I'll be buying the Forza 4 bundle with this controller for 100$ on Tuesday. I used it at a display in Best Buy and I was really impressed with how stupidly fun and accurate it was. It felt really good and comfortable in my hands. Not only that, but my girls can use it! Actually, my girls playing with it is what got my attention. Out of the box, it's compatible with all racing games, so I may pick up some others on the cheap (like Dirt 3). There are no shoulder buttons on the stick though, so that may be an issue with some racing games. It's not a replacement for a 300$ wheel and pedal set up, but for good casual fun I think it fits the price perfectly.
I will post impressions later with my in home experience!
kyoukan wrote:doesn't basically every racing game ever use shoulder buttons for gas and brake?
Nope. They're not used at all in racing games (neither is the second analogue stick). However games like Blur, where weapons come into play, do require shoulder buttons.
This device is pretty fucking awesome. It's so much more than a gimmick like many would first believe (myself included!). It really brings a lot to the table for racing games like Forza 4. I highly recommend it. Best buy had a deal where you buy Forza 4 and this controller and get a 25$ gift card. Totally worth it. It is a lot of fun!
I gave this a pretty nice workout with a couple of other racing games I own. Here are my results.
Blur - Unplayable. You have to turn the thing 90 degrees to register a turn. You also need bumpers for weapon selection.
Need For Speed: Pro Street - It worked surprisingly well. Turning was pretty responsive. Not as well as some of the other games I tried, but definately workable.
Need For Speed Carbon - Pretty much unplayable. Way too much play on the wheel.
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit - The wheel works flawlessly here. I was very happy since I really like this game. I was able to lay down spike strips and win my race with no issues at all. This game will be getting more attention from me thanks to the wheel.
Burnout Paradise - This game requires "nudging" of the stick when going at top speeds. That does not translate well at all to the wheel. There is no nudging. I ended up over steering almost every time at top speeds and just spinning out or running into objects I was trying top avoid.
Split Second - Doable, but not as responsive as Forza 4 or NFS Hot Pursuit.
Forza 4 - Pretty much perfect. You can tell the wheel was designed with this game in mind. You do need bumpers in between races for certain menu navigation so you simply cannot access those with the wheel. Things like changing paint from regular to metallic. Things like that. Nothing that wouldn't allow you to just keep racing all the time.
Overall, it's a goddamn shame this thing is missing the shoulder bumpers from the 360 controller. There are several places they could easily fit too. This is likely a 1.0 device and they will add bumpers on a future model if this sells well enough. I got it for 40$, and I think it's totally worth it. That lack of bumpers is pretty goddamn annoying though.
I'm curious how it works with other, newer releases like Dirt 3 or Shift 2. Maybe even something like the Cars 2 kart racer.
There is a slight delay in directional input. Nothing too drastic in the slower cars but split-second reactions can be crucial at 250 kph. Don't think I'd want to be driving a 458 with no assists using that wheel.
Throttle and brake response is excellent.
The weight and balance is just right.
I miss not having the right analog stick to look behind/beside.
There is a natural tendency to over-correct when using a gyroscope/accelerometer controller. Since there is no center dead zone, you'll find yourself fishtailing a lot.
Forget about using manual transmission. The 'shifter' is the center pad and it's very difficult/uncomfortable to use.
This controller is perfectly suited to arcade racers.
I'm not sure it's the best choice for Forza.
I've got 99 problems and I'm not dealing with any of them - Lay-Z
