02/03/00

Behind the Wheel: Dreamcast Steering Wheel Comparisons

(Fat) The Dreamcast is fast becoming a real racing fan's system, with multitudes of games representing lots of different types of speed machines, from F1 and Rally cars to cart racers, Power boats, motorbikes and even RC cars. The racing repertoire on the DC's looking pretty good now, and it's about to get a lot better, with Crazy Taxi virtually in our midst, Sega GT on it's way, and, hope against hope, a new DC Daytona game (some sources say yes, some say no. I'll shake the magic future-telling ball again, but our experience is that until it's actually announced, it doesn't exist).

(Geeky) While the DC pad works pretty nicely for racing, a real race fan wants to place both hands on a good sturdy steering wheel, and put the pedal to the metal (or in this case, the plastic). For those who want this, Sega and it's third party companies do not disappoint: Currently, there are 3 different steering wheel setups available for the DC (maybe more, but these 3 are what we know of as of this writing): Sega/Agetec(ascii)'s original Dreamcast Wheel, Interact's Concept 4 Wheel, and Madcatz's MC2 Racing Wheel. Fat and I each gave of the three wheels a workout on a number of Dreamcast race titles, and we have the results of what we discovered here.

(Fat) First off, I have a confession to make: I SUCK at driving games! I like 'em a lot, but I guarantee you in a racing tourney, I'll be the first one to spin out, hit the wall, flip the car, fly off the bike, crash the boat, and blow myself up in a blinding fireball of metal, plastic and glass.

(Geeky) Whilst I consider myself a driver with a bit of skill. Not the best, not the worst, but certainly better than my esteemed, but ultimately devoid of ANY kind of racing skill, colleague.

(Fat) Fine, fine. So you're better at me at ONE thing. No need to get all uppity on me. Still, as a mediocre or below driving game player, as I am, and I'm sure some of you are (Hey! Admit it!), a portion of the gameplaying public, such as players with multiple tickets or a revoked license, need to be represented. I'm your man.

(Geeky) We tested each wheel with the following games: Tokyo Extreme Racing, Sega Rally, Hydro Thunder, Re-Volt, and Flag to Flag Cart Racing (If your favorite race game isn't here, we apologize. Being simple fat & geeky fanboys, we don't have the resources to own all the games, and our rental outlets aren't too reliable). Without further adieu, here are the results of our tests:

SEGA's Dreamcast Steering Wheel
Manufacturer: Sega (Agetec/Ascii in the US)
MSRP: $59.99
Pedals: No (not that we could find)
Shifter: No

(Fat) We got our hands on Sega's original wheel back when we first imported our Dreamcasts back in late '98/early '99 (I paid a lot for the system, but I don't feel so bad; I know a guy who paid 800 bucks for an import Saturn back in the day). This wheel is compact, sturdy, and fairly well built. It's mostly impact plastic and weighted well.

(Geeky) Unfortunately, unlike the other wheels, it doesn't really have any extra equipment to clamp it down on a solid surface, such as a desk or a TV tray. It's also one of the least lap-friendly wheels, though it'll do in a pinch. The wheel itself is a bit smaller than the other 2, making it a little harder to treat like a real wheel.

This wheel is really lacking in the accessories: It has a port to accept a set of pedals (and maybe a shift stick if they designed one), but as of this writing, no foot pedals are available for this wheel. Even if they are, it would suck to have to buy a set, when the other wheels come with them. Also lacking is any "rumble" capacity, though in Geeky's and my opinion, this feature isn't too important anyway. This wheel has one memory card slot, which the jump pack doesn't fit in. Again, both of the other wheels have the rumble feature built in.

(Fat) The way you control acceleration and brakes on this wheel is through two "analog grips" (best way I can think of to describe them) Placed under the wheel. You basically place your fingers behind the grips and hold onto the wheel with your thumbs. To accelerate, grip the left tab, to brake, grip the right tab, or vice versa, depending on how you set your controls. In theory, this works. In practice...ouch. When you're done with a Rally session playing with this wheel, you'll feel the ache in your hands for a while. This feels like one of the fastest methods to obtain a nice, crippling case of carpal tunnel syndrome. Of course, you can set other buttons to brake and accelerate in most driving games, but since the tabs are analog and the buttons are digital, this setup is the way it's meant to be.

As for the steering itself, we found the response time on this wheel to be a little sluggish on some of the games we played. Even after a lot of tweaking using Sega Rally's excellent control configuration options, we still felt that while you can certainly race, and win with this wheel, the other two just felt a little bit quicker to respond. Some of the DC race games, such as ReVolt and Hydro Thunder, have no control options. On the other two steering wheels, you can set the control on the wheel itself to a certain extent. On the Sega wheel, you're stuck with how the game plays, which is usually fine, but you can't change it if it isn't.

Overall, we rate the Original Dreamcast wheel like this

• Features: 5
• Feel: 7
• Response: 6

Concept 4 Racing Wheel
Manufacturer: Interact
MSRP: $69.99
Pedals: Yes
Shifter: No

(Geeky) This is the most expensive of the 3 wheels we tested, costing a full 10 bucks more than the other wheels. If you shop around online for this wheel, you can probably find it for a reasonable price. The Concept 4 wheel has a sleek design and a solid base. The wheel is large and, unlike the DC wheel, has padded rubber around the wheel, making it easy to grip and giving it a somewhat authentic feel.

(Fat) This wheel has the most options for fastening it down. It comes with 4 strong suction cups you can use, or 2 stronger screw fastening clamps. It isn't hard to get this wheel fastened to a desk or tray for improved stability. To allow for Lap play, this wheel is adjustable to 2 different positions. You can push the wheel's shaft up out of it's base and turn the wheel itself down toward you, placing the wheel's base between your legs. This is not the most comfortable position to use this wheel, but it does work. Unfortunately, at least on the model we tested, the locking mechanism for the wheel shaft wasn't very effective, so the wheel tended to want to fall back down to it's default position. This isn't too big a deal as your legs will hold the wheel up in the lap position, and that's really the only reason the wheel's shaft pulls up. Still, it's a minor annoyance.

(Geeky) The Concept 4 includes a nice, large set of analog foot pedals for accelerating and braking. The pedals are nicely spaced and of adequate size for one or two foot driving. They are on a large, weighted base which you can comfortably rest your heel on to keep it from slipping out from under you. The only problem we have with the pedals is the way they plug into the Dreamcast; it's a small circular connection that's on top of the wheel's shaft. It's a bit too easy to pull out, and it gets in the way sometimes. Not a fatal design flaw by any means, but a moderately annoying one. Of course, you don't need to use the pedals to play the game. If you don't, The Concept 4 also has the 2 analog grips behind the wheel, just like Sega's wheel does. It hurts just as bad after using them for a long play session as well.

(Fat) This wheel has a built-in rumble feature, but it needs additional power for you to use it. It comes with an extra AC plug to plug into the wall. In contrast, the MC2 uses the Dreamcast's own power for it's rumble. However, the Concept 4's rumble feature is much more noticeable, particularly in games that use it often such as Hydro Thunder. Make no mistake, it's no replacement for true force feedback like some of the PC peripherals have (most notably Microsoft's Force Feedback stick and steering wheel), but it's an entertaining gimmick nonetheless. The wheel will still work fine if the additional power isn't plugged in, it just won't rumble.

Another feature the Concept 4 has is the ability to program any button on the controller, including the analog grips. This is nice for setting controls on games that might not let you through the software.

(Geeky)The steering response on this wheel is pretty good. It's a bit more responsive in general than Sega's wheel. Turning the wheel is fine, but it's return to the neutral position feels a little bit "gummy" or hesitant, almost feeling like it's not returning all the way to the center, though of course, it is. With practice and general use this minor thing becomes much less of a problem. Working the wheel in conjunction with the pedals works great. The analog pedals are very responsive and help with the overall experience greatly. The only thing this wheel is missing is a shifter. Shifting can easily be done with one of the wheel's buttons, but for authenticity, nothing beats a shifter. Still, the Concept 4 offers a good responsive wheel at a decent price.

We rate the Concept 4 wheel like this:

• Features: 8
• Feel: 8
• Response: 8

MC2 Racing Wheel
Manufacturer: Madcatz
MSRP: $59.99
Pedals: Yes
Shifter: Yes

(Geeky) This WOULD have been rated as the best wheel, except for one fatal flaw, that we'll describe in just a bit. Again, like the other 2 wheels, the design is very sleek and solid. The wheel is large and, like the Concept 4, is complete with a comfortable rubber grip. This wheel has a nice, wide base that needs a bit more room than the other wheels, but it's worth it.

(Fat) The MC2 comes with a set of strong suction cups which you can use to fasten to any smooth surface, provided it's wide enough. As for lap play, unlike the Concept 4, which goes under your legs, this wheel is wide enough to go over them. Two "leg fasteners" come out of both sides of the wheel, giving you a bit of stability, as well as a fair amount of pain ('specially for us fat guys). I have two deep imprints on my legs from using the fasteners. It's not a big deal, really.

(Fat) Madcatz' wheel also includes a decent set of pedals. These pedals are more realistic than those for the Concept 4, as they flatten out as you push them into the base, instead of just pushing in at a curve. These pedals are, however, much smaller and lighter than those for the concept 4. They have a space on the left side which you're supposed to place your foot to hold it down: This can be a bit awkward. The pedals are much better when used on a carpeted surface, since then they're not as apt to slip out from under your feet. The pedals attach via a screw in PC connector on the wheel's side, so it's not too likely they'll disconnect in the heat of play. Unfortunately, The pedals are the only way you'll experience analog acceleration and braking on this wheel. The grips on the other 2 wheels are present, but they're digital instead of analog. Since they're easier to click, non-pedal play on this wheel is less painful than the other 2, but accuracy is compromised.

A rumble feature is present on this wheel as well. It's much weaker and less effective than the Concept 4's, but then again, it doesn't need additional power either. Another nice feature this wheel has is an LED indicator showing you how far you're pushing down the accelerator pedal. This adds a bit to the feeling of authenticity. The steering is tight and the addition of a shifter on the right side really adds to the feel of this controller.

(Geeky) You wanna know one thing that REALLY annoyed me about this wheel? When we first got it, turning it made a GOD-AWFUL Metal Springy sound (Krrrrrrrrrrrrkk...) With every turn, the wheel seemed to scream in twisted, grinding agony. What I ultimately did to fix this was remove the wheel shaft's casing, and spray the shaft inside with WD40. After that, the grind was no more. It's a fixable problem, but WHY did I have to fix it? This should have been done before the wheel left the factory.

(Fat) Now, the fatal flaw in this wheel is as follows: While the Dreamcast recognizes the other 2 wheels AS steering wheels in driving games that use them, such as Sega Rally and Tokyo Extreme, THIS wheel is only recognized as a Sega Dreamcast pad. That means that the default controls for the wheel in these games simply do not work properly. To try to make up for this, Madcatz included their 'exclusive Accudrive technology' which basically allows you to try to setup the wheel using the hardware's own controls. This would work except that you do not have enough settings to set the wheel properly. Therefore, you are still limited to the control settings the software has. This wheel works fine with games that don't recognize a steering wheel, such as ReVolt and Hydro Thunder, and games with enough settings, like Sega Rally, can easily be adapted to use the wheel. However, with a game like Tokyo Extreme, with little to no control options, there is NO WAY to get the wheel to work properly, so the game always controls like you're drunk driving.

(Geeky) When we e-mailed Mad Catz about this, they stated they were looking into the problem with Sega's control division. Apparently this design flaw was done on purpose, as some games don't recognize a Steering Wheel Controller in the first port (Monaco Grand Prix), so they used the pad specs. Great. Fix the wheel for one crappy race sim, so it may not work on the future race games. Now THAT's some real forward thinking. Dumbasses.

While this wheel has the best design and feel of the 3 we tested, as well as decent (not the best) pedals, and the great addition of a shifter, the MC2's flaw forces us to advise against you buying one. Since there's no telling what control options some future racing games will have, it will be luck of the draw whether or not future titles (such as Sega GT or Crazy Taxi) can be adapted to work with this controller. Hopefully Mad Catz will address this problem soon.

The way it is, we rate it like this:
(But note the hardware problem this wheel has.)

• Features: 10
• Feel: 8
• Response: 8

One other wheel we are we are waiting to get our hands on is the Act-Labs Force RS Steering wheel. It features a separate shifter, pedals, force feedback, and different modules which allow you to use it on different platforms (PSX, N64, PC, and DreamCast). This multisystem wheel has a steep price (about 130 bucks retail), but it's flexibility and compatibility with multiple systems make it a wheel to watch for race fans.

(Fat) So, in closing, out of the 3 wheels reviewed, the one we would recommend most is the Interact Concept 4. It is the most consistent of the 3 wheels, with a comfortable feel, responsive steering control, and the best set of pedals of the bunch. Sega's own wheel comes second, because while it is a solid, no-frills wheel, it's response leaves a bit to be desired, as does the lack of floor pedals. The Madcatz MC2 comes third; it is the most responsive and best feeling wheel of the 3 (the pedals aren't as good as the Concept 4's), but the fact that it might not be compatible with all future DC race titles is too big a factor to ignore.

(Geeky) Whichever wheel you choose, have fun with it, and racing fans, prepare yourselves: With the Dreamcast, and the multitude of new racers coming out, you'll have a lot of driving to do. Start your engines....

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