Forza 2 / DIRT / Sega Rally / PGR 4 = Is it time to buy a wheel and racing seat?

[Mr Latte]

Its evident their is several possibly good racing games due on the 360 platform this year.Ive been considering the 360 wheel for sometime now and tbh the thought that all the games mentioned i can see a wheel being used a lot.

Forza 2 should be the best game ever with a wheel well thats if were led to believe the developers. I cant see it not being more fun and with the current FM2 hysteria approaching surely Microsoft are onto a winner and no doubt every other racing game appearing now will make good use of the wheel so if your a racing fan like me the investment will be good value.

This leads me to ask if others have found themselves in the same position?
Curious if many 360 car fanatics have been thinking the same thing but wanted to hold out for Forza 2 to appear?

Choosing a Wheel
The wheel choice is simple really as the Offical X360 wheel seems to be the best for the system and can even be adapted to work on a PC so not only is it going to be good for the several upcoming X360 car games but also PC ones too.

Racing Seats
Ive spent some time researching for the best racing seat and when combining style/comfort and price the best ive found is from Playseats. Sure there are a few on the market and even though they are not cheap they could represent a good purchase depending how serious you take your gaming/driving.

Virtual Racing
Forza Motorsport 2 devs have been using VRX Virtual Racing Simulator
Yes their Fantastic but cost a few thousand dollars

Playseats
Playseats
In my opinion these are the overall best and a popular choice. Personally i prefer the white which would match with the X360 wheel.The European/UK model with oval tubing seems sturdier than the previous edition and comes with a choice of colours plus has an additional plate for the Official 360 wheel.

Game Pod
Gamepod
This looks to offer a steady platform but is bulkier and even more costly which isnt a good thing. Still looks to be a quality product.

Game Racer
Gamer Racer
My friend has one of these with the 360 wheel and it feels comfortable.
The disadvantage is the seat is almost on the floor and adding the additional risers to the seat costs even more. Certainly a good product but the Playseats range seems to better it in price strength of frame and is off the ground as standard.

My Choice
So ive decided to purchase and after all the time ive invested in researching the options the decision is the following.
1x Playseat A1 GP Evolution Seat (White)
1x X360 Wheel Plate
1x X360 steering wheel
Total cost £325.97

Lets hope it arrives in time for the Forza 2 demo...

Appreciate any discussion from wheel users or if people want to add other alternatives for others to consider..

Its a forum lets talk...

 

[Mr Latte]

I didnt make this decision lightly i can tell you.

What i can confirm from my own research is that if you play with the racing wheel sitting on the couch chances are your going to

1)Get back ache
2)Wrestle with it sliding on your lap and the pedals moving
3)Having a wheel that then detracts from the purpose and the fun of havng a wheel in the first place.

To be honest and ive looked a lot of racing game forums...
Ive yet to read a report from a single user that has purchased ANY form of decent racing seat that has complained about their purchase.
At the end of the day its to offer comfort and let you enjoy the game more, with having this it means you can surely get the best out of a wheel and enjoy any of the upcoming racing games more?

Its only a seat and wont make a poor driver a great driver but having a seat and a wheel will make racing and particulary endurance races much more enjoyable. Being comfortable lets you maintain your concentration.

 

[Mr Latte]

Thanks for the video fergie, that looked to be pretty good driving too buddy.

As for the seat taking up a lot of room it wont realy as it can easily be dismantled leaving just the seat part but can understand smaller bedrooms or in living rooms it isnt girlfriend/wife living area friendly.

Ive seen people make their own from anything as simple as a small table,stand to plastic tubing mounts and some people doing this for very little money.

Lets here from some of you wheel users how you would actually rate the Microsoft wheel...

 

[Mr Latte]

Well from the research ive done.

A pad is better for instant lock-lock with your thumb on a pad.
A wheel when properly setup and used can offer a much smoother line of entry and exit to a corner and with good throttle control and lets not forget in braking too.

It seems the biggest problem with a wheel is in drifting again id put this down to the fact on a wheel going from lock - lock is much harder and slower than what can be done instantly on a pad.

Still the rumble and FFB effects should be a joy on FM2 alone never mind all the other games coming.

Long endurance races are also aparently a lot less strainfull with a wheel as is long playing stints from what ive heard from wheel gamers...

 

[Mr Latte]

Well i will give a full report on the setup when its arrived but use Forza 2 to review it on.

If people here want a detailed thread with lots of photos im sure i could go to the bother either way its upto folks here if their interested.
Trust me if the wheel sucks and is slower its getting sold as will the racing seat. Im not sacrificing my racing times for FFB and a comfy chair.

Agree with Nokkon's comments and if any game is going to use the wheel at its best we are certain it will be Forza 2

 

[Mr Latte]

You might find it would be different had it not been such a big investment.

People defend £300 consoles purchases, so stands to reason they'll praise a £2-3k glorified chair.

Whos talking a £2 - 3k chair?
Quite frankly i dont suffer from what ive always called "new toy syndrome". If i get something and it doesnt please me you can be sure i wont say its great for my pride and any problems or disapointing aspects about it i will speak of.

Not everyone feels because they made a purchase that they then have to convince themselves it was worth the outlay. I disagree with your view but can relate to what your saying. For me and many its a purchase if its a good one or a bad one whats the point in defending it or more often exhaggerating about it.

Plese remember regarding the Playseat at approx £230 its not that expensive, and i did try with the time and effort i put into the post to show its one of the best priced available.
Yes its not cheap by any means however its only a seat to me and so i expect from a review point of view the following applies.

1 Build quality
2 Ease of setting up and use
3 Comfort
4 Wheel mount and flexing issues
5 Adjustability

Those issues have all been coverd as my concerns with research in forums that ive read so why should the seat need defending when i get it?

If anything the wheel is a bigger gamble purchase...

 

[Mr Latte]

I must admit I am curious to see how much of an uptake forza 2 gets from ocuk folk.

Danny your quite a regular poster and someone whos views i normally take onboard. I too found myself having mixed feeling with approx 1 hours playtime on a mates wheel. We may not always agree on these forums in the past but as i know like myself and a few others on these forums your a bit of a car and F1 nut.

With you mentioning it i wouldnt mind seeing yourself or someone creating a Forza 2 thread to we see indeed just how many regulars here are interested in the game and indeed the possibilities of the wheel.

Within a week or slightly longer we should have the demo which supports the wheel so not only will the word be out regards FM2 but also just how good/bad the wheel is...

Im confident its going to be a belter...

 

[Mr Latte]

Okay thanks again guys.
I will go ahead and give an honest report on my findings. Lets hope the FM2 demo allows the wheel to be fully configured as its that what i will base my views on (PGR is only a rush patch)

As for Forza dont just hink its all for sim heads, i reckon you will find races were its a lot more arcade based which will all be posible options created by a HOST.

As for the setups etc the internet gaming sites will be offering guides and the game will have people sharing their setups for users that arnt that technical when it comes to car settings.

 

[Mr Latte]

btw fergie id hate to be that bean bag after youve had a few beers or knocked a curry down your neck.

I never even played Forza 1 online so it will all be new to me...

 

[Mr Latte]

Latte..i would really wait to see what the game's like before shelling out on all this extra equipment!

Okay so their is no confusion from the other thread id just like to point out and make it clear at this stage i will not be adding 3x screen mode for FM2.
I cant warrant the price of a 3rd TFT id need and 2x additional 360's besides i rather cleverly played back from my pc the latest touch and play 3 screen Suzuka video on my projector, i adjusted the zoom to demonstrate what a lifesize scale for 3x21" would look like (yes even had a tape measure) and tbh i think their too small. I already have 2x215TW screens so the idea was to add a third but i feel their too small to give a big enough impact. I reckon a minimium of 26"-32" would be required to really show such a mode off.

So Back To This Thread
Purchasing the wheel and the racing seat can be enjoyed with loads of X360 and PC racing games. Id also expect to see a 3rd party adapter appearing for the X360 - PS3 allowing the MS wheel to be used on PS3 games before too long.

Ive played PGR3 on my friends racing seat viewing his 50" HDTV from about 6 feet so i can only imagine using my own 80" 1080p compatible projector with 7.1 audio its still going to be a rather sweet way to enjoy racing games...

A future thread and review will appear...
BTW appreciate all the views

 

[Mr Latte]

i found this vid on the net and it is showing a 4th screen which is playing the live race back in replay mode, as the race is happening

Yeah seen that video earlier today.
4th screen you say for a realtime replay. That would be pretty cool i reckon

Im game.... (had to dig out this old photo of FM1)

 

[Mr Latte]

Thats quite an old pic of testing i done with Forza 1
Borrowed a couple of consoles to do it as we had a bit of a party night with a couple of mates, throw in a few beer and pizza and youve got an excuse to borrow their consoles, well it was just to see what the game ran and felt like in multiscreen mode.

Each screen does require a console yeah.

4x Copies of the game
4x Xbox Consoles
3x Samsung 193p TFTs
1x AE700 projetor

Some of the hardware has moved on or been upgraded...

 

[Mr Latte]

I did have vids of it somewhere they may be deleted now it was very had to capture because of the lighting and so much video motion.

I might be able to help you regards an xbox as i have 2x crystal models here one standard the other modified see my trust for email wouldnt do you a bad deal if your interested.

 

[Mr Latte]

There are loads of options for small seating frames that fold away and arnt that expensive.

Heres a thread that might help some of you

 

[Mr Latte]

Can i ask a favour?

Please can someone take a photo of the underneath of the offical wheel, im curious to see if it allows screw holes for fitting to a desk/shelf rather than using the clamp?

 

[Mr Latte]

Thanks for photo, will make it up to you by letting you overtake me sometime

 

[Mr Latte]

i uploaded a few more hi-res pics of the wheel HERE incase anyones interested

Usefull for me,thanks.