driving wheel

[noel]

What is the best driving wheel on the market for MAME32 with Windows XP ?  Like the number of games that supports, easy of configuration, usability, price, and etc ...

[Dartful Dodger]

I have the Logitech Formula Force GP.  

It's fun and easy to use with non mame games.  But, not with Mame.  I had asked for help about it on this board a while back and I got a lot good advise.  I tried a few things but I didn't have the time or patience to get it working well in Mame.  

I saved a few of the posts to text and if I get time I might tinker with it some more, but if your looking for Mame steering wheel, look at something else.

[bdsjake]

noel, you need to search a bit and read up on "270" v. "360" wheels and the games that use the different types.  I have logitech wheel and it works just fine for 270 type games (outrun as an example, and the paddle shifters on the logitech wheel can be set up to change gears in the game).  I recently bought a pole position type wheel (a 360) example and am trying to figure out how to get that mounted on a panel on my cab.

[noel]

I read and understood between the 270 vs 360.  I need to know what works best with MAME considering usability, configuration, price, number of games support, and etc... thanks !!!

[Minwah]

I read and understood between the 270 vs 360.  I need to know what works best with MAME considering usability, configuration, price, number of games support, and etc... thanks !!!

What bdsjake is getting at is that if you like 360deg wheel games, you won't be happy with ANY PC steering wheel, since they are all ~270degrees.

As for the best PC wheel, I really don't know.  IMO the majority of PC (& console) wheels are pretty awful    Get a real arcade wheel  

[noel]

Has anyone tried this set of wheel?

http://www.act-labs.com/Products/race1.htm

[bdsjake]

noel, I should add, the force feedback is not working in mame AFAIK.  I bought a cheapo logitech off of ebay, it works fine for my purposes.  the act labs stuff looks good, I've thought about buying for pc games, but don't have any personal experience yet with their wheels.  If cost is not a factor, minwah is correct, go for a "real" one from happs!

[Minwah]

If cost is not a factor, minwah is correct, go for a "real" one from happs!

If cost is a factor, keep an eye on ebay for an old wheel.  It'll probably need some elbow grease and a new coat of paint, but well worth it

[LoRDDeVO]

I used the logitech formula GP wheel

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005U21B/104-3904402-1415945?v=glance

Works great just need to adjust the sensitivity settings in mame for some games.  It clamps on the lip of your control panel lots of buttons paddle shifters, gas and brake pedal. its great for a begginer wheel.

I agree with the gang to get an real arcade wheel, but if your just starting out and not very comfortable with hacking This is great for you.  

I have two Brand New never opened wheels and pedals if you want to buy one to try out. bought 4  used two  

[PaulG]

Has anyone tried this set of wheel?

http://www.act-labs.com/Products/race1.htm

I recently purchased it AND sent if back despite losing 57 dollars in shipping costs.  1st off the wheel is flaky with a lot of motherboads (mainly NForce2).  An IRQ conflict between audio and USB.  Thought I may have fixed it, but then I began experiencing more problems and just ditched it.  The actual wheel is okay, but it can be notchy and not very realistic at times.

The Performance Pedals are a complete joke.  They have a longer throw than the standard pedals, but that's it.  Despite the pictures, the pedals are constructed of plastic.  The standard stock pedals, despite the pictures, have a much higher build quailty (Metal is actually used).  And then you get to the part where you pretty much have to run the Performance Pedals through the steering wheel (Which IMO yields less precise gas/brake ranges and forbids use of the clutch).  You need to do this because many/most commercial games will only allow you to use 1 device at a time.  Either the Act Labs RS wheel or the Act Labs Performance Pedals.  If you choose the pedals, the steering wheel isn't supported.  Mods and homegrown games like Life For Speed support multiple inputs, but games like Colin McRae Racing 4 (and many others, old and new) make you choose.

Overall I was disappointed beyond belief in the products.

[yourfatmama]

ACT-LABS not making the cool wheel/shifter/pedal setups anymore?

[Will]

I have one of the newer microsoft force feedback wheels(the red one)and it works great  games but im not sure how to fit a wheel into my cp design.Gives me an excuse to build a driving game cab One other thing if you do a search on ebay for arcade wheel there are some really good deals on "360" wheels.

[Stingray]

If cost is not a factor, minwah is correct, go for a "real" one from happs!

If cost is a factor, keep an eye on ebay for an old wheel.

[1UP]

I really like my Logitech Driving Force Pro.  It is made for the PS2, but it is USB and works just dandy in MAME on a PC.  It is of very high quality, made of heavy plastics, with authentic looking pedals and a realistic rubberized wheel grips, and a shifter knob.  In PS2, it automatically switches to 900 degrees (same as a real steering wheel) in supported games such as NFS Underground 2.  I have used it in MAME with Outrun and Spy Hunter with good results.

Very realistic force feedback in PS2, but ff doesn't work on the PC.  You could easily hook it up to PC and PS2 using a USB compliant KVM switch.

Price tag is $150, but it is well worth it.  Rumble-only steering wheels are a joke, and most of the cheapie ff wheels will break pretty quickly in the hands of ruffians (or children).

There is a cheaper version, the logitech Driving Force, which is basically the same but without the shifter, and less sturdy pedals.  This one also works in MAME, and is only $79 if you don't mind blue plastic instead of black...

I have tried many other wheels for PC, PS2 and XBox, but this is by far the best I have found.  All the MadCatz wheels are bulky crap, don't waste your money.