So the IT guys got these in today and I had a bit of time to unpack one and try it after work. Um, we don't make racing games why did IT get them....
Pretty solid construction and it has a weighty feel to it, feels twice as heavy as the wireless 360 controller. Powered by two AA batteries that fit snugly underneath the bottom side of the U shaped controller. The face and directional buttons are easily accessible during gameplay. They failed though in the design to make room for the RB/LB buttons for any games that you'd want to use the Paddle Shifter/Menu selection...if you plan on using this wheel thing get used to racing with automatic gear switching (unless you remap the face buttons). The back catalog of xbox racing games recognize this as microsofts older discontinued Wireless Racing Wheel.
Cons:
- No LB/RB buttons. This is a game killer for Need for Speed Shift 1, you can't navigate the Tiers as you progress through the career mode. Shift 2's menu's are better accessible. So natural paddle shifting is out.
- Default sensitivity for games like Shift/Dirt is way too low; you'll need to adjust them manually for the car to reflect your movements.
- Since you're holding the wheel there is no recentering of the wheel for straight aways, depending on how sensitive you set your options, you could be swerving down perfectly straight roads (which is par for the course with EA's NFS Shift games, lol).
- The weight does lead to fatigue depending on how you hold the controller. I found myself resting my arms on the office chair and that eased things, but you'll find yourself wishing for a real wheel that's clamped to the desk.
- Abysmal performance on any arcade racing game that relies on drifting. You initiate a drift and the car will inadvertently just spin itself out and you'll be driving the wrong way. This is very apparent in NFS Hot Pursuit.
Pros:
- Wheel was tailor made for Forza. Car handling, responsiveness, and brake/acceleration work as expected with Turn 10's game. Doesn't seem like it works well with any other games in my library, but it works with Forza perfectly.
- Vibration feedback is comparable to the xbox controller. You get slight rumbling on car impacts, riding on those side road nub things, and when you go off track. Nowhere near the road feedback you'd get with Logitech's wheels, but at least there's some faint feedback (compared to madcatz's wheels).
Summary: Not worth it. If you're hardcore enough to want a wheel for Forza you're better off tracking down the discontinued MS wheel on ebay or ordering a Fanatec wheel instead - Madcatz current offerings aren't worth it. This only goes to illustrate MS is lacking in entry level wheels like Playstation has with the Logitech Driving Force for their car sim games (Gran Turismo 5). The wonky performance on any game that isn't Forza would piss anyone off if they actually paid for this.
No Buy.
Pretty solid construction and it has a weighty feel to it, feels twice as heavy as the wireless 360 controller. Powered by two AA batteries that fit snugly underneath the bottom side of the U shaped controller. The face and directional buttons are easily accessible during gameplay. They failed though in the design to make room for the RB/LB buttons for any games that you'd want to use the Paddle Shifter/Menu selection...if you plan on using this wheel thing get used to racing with automatic gear switching (unless you remap the face buttons). The back catalog of xbox racing games recognize this as microsofts older discontinued Wireless Racing Wheel.
Cons:
- No LB/RB buttons. This is a game killer for Need for Speed Shift 1, you can't navigate the Tiers as you progress through the career mode. Shift 2's menu's are better accessible. So natural paddle shifting is out.
- Default sensitivity for games like Shift/Dirt is way too low; you'll need to adjust them manually for the car to reflect your movements.
- Since you're holding the wheel there is no recentering of the wheel for straight aways, depending on how sensitive you set your options, you could be swerving down perfectly straight roads (which is par for the course with EA's NFS Shift games, lol).
- The weight does lead to fatigue depending on how you hold the controller. I found myself resting my arms on the office chair and that eased things, but you'll find yourself wishing for a real wheel that's clamped to the desk.
- Abysmal performance on any arcade racing game that relies on drifting. You initiate a drift and the car will inadvertently just spin itself out and you'll be driving the wrong way. This is very apparent in NFS Hot Pursuit.
Pros:
- Wheel was tailor made for Forza. Car handling, responsiveness, and brake/acceleration work as expected with Turn 10's game. Doesn't seem like it works well with any other games in my library, but it works with Forza perfectly.
- Vibration feedback is comparable to the xbox controller. You get slight rumbling on car impacts, riding on those side road nub things, and when you go off track. Nowhere near the road feedback you'd get with Logitech's wheels, but at least there's some faint feedback (compared to madcatz's wheels).
Summary: Not worth it. If you're hardcore enough to want a wheel for Forza you're better off tracking down the discontinued MS wheel on ebay or ordering a Fanatec wheel instead - Madcatz current offerings aren't worth it. This only goes to illustrate MS is lacking in entry level wheels like Playstation has with the Logitech Driving Force for their car sim games (Gran Turismo 5). The wonky performance on any game that isn't Forza would piss anyone off if they actually paid for this.
No Buy.
