Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel

You may have noticed I’m slightly addicted to Forza Motorsport 4 hence I managed to get my hands on the Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel ahead of release for some ‘testing’.

The U shaped controller is reminds me of contemporary Formula One steering wheels, albeit with slightly fewer buttons. It does sport a good number of buttons though for all for the A,B,X,Y controls Xbox and a 4 way navigational pad for skipping through menus. The center of the wheel contains the back and start buttons from the regular Xbox controller, nicely etched in to a polished metal. It’s missing the LB and RB (left and right bumper) buttons of a standard 360 controller which has led to some gripes from other reviews but as yet, I’ve not found those to be a major loss.

Motion sensors built in to the wheel detect your steering angle and from the in cockpit view it has (as far as I can tell) pretty much a 1:1 turn ratio – meaning when you turn, the car turns in direct relation to the amount of movement. It also contains vibration feedback which kicks in when you cross a rumble strip or go all agricultural – such driving also lights up the two green halo’s at the tips of the wheel – a rare occurrence for me of course. <cough>

Driving wise, it’s pretty good though I’ve found it a little trickier to use a I went up the performance scale of motors and ultimately, I think I still prefer the regular controller for prolonged periods of play but there is a lot to like about this wheel – especially given it’s $60 which is a far cry from the full wheel and pedal combos. Once I’d gotten used to the surprisingly good sensitivity of the wheel, the main challenge was reminding myself that the trigger controls for acceleration and brake aren’t binary and can benefit from some gentle squeezing. That’s the main challenge I have with the wheel right now and maybe those trigger could do with a slightly tougher spring.

Design wise, I think the team has done a lovely job. Once you have the 2 AA batteries inserted in to a cleverly designed housing in the center of the lower wheel, it has a good heft to it and that weight adds to the feel of bringing you back to the center following a turn or two. Personally, I’d love a version of this with suede hand rests for a more pro feel but as it stands, it’s a good investment for the casual Forza gamer who doesn’t want to lay out for a full  Fanatec style setup.

ps: I just noticed you can grab this for $50 on Amazon at the moment.