FM4 Anyone playing Forza 4 with the new Xbox Speed Wheel?

[Gaz]

Is anyone playing Forza 4 with the new Xbox Speed Wheel, if so:

What is it like?
Do you think it is worth getting?

I do have the official Xbox 360 Wireless wheel and pedals, but have been using it on my PC and don't really want to keep setting it up on the PC and Xbox 360.

I know it doesn't have the headset plug and need AA batteries, which is a shame as it could cost a lot for batteries.

 

[Daniel Higgins]

Im using the Speed Wheel, bear in mind that I use the G25 for the PC

I ordered the Thrustmaster F458 wheel but it has been delayed until December So after much though I would buy the 'kids' wheel.

It is really quite good! Loads better than I expected. The triggers have a long travel (about 2 or 3 times more than xbox controller ones). The steering is very accurate and some people say its sensitive on reviews but I think its more 'responsive' than too sensitive.

I went to get it from Game and it said on the box "only £35 when bought with ANYTHING in store" (rather than normal £45), took it to the counter and asked about the deal and the guy said just to buy a pack of 99p trading cards or a 49p pre-owned PS2 game and the offer still works Result!

Would definitely recommend it even if Game have realised and its £45 again by now.


EDIT: 1 BIG drawback is that there are no Bumpers so if you want to either Skin a car, look at certain menus, look at car status while driving, create a setup or use autovista you need to restart the game and use the joypad then restart again to use the wheel Cant see how hard it would be just to add some somewhere even if they were in some crappy place it would be better than none.

 

[Neil Davies]

I went to get it from Game and it said on the box "only £35 when bought with ANYTHING in store"

I was in Game buying Forza and they had the speed wheel on the counter. I picked it up and thought it was quite nicely weighted and at only £35 what did I have to lose? Its actually really good, far better than what I thought would be just a gimmicky item to use if friends came over for a casual game. Obviously its not in competition with "proper wheels" but its a great product in its own right. After the initial strange feeling of steering whilst accelerating/braking with triggers on the actual wheel it becomes second nature. I'm driving manual with the gears mapped to the buttons and the look around/behind on the d-pad. Its a very solid experience. I sit on the edge of my seat normally when I game, and rest my elbows on my legs, and whilst holding the wheel in the same manner I keep forgetting its not an actual mounted wheel such is the performance. And it just seems perfect with Forza, i've driven plenty of different types of cars so far and its a joy with all of them.

To anyone who doesn't want to go the whole hog and get a "proper" wheel but wants to make forza even more fun then this is for you. As already mentioned the lack of LB and RB buttons plus the lack of a headphone/mic input (you'll need a bluetooth headset if you want to chat) seem to be the only negatives. If you can live with those minor annoyances then i'd say go try one out, you'll be suprised..

 

[GAIAjohan]

@ Daniel:
Don't restart the game, but do this:
Press the XBOX-button on the controller long (3 secs or so), and a menu will appear if you want to stop using that controller or close the system or cancel. So stop using the controller.
Than start the other controller by pressing the XBOX button on that one. If you're ready with making photos, do the same as above.

 

[Carlos Luna]

I think it's great. Very responsive as Daniel said. I thought it wouldnt be so responsive but it really works well. Only thing is that i'm not used to playing Forza 4 with it yet, as i've been using it mainly for F1 2011, but from the few races i've done in Forza 4, it does the job right.

 

[Daniel Higgins]

Thanks Johan!

 

[Bertel Bolt-Jørgensen]

In my experience the wheel is surpricingly good, and a great alternative if you wan't to race with a steering wheel but really don't wan't all your gear to clutter the living room.

 

[marklar]

What about input lag? Does game respond immediately when you rotate the speed wheel?
I already own a G25 and do not want to by another "true" wheel only for x360. I used to play FM3 using game pad. It was not bad unless you did not drive a car faster than "A" class. I stopped playing it because lack of control I had driving high performance cars. I hope the Speed Wheel is solution for me.

 

[Daniel Higgins]

No lag at all that I notice

 

[Gaz]

Do you know if the battery life, is the same as the controller, or better, or worse?
As the videos I have seen, it looks like it has a green light at the top of the wheel each side.

 

[Neil Davies]

Do you know if the battery life, is the same as the controller, or better, or worse?
As the videos I have seen, it looks like it has a green light at the top of the wheel each side.

I've raced for a good 20 hours since Friday and the battery is still showing 2 bars. I have however got some rechargeable ones and an adaptor from Argos for £15 for when they run out....

 

[Carlos Luna]

The standard Microsoft rechargeable batteries won't work with the controller, fyi. The batteries in the controller don't go together as they do in a normal controller. Just a heads up to anyone who wanted to use the rechargeable batteries that Microsoft issues.