There's this pretty average barcade in Melbourne that I've gone to 4 times now. An average barcade is also a pretty shitty barcade from my experience and what I hear. They have a tasty cocktail that I refuse to buy called "The Bubsy". Anyway, 'Speed Race' is super bizarre.

I've never touched controls with so little friction before. I'm not sure if the cabinet they have at this barcade is in good condition or not, but all three inputs are as smooth as a pilot custom 823 14K gold fountain pen with a medium nib on Rhodia 80GSM paper. The gear change stick moves without any chunk, click, or heft. The steering wheel turns like polished glass with no resistance as much as you like in any direction. The pedal goes up and down with a ginger spring.

Somehow this works wonderfully for this game though! It's my favourite cabinet I've played there! Weaving between those cars, managing the narrowing of the track, pulling off from the side with that strange gear stick; all of it feels like how I imagine figure skaters must feel on freshly polished ice. Sometimes I need to get from one side of the track to the other, and I throw the wheel to the left and let it spin with my hand off it, catching it a half moment later. This is the most enjoyable part of the game. Tossing the wheel back and forth. Then, when the track gets narrow, you hold it carefully the way you might hold a babies finger that they've pointed towards you and gently ease it left and right.

It really works! I guess it's all swishy friction, if I am to use Tim Rogers' vocab there. It feels icier than that though. Regular swish still has that moment of friction that we call "swish". It's not slippery like greasy friction either though. Ice skater's aren't slipping on oil, they've got blades on their feet.