Rating: 
Summary: wow
Review: absolutely makes gaming more fun. Works great with Need 4 Speed
It also works great with the included games, including Monster Truck Madness 2. Definitely worth the price. I got it when it first came out and I don't regret it.
Eventually I began to use it less, but I think that goes with most new things that people get. Eventually they get used less.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Bought one of these a couple months ago, works great everytime. Just plug it into the usb and away I go playing the game, no rebooting no hassle unlike with some. the software it comes with is really cool too cause it has preset settings for a lot of games that you would use it with to control the sensity in the game... however if money is no object get the force feedback one which is the same just better, and double the $, I figured I wouldnt use it like everyday so the extra 60$ wasnt worth it to me, but if your a hardcore gamer go for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Buyer Beware
Review: Bought this to use with my new Dell 700MHZ. It just won't work. Tech people I've contacted tell me this is common and there are all kinds of problems with microsoft wheel compatibility. Microsoft tech was no help, they wanted me to reconfigue my computer! This is plug and play? Try something else.
Rating:
Summary: Windows 2000 and the Precision Racing Wheel
Review: I called around and I never got a definite answer. I just wanted to know if the wheel would work with Windows 2000 Pro. It's fantastic. I have recommended it to all my racing friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Works great for me
Review: I don't know why so many people have written about problems with this wheel. It works great for me on my 500Mhz Micron. I have used it with NASCAR 4, Midtown Madness 2 and NHRA Drag Racing 2with no problems at all. You just have to make sure it is first on the controller list with some games that default to ID#1. That means I usually unplug my sidewinder joystick when I use it, no big deal...
Rating:
Summary: joe from NC
Review: I have had problems from the start with this steering wheel. Sometimes Windows (98) recognizes this device and when it does, it works fine; however more times then not I have to spend hours re-loading drivers, re-booting, etc.. to get this to work (if win98 recognizes this device it will be listed by clicking the game controller icon from the control panel window). Problem is its a USB device which means its plug and play. Once I intially install the device it should work 100% of the time. I have a gravis USB game pad as well as a USB scanner both work great so I know the problem is not with the computer (which is a month old) nor the USB port(s) but with the steering wheel. When I attempted to contact Microsoft to troubleshoot the only way they would talk to me was if I paid $35. I could not even contact them via email! Needless to say I am returning this product. I have no intention of ever owning another microsoft product other then want comes pre-loaded on my current and future PC's. If they cannot offer free online support for their customer's I cannot recommend any of their products escpecially for products less then 30 days old!
Rating:
Summary: Works great
Review: I just bought this wheel and I have no problems with it. I have used it with Need for Speed 3 and it makes me feel like I am part of the game. I know about driving, i drive a truck for a living. Just great!
Rating:
Summary: Works great
Review: I just bought this wheel and I have no problems with it. I have used it with Need for Speed 3 and it makes me feel like I am part of the game. I know about driving, i drive a truck for a living. Just great!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: I think that this is the best steering wheel for cpus everywhere. It has great control and makes you feel like you are really in the game. If you are going to get a steering wheel for you comp. get this one!
Rating:
Summary: A great racing wheel!
Review: I've gotten two of these, the first one as a gift for my stepfather (who is a huge NASCAR fan) and one for myself courtesy of my wife for Christmas (I'm becoming a NASCAR fan). I couldn't get the software to install on my stepfather's Dell Dimension tower system (Windows Millenium Edition), nor to get the OS to manually recognize the wheel through the Control Panel, but when I loaded "NASCAR Racing 4" by Sierra Sports, the game recognized and calibrated the wheel without any fuss and it worked just fine. Two days later when I set up my own wheel on my Dell Dimension tower system with Windows ME, the software installed just fine and the wheel was recognized by the OS. I was happily surprised. Then when I installed "NASCAR Racing 4", the game wouldn't recognize the wheel and wanted to keep using the CH Combatstick that was plugged into the gameport on the soundcard. I found that the only way to get the wheel to work was to have the OS not recognize the Combatstick, so that the game would see only the wheel (there were no other controllers attached to my stepfather's PC). Once that was done, the game and wheel worked fine. When I get ready to fly a flight sim, I'll have to reinstall the Combatstick again, which isn't too difficult but is annoying as its just one more step to perform before playing Combat Flight Sim 2, my favorite flight sim. My Sidewinder wheel came with a free game (Midtown Madness 2), but my stepfather's came with a rebate, so I suspect that I have newer software than he does. Next time I'm at his house I'll bring my disk and reload his wheel to see if that resolves what is now a moot problem. The Sidewinder wheel's software includes a schematics feature for games that allows you to map functions to certain buttons. I never really used this, as all of my driving games have the same utilities (Need For Speed 3; Need For Speed Porsche Unleashed; NASCAR Racing 4; Midtown Madness 2; Viper Racing; and F1 2000). Maybe some people would use it, but it was just an unused feature to me. After a week's worth of racing around Daytona International Speedway, Watkins Glen, Pocono, Sears Point, and Indianapolis in NASCAR Racing 4, and various other tracks in the other games, I noticed that the wheel's shaft is starting to loosen up such that the wheel feels loose on the spindle, which raises concerns about construction quality and the longevity of the product. I suppose that once the plastic housing comes apart I can put my handyman skills to work and build my own wheel using a real automobile wheel, a wooden console, and the Sidewinder electronics, but I would rather not get that serious about sim racing just yet. A couple of things I dislike with the product is the design of the pedal base. The brake and gas pedals are sprung very tight, which is good, but the base needs to be longer to resist flipping forward when the pedals are pressed. The connection cord to the PC could be a foot longer, so that I can run the cord under and behind my big executive desk rather than in front and on top of it, where it gets tangled up with the mouse cord. The edges of the pedals themselves are sharp and could cut skin if you aren't careful. I plan to take mine into the garage and sand them down with a Dremel hobby tool to soften the edges a bit. As an alternative, try the Thrustmaster and Logitec product lines. They usually compare very well to offerings from Microsoft and have more features at a better price. When this Sidewinder wheel falls apart, I'll probably go with a different manufacturer. *** Update: January 28, 2004. I've had the wheel for awhile now and no problems at all! All of the new driving game work fine. I've ditched the old gameport joystick I was using and now am all-USB, which has the benefit in that I can use my CH Pro Pedals with the MS Sidewinder steering wheel. The MS pedals are off to the side, still plugged in, but not being used. EA Sports' F1 series and the NASCAR Racing games by Papyrus recognize the CH pedals/MS steering wheel without any problems at all, including customization of the buttons. The steering shaft isn't any looser than it was after the first few weeks of use, so I guess it just needed a break-in period. One advantage of the all-plastic construction: no rubbery smell on your hands. :) Overall, the wheel works as advertised and I haven't upgraded because it can do everything I need it to do. Not a bad deal for the money.
| 
