Back in July, I revisited R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 for its 25th Anniversary albeit a few months ahead of time. While we didn't receive any series news, as to be expected, there was plenty of love for what many consider not only one of the best racing games but the best PlayStation games of all time. With a game as cherished, there's bound to be some hidden history behind its fabled legacy. Not all legends are met without controversy and Ridge Racer 4 is no different.
Imagine playing a game for over twenty-five years and realizing that half of the game's engine is locked behind paid content. Not in the form of DLC, but in terms of the most conventional way to play a video game. Racing wheel peripherals had existed for video games since the 8-bit days. However, there was one piece of technology that very few developers got correct. As a company known for arcade racers, Namco found the winning formula to bring the precision of a steering wheel into the palms of racing fans' hands. Thus, the neGcon was created.
One of several third-party controllers created by Namco, along with the GunCon and the JogCon, the neGcon uses a gyroscope to twist up to a certain angle. Twisting either direction registers the inputs on an analog module, something that was supported for PlayStation games officially with the DualShock. Unlike the DualShock, the range of motion is vast and precise, with up to 135 degrees of angled motion. The gyroscope is meant to emulate a steering wheel, except held vertically instead of horizontally. This added range of motion is built into certain racing games, giving players a wider turning radius than what otherwise would be possible on a DualShock, much less a digital controller.
This makes games like Ridge Racer feel like night and day. While the game looked and played beautifully 25 years later, the gameplay was noticeably smoother but the benefits didn't stop there. The neGcon was one of the few controllers, third-party or first-party, to offer analog button support. One of the major hurdles from arcade to consoles for racing games was proper emulation of the pedals. In the arcade, it was simple because pedals are meant to operate as close to an actual race car as possible. However, digital buttons lack the context sensitivity needed for braking and accelerating.
The neGcon's I and II buttons respectively are analog and in racing games the accel and brake are tied to these. This not only gives players wider freedom to try advanced braking techniques, but it just feels satisfying to have analog capabilities during an era where even shoulder buttons were still digital.
Many games were compatible with the neGcon, including Gran Turismo 2, which gave players a closer "simcade" experience than what was known to be possible at the time. Thanks to the power of emulation, the latest Duckstation Nightly builds have had native neGcon support.
The neGcon's compatibility extends to the PS2 with Ridge Racer 5 and Gran Turismo 3 among others. At this point, the PS2 came with native USB support, making certain premium wheels from Logitech easily accessible. Nowadays with the PC adapter, players can use the controller to play native PC racing games if they wish. While I'm not sure how much fun playing Need For Speed Unbound would be with the peripheral, it plays games exceptionally well from the era it comes from.
Not everything is perfect about this little ambitious device. While the I and II buttons are meant for analog throttle and brake control, they aren't premium. The trigger contacts feel mushy and I'm fairly certain the analog function is more of a membrane than anything. However, it does the buttons as proper analog axes. What's more interesting to note is the L button is also analog. In Ridge Racer Type 4, one of the configurations maps this to the brake button. The various configuration presets are incredibly helpful considering there's no "true way" to hold a neGcon. I have big hands and there's a lot of twisting involved, so, at the risk of this coming off weird, I found that my hands cramped up easier than usual.
I bought a used neGcon controller in the Long Island Retro Expo's vendor hall back in 2022 and it's still a relatively common item to find on auction sites. I recommend this PSX to PC USB adapter by raphnet. It's low latency and supports a wide range of peripherals including the neGcon. As of this writing, it's out of stock but check back regularly. I can't recommend it enough.