Xbox steering wheels (OutRun2 prep)

[Thurrabred]

I don't see anything that says that Logitech wheel is force feedback, plus the fact that it uses suction cups (*sigh* they never work well) and wings rather than a clamp would suggest it isn't ff. Also the pedals look suprisingly cheap for logitech, wheel looks good though. Another things is the inclusion of the memory card slot would suggest that it supports the headset.

I guess I'll stick with my Madcatz wheel until further notice, at least it has a stick shift for authentic Outrun 2 shifting and it's the only wheel that supports the headset atm. Shame it doesn't have the spring tension of the Dreamcast version......so much better

[Pij]

what do you think of the madcatz wheel? its the only decentish looking one atm

[Thurrabred]

Well tbh the pedals are ****, the wings for playing on your lap work very well though, however if you're gonna be playing purely on a desk, the suction cups are as always wank and you'll find the back end of the wheel lifting off unless u secure it down by other means. The wheel itself is decent, 270 degree turning, paddles are a bit small but ok, the up/down stick shift is fine. The wheel has less resistance for turning than its Dreamcast counterpart which is a shame, I'll have to swap the springs over.

The big bonus as I mentioned is it supports the headset, and tbh although it's not ideal it does the job, plus there's only 2 wheels with a stick shift, this and the topdrive gt4 wheel, but i can't find any real info on that wheel.

[Salsa Party Animal]

I would like Games TM to do monthly hardware round up guide ie XBOX steering wheels, two issue ago got 3D graphics cards for PC (I am currently reading last issue)

[randombs]

well my steering wheel arrived yesterday...shame noone was here so i have to get it today (thank god the sorting office is open on saturdays!)

i'll let you lot know how it goes especially how it plays on outrun 2

it doesn't have a memory card slot however, so it looks like i'm going to have to add my own (from tech stuff i've read, seems the xbox pad is actually a hub which has a 'pad' and two mem card slots connected to it, so should be straightforward to do) for xb live and stuff. although i don't have a live headset yet, i'll still do it, then i can sell the wheel if it's naff, complete with mem card slot and outrun 2 demo (and maybe the 2 month trial i have if it'll raise the price - eBayers, eh?)

[randombs]

right i got the wheel. haven't tried it yet, but feels ok. plastic-y, sure, reminds me of the saturn wheel, but tighter when turning it. the base is surprisingly small (obviously as there's no force feedback) and it fits rather comfortable on my lap. the pedals are nice, in that the brake is harder to press, like a real brake pedal, whereas the accelerator is nice and smooth.

[Commander Marklar]

The Saitek wheel is OK, you get these for free with RBR at Toys 'R Us although they're lacking a comms port for the headset. Nice and strong spring but utimately poor because it lacks proper feedback (it does rumble, best turned off).

The FF-Ferrari one is rubbish though, it isn't proper force feedback like the Logitech wheels but maybe that's just Sega GT's crap feedback.

[randombs]

yeah? i've heard good things about the saitek too. i think the rumble on my wheel is crap (the light vibration is spot on, but the heavy one takes a little while to spin up!, i keep it on either no vibration or minimum vibration)

ok peeps, here's the deal
played outrun 2, burnout 2, burnout 3, project gotham (didn't try pgr2) and rallisport (didn't try 2) all on xbox

all played fine, and i had a blast. takes a little getting used to as there's a small deadzone, but i just set the steering sensitivity to high (can be set on the wheel while you play) and it's really responsive.

i'll need to practice to be as good on the wheel as i am on the pad, but the experience makes up for that. the lap-rest is heaven sent and means i can use the pedals wherever i am without needing a table - just a chair is needed. it can also be placed on the ground but it's not ideal.

vibration works for all games except burnout 3, but burnout 3 caters perfectly for the wheel, whereas the other games just stick with the standard button layout:

in bo3, if using automatic gears, the gear shifts become boost (shift down) and rear view (shift up). works really well, and means i don't need to take my eyes off the screen to see what button to press.

also, powersliding in bo3 is really sweet, and in outrun 2 it's like the arcade...almost

however, i'm thinking of selling the wheel soon (will bundle it with my outrun 2 demo and 2 month live subscription to boost the price on ebay, or i may sell it here) and waiting to see what happens in the wake of outrun 2's release

[carrick]

have fun

[randombs]

yeah similar deadzone problem with my wheel.

i'm thinking of selling it and buying a non-xbox wheel and simply modding it to work on the xbox. won't be too difficult i hope, as long as i pay attention to mapping the analogue stick to the wheel. i seriously doubt i'd be able to mod a force-feedback wheel, although it would be nice!

i'm starting a thread asking for favourite wheels on any format to see what people come up with:

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?p=330325

[VR46]

just came across this one, don't know if it's any good

http://www.gbaflash.co.uk/xbdrive.html