The Run N Drive's original design and functionality combine to make it Thrustmaster's top of the range gamepad. 

Using 2.4 GHz wireless to connect to a USB port on your PC, PS2 or PS3 without worrying about how far away you are makes it perfect for gaming with a projector.  Two AAA batteries in a compartment at the back of the pad provide the power you need to go wireless.

Next to the Xbox 360 pad, which has shown itself to be the reference in this test with great handling, this Thrustmaster model is slightly thinner, which also leads to a lighter handset than some of its wireless competitors.
   


It's not all good, though.  Not all of our team were particularly impressed when they picked this pad up.  Some people liked how thin it was, while others complained that it was difficult to access certain buttons.  Everybody agreed, though, that the sticks were a little further away from the edges of the pad than usual.  It's great for people with large hands, but the sticks eventually end up too close together. 

On the PS3, the sticks are never closers than 1.2 cm, but on this Thrustmaster model the smallest gap between them is half that at 6 mm, and it's all to easy for your fingers to bash into each.  Obviously, if you're careful and bend your fingers back, then it works fine, but a pad whose buttons fall under your fingertips is always better than one that you need to contort your palms to use …


Equally, the R1 and R2 buttons on the back of the pad are hard to use comfortably, and all of the buttons are louder than average.  The Xbox pad is far from beaten by the Run N Drive …

In-game behavior

Our first impressions were confirmed when we started playing.  We were hard pushed to beat the scores we managed using the Xbox 360 pad.  The rolling ring system is a great idea, but it's too stiff and makes the whole pad hard to handle.  In other games, where we weren't using it, even reaching all of the buttons quickly was a struggle.

The noise produced by the buttons was also as bad as we had feared.

To add to the list of things to improve on this pad, a stick in place of the directional pad would have given much better control in simulation games.  Even better would be a solution like the one found on Saitek's Cyborg, which allows you to change from a PS3 to an Xbox layout.

Profile creating software

You can save custom profiles on this pad, with the buttons, sticks and pads all capable of being either completely reprogrammed or simply having their directions inverted. 

These changes can be made whenever you like, and are saved in the pad's memory, rather than on the computer, so they stick even when you switch from a PC to a PS2 or PS3;

Dust wells

One potential design fault is the fact that the bottom of the sticks is exposed.  Seeing the internal workings is great, and an excellent addition, but the amount of dust they attract is ferocious and they need a good clean-out before long.