November 4, 1999 Web posted at: 8:55 a.m. EST (1355 GMT) by Joel Strauch

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(IDG) -- From the Space Orb to the Panther XL, every gaming manufacturer has tried to create a first person shooter-oriented controller that could replace the old standby of mouse and keyboard. None have been successful -- until now.

The Dual Strike (aka Zulu) from Microsoft doesn't look much different from their Sidewinder game pads - except for a weird-looking ball in the middle.

The ball (see picture) is the source of the Dual Strike's success. By loosely manipulating the right half of the controller, you control the "mouse look" -- a common first-person shooter function in which the player uses the mouse to direct the view. (It'll even work as a funky input device for controlling the mouse on your desktop.)

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But "mouse look" wasn't the problem with other peripherals, like the Space Orb, which addressed this issue by incorporating a trackball. The problem was being able to turn with the mouse as well.

Microsoft has solved this issue by creating a rim of resistance beyond the area of "mouse look" rotation. If you push against the resistance, you turn rapidly.

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We took the Dual Strike for a spin in a variety of shooters -- Tribes, Team Fortress Classic, Unreal Tournament, Quake III -- and it held its own. We were able to move, shoot, and handle extra functions (toss grenades, jet pack in Tribes, etc. with the programmable action buttons and triggers) at least as well as the first time we played the games using a mouse.

Not bad for a gamepad. The programming interface allows you to easily set up the controller to perform any keyboard or mouse commands, and the sliding directional pad for your left thumb works very well for back and forth movement and side to side strafing.

The Dual Strike didn't make us set aside the mouse/keyboard combo, but it works well enough that we'll use it again -- something no other peripheral had done before.

It's got at least as long a learning curve as taking up the mouse for the first time in an FPS (speaking from a keyboard-started perspective). But the rewards are greater -- playing Quake from the couch with the six feet cord? Oh yeah!

What We Like: A shooter controller that doesn't suck

What Needs Work: A long learning curve

Overall: 4.5

What it's got:

• Six action buttons, two triggers, and one shift button
• Perspective control
• USB connectivity

System Requirements: Win 98, Pentium 166, USB port, 16MB RAM, 10MB HD, 4x CD-ROM

Street: $50.00