Hi all

I know some here are playing SBK-X or SBK 2011, so a bit of info for them:

Already in the past I had written here that the Full Sim mode was driving me nuts, because it required very fine control to avoid dropping the bike on the front brake and leaned over, and yet the Xbox360 pad I was using since ever simple did not give this fine amount of control. Short of using a wheel or Stick which feels very wrong for a motorbike sim, the gamepad was the only option though.

So I was stuck with a game "uncontrollable" on realistic difficulty, and too easy on the next lower setting. Very frustrating.

I tried to improve the situation with the Microsoft Wireless Speed Wheel which works fine on computer - but has a huge deadzone in SBK-X. Shame really because it's a cool bit of kit and very precise, but this huge center deadzone is supposedly in all games that detect it not as wheel but as gamepad.
http://www.pcgameshardware.de/aid,828539.../Konsolen/News/

So today I traded in that Speed Wheel for a Razor Onza Tournament 360 Gamepad.
http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.218524000

It presents itself absolutely identical in buttons to an XBOX360 pad, so works in any game made for it. But what a difference in detail!

The analogue sticks have a perfect return to center, nearly no deadzone in raw values and can be stiffened/loosened in their center spring. I put mine almost on full stiff which gives very precise and exact control.

Suddenly I can run lap after lap without crashing were before I was struggling to complete one or two laps in a row.

Not sure if other companies (Logitech or Saitek?) also have a "high precision gamepad" in the offering, but this thing certainly is a good compromise for racing titles where you don't want to use a wheel.