So far this is one of the most creative racing game products I’ve seen on the E3 show floor.  What you’re looking at is the “HKS Racing Controller” produced by Eagle3.  Essentially, what they’ve done here is provide an inexpensive alternative to shelling out over 100 bucks for a steering wheel peripheral by combining a wheel and a traditional controller in one unit.

One of the analog joysticks has been scrapped in favor for a left to right “thumb steering wheel” of sorts complete with center stripe.  This eliminates any wasted up or down motions you might normally make with your thumb when using a traditonal analog stick leaving only the nessasary left and right motions for precise steering. 

On the right side of the controller you’ll see that the “square” and “x” buttons have been transformed into miniature gas and brake pedals for your thumb.  These pedals are also full analog as well so you can adjust your braking or throttle application to an exact value which is displayed via digital gauge in the middle of the controller.

For now this unique take on a racing game controller is only available for Playstation 3.  However I was told that if this unit sells well Eagle3 will produce designs like this for other platforms like Xbox 360 and the PC.  They weren’t ready to tell me what the official price will be but they did say that it would cost less than buying an official Sony dual shockPS3 controller which retails for $54.99.  They also informed me that this controller will be available at stores and through HKS by the holiday season.

It blew my mind to see something so far out of the box that is also branded by a popular aftermarket company like HKS.  Hopefully we’ll see more collab’s like this in the future.  Stay tuned for some video of the controller in action soon.

Press Release:

Performance Auto Label HKS USA and InterWorks Unlimited Partner to Innovate Precision Racing Controller

City of Industry, Calif.-June 2, 2010-InterWorks Unlimited Inc., the fastest-growing distributor of innovative gaming peripherals, today announced they have entered into an exclusive deal with HKS USA, Inc., the premier manufacturer and supplier of premium automotive performance systems, to co-develop for a line of professional racing video game controllers.

“HKS deploys advance racing techniques through their performance products,” said Michael Kidakarn, executive creative director of InterWorks. “We are sharing these professional racing technologies and precision control processes, such as heel/toe drifting, and integrating into our game controller.”

Only with these advanced racing controllers, gamers can easily execute these real-world racing techniques, gaining the competitive gaming advantage.

“InterWorks passion for innovation aligns with HKS passion for drivingperformance,” said Rick Lafferty, president of HKS USA, Inc. “Their newvideo game controller will take racing games to a new level of challenge andrealism by allowing players to replicate the bets driving techniques used byrace drivers.”

The HKS® Racing Controller for PlayStation®3 computer entertainmentsystem will be shown by appointment only at the InterWorks booth at theupcoming Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, June 15-17, 2010. 

About HKS USA, Inc.
HKS USA, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and supplier of premium automotive aftermarket performance systems, parts and accessories. Delivering itsproducts to both the import and domestic car markets, HKS has beenrecognized for its engineering and performance excellence in the automotiveindustry since 1973. Established in 1982, HKS USA, Inc. is a wholly-ownedsubsidiary of HKS Company, Ltd. Japan and distributes its products throughits worldwide dealer network. For more information about HKS USA., visitwww.hksusa.com.

About InterWorks Unlimited
Based in City of Industry, InterWorks Unlimited Inc. distributes a wide rangeof high-quality gaming peripherals and software under several brands andlicenses, including Eagle3 and Photo World. For more information, please visit

www.eagle3.com.