Review By

Chi Kong Lui 6.0 RATING

In a buyers market such as the one in the United States, consumers are always faced with a bountiful selection of products to spend their hard-earned money on. Its doesn't matter if you are talking about toilet paper or laundry detergent, fierce competition on the part of companies ensure that store shelves are crowded with dozens of brands of all shapes, colors and sizes that do more or less the same thing. In the midst of all the shopping chaos, one thing remains true. There will always be the one brand that isn't trying as hard as the others. Whether you call it 'plain vanilla', generic, brand-X or the just the products with the black text and white label, theres always one product that offers itself with no extra frills and wants to thought of as a safe and sound choice. The same idea holds true when it comes to Dreamcast steering wheels for driving-related videogames. In a sea of choices from multiple companies like Mad Catz, Interact and Pelican, Agetec offers the Rally Wheel as the 'plain vanilla' of the bunch.

Offering the bare minimum of features, the Rally Wheel was the first Dreamcast steering wheel on the market and continues to define itself as being nothing more then default standard on the thriving system. Unlike many other steering wheels, the Rally Wheel is a one-piece setup that doesnt offer an additional attachment for foot pedals. Instead, there are two Formula-1 style levers (one on each left and right side) located behind the actual steering wheel. One lever is used for braking and the other serves as the acceleration. Aside from the levers, there are also 5 buttons for further functions. A pair are located on the actual steering wheel handle, another pair is located closer to the center and just below the center of the steering wheel is a start button. Additionally, there is also an open slot on the side of the base for the insertion of a Visual Memory Unit; enabling save game options.

During actual in-game play and not to anyones surprise the Rally Wheels performance was serviceable, but not extraordinary. Despite not offering any adjustments for holding, suction-cup or vice-grips to lock-down its positioning, I was still found playing the Rally Wheel manageable in a numerous positions. Placements on a flat surface like coffee table, floor (though not very comfortable) or on ones lap, were all viable options. The construction of the device felt sturdy and all the buttons and levers were all within comfortable reach. I also had a strong affinity for the smooth analog feel of the gas levers. What I wasnt so crazy about was the actual steering wheel. Range of motion on the steering was surprisingly limited. The reasoning being that in order for players to keep the gas levers depressed during extreme turns, the range of motion had to be kept to a minimum. Otherwise players would be uncomfortably overextending themselves in such cases. Even though I understood the reasoning, that didnt change the fact that I was still a little bothered by the restrictive feel. I also had issues with the uneven feel of turns on the steering wheel as well. Slight motions felt generally unresponsiveness and extreme turns felt too sensitive. The restrictive feel and unbalanced response are still more personal peeves of mine and shouldnt be thought of as glaring ergonomic failures. Some drivers may actually prefer this style of steering wheel.

Regardless of those peeves, I still managed to pull off better than decent performances while playing several driving games with the Rally Wheel for an extended time. You could even say I enjoyed its use on a streamlined level. However, I simply couldnt shake the fact that when you consider the Concept 4 and M2 Racing Wheels from competitors, the Rally Wheel seems inadequate in comparison with its lack of features and no-frills feel.

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