- Compatible with PS2/PC gaming system
- Vibration Feedback function lets you feel all the bumps, swerves and crashes just as in real life! (may vary based on game setting)
- D-pad included for directional controls in action driving games
- 4 secondary action buttons at the front panel for horn or view change, like a real driving experience
- Shift gears easily with two wheel-mounted paddles
- C-clamp fit most tables and desks
- Lap Attachment included, easy to assemble and enjoy comfortable driving from your favorite couch or chair
- Suction cups provide the best stability
Few reviews commented on what you actually get with this wheel, so I will go into detail. If you don't want to spend $130+ on a wheel, and are mainly interested in arcade racing, this is about your only option. But I think if you read on, you'll find it's a great option. When I initially looked at this wheel, I had some fears about it due to some of the poor reviews. None of my fears came true.
The wheel came with gas/brake pedals, desk clamp, lap attachments, user manual, and software drivers. The software is good for win7/vista/XP/ME/2000 with support for 32 or 64 bit. It installed quickly and my system (win xp) recognized it immediately.
I'm using this wheel to race old need for speed titles. All of these games, (NFS 3 Hot Pursuit, NFS High Stakes, NFS Porsche Unleashed, and NFS Hot Pursuit 2) work just fine, feedback and all. (However, when I first installed it and began playing NFS HP 2, the feedback didn't work. I played an older NFS title and that seemed to jog the feedback into action. It's worked on every game ever since). Although HP 2 didn't recognize the wheel, I was able to map the controls under options easily.
A lot of reviewers complained about how small the wheel is. It's not as small as they make it out to be, I have very large hands and it feels really comfortable. In fact I think it's size is a bonus, I clamp it to my desk and it doesn't block my view of the monitor. It took no time to get used to, in fact I came in first place on my very first race with it! It has shifting levers, which although you can't map them for the gas or brakes like some wheels, they work great for shifting. People also complained about the gas/brake pedals being too small/too close together. Although they are somewhat small and close together, I had no problems with them whatsoever. My floor is smooth tile and they hardly moved at all on me.
There are some very minor complaints I have about it. For me, the D-pad didn't work with these games I'm playing. Also, the cable leading from the gas/brake pedals is not super long, so you can forget trying to route it behind your desk, it pretty much just reaches up directly to the wheel with a little slack. However, the cables in general were a bonus for me because there aren't that many of them. There is no power supply, it gets power from the USB. Just two cables and it's pretty neat on your desk.
The wheel has ten buttons available, plus the shifters, plus the d-pad, and they are all easily reached. Some people complained about the sensitivity of the wheel, I didn't find it to be overly sensitive, it felt natural. There is a pretty good turn radius on it and it feels like you are actually driving! I quickly became lost in the game and never felt like I had to struggle against any aspect of the wheel or pedals. Overall, for your money, you can't go wrong with this wheel!
*Update 10/10/2011* I recently built a new computer that has Windows 7 32 bit home premium on it. When I tried to install my steering wheel on it, I got an error "device will not start". It looked like it had successfully loaded the driver, but there was some other problem and it wouldn't work. I updated windows and also tried downloading the driver directly from the Kye website all to no avail. After weeks of scratching my head I contacted the Kye support via email. It's been about two months now and I have still not heard anything from them, so I might deduct one star from my rating for their crappy customer support. However, I was able to solve my problem on my own. I had been plugging my steering wheel into either a USB 3.0 jack or a USB hub. Neither of those options will work with this steering wheel, it has to be plugged directly into a USB 2.0 jack. That's a little inconvenient for me because all of those jacks on my computer are in the rear i/o panel. However, I still love this steering wheel, despite all the trouble I had setting it up, now it works again and I'm in business! Also, the feedback works for me on Windows 7, I noticed some people claimed that it would not work must be the games they are trying to play. I'm playing the new Need For Speed Hot Pursuit. The feedback is a little subdued, I would like it a little stronger, but it's ok. Also, the D-pad is working for me in this game. The steering is a little sensitive, but after playing for a longer time I quickly got used to it so no problems there. Overall, I'm still happy with this wheel!
Buy Genius TwinWheel F1 Vibration Feedback F1 Racing Wheel for PS2 and PC Now
I currently only own one PC driving game, and that is 18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul. From the time I first opened the box, I have enjoyed this wheel. At first, I was not sure if I should buy this wheel because of some of the negative reviews, such as the one saying the wheel was barely larger than an XBox controller. Now notice, it you didn't have an XBox, you wouldn't know the actual dimensions, and that is why I will provide the dimensions so you know exactly what you are getting.
The diameter (directly across the center) of the wheel is approximately 8 1/2 inches, which is smaller than other racing wheels, but it's still comfortable and easy to maneuver. (Remember, I use this on 18 WOS which is a simulator game, not some high-speed racing game, so this review may not be accurate for racing games.) The base of the wheel is small (base = 7" x 5"), but that is kind of good if you have a cluttered desk like me! The wheel also comes with an attachment so you can set the wheel directly on your lap (probably if you play PS2 and aren't at a desk). I have not used this attachment, but it looks comfortable.
The pedals are approximately 7 1/2 inches wide (each pedal being about 3"). These are kind of small for being pedals, but I have had no problems so far. (Once again, I don't have to switch pedals quickly while racing because I don't play racing games.) One small downside is that the pedals sometimes move around on the ground, but I also use the pedals on smooth vinyl flooring. If you have carpet, or kind of rough tile, they should stay stationary.
The desk clamp works very well. The wheel stays sturdy and doesn't move around on the desk. The clamp should be able to fit on a desk up to 2" width.
This product comes with the necessary device driver to use the wheel on your PC. *HOWEVER, it appears this driver has no support for Windows 7. Now don't get all worried thinking you can't use this wheel with Windows 7. All this means is that the wheel will NOT vibrate if you use Windows 7. Otherwise, the wheel works perfectly fine.
Another downside is that the wheel only turns 90 degrees in each direction. I don't find that as a problem with my simulator games, however, it might be a nuisance if you're playing racing games trying to fly around corners.
Overall, this is a great wheel for PC (I cannot give you a review for the PS2 because I do not own a PS2). It has its little problems here and there, but they're hardly noticeable. So, if you're just looking for an inexpensive PC wheel, I would highly suggest this!
Read Best Reviews of Genius TwinWheel F1 Vibration Feedback F1 Racing Wheel for PS2 and PC Here
This pc Wheel is better than you would expect the vibration feature is what pushes over the top of the other 30 dollar pc wheels(can also be played with ps2)this is a great wheel its pedals are a little small same goes for the wheel but after a few runs with this wheel it wont bother you at all.
Want Genius TwinWheel F1 Vibration Feedback F1 Racing Wheel for PS2 and PC Discount?
First I will explain my system. It's a brand new, custom built Intel 2500K with Windows 7 64 Bit and it includes a 6950 graphics card with 3 monitors attached in and Eyefinity set-up. I am not a gamer myself, but I like to demo the system and show others how to build them. Because of this, I have been buying some older, and newer games and attachments to see how well they all play together.
The Twin Wheel F1 arrived quickly. I attached it first, then installed the CD as it states to do. It seemed to install fine. There were no errors in Windows System Device Manager. I also now had two icons on my desktop One Called "Play 32Bit Games!" and another called "Play 64Bit Games!". I have no clue what they are for because there was no comment on them in the skimpy instructions. Nor on the website, or explained in any on-line searches.
I did NOT see anything "alive" on the Wheel, even though there's an LED, so I just figured I'd try Dirt 3. No signs of life and the wheels buttons controlled nothing. I got all the way to the race, and nothing..... I had to use the Keyboard to get there. I thought maybe it was a controller setting, so I tried to select the wheel. Nothing. I then tried to map the keys to the wheel. Nothing again.
I moved the connector to ANOTHER USB port, just for the heck of it. Now I see a RED LED on the front. YAY! I went through it all again to try Dirt 3. I did get somewhere this time, but the only thing I could even map in the controller settings section were the pedals. Steering didn't work at all. I was depressed now. But at least I saw some life.
I ended up trying a lot of things but to no avail. Things like;
* Download driver from Genius
* Removing and re-installing driver in different order
* Try Different ports (INCLUDING USB 3.0, front ports)
* Pressing ALL the buttons for maybe some MODE change.
* Different driving games that may be more compatible.
* Holy water sprinkled on top (not really, but just about everything else)
After hours of frustration, and trying to find solutions on-line (which I didn't), I decided to try a replacement. After all, others had said it worked for them.
Amazon was amazing. Cross-shipped my replacement and made the whole process wicked easy. This was first REAL problem in MANY purchases and they took care of me. Kudo's again to Amazon.
The second one arrived faster than the first. I connected it and went into Dirt 3 to try and race again.....
One thing I did along the way, but I am not sure if it had an effect, was that I pressed and held the Mode Button. WOW!!! It blinked a number of times... Was it a sign?
Darn it. STILL Stuck at the gate. Oh, wait!!! I had to re-map the Controls to the Keyboard again? Yes!!! I was able to Map to the Steering this time, and I was able to actually race. YAY again!!!
Now, I'm not so sure the first one I received was defective, although I could never re-map the steering on it.
So, this one is working. But, NOT TOTALLY. Not the feedback. I am going to try the different versions (32Bit Vs 64Bit) and see if they affect it. I did try both versions to see if they affected the mapping of the keys to steering, and neither seemed to be a problem. I also think there' a large lag while driving. I think that's just poor software design.
Here's some things about the wheel, and a 1 to 10 rating on each. Just My SIMPLE, newbie opinion. All I have to compare against is Microsoft's xBox Wireless Controllers and the xBox Wireless Steering wheel. I didn't feel I could afford the Higher end steering wheels, but after this, it's probably worth it, just to avoid the frustration and disappointment.
8 Feel I think it's an awesome feeling game wheel. 100x closer to real than Microsoft's "thing" and cheaper too. I didn't find it too small, but I did find it a little too close to the table when I screwed it down.
10 Cables Length was perfect for me, but I would have liked another foot from pedal to wheel.
10 Hardware design For this price it has EVERYTHING there control-wise. I think it's well laid out. The pedals are decent, and don't slip on a carpet. The wheel seemed solid while turning. Nice placement on the buttons. To bad the software didn't let you use the buttons....
6 Response I attribute this to the software. The Hardware relays signals, but how to process them is up to the software. I noticed a lag when using this compared to the Microsoft Controllers, and they are wireless, which to me would add a delay compared to direct wired. So, I think it can only be the way the signals are processed and passed to the game.
5 Installation It seemed simple, but without a test program to verify it works it really is confusing. A simple test to acknowledge each control should be simple to write for a company that designs a product and expects to sell it. I really think it's in the software that these people fail BIG TIME!
2 USE It's basically a failure. And I feel it's all software related, which means it SHOULD be fixable, but it hasn't been. USB is a standard. The hardware is there. The signals are there. It all shows signs of life. It's how the software gets that information and processes it, and passes it on that this device fails.
0 Software Driver This is the stuff running in the background. Hidden, but most important. The Drivers fail to support all functions and it looks like they haven't even attempted to update or fix them in years. The parts that DID work were laggy and you had to go out of your way to use them. This is current, from their site *Driver updated 2007/02/09*
0 Diagnostics This device has NO diagnostics that I could see. No way to tell if the device was connected or working. Terrible. So many man-hours wasted that could have been avoided with tool showing a devices basic operation. Unacceptable In My Opinion.
Bottom line. If you have a 5 year old, or older system still playing OLD games, This MIGHT work. But for anything relatively new, this will be a frustrating and time-consuming purchase. The Hardware team excelled while the Software team has failed. It's not too late to fix, but will they? The driver on the site is dated 2007/02/09. 5 1/2 years old, and no Update? No Solutions? This device has been around a while, and there's still no simple test to check it? No solution to use it. I'd recommend everyone not buy it. Not until they support what they sell....
I think this steering wheel is physically near perfect for even twice the price. But if what you want is a steering wheel that's "Plug n Play" and compatible with today's 32 and 64 bit games? Sorry, This isn't it.
I apologize to Amazon for them having to send me two of these. They really should remove it from being for sale here until this company creates a product that does what it's states it can. Otherwise, they are just losing money on returns.
Just My Opinion.
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Bought this wheel and pedals while my son was visiting, and boy did we ever get my money's worth out of it! We had a blast playing all his driving games on the PS2. And the USB connection, well, I've got to get the PC set back up in my new office room, but I'm dying to put it to the PC game test... but in the meantime, I've played more PS2 lately than anytime since getting home from overseas. (Soldiers play a LOT of games on off-duty time!)
Loved it, even considered buying a second one so we could go head to head on even terms... oh well... maybe for Christmas.
