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ACT LABS FORCE FEEDBACK RACING WHEEL
INFORMATION
Manufactured by Act Labs
Hardware: Force Feedback Racing Wheel
Reviewed by: Salman
Siddiqui
INTRODUCTION
It's been a few years now. All kinds of racing wheels have been released, some
good, some bad and some ugly but by now most racing wheel manufactures have
realized what the racing enthusiast want in a racing wheel. So, now that most
manufactures have an idea of what the racing enthusiasts want in a racing wheel,
they have moved into the next thing. In this case that thing is force feedback. Act
Labs Force Feedback wheel definitely has a lot to offer and there are not any major
problems, which take away from the experience of using the Act Labs Force
Feedback Racing Wheel.
INSTALLATION
The Installation of the Act Labs Force Feedback Racing Wheel is a breeze. The
manual provides a nice description of how to install the wheel. If you already know
much about computer hardware then the installation should take you no longer than
five minutes. Act Labs also provides you their drivers that posed no problems in the
installation process.
Score- 98
DESIGN
The Act Labs Force Feedback Racing Wheel is designed pretty well. There are
eight buttons on the steering that can be programmed to use in a variety of ways
depending on the game. Three other buttons are placed on the front base, which are
just for show and do not seem to have a function. For shifting gears there are two
small rods on the right and the left that shift up and down accordingly. The two rods
that act as shifters are connected in between the steering and the base. Shifting with
the Act Labs Force Feedback Racing Wheel takes some getting used as for me it
got quite annoying. What I mean by annoying is the constant clicking noise as you
shift up and down. The steering its self is made out of a leather type material that is
very comfortable and absorbs the sweat if you play a game too long. Another
positive is that the Act Labs Force Feedback Racing Wheel easily clamps down
and it's sturdy. I have seen a few wheels that have had horrible clamping
mechanisms that make playing games on them very difficult. Lastly, the overall
design is very good, however, I think that the base is too big and it takes up a lot of
room in comparison to other racing wheel on the market.
Score- 90
HOW IT PLAYS
My goodness! The Act Labs Force Feedback Racing Wheel is fun to play with. I
played several games such as Midtown Madness, Need for Speed III and Monaco
Grand Prix Racing Simulation 2. The Act Labs Force Feedback Racing Wheel is
simply a blast to play with. Controlling your vehicle is very easy for the most part,
particularly if you are used to playing with racing wheels. The force feedback is
awesome. At the highest force feedback setting, I can say it feels like driving my
friends old 1981 CJ -7 Jeep across the sand dunes of Arizona. A lot of skeptics
often say it's impossible to capture such force feedback effects, well I disagree. I
had to hold on to that steering for dear life!
Score- 95
VALUE
I know you can't get a better price for a force feedback-racing wheel. For $140 the
Act Labs Force Feedback Racing Wheel is more than a bargain, it's a steal. The
Act Labs Force Feedback Wheel flat out offers the best bang for your buck!
Score- 98
OVERALL
A few problems here and there, but nothing really detracts too much from the fact
that the Act Labs Force Feedback Racing Wheel is an excellent piece of hardware.
Add to that a relatively cheap price and you got yourself an outstanding force
feedback wheel!
Score - 95%
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System Requirements:
Required:
Win.95/98
Intel 166mhz
32MB RAM
Recommended:
Intel 200mhz
32MB RAM
3D Accelerator
Cons:
-Incomplete
- Horrible AI
- Bad audio
- Limited gameplay
Pros:
- Great graphics
Coolinfo Bottom Line:
- Out of the box CWC 99 is
not worth the money. The
patches might help, a little.
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