Recommendation on Steering Wheel

[Beezer]

My B'day is coming up and I thought I'd add a gaming steering wheel to my list. Anybody have any recommendations? Force feedback vs standard? Microsoft vs Logitech?

By the way, I DON'T plan to use this with UT.

[merchant2112]

ok there are two ways to do this, well 3 ways really.

1 force feed back. (ive tryed them they all feel wered. ( like a bad steering gear box or rack)and they cost big money.

2 non froce feed back. aka regular t master wheels, ect... they feel smooth (i have the supper sport) but those clamps and stuff to mount them are a pain. (get in the way of key board trays and any thiong elase you may have bolted under the desk top. same applys with 1 and 3 too.)

3 thomas super wheel (not a force feed back whell but made to last with replaceable parts. real steering wheel is used all metal and real solid parts (even has a clutch pedal that works if you want to pay for it.)
this is the wheel that inter net race nuts use. (ah i want one but the basic one cost like 220.00 us) only can be bought from the manufactors web page and each unit is custom made. probibly one of the best wheels on the market.
http://www.thomas-superwheel.com



[This message has been edited by merchant2112 (edited 13 April 2000).]

[skeoch]

Check out the Guillemot ferrari force feedback wheel, least expensive, most features, and well reviewed

------------------
P3 500@600Mhz, G400MAX,Abit BE6-2,Quantum KX 7200 13Gig,128Mb 100SDram,BT ISDN,SCSI 100Mb zip int,SB Live Value,Huappuage WinTV,Pioneer 6xDVDslot.

"Missing one CDRW drive answers to the name of fluffy!"

[Nuno]

Microsoft sidewinder forcefeedback wheel is decent and IT WORKS UNDER WIN2K. Force feedback in win2k Not bad for a non-gaming OS!

[muppet]

I recommend the Logitesh Formula Force, its about £120 here in the UK.
But using cables instead of gears gives it a smoother feel, the latest 3.30 drivers from logitech allow much better control so the amount of "feedback" can be controlled. Much better than that notchy ol microsoft thing.....
It also USB saving a port of entry...it even feels great cornoring hard, just knock up the amount of force used, Driver breathes again.

My system
PII 350 @392
G400 32MB @120% o'clocked
128MB ram
Supermicro P6SBA
W.Digital 6.4GB
and not alot else to write about. :-)

[Beezer]

Thanks for the input Everyone.
Hmmm.... 4 replies and 4 different recommendations....decisions, decisions.....

[DarkSyd]

With all the new racing games out now, I decided to get a wheel/pedal combo as well. I've decided on the Act Labs Force RS system with the optional 6 speed shifter...sweet! Plus, it can be used with PSX/Dreamcast/N64 consoles as well (adapters about $20). I play a lot of GranTursimo 2, so that is a real bonus.
For a good review of wheel/pedal combos from a driver's standpoint...this month's Car&Driver has a head to head review. Act Labs came out on top here as well.
http://www.act-labs.com/

DS

[Beezer]

Thanks for the added info, DarkSyd and Wiggo. I am leaning towards the Logitec, but I'll check out the Act-Labs.

Wiggo: You're probably right that this is more appropriate in the general hardware forum. I almost posted there instead, but ended here because I figured more gamers would respond. This is more of a "gaming opinion" post than a "how to" post.

[wiggo]

I'll go with muppet on this one. If you want force-feedback, go for the Logitech. Smooth action, no notchiness. But awful pedals :P

However, if you don't want forcefeed back either the TSW or try http://www.interactiveracing.com. The BRD Sim is about the best price v. perfomance non FFB wheel you can buy. Excellent pedals, too. In fact, I'm thinking of buying the pedals seperately to use with my Logitech...

BTW - Ant, Kruzin: This has got to be a candidate for General Hardware, hasn't it?




[This message has been edited by wiggo (edited 14 April 2000).]

[wiggo]

Beezer - I checked out your profile and I see that you are in the US, in which case the TSW will be better value after shipping than the BRD Sim (they're in the UK, y'see).

[This message has been edited by wiggo (edited 14 April 2000).]

[xortam]

I read reviews of feedback steering wheels a year ago prior to buying my new PC. This was going to be my "killer app" and I was all hot to try these driving games in hopes of having a safe realistic simulation versus paying for frame straightening and speeding tickets. I eventually decided on the Act Labs Force RS (based on the reviews) but I couldn't find one to test drive it. When I finally found some test systems, the best that was offered was the M$FT and Logitech wheels. Some kid was screaming through the new Star Wars Racer and I had him show me the ropes. Well, I was really disappointed. I guess I was imagining a system that was much more realistic as far as simulating real-world physics. I dropped interest in the wheels since then in hopes of seeing newer products come out that more closely fit my dream. This market seems to pretty thin though because their hasn't been much (or any) progress in the last year. Maybe I expect too much from a commercial PC based simulator (I'm not going to pay over $1K for a game).

[CannyOne]

With the "Abscounded Funds" the Government recently returned to me. I recently went in search of a FFB wheel. The only choices available locally were the Logitech and the Microsoft USB.

Having heard about the Logitech's incompatibility with some games, and it's "less than stellar" pedals. I chose the Sidewinder FFB USB. It's "Force" and Centering Tension are adjustable. All the buttons are within easy reach. And though the base for the pedals tends to slide (and IMO could use more tension "behind the pedals"), they seem to work progressively. Practically every driving game in existance is compatible! Win2K didn't want me to load the drivers so I didn't force the issue, and haven't tried using it in that OS.

Gaming with this device is an improvement over the Thrustmaster unit I had previously been using. I was particularly interested in it's function with 3 games: Gran Prix Legends, Viper Racing and Rally Championship. The force-feedback response does indeed help me suceed at playing these games, not in simply providing a touch of "immersion". Other games like SW Episode 1 Racer are also quite a bit of fun with FFB.

The real clincher was that I was able to talk the salesman at EB down to $129 (from $149). But I was purchasing other things at the same time. You may not be able to get it for that price, unless it is on sale someplace else (then ask them to price-match). Good Luck!

DOH! I can't seem to spell tonight!

[This message has been edited by CannyOne (edited 17 April 2000).]