Review By

Dale Weir 8.0 RATING

Years ago my younger brother and I were into the radio-controlled (R/C) car hobby in a big way. It began with a love for the Tyco R/C cars and dune buggies that filled store shelves at Toys R' Us and Radio Shack. As we got deeper into the hobby, we took a chance one Christmas and asked our parents to shell out over $400 to buy us our first made-to-assemble R/C truck kits. My truck was a one of the newly popular racing trucks called the Tamiya Blackfoot, while my brothers was the Kyosho Big Brute. With this purchase we graduated from mere dabblers of the hobby and into full-blown enthusiasts. It wasnt just that we had to build the trucks from the parts supplied, but everything, from the truck parts to the technology, seemed bigger and much more advanced than what we had dealt with previously.

Curiously, the biggest transition came in the type of controller I would use for the truck. My brothers truck, built for power and not speed, kept the standard box controller I had used since my first days with an R/C. The controller had a two joysticks, one for acceleration and deceleration and the other to control the direction the car would move in it was pretty standard. In my case, my truck was built for speed so the industry seemed to decide uniformly that this new breed of trucks needed something "better." This meant that I had to do some serious adjusting to a control scheme and feel that was completely different from anything I had come across before. For one, this controller was shaped more or less like a gun. It had the handle of a handgun, a trigger that served as both the gas pedal and brake/reverse and a steering wheel attached to the barrel for steering. Using it felt so awkward that I openly envied my brother and his standard controller, meanwhile fearing that I would never master this new wheel -- let alone like it. But after a few hours, handling the controller became so natural that there was no going back. With its slick styling and natural feel, the controller sent a message to myself and anyone watching that I was hardcore and I meant business. Someone at Mad Catz must have had a similar experience or noticed the possibilities such a design could have on gamers. This is evidenced by the high amount of detail and craftsmanship that went into designing the Handheld Racing Wheel.

First and foremost, I have to mention the design of the Racing Wheel because it is simply one of the coolest looking peripherals Ive come across as a gamer. Not since Agetecs Alloy Stick or InterActs Concept 4 Racing Wheel have I seen a controller with such a focus on style, design and function. As I alluded to earlier, Mad Catz tossed aside the usual controller conventions to release a controller unlike anything on the market. For one, it isnt the standard gray or black that Sony controllers are known for. Instead, it is a cool combination of metallic violet and black. Its handle is ergonomic to an extreme, molded to fit almost any hand with the key PlayStation face buttons positioned along the length. The triangle button is situated under the pinky finger; the square and circle buttons sit along a contoured ridge on which the thumb would naturally rest. The most commonly used button, the X button sits higher on the controller, but still within easy access for the thumb during gameplay. Right alongside the X button (in a clockwise configuration), are the L1 and R1 shoulder buttons followed by Start and Select. Beside this set of buttons is one of the cooler aspects of the controller, the D-pad. Instead of the standard cross-shape pad, Mad Catz opted for a hat switch (molded in rubber), which is more commonly found on flight sticks, allowing for free and responsive movements. Finally, for even more button selections, Mad Catz arranged the L2 and R2 buttons (and two extra buttons called L3 and R3) to lie adjacent to the steering wheel which is located towards the front of the controller itself. The Steering Wheel itself is another molded piece made to feel smooth to the touch while easy to grip and hold onto. This is a far cry from the game pad or steering wheel layout many racing game fans may be used to, but on this level, it was an experiment in design and function that worked well.

In an effort to satisfy the tastes of most racing game fans, Mad Catz included a variety of modes that can be selected anytime during play. It comes ready to emulate these three basic configurations: Digital, Dual Analog, and Steering Wheel (though the solid vibration feature only works in Dual Analog mode). The digital mode replicates the standard Sony controller without analog controls. While I found the D-Pad on the Racing Wheel to be excellent, this is still a specialized controller made specifically for driving games that support analog steering. Plus, using the digital mode with non-driving games or ones that predate analog support wouldnt be taking full advantage of its capabilities. The Dual Analog mode imitates the newer Dual Shock Controller, which ensures that the Racing Wheel will be compatible with almost all new racing games that incorporate some sort of analog control. This was usually my mode of choice because it worked so well with most of the racing and driving games we tested it on. I found that using the steering wheel and trigger instead of an analog joystick in these cases was an added bonus. The controllers most appropriate purpose is exemplified in the Steering Wheel mode. Designed to take advantage of the advanced sensitivity and handling of most full-fledged steering wheels, the Racing Wheel was particularly good when playing newer simulation racing games like Gran Turismo 2, which require precision control from the user.

The Racing Wheel does have flaws, however, and sadly these are mainly due to devices button placements. The Racing Wheel, after all, was designed to be held in the left hand, while the right hand is devoted to the steering wheel. Unfortunately, this means that my left hand was relegated to holding onto the controller while my thumb handled all the action buttons (with the exception of the "pinky button.") This meant that during the course of a race things could get tricky easily as I tried to hit different buttons located a good distance apart. The four extra shoulder buttons (L2, L3, R2, R3) are positioned by the steering wheel, and while their layout looks very stylish, it is not at all practical. Thats because there isnt a plausible situation where I would have time to reach over the top of the controller, hit any one of those buttons -- and hitting the correct ones, no less -in the heat of the action.

Not only is positioning a problem, I also take issue with the size of the buttons. For instance, the L1 and R2 buttons are actually smaller than the X button. Being that they are situated right next to and, even worse, between the Start and Select buttons, trying to hit one button without hitting all three at once became quite a feat. Granted some of these annoyances can be alleviated thanks to the easy-to-use programming feature (which can be used to reassign buttons to all but the trigger, steering wheel, start and select buttons), in the most practical sense, more thought over the button locations would have made things a lot easier. I also think its worth noting that the controller in both Analog and Digital can be used in most non-car games, but we did run into some problems when using the Racing Wheel on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (the controller would constantly lock up). This problem seemed specific to this game and, in all fairness, youll be using Sonys Dual Shock controller by default anyway so it may not even be an issue to you.

The gun-shaped controller is now the de facto standard for R/C racing market, having long since overtaken the box controller years ago. Its cool look probably played a part in this, but even more likely was the fact that its new design meant better handling and control at a time when the racing market was exploding. The game industry is facing a similar situation as the amount of racing games and simulations hitting the market is expanding and the need for better controls are growing along with it. A unique controller like the Hand Held Racing Wheel has enough going for it to set a new standard, but in all probability, its button placement and unusual appearance coupled with Sonys marketing push for its own Analog controller could very well hold off a mass conversion. As far as Im concerned, Mad Catz Racing Wheel had more than abundant positives to make it the default racing controller here at GameCritics.com. After all, it is the first controller since my R/C days that seemed to scream, "You are now playing with the big boys!" as soon as it was taken out of the box.

PSX Game

PSX Game

Book

Book

R/C Truck