Mad Catz Wireless Force Feedback Racing Wheel Review

Here are some of the Xbox 360 games that I tested out on the Wheel: Midnight Club: Los Angeles, PGR 4, GRID, NASCAR 09, Driver San Francisco.

Each game has its strength and weakness when playing with the wheel. GRID was the hardest to control, I don’t know why, maybe I just suck at that game. One thing similar with each of these games is, when combined with the Madcatz wheel, it greatly improved the whole racing experience.

Surprisingly, Midnight Club: Los Angeles was one of the games that I had the most fun with, driving a car, especially when you play in the cockpit view and not racing other cars in the streets of course. You really felt the weight of the car, when driving, turning and speeding up on the streets of LA.

Durability: The build quality of the overall wheel itself is solid. The wheel itself are very comfortable and it’s heavily padded, which means it won’t leave your hands in pain after a long session of gaming. The cords that connect to either the adapter, paddle and wheel have adequate lengths.

Lets talk about durability, I’ve had this wheel now for almost 2-3 weeks, and I’ve been known to destroy your average Xbox 360 controllers with just regular wear and tear, so it comes to no surprise that this wheel is still operational as I finish this review. Frantic turns both left and right, excessive shifting on the stick shift, things you’ll expect from playing racing games. Yet, everything still works fine.

The Pedal Set themselves are optional to install as you can still play without them, your right and left paddles which are located on the back of the wheel will act as your accelerator and brake, they also act as your Right and Left bumper buttons. The pedals themselves could have the right amount of resistances to them when you press down on them.

The wheel itself: It has almost full rotation 250 or 270, both left and right. The Force Feedback on the wheel is very strong. You can feel it when your racing. The controls on the wheel is very responsive, which is very important in racing games, I didn’t experience any lag that hinder the controls while playing.

The d-pad and the Y, X, B, A button controls are perfectly located, as there just close enough that your left and right thumbs can reach seamlessly while racing. The stick shift that can be install on the right or left side of the wheel to accommodate left or right handed plays. The stick shift can be customized for different use in games. Some games it can be use to shift gears, or become the handbrake in others.

The Lap mount:is an alternative to the desk clamp that is included, which does seem like the best choice for better use. But not everyone has either space in their house or an Xbox 360 setup with a desk, thankfully the Madcatz Wheel includes a Lap mount that rests on your lap.

The lap mounts is a great idea, as it fits perfectly on your upper thigh area, thus giving you a comfortable option to pick up and play anywhere. The lap mount works best if your sitting down in a chair, as playing on a bed or floor with no back support may cause some strain on your back.

Closing Comment: If racing games is your thing and you want to go the extra mile, then give this wheel a shot as it will greatly improve your racing experience. Mad Catz Racing Wheel has given me a whole new greater appreciation of  playing my racing games again, it has added some replay value to games I’ve already finished before owning this wheel.

Price Value: Mad Catz Wireless Force Feedback Racing Wheel are currently available to buy on their official website Madcatz.com and it’s currently priced for $249.99.