Force Feedback Effects

Well, force feedback is what this wheel is centered around, so here is the lowdown.

What exactly is force feedback then? Well, force feedback is a technology which allows game developers to re-inact in-game scenarios using forces through the steering wheel.

In plain English, basically what that means is when you hit a wall, you will feel it, if you ride a kurb you will feel that as well, if you drive over a gravel trap the wheel will move and shake like it would in real life.

Basically, it enhances the enjoyment of a game and makes you feel like you are there.

The force feedback on this wheel (in my opinion) is very good, the forces you experience represent a realistic interpretation of real-life.

Of course a lot of this relies on the developers of the game you are playing as well, so the forces you feel will differ from game to game.

So, I tried the force feedback engine, which uses the I-FORCE 2.0 force feedback technology (remember this for later), in various games (including GP3), and from those tests I have concluded (like I said before), that the force feedback is very good. You can feel the car fighting you as you pull it by the scruff of its neck through the corner, you can feel the crunch when you crash, you can feel the car bouncing in the kitty-litter, all of it is realistically represented.

Force feedback still has a long way to go though, however realistic, it still feels slightly artificial, but that is not Guillemot's fault - the technology just is not there yet.

Using a force feedback wheel over a non-force feedback wheel is much more fun, and if you haven't got one, get one now! (this one preferably ;) )

Game Compatibility

I might as well copy and paste this from my last article - every game I tried the wheel in worked first time, and continued to work - as long as you have the wheel properly setup and calibrated in Windows/Guillemot software there should be no problem here.

Responsiveness

Again, another important feature of a racing wheel - how does it respond in games?

To judge this I mostly used Grand Prix 3 (as this is what this site is about!).

To my surprise, (because of the poor wheel support in Grand Prix 3) the wheel again performed very very well, which was surprising not because of the wheel, but only support for 2 axis control in Grand Prix 3. (which means braking and accelerating are not independant to each other)

The car would accelerate gently or with wheelspin, just how you applied pressure on the acceleration pedal.

The same with braking, you could brake nicely, or with all 4 wheels locked, depending on how much pressure you placed on the brake pedal.

Unlike people using other brands of wheel I did not experience the brake acting like a 'switch' i.e when you apply the brake you would immediately lock all four wheels.

That is all I can really say about this, again, highly commended!

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