When considering reviews of Xbox 360 steering wheels we find that they’re written by people who probably don’t actually do much driving! It’s funny to read about reviewers who comment that the wheels which don’t “shake” enough when crashing, or “pull” enough when trying to power round a corner with the foot down.
Unfortunately most of these reviewers don’t know how a car feels when hammering it into bends at great speed, and would no doubt find themselves smashing into a gravel trap with a fist full of under-steer at the first corner on a real track day.
As a result of this lack of understanding, a great many force feedback steering wheels lack any sense of realism in favour of artificially tugging, shaking and jarring the driver just to prove their force feedback credentials. I was delighted to find that Microsoft had not tried to please the driving ignoramus and instead had produced a steering wheel for a real driving enthusiast.
To be honest though, it’s probably not the realism and feel of these Xbox 360 steering wheels that attract the buyers, it’s the fact that it’s wireless. Anyone who’s already got an Xbox 360 Premium Pack will be aware of the joys of wireless control. The Xbox 360 wireless controller is a real triumph and means that you can leave the controller on your coffee table and just pick it up and play without worrying about a cable dangerously draped across your living room like a health and safety what not to do! This steering wheel employs the same concept and uses the same wireless technology to communicate with the console, but it’s not a true wireless controller.
The reason that it’s not a true wireless Xbox 360 steering wheel is that it still employs cables! There are two cables the first links the wheel to the pedal box, and to be fair, this isn’t much of a problem at all. The second cable however plugs the wheel into a mains supply, to enable the force feedback to operate. So this means you have to have a power socket somewhere near your sofa. If you’re lucky you’ll have a socket behind your sofa so you can keep the power supply plugged in and hide the cabling under the couch when the wheel is not in use. I’ve had to have a new socket installed behind my sofa though!
Meanwhile, the steering wheel itself has a rubber covering around most of its circumference and all the Xbox pad buttons are located within easy reach of your thumbs and fingers as you grip the wheel. The d-pad and face buttons fall within easy thumbing distance, while the bumper buttons translate to a pair of paddles that make for easy gear changes with the fingers. The back, start and guide buttons sit in the centre of the wheel. You’ll also find a little port down to the right of the wheel for attaching your headset, next to a button for synchronizing the wheel with the console, while the battery compartment is hidden behind a removable grey panel on the right side. As for the pedals – the accelerator has a metallic appearance and a reasonable surface area, while the brake requires a bit more force to depress, just like a real car!
