If you’ve always thought racing games deserved a better peripheral but couldn’t care a lick for a steering wheel and pedal set, you might want to try your hand at the HKS Racing Controller for the PS3, an alternative controller with a layout that’s better suited for racing titles.
Created by Eagle3, it comes in a shiny red and black finish, complete with racing style decals. More importantly, though, it gets rid of the traditional PS3 buttons, in favor of a more racing-friendly control system designed to execute real-world driving techniques in a quicker and more precise fashion.
The HKS Racing Controller retains the familiar PS3 controller’s form factor, so it requires little adjustment in the way it’s held. They added a small display in the center that shows an exact numerical value for how hard you’re accelerating or braking, along with a visual graph for the steering. All direction buttons have been moved to the right analog’s spot, which has been completely banished from the system. An unusual steering “dial,” which you can flip left and right to drive the vehicle, now occupies the left-hand side.  The X and square buttons on the right have been traded up for miniature gas and brake pedals (they’re analog, so you can control how hard you want to “step” into each).
It’s the kind of controller that should prove a headache to use for regular games, but looks mighty convenient for all varieties of driving titles. Most racing fans should probably be intrigued enough to try one – it looks really, really clever.
Eagle3 hasn’t announced a release date yet, but pricing for the HKS Racing Controller is being pegged at $54.99, which sounds perfect. No word on whether a version will come out for other platforms, either.
[Eagle3 via MotorWorldHype]