple of the batteries went south and started to leak inside. No damage was done to the unit so I put a new set of batteries in and it started working again, lucky for me because I'd hate to have a paperweight that leaks battery acid.

Seriously consider getting another game pad, or buy it from a place that would give you no problems returning it if you decide that you dont like it.