Best Steering Wheel Setup?

[Magnet_Eye]

I was thinking about having a Logitech Steering Wheel near my Cab for driving games, it hooks up to the USB. Though I wonder how it conflicts with the opti-pac, etc..if it does at all. Anyone done this? I am thinking i might be able to mount it to the front of the CP or something when i play those games. Do these actually work with MAME?

What have you done? What do you do to play these driving games?

Thanks!

-M  

[paigeoliver]

Most arcade driving games are expecting 360 degree steering wheels (ones that you can just keep turning forever). PC wheels are not like that. I have a couple PC wheels, and I am not really happy with the way they perform in MAME (Except for a really cheap one I have that also has an analog shifter, which makes an excellent Star Wars controller).

There should be no conflict between a PC wheel and an optipac, as the PC wheel is a "Joystick" and the optipac is a "mouse" as far as the computer is concerned.

[Minwah]

I wouldn't neccessarily say *most* arcade driving games need 360degree wheels...from memory I thought it was about 50/50.

If you like games like Outrun, Chase HQ etc. then a PC wheel will work fine.  For the games paigeoliver mention like Pole Position, the Sprint series etc. then a 360deg wheel (or at least spinner) is a must.

If you like all these games then of course you need both  

[paigeoliver]

I was more thinking along the lines of Pole Position, Turbo, the Sprint series, Super Off Road. That is mostly what I play for driving games.

I thought Chase HQ had a 360 wheel? My SCI certainly did (Sequel to Chase HQ).

[Magnet_Eye]

Damn, I didnt think about it..you're right! I can't play my favs, like Championship Sprint, Pole Position, etc..

It would be cool for Hard/Race Driving i think, and a few others.. (Road Blasters!!!) better than nothing i guess. I will have a spinner in my new CP, so i can use that for those others, but playing them with a spinner sucks ass! I need a wheel!

Who has built a steering wheel that works like a spinner? Damn, we need one...maybe oscar can save us?

PS- paigeoliver, how can you play Star Wars with just a wheel? no up/down movement...?

 

[paigeoliver]

That wheel has an analog shifter. Which is what I use for up down movement. I really score better using the trackball, but it is fun to pull out the wheel from time to time.

The vast majority of 360 degree arcade wheels should interface just fine through an Optipac or probably even Oscars $8 spinner interface.

[Magnet_Eye]

Ah, I see...so you could interface an actual 360 wheel..but then you would need to have a CP dedicated to that most likely...I like the "clip on" wheels logitech has, cuz I could clip them onto my existing CP when I need to...

Just can't play pole position and stuff. which really blows!

damn!

my dream is crushed.  

-m

[shmokes]

Screw that, get a 270 wheel.  The 360 games are at least playable with a spinner, while the 270 games suck suck suck with a 360 wheel.

But the real REAL REAL reason to use a 270 wheel is for all the new games.  Crazy Taxi, Colin McRae, Need for Speed, Grand Prix Legends, Nascar 2003, blah blah blah.

If there is one genre of NEW arcade games that still lends itself to our little homemade cabinets it's....well, fighting games.  But if there're two genres they are fighting games and racing games.  And the new racing games are just so much fun with a wheel.  I'd play crazy taxi with a wheel any day of the week and twice on sunday over paper boy.  Grand Prix Legends v. Pole Position?  No question.  Super Offroad v. Colin McRae Rally 3?  Common.

Get the 270 wheel and just use your spinner for the other games.  Or don't.

[Smittydc]

http://www.joy-stick.net/reviews/other/rasebase.htm

what else could you need?

[wee beastie]

I think Oscar used to make steering wheel controls.  At least I bought mine off of someone on this message board that had their own business.  I don't think he makes them anymore, but the thing straight up ROCKS.  It's like a giant spinner with the standard 3 holes in it.  That way I could attatch any steering wheel I wanted to it.

Here's a pic of it installed.  The picture is kinda crappy, but the wheel is great.

[u_rebelscum]

I wouldn't neccessarily say *most* arcade driving games need 360degree wheels...from memory I thought it was about 50/50.

Kinda old ATM, but http://urebelscum.speedhost.com/drivingInputs.html
As of mame 0.62, more 270 than 360 wheels in mame (38 vs 33).  I'll redo it for 0.67 soon.

It would be cool for Hard/Race Driving i think, and a few others.. (Road Blasters!!!) better than nothing i guess.

FWIW, Road Blaster plays better with a 360 wheel.  The original cab had a spinner type input with limited movement, so mame treats it like a spinner, and 270 PC wheels suck at controling games with spinner input in mame.

[Magnet_Eye]

Well I guess for now I will try out one of those cheapo Logitech wheels....they have some buttons/shifter on the wheel itself. This may come in handy for some games.

I still think playing pole position with a spinner sucks!!!  

[shmokes]

Aye, it does suck...but not as bad as playint Cruisin' USA with a 360 wheel.

[anthony691]

I have 2 working 360 degree wheels I may do something with, I don't have the cash to do to much though, also I have a new cash drain Area 51 cab with no PCB on the way  

[HeadRusch]

Damn, Super Sprint and Ironman Offroad are two of my favorite games........I'm only going to have one spinner in my upright, yeesh..should I consider two?

If I use two, I'd have to run MameAnalog+ right?

My box is Win98....could I use 2 spinners to get at least 2 player racing??

I understand that a regular cheapie PC wheel is also recommended for modern racing games, but I was smart enough once upon a time to pick up a pair of PC compatible Wheel racers (the hand held wheels) and they work great and store completely out of site when you're not using them.

I can't wait until I have my coctail and my upright set up.....and I fire up Need for Speed Porche Challenge on the wireless lan


of course an Iron Man Super Off Road tournament will follow shortly thereafter, to give props to the Old School

[Lilwolf]

Hotswappable control panels and BOTH!

poleposition with a 360 is the only way to do it... why?  Thats what they came with!  I have 2 true PP steering wheels myself.  Have to go original!

Most emulated driving games work better / closer to original with a 360 since most used a 360 until recently... and the recent ones aren't emulated on a real system yet... (cruisn)

but...

TONS of GREAT pc driving games out there!  And they are SWEET on a cabinet!  Just because it's an arcade machine, doesn't mean you can only play arcade games!

[shmokes]

According to u_rebelscum's list you are incorrect.  270 games have apparently overtaken 360 games in Mame.

[u_rebelscum]

Super Sprint and Ironman Offroad are two of my favorite games...

Me too.

.....I'm only going to have one spinner in my upright, yeesh..should I consider two?

If I use two, I'd have to run MameAnalog+ right?

My box is Win98....could I use 2 spinners to get at least 2 player racing??

Yes, yes, and yes.  

If "all" you want is two, winXP can do it too.  (One wheel X axis, other Y axis; any winOS, any PS2/USB/serial mouse this way.)  A different win98/winME only way with analog+ would be through two USB mice.

For three (super sprint & offroad), you'd need USB mice and win98 or winME.  Either three USB mice with spinners hooked to the X axis, or two USB mice and two spinners on one (X & Y axis), and the the last spinner on the other mouse.  I'm using "spinner" <==> "360 degree wheel" for easier typing.