Wheel came in today. Unfortunately my old wheel is bolted in position and it isn't easy to remove, so I don't have anything to test it on. I did attach it to my desk long enough to upgrade the firmware and test it on outrun fxt. To my relief the force feedback works just fine, so to any of you that can't get it running... no, it's probably not on my end.
I'm not sure that anyone is interested as the xbox isn't exactly a popular racing platform, but I'll give my initial thoughts. Despite some negative reviews on the net, it seems like a really nice wheel thus far. The wheel base and wheel itself are super sturdy. Yes it's made out of plastic, but there's no creaking or cheap feeling to it. The f1 style button arrangement is much appreciated.... I might actually use the buttons on this one as they are large and in reach. The shifter paddles are nice and large and give a good click. The d-pad is very small, but on a racing wheel I kind of want it to be.... something that has steered me away from thrustmasters in the past is how ugly the wheels typically are. I don't want a ps3 controller molded onto the front thanks. I think that the placement of everything is tasteful and a bit more practical compared to the Logitech trend of putting all the gamepad controls on the shifter. As far as the force feedback is concerned, I will admit that it's a bit weak, but for the price point I didn't expect it to rip my arm off or anything. The power supply is integrated into the wheel, with just a normal power cord for the base. This is much appreciated... no power brick.
To my surprise, the pedals that everyone complain about aren't terrible. The size is really good and while the brake pedal is a bit soft, the gas feels like it should. Unfortunately, the base that they are attached to is pretty terrible. It's too light and too small and I don't see how anyone could use it without a hard mount. I'm probably going to free them from their plastic prison at some point during the new build. The clamp on the wheel is pretty awesome btw.... I might not even hard mount it.
So yeah, I know that is a bit word thick for me, but I just wanted to record my thoughts for prosperity. I might be pulling my hair out later on, who knows.
I've finally cleared away enough space for a full-sized build, so I'll be making a new rig based upon the ricmotech plans:
https://www.ricmotech.com/RS500_DIY_Cockpit_Plans_for_Thrustmaster_p/rmt-rs500-diy.htmI like these because the overall height is around 25 inches, which would slide right in front of the living room tv and be about the right height. That means no more dealing with monitors or speakers unless I want to. I might throw some transducers under the seat though.
Anyway I'm starting from scratch again, so prepare for some dumb questions.