Quite a ride!
Written: Dec 29 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unprecedented performance and precise steering, acceleration, and braking
Cons: A couple of software bugs, the installation can be interesting.
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| ImJamesW's Full Review: Microsoft Sidewinder Wheel |
First of all, I don't know where the 60 dollar price tag came from on the page w/ the picture, but I got mine for 206 dollars a year ago and it was on sale this Christmas at Comp USA for 155. I must say, it is quite an advance in gaming technology. The force feedback on this wheel is equal only to that of it's brother, the Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro joystick. This product comes with 2 of the most popular (and fun) racing games on the market today: Cart Precision Racing and Monster Truck Madness 2. The sim (Cart precision) is actually used in the training of pro Indy car racers today.
The hook-up of this device is basically simple, the wheel sets on a desk and clamps on the lip of the table with a versatile plastic clamp that handles all of the moving and shaking pretty well with no slip. There are 3 cords, one that plugs in the sound port on the PC, one that is the AC to the wall, and the other to the pedals to the back of the wheel.
There are a couple of drawbacks, however. The product has required upgrades that don't always "stick", meaning that once the patch is installed to the hard drive, if you configure the device drivers or reset something, the software may revert to the original state and you may need to find the patch on your hard drive and re-install it again. Personally, I have done this 4 or 5 times.
Another drawback is the fact that if you decide to go out and spontaneously decide to buy a new desk or table for your computer, you may want to take the wheel with you and make sure it will fit in a convenient location... Mine is to the furthermost left corner because we have a sliding keyboard drawer. I have to turn the monitor 45 degrees to the left to be able to see as I play.
As far as the performance goes, I give this product an A+. No jitters or unexpected gunfire from your car as you are cruising down the front stretch of Indy... yeah, but it is a ride and a half.
If you like to play and not worry about the keyboard, this wheel is a MUST. There are 8 separate programmable buttons on the wheel itself and a program included in the software enabling the creation of push button macros in any game. Check out Microsoft's web site and you will see. Just search for "Sidewinder Force Feedback Wheel" and you're in business.
Remember that if the game doesn't support force feedback, you won't feel the bumps and jumps. The controller will still work and everything, it'll even give some resistance, but you will not have any jumps and jolts.
All in all, I am satisfied with my purchase. There is no controller like it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 206
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Epinions.com ID:
ImJamesW
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Member: James White
Location: Southern CA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 9 members
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