Category: Input Device
Manufacturer: Fanatec
Product: hëad$h0t controller
Gallery: Click Here
Price: $99.99

The hardware world is built on competition. Without AMD, Intel would be nowhere near where they are today. Without ATI, NVIDIA would be running a one horse race. Competition disallows a singular product from running the gamut and being the only option for consumers. Because of this competition, there is more than one choice available on the market for each component that you put in your system. By no means is this concept limited to the hardware world. In sports there are multiple teams vying for your attention, and in the television industry there are several big companies competing for your money. One thing that inevitably coincides with competition is the formation of the “worst” competitor. In Formula 1 racing, the perennial bottom dwellers in the manufacturer’s championship have been teams like Sauber and Midland. In all the major American sports leagues, certain teams find themselves near the bottom year after year. Even in the hardware world there are those companies that just seem to not be up to scruff with the competition. Beyond the companies, there is usually a product that is somewhat of an outsider. These products seem to be left out of the limelight that is cast on other similar products simply because they do not have the brand recognition or any kind of reputation.

The sad part about this is that often these unknown products are actually quite good. Unfortunately for said products, performance is all too often not the most important thing that consumers consider when making a purchasing decision. Many potential consumers end up buying inferior or overpriced products based on brand name rather than actual product merit. An example of this would be someone purchasing a $200 video card from Company A while Company X, which the person has never heard of before, offers a video card with equal performance for $150. A more dramatic instance of this type of mentality was clearly evident about 2 years ago in the processor scene. Intel’s Pentium D processor based on the Prescott core was a power-hungry, heat spewing, decent performing excuse for a CPU. AMD’s Athlon 64 X2 based on the Toledo core was an efficient, high-performance part that excelled in gaming, office productivity, and general computing. Even with the obvious performance advantages of AMD’s processor, Intel maintained the lion’s share of the market for dual-core processors. While some of this seemingly counter-intuitive trend can be attributed to Intel’s close relationship with giant system integrators like Dell, it is reasonable to speculate that advertising played a very large roll as well. Think of the last time you saw an Intel commercial on TV. Multiply your world? Now think of the last time you saw an AMD commercial on TV. In my many, many years of TV watching, I think I can safely say that I have never seen an AMD commercial... Ever. Granted, I have seen the AMD logo associated with other marketing campaigns, like the Livestrong initiative from HP and Lance Armstrong, or the AMD logo pasted on the Ferrari Formula 1 cars, but never its own dedicated commercial. Brand exposure plays a huge role in the success of hardware companies – whether they like it or not.

The product on our bench today is relatively new to the market but has already generated a lot of buzz. You have probably seen this product before in a picture, made an opinion (positive or negative) about it, and moved on with your life. Although you’ve seen the product, chances are very good that you have no idea what it is called or who makes it. The hëad$h0t controller from Fanatec is a mouse/mousepad/driver combination that attempts to make two peripherals into one. It is an ambitious product with the goal of simplifying the gamer setup with an all-in-one solution. Whether or not this product actually does what it is supposed to is something you can only find out by reading our review!