Fun Fun Fun
Written: Jan 01 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Super effects
Cons: Incompatibility with some other hardware
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| neilkn's Full Review: Microsoft Sidewinder Wheel |
Having gotten into Midtown Madness and Need for Speed, I've been wanting a force feedback steering wheel for a good while. There it was, Christmas morning under the tree in an unmistakable box from Santa. WOW!!! Very easy to connect, just plug into the USB port, no more game port connection on the new model. A possible negative if you don't have a USB system. Clamping it to the computer desk is very easy with the screw-down clamp and throw lever to lock it on. I can actually keep the cars on track! No more zigzagging back and forth across the road from guard rail to guard rail using an over-responsive joystick or keyboard. It feels as though I'm in control now, a big difference making the games more enjoyable.
It looks and feels like a real steering wheel. It has a nice grip, not skimpy or cheesy feeling. And the rubber on the wheel gives a nice feeling of control, like you won't lose it when it starts bucking on you. And boy does it buck. It came with one game, Monster Truck 2. Microsoft has apparently stopped shipping the second game with it. Maybe it was a part of the price-cutting to make it more affordable, not a complaint on my behalf.
The force feedback is excellent. Very strong feedback from the wheel in Midtown Madness 1 & 2, Need for Speed SE and High Stakes, and in Star Wars Pod Racer. The new ability to control is fantastic. Need for Speed SE does not recognize the pedals at all, but assigning one of the 6 buttons or two hand brake levers on the back as the throttle resolves that problem. The force feedback from the game is still fantastic.
One negative is with Midtown Madness 2, and I can't believe that Microsoft allowed this to get by them. If you have a joystick plugged into the game port, it must be completely removed, software and hardware-wise. Otherwise the new game will not recognize the USB steering wheel. This fact is documented in the readme file that comes with the steering wheel. Although no other games appear to have the same limitations, including Midtown Madness 1. Love this wheel. As it was a gift, I don't know the actual price paid, but was told that it was between $100 and $150, and came with a mail-in rebate on top of that.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100-150
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Epinions.com ID:
neilkn
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Member: Neil K
Location: California
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 2 members
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