A Little More Speed, Wireless Style

I took a few hours, well actually more like four, to give Microsoft’s Wireless Speed Wheel for the Xbox 360 a good solid test drive. With testing in mind I fired up Forza 4 which is proving to be even more awesome than the previous title, but more on that another day. I also happen to have the wireless racing wheel Microsoft released quite some time ago and while that works well, it is bulky and requires a table. The new wireless Speed Wheel is much smaller and only requires two hands. It has almost all the same buttons as the standard Xbox 360 control except that it is missing your RB and LB. I can live without that, although Forza does use those buttons for the menus when you enter the Inbox and in the expert racing options can be necessary for shifting or your clutch. It works with an Accelerometer which means I can sit back on the couch and be a little more comfortable. And one other thing Microsoft threw into the package was flashing green lights at the top of each end of the “U”. Yes, that’s right it’s not round, more like a flight yoke than a steering wheel.

It looks nice and is designed for the casual racer, but how does it perform? It a nutshell, pretty darn good. For someone like me who has been using the standard Xbox 360 controller for the majority of my racing it does give me better accuracy, but it’s not going to give me as good of an experience as the old Steering wheel. Then again, that guy was huge and I had to unpack it and set it up every time I wanted to use it. with this new Speed Wheel I can easily just grab and play. It did take me a few races to get the hang of the motion controlled steering and it’s not far from the feel of the Wii’s steering wheel accessory in that they both feel small. But Microsoft does the better job and with Rumble built in we can feel a lot more, too. You will find that if you are going to be using a headset that you’ll need a wireless model. And despite lack of shoulder buttons, I would easily recommend the Speed Wheel for the Casual racing fan. If you want full control your better off with a full on Steering wheel with pedals and the works. The Wireless Speed Wheel retails for only $60 giving it an affordable way to upgrade from the standard controller.