Xbox Racing Wheel poll/survey (1 Viewer)

[Daren Welsh]

With new racers coming out, I'm itching to get back behind the wheel, but I still don't have one and I have to use that damned thumbstick or d-pad to steer at 100+ mph. That just won't do. While I'm pretty sure there aren't any FF wheels out there and I don't think there will be for a while, what wheels have you settled for? If I'm going to get a wheel setup, it had better have pedals. It would also be nice to have a shifting arm, but I won't complain if I have to use buttons on the wheel. So would you guys mind posting your experience with wheels ... which ones you like, how has it faired over the races (durability), etc?

 

[Martin Rendall]

I tried two different Madcatz wheels. They both caused disconnection errors. I settled on some sort of Nascar wheel. Not nearly as nice as the Matcatz, but at least it works! But I've found that it's way harder to race well with the wheels...

Martin.

 

[Dan B]

Martin, I just started using a Madcatz MC2 wheel & it worked fine with Apex & Colin McRae Rally 3. Then, last night I tried it on Sega GT 2002 & Rallisport Challenge & I got disconnection messages with those games frequently. Maybe this was a problem with earlier games & they've worked out the problem in newer games? I don't know for sure, but if I do get any disconnects with the newer games I'll be sure to mention it...and get rid of the wheel.

 

[Martin Rendall]

Yes, I was getting them with Sega 2002GT. Frankly, I believe it to be a hardware problem (otherwise my new wheel would likely not work either). Given that Rallisport is a M$ title, I find it even harder to believe it isn't the hardware.

As an aside, I even read a review where the review mentioned in passing that he got the disconnect problem... but he felt that since it only happened every 45 minutes or so, he could easily live with it. Not me.

Good luck!
Martin.

 

[Daren Welsh]

Are you using the Xbox or Universal version of the MadCatz MC2? Does it really matter? Also, on the MadCatz site, one of the features says, "Double injected steering wheel with rubber coating is specially designed to provide optimal vibration feedback." Does this mean actual FF, or does the wheel just shake some using the same signal that would cause the regular controller to vibrate when driving on gravel?

 

[EdR]

I've owned the MadCatz MC2 (universal - works on PS2, Xbox and GC) for about a week and it's performed very well.

I've owned quite a few wheels, from Logitech, InterAct, and some others I can't recall (Some Nascar one which sucked). This is easily as good as the Logitech in terms of quality. The worst one is the InterAct, which feels very cheap and flimsy.

So far I've only used the MC2 with the Xbox, and I'm really happy with it. The calibration system is very easy to use. The shifter feels substantial and has a very positive 'click' feedback. The wheel is weighty and solid and there's virtually no 'play' at all if you try to push it around.

The pedals are great. I had problems with other wheel's pedal platform slowly drifting away as I pushed on them during a game. The MC2 is designed with hinged pedals that can be operated form a more vertical position, which you are likely to be in while sitting in a chair.

The main downside of the MC2 is that you can't remap the buttons, levers, etc. on the Xbox. You can do this on the PS2 and GC. So if the game you're playing doesn't let you do this, you're stuck with whatever the configuration of the game is.

Keep in mind that I've only had this wheel a week, and I haven't tried it in a ton of games (actually, just three, PGR, Colin McRae and Apex). Soemthing may come up in time that I haven't seen yet.

EDIT: Just saw your post above...The MC2 doesn't have force feedback. Just vibration.

 

[Dan B]

Darren, I'm using the Xbox-only version of the wheel. I not sure, but I think it's basically identical to the universal version.

Martin, I've put several hours into both Colin McRae 3 & Apex without any problems with the MC 2 wheel. (Apex plays much better with the wheel than the gamepad BTW) However, almost immediately when playing Sega GT 2002 or Rallisport I get disconnects. So I think it's a software thing & not a hardware thing. Having said that, those 2 games are basically unplayable with this wheel. When you get the disconnect message, it also loses it's calibration so it's really a pain. I'm betting they've fixed it with newer games, as this is a pretty popular wheel & I'm sure the issue has come to everyone's attention.

 

[Martin Rendall]

Dan,

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. But I think it's telling that the calibration is lost when the software hickups. That is, how could a game cause the wheel to forget your calibration settings? And if it's the software, why do other controllers work fine?

I was using the xbox version of the wheel for both tries.

Martin.

 

[Dan B]

Martin, I just called MadCatz customer service & got the answer. (BTW the person I spoke to was really on the ball...a small miracle )

There is in fact a known hardware defect with a chip in the Xbox version of the wheel.
He told me turning off the vibration in the game settings might help, but:

-The Universal MC 2 wheel does not have this problem

-They are working on a replacement chip for the Xbox version of the wheel & they will replace yours when they have the fix if you send an email to:
[email protected]


So, I'm taking mine back & exchanging it for the Universal one.

 

[Martin Rendall]

Good show! Sadly, I don't have mine anymore, and my inferior wheel is beyond the return period. The store even offered a universal wheel to try, but I'd had enough of Matcatz by then :frowning:

Martin.

 

[Daren Welsh]

Thanks for calling, Dan. I _almost_ bought the Xbox version at BB, but held off in hopes that GS or EB would have the universal version. Unfortunately, EB only had one ... it was the universal, but it looked like it was pink instead of red. Can anyone confirm whether the red is actually red instead of pink. I can't be cruisin' in no pink wheels :p)

 

[EdR]

Can anyone confirm whether the red is actually red instead of pink.

It's red, a rich and intense red. I suspect it's hard to match the red in print, because the boxes I saw all looked pink too.

 

[Daren Welsh]

Hmm, I guess I'll go back and try to get the last one at the local EB. Those evil demons are selling it for $65 when everyone else on the planet is selling it for $60. I can't seem to find the universal one anywhere else, though. It'd be sweet if BB had it, because of the netflix $5 coupon

 

[Brandon_H]

I sure wish Logitech would hurry up and release an Xbox wheel.

 

[Scott Bourden]

Darren,

My local EB will pricematch other local retailers, have you checked to see if your local one does as well?

 

[Daren Welsh]

I'll give it a shot.

 

[Daren Welsh]

I was able to get one of the two guys at the local EB to drop the price $5, but he made it out to be a big deal, muttering, "I'm gonna get in trouble for this...." (gimme a break) On a better note, they were having a special deal on MadCatz stuff where, if you buy one MC accessory, you get 50% off a second one. So my buddy grabbed a wheel and we went in on the deal together. Of course the guy had to butt in and say he wouldn't price match for two wheels, only one. *sigh* Whatever ... I guess in the long run I saved some money. I'll try it out tonight with PGR, RSC, and CMR3.

 

[Masood Ali]

Saitek released a wheel that retails for $30 w/o pedals, and it got a favorable review at IGN (8.5/10). If I can track one down, I'll give you guys a review myself.

 

[Daren Welsh]

I tried my new MC2 on the 3 racing games I own and it works great. My only real complaint, other than not having custom programmable buttons for the XBOX, is that it's really hard to use the hand-brake using one of the buttons in the middle of the wheel. While not as important in rally racing, it's pretty essential to use the hand-brake in PGR. I'll have to figure out a way to get comfortable in this new setup.