Ok what I didn't notice was that disconnecting my battery also reset my climate control, which for some reason defaults to AC at 78 degrees. That explains why my car actually seemed a little slower than usual after I put in the DPS. I turned off the AC and THEN the thing started to move, but it wasn't THAT big a difference over what it used to be. Throttle response still isn't any better, and that was the main reason I wanted the DPS. I can get brighter headlights and more horsepower for less money. I'll give this thing a little more time to prove itself, though, just to be fair. Maybe take it on a little trip to LA or San Diego to see how it does on long-distance freeway driving (about 80 miles to LA from here). Around town it has a little more low-end. Still have to test the high-end on the freeway.
So I'm convinced it's not a hoax
I'm just still not convinced that it's worth $250. Maybe if it was the last modification I could make to my car without pulling the engine and tearing it up, I'd buy it, but my engine is still bone stock and there's a lot of parts I can get, even for my relatively obscure motor, that will probably cost about the same altogether.