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In driving games, nothing gives you as much precision as a steering wheel. That wheel, unfortunately, usually means dealing with wires and pedals and the hassle of setting it up.
Now, say goodbye to all that and give Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel a spin.
It connects wirelessly to your Xbox 360 console, but it does need two AA batteries.
The built-in accelerometer lets you steer your virtual car by just holding up the wheel in front of you and turning it left or right. And it comes with vibration feedback.
It looks less like a wheel than the flight yoke used in flight simulation games, but it does not work in those games because it does not recognize forward and backward motions.
The build of the wheel feels good and solid. Its Start, Back and Guide buttons sit in the center, with a directional pad on the left handle bar and A/B/X/Y buttons on the right handle bar.
Behind the right handle bar is a trigger button for acceleration; the one on the left handle bar is for braking.
The Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel lacks the shoulder buttons of a conventional Xbox 360 controller, so functions requiring those buttons cannot be executed.
Connecting it with your console is easy. Just press and release the Connect button on the console and do the same on the Speed Wheel within 20 seconds. Very shortly, they should be synched and ready to go.
We tried out the Speed Wheel with Forza Motorsport 4, the game Microsoft launched with the device.
The wheel is very responsive and has virtually no lag.
We can turn the wheel violently to grab an advantage at the start of a race and the virtual car responds enthusiastically and accurately. During a race, you can make minor adjustments with slight movements of the wheel when attacking a chicane and it respond eagerly.
We also put the Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel to the test on other games, such as F1 2011
On the down side, you will get tired manoeuvrings the Speed Wheel. When you are holding it up with arms out in front of you, that 589g quickly starts to feel like sack of rice.
On the plus side, you will soon have nicely toned biceps and triceps without stepping into the gym.
At $79.90, it is a steal, since many steering wheels cost more than $100.
For purists, not using a real wheel complete with clutch and pedals in a driving simulation game is a travesty.
For the rest of us, this wireless wonder is a convenient alternative.
Click to test drive: Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel
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