MadCatz Official Xbox 360 Force Feedback Racing Wheel Review

The main thing I loved about this wheel, is how it gives you a very clear distinction and sensation between all the different racing disciplines, all the games I used to tested it felt unique through the wheel, the way they handled the feedback response changes naturally as you flow from tarmac to dirt.  Drifting feels responsive and the sensation of the cars weight carries through the wheel very realistically, the general forces applied to your finger tips and arms let you feel the changes in the balance, not to mention the handling complexities of going from a Vauxhall Corsa to a Bugatti Veyron, which are just some of the things you can’t really appreciate from a racing gaming / simulation when you’re using a standard Xbox analogue controller, this really does make you feel like your in the racing seat.

The new MadCatz wheel is a great replacement for the now discontinue Official Microsoft Wheel, I know a few people who we’re upset to find out it’s been taken out of production, it was a fantastic wheel in its own right, but over time it became easier to find a unicorn than it was to find one of these in stock.

With the new model from MadCatz out performing any wheel I’ve used on the Xbox 360 before, plus the fact that it has a much smaller main body for the motor housing, improved style, wireless connectivity that helps keep the wire count down to a minimum, not to mention increasing the range you can sit from your console, all of which make it much more manageable when it comes to both setting up and storing away of all the equipment, it also means there is less to come between you and your favourite game.

While  it may not be cheap, at least to most of us, its performance does well to match the price tag, it even exceeds it in most cases.  For those of you looking for a high quality wheel for your favourite racing simulation, arcade game or just for fans of cool looking peripherals, you can’t go far wrong with this setup, but with the cost approaching nearly £200 it may not appeal as much to casual gamers.

Overall this is a very competent wheel, that is sure to give you hours of fun, with great build quality, superb setup options and a detailed force feedback response means that the MadCatz wheel can now carry the eTekinx Gamers Choice award with pride.