Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14377 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Microsoft
• Released on: 2006-12-01
• Platform: Xbox 360

Manufacturer's Description:
Racing has never felt so real! Hold on tight as you hug corner after corner, skid through the sand, or trade paint with rival cars fighting for position--the wireless wheel simulates all the resistance and force, immersing you in a relentless and unparalleled racing experience. Featuring sleek design and cutting edge technology like dual Rumble motors and powerful Force Feedback, the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel is a masterpiece of form and function. This also includes a force feedback version of Project Gotham Racing 3.

Customer Reviews

Incredible with some games, pathetic with others.
As an add-on for the 360 this is a very impressive piece of equipment. The actual steering wheel is sturdy enough and doesn't feel like it will fall apart when negotiating a tricky hairpin! The pedals are equally impressive and are huge. The accelerator and brake are very well spaced and there is no problem of your feet banging together that you get with some smaller versions. One criticism is the use of the word "wireless". Strictly speaking the way the wheel communicates with the 360 is "wireless" but in order to set it up there are a number of wires involved. Firstly there is one which runs from the wheel to the pedals and secondly it needs plugging into the mains in order to activate force feedback. So "wireless", I don't think so.

The wheel can be used on your lap but I suggest it is best if you use the clamp provided and attach the wheel onto a table. Driving with it mounted on your lap is very difficult and just doesn't feel right. I got a little coffee table form Ikea for 8 quid which is perfect!

As far as a review goes, I think the easiest way to rate this steering wheel is on how it performs when used as intended. I have so far used it on three games and hopefully this will give you some insight as whether this wheel is worth the (rather steep) asking price.

Project Gotham Racing 3: This comes packaged with the wheel and is exactly the same as the normal retail version. The only difference is that it comes in a paper wallet rather than a normal case. The instructions say to put this in first to install the "drivers". This is not necessary. The game will simply load as normal and the wheel works fine.

On a normal "street race" or a "hot lap" the wheel is fantastic. The force feedback is stronger than I expected and at times you find yourself wrestling with the wheel to apply opposite lock to stop a skid. One downside is that the handbrake is operated by the "A" button which makes games such as "time vs. kudos" virtually impossible as it is difficult to have any control whilst turning the wheel and hitting "A" at the same time. Unfortunately, for these types of races it is much easier to use the normal controller. Another downside is the gear shift paddles do not change gear. Instead they act as shoulder buttons and will alter the view rather than change gear.

Overall though, this wheel is great fun with Gotham Racing. Rating the wheel with this game would get 4 out of 5 stars.

Colin McRae Dirt: Oh dear. The wheel just doesn't work with this game at all. I thought it was just me at first but friends of mine have all had a go now and we all found it impossible to have any real control. The steering is far too sensitive and the same problem emerges as Gotham Racing with regard to the handbrake. In a rally game in which the hand brake is used frequently, it is difficult to use and the game becomes extremely difficult and no fun whatsoever. Stick with the normal controller on this game. A big shame because I was really hoping it would work well on this game.

Overall, a huge disappointment when using the wheel with Dirt. Sadly 1 out of 5 stars.

Forza 2: This is the main reason I bought the wheel and thankfully it is well worth it. The feeling you get from each car is sublime. If anything, it makes the game even more difficult as the controls are so precise that every slight movement changes the behaviour of the cars. However, once you get used to this, the game is far more rewarding than simply using the normal controller. The difference in front/rear/four wheel drive cars is more noticeable and learning how to control each type is fantastic fun. The force feedback is astonishing and at times the wheel snaps violently back into place after you have corrected a skid or when the car goes completely out of shape. It is clearly apparent that Forza 2 was developed in conjunction with this wheel as the attention to detail is phenomenal. For example, leave your foot down at the start of a race in a powerful front wheel drive car and take your hands of the wheel. When the lights go green the car lurches forward and torque steer is replicated sending the car veering to the left or right.

Overall this wheel makes an already excellent game even better. Easily 5 out of 5 stars.

To sum up, this wheel is perfect when used with Forza 2. The amount it adds to the overall driving experience is amazing. It delivers equal amounts of frustration and pleasure as you try and master the controls of a 500BHP super car. With PGR 3 its good and with Dirt it is rubbish.

Whether it is worth the asking price when only handful of compatible games are available is debatable. It really does depend on how much you love your driving games. If like me they are your favourite genre then it is an essential purchase. If not, then I think there are maybe other things you would rather spend your money on.

It's hard work!
Have had the steering wheel for a few days now and have been using it with Colin McRae's DiRT demo mainly on the hill climb stage.

Firstly, the instruction booklet says that you can attach the wheel to a table if you desire (alternative is to use it on your lap). I would say this more of a requirement if you're to get the best out of it. Same goes with the pedals. If you can, put them against something solid to hold them in place otherwise you are constantly fighting to keep them in place. If you have a very thick carpet then this might not be as much of an issue.

The steering itself is very realistic. In the DiRT demo I had the camera in cockpit view and my steering would exactly match the steering wheel shown in the car. However, such is the realism, I'm now discovering that driving a rally car is hard work! Sounds obvious when I say it now ;-)
For example, if going round a corner and you want to correct oversteer to do this with the controller it is a simple flick with the LS directional control in the opposite direction. To do the same with steering wheel you have to turn it about 90 degrees in the opposite direction. You have to do it quickly too as otherwise, as I found out, you spend a lot of time zig zagging down the road and getting no where fast.

I think the point I'm trying to make here is that I didn't appreciate how much more difficult driving would become with the steering wheel until I bought it. I'm hoping that over time things will improve such that I can get back to the same level I was at with the controller.

So, I would say if you're a casual gamer then this is not worth getting as quite a lot of time and effort is required to get to a semi decent level. However, if it's realism you're looking for (not that I'm rally driver) then I'd say this gets you a lot closer. The force feedback adds a lot to the game too such that you feel every bump on the track. I'm now finding that after doing the hill climb my arms are knackered at the end of it! I can't over emphasise how much more difficult it makes the game though compared to the controller. However, once you start to master it then it becomes a lot more fun too.

I haven't said much about the PGR3 game that comes with the wheel only because I haven't been playing it that much. Seems OK although I found there was only one setting within the game for the wheel so you couldn't remap the controls. You may be able to do this out with the game (e.g. use the paddle on the wheel to accelerate instead of the pedal) but I've yet to find how to do this.

It's my first wheel + pedals (so I don't have much to compare it to) but I've given it 4 stars based on my experience with it.

Great fun!!!
I just got the Wireless Racing Wheel today, and am pleased to say it's fantastic - easily the best console steering wheel I've ever used. Unlike most wheels it's sturdy even without being clamped to a desk, and the pedals don't move about under your feet. One slight negative is that although the rubber wheel gives good grip, it has rubbed against my thumb and made it a bit sore.It's also really easy to setup - just pop in the disk supplied and you're off. It's a bit disappointing you have to plug into the mains to get the full Force Feedback, which kind of goes against the whole point of being wireless, but it's hardly the end of the world.

But who cares about sore thumbs and wiring? The most important thing is that it's just great fun! I hadn't played PGR3 for months, but the bundled Force Feedback version has really made it fun again. It uses your standard PGR3 save so no need to start from scratch. It's much more challenging with the wheel (especially Cone Challenges!) but also much more rewarding!

I would definitely recommend this to any racing fan, particularly in a few months when Forza Motorsprt 2 comes out.