You can play Farming Simulator 15 perfectly fine with your standard keyboard and mouse. Considering the number of buttons that are used to operate the various types of machinery, the trusty combination for PC gamers is more than up to the task of handling it. You can also play the game using any modern control pad, which is easier since the series was recently released on home consoles and the Vita. Until now, that was the extent to which you could immerse yourself into the title unless you were willing to cobble together miscellaneous parts and hope for the best. Saitek decided to make that process easier with the Heavy Equipment Precision Control System.

The controller is comprised of two components that are specifically built to let you control of every vehicle type in the game. The first part is the steering wheel/pedal combo, which looks like most modern steering wheel peripherals, though with a few modifications. You've got a basic acceleration pedal and a brake/reverse pedal in the expected spots. There's no clutch, but there is a nice rest for the ball of your feet that you can tuck away if you don't want it. The wheel itself allows for 900 degrees of movement, so you can grossly oversteer if needed. There are eight face buttons on the front of the device — four on each wheel spoke — to handle basic menu navigation and a few commands like reading the job boards or getting in and out of your vehicle. There are analog sticks on each spoke that are primarily used for character movement, ensuring you don't have to take your hands off the wheel to do some basic tasks. Unlike racing wheels, there are buttons in the back of the wheel instead of paddles, but you might not press them much since they simply handle turn signals. There's even a horn button, just like you'd expect from any good wheel. There's also a turn knob, and its only purpose is to let you steer the vehicle with one hand. Since you can place it anywhere, you might use it often to free a hand for other controls.

The second component is a control panel that sports over 25 different buttons that are used for various vehicle functions. From attaching a trailer to bringing out the harvesting pipe to deploying the water distribution system, there's a button for it on the panel. There are even a few buttons that can be used to quickly bring up shops and crop prices, so you barely have to use your keyboard and mouse. The buttons are nicely arranged in rows, and some are even shaped like toggle switches, even though they behave like standard push buttons. For woodcutting, the panel also has a mini joystick with buttons on top. Though the control is digital, it allows you to rotate the woodcutting crane with ease. There's even a scroll wheel to raise and lower the driving speed of your vehicle when you put it on cruise control.

Realistically, it will take months or even years to fully determine the full reliability of the controller set. What you can immediately discover, though, is that this is a pretty sturdy kit. All of the components have nice resistance, and nothing felt like it was going to snap in half, especially the pedals, which felt like they could handle a good deal of pressure. The components had a good amount of weight, and the clamps for each looked like they could support them well on desks. The clamps also have pads, so you don't have to worry about them messing up desks. Overall, they feel pretty premium, even though they're made of plastic.

While it is made specifically for Farming Simulator 2015, the controller is also compatible with a few other games, including Train Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2. Unlike Farming Simulator 15, however, the controller is recognized but without a preset configuration, so you have to spend some time customizing everything before it feels like a natural part of the game. The other title that happens to be compatible with the device is, oddly enough, Elite: Dangerous. Though the wheel doesn't make for a good replacement for a dedicated throttle and flightstick, the control panel is extremely useful for actions like setting beacons and turning on various ship functions, while the joystick is perfect for making small adjustments to your ship when in a landing and docking sequence.

What the controller doesn't work with, sadly, are racing games. We tried it out with Burnout Paradise, and the game refused to recognize it all, which was expected due to the game's age. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we tried using it with Project Cars, and even though that game seemed to know just about every racing wheel ever made, including some Logitech wheels from the PS2 era, it didn't recognize Saitek's wheel. Even when set to a generic wheel, it didn't function at all in-game. For those hoping this pulls double duty as a racing wheel, you'll have to wait and see if support will be made either through official or unofficial means.

It's a bit on the pricey side, with each component going for $150 while the whole package is $300, but the Heavy Equipment Precision Control System is a very good complementary device to Farming Simulator 15. The steering wheel and pedal combo has everything you need for the basics of driving machinery and walking around the environment, and the control panel is a great replacement to using the keyboard. It would be nice if the steering wheel set actually worked with racing games, but those who are already fans of titles like Euro Truck Simulator 2 and Elite: Dangerous will find that the controller's compatibility with those titles doesn't make its high cost seem that bad. If you've got the cash and room on your desk for this and you're already a big fan of the Farming Simulator series, this is worth it.

Score: 8.5/10