Throughout the entire Original XBOX Generation “we” (the gamers) did not have a Force Feedback Wheel for PGR series, Forza, SegaGT, Rallisport Challenge series and other racers. This was due to licensing issues and while unfortunate it is now history. Back in early November Microsoft released their Wireless Force Feedback Wheel for the 360. The Wireless Force Feedback Steering Wheel retails for 149.99 and includes the following:
-Well “Designed and Constructed” Wheel
-Power Supply (small in size)
-Pedals (again very well constructed)
-RG45 cable (phone cable) for connecting Wheel and Pedals together
-Battery case with 2 AA batteries
-Table mount for the wheel
-PGR3 Force Feedback Edition
Unpacking the product was madness. I had to nearly destroyed the packaging to get all of the contents out (see image below). So if you plan to return the unit, BE VERY CAREFUL. It will take a lot of patience to get everything back in the packaging. I am convinced this was on purpose.
The Wheel is powered by an external power supply. The power supply is needed for Force Feedback, Vibration and Wireless Connectivity. If you do not want to use the power supply you can use the battery case which is located inside a compartment on the right side of the Wheel. The case requires 2 AA batteries (included) or you can use the XBOX 360 rechargeable battery pack. When using the battery you will lose “Force Feedback” but retain Vibration and Wireless Connectivity.
The Wheel has the same features as the Wireless Controllers. There is a guide button along with the ring of light and a sync button. There are also the usual XBOX buttons of A, B, X, Y, Start and Back. As I mentioned earlier the Wheel is VERY WELL made. The Wheel is white and dark grey in color, the usual 360 color scheme. The plastic material the Wheel is constructed of is sturdy with edges that are stylish and curved. The underside of the Wheel is curved to fit your lap with ridges to help keep the Wheel in place. Connecting the Wheel wirelessly to the console is the same as the wireless controller, simply push the sync button on the console and then the sync button the Wheel. Done. I was also able to use the 360 Wireless Headset with the Wheel without issue. I inserted the Force Feedback Edition of PGR3 first which supposedly contains the patch for PGR3. Upon insertion I was prompted to download an update for the game. Under Controllers there is a single option to select for the Wheel. It has these settings as default:
-Right Trigger/Right Pedal = Gas
-Left Trigger/Left Pedal = Brake
-A button = Hand Brake
-Y button = Look Behind
-B button = Change View
-X button = Gear Down/Reverse
-Right button/Right Level = Gear Up
-Left button/Left Level = Gear Down/Reverse
The Wheel can be used in our laps or mounted to a table or desk. I have an XBOX 360 at my desk and one in the living room. I do not play much at my desk anymore (which has a 27” HDTV LCD) as I use my 52” Projection HDTV LCD in the living room. Since I use the 52” in the living room mounting the wheel was a serious issue. Lap racing does not work well as the Wheel is never steady adding frustration to the whole experience. I spent too much time trying to keep the Wheel straight during driving and mounting the Wheel to a table was an issue as finding one the right height was difficult. Then the Pedals presented another issue. I generally do not use Pedals as it is hard to keep Pedals in place resulting more frustration especially since I have hardware floors. Therefore I generally map the gas and brakes to the levers on the Wheel which are generally used for Gear Up and Gear Down. I accept this compromise as I prefer to be comfortable. Yes, I lose the benefit of having analog Pedals but again I prefer to be comfortable. In the Force Feedback Edition of PGR3 there is no option to customize your controls. I was bummed by this quite a bit. Customizing should be mandatory in a game. I then spent some time on Bizarre Creations PGR3 forum and posted a thread regarding a patch for this issue. Everyone acted like I was a NOOB (really pissed me off). In their mind I had no idea what I was doing since I did not want to use the Pedals. I understand the loss involved with not using the Pedals, but again I do not want to struggle. I am making a compromise. This was apparently beyond the comprehension of some posters on the board. I then tried using a piece of carpet and suction cups but they did not really work well.
Therefore I started looking for a Racing Chair. I remembered that Fry’s here in the Bay Area carried the Playseat Racing Chairs.
The Playseat Racing Chairs provide an authentic Racing Chair along with a place to mount your Pedals and Wheel. I purchased the Chair for 249.99. Assembly of the Chair took about 30 minutes (easy). The Chair includes the necessary tools, screws and turn knobs to assemble the Chair in a timely and efficient manner. Following the assemble of the Chair I spent about 10 to 15 minutes carefully applying the Velcro (included with the Chair) on the Pedals and Wheel mounts on the Chair. I then applied the Velcro to the Wheel. The tricky part of using the Velcro on the Wheel was making sure I had the Velcro far enough to the left and right so I could use the table mount if I ever needed to (not using the table mount as it provides too much height) as the table mount attaches to the bottom middle of the Wheel. Applying the Velcro to the Pedals was not as serious an issue. Once I mounted the Wheel and Pedals to the Chair I was completely done with setup (WOOHOO I thought).
The Racing Chair is VERY comfortable. I can sit in this chair for hours without feeling any pain or discomfort. Spreading my legs out to reach the Pedals instead of having the Pedals under my feet feels very natural. Just sitting in the chair made me feel like I have climbed into the cockpit of a Indy Racing Car. Then the Mario Andretti feeling came over me and a sense of euphoria as racing in PGR3 feels very authentic. Being able to use both hands to control my vehicle with the Wheel is very natural and provided me with much more control over the vehicle. Using the analog Pedals feels authentic as well. I can gently throttle the gas during turning and also apply different levels of pressure on the brake with ease. Steering does take a lot of getting used to therefore the learning curve is a bit high. I am still spending a lot of time learning to control the cars under many circumstances with the Wheel which always felt too easy using the controller.
Steering in the Chair is solid. The arm that the Wheel resides on does move a little when I apply force from sudden movements while racing but it is a minor annoyance I that I adjusted to in very little time. The Pedals are perfect. Angled and Steady, never moving. A near perfect recreation of being in a actual race car which only adds to the simulation experience.
Steering within PGR3 itself is satisfactory for the most part but there are some issues. Understeer is a huge problem at times. I had to turn the Wheel more than I should to get the desired response I was seeking. If I achieved “air” there was a slight oversteer upon landing which at times made landing a bit more challenging. These are minor issues but worth mentioning.
The Strength of the Force Feedback in PGR3 is moderately strong. I use to have a Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Steering Wheel for the PC back in the day. The Sidewinder had an insane amount of Force Feedback. The Force would shake my solid Oak Desk while playing Need for Speed 2 Hot Pursuit and Midtown Madness 2 (LOVED both of these game so much). Therefore it was probably my expectation based off of the Sidewinder that leads me to believe the Force Feedback is not very strong. After playing for a while I came to the conclusion that the Feedback is more than acceptable and fairly strong at times such as when I would smack another car, run over a curb or run dead into a barrier. I believe the weak Force at times is probably a programming issue since Bizarre had to rush the patch for PGR3 as the Wheel was originally schedule to release with Forza 2 this holiday (delayed until Feb 2007). I will wait for Forza 2 to see if this is correct. The Vibration is excellent as you can feel rough roads and the Wheels spinning while burning out or doing burn outs. Racing in the chair with the 360 Wheel has provided a in-home experience that is unrivaled.
I did test Need for Speed Carbon which actually has support for the Wheel but the support is horrible. Nothing but understeer all the time making simple driving a mundane task that everyone should pass on. I simply could not race with the Wheel in Need for Speed Carbon without wanting to scream in brutal frustration. EA really needs to fix this in the near future. Test Drive Unlimited will be tested at a later time.
Quick Note on the Table Mount for the Wheel: The Table Mount is also well made and designed. You can mount the Table Mount to a table or desk then “snap” the Wheel onto the Table Mount. To remove the Wheel, push the button located on the front of the Mount and then pull up to release. Very good design.
Overall, Racing in PGR3 with the Playseat Racing Chair and the 360 Wireless Force Feedback Steering Wheel is an AWESOME Experience that is worth every bit of $400.00 for serious race fans. With Forza 2 on the way, the investment only increases in value making it one of the best simulators for the money (along with your $300.00 or $400.00 XBOX 360).