I don't think I have to tell anyone how much
of a difference it makes when you play a racing game at the arcade
and then you come home and play one on your PC or gaming
console. The keyboard or even a good analog joystick just
doesn't compare to the good old wheel and pedals at the
arcade. The PC has matched or even surpassed most arcade
machines when it comes to graphics and polygon pumping power and the
PC platform has also smashed the arcade machines when it comes to
providing awesome sound effects and even in 3D with the newer sound
cards. But what about the control devices? No matter how
well the graphics and sound are, the experience just doesn't compare
.... well that is until Force Feedback steering wheel/pedal system's
were released a little while back. In this review, we will be looking at Act
Lab's FORCE RS steering wheel/pedal system.
The Force RS system has many interesting
features that make it stand out from the crowd. First and for
most, the wheel has a cartridge system so that you can connect the wheel
to many platforms. The PC cartridge comes with the package,
but a Nintendo 64 and Playstation cartridge are also available,
however force feedback effects are not available on these platforms
yet. Also, if some new features need to be implemented
into the wheel, such as a new version of I-Force, then the cartridge
can be upgraded without buying a whole
new wheel. Incredible idea, don't you think?
Now you may be wondering what I-Force
is? If you haven't heard of I-Force, its a force feedback technology
developed by Immersion Corp.
According to them this technology is very advanced, here is quote
from the I-Force Web site:
"Originally developed in government
labs, I-FORCE technology is the most advanced consumer force
feedback available. I-FORCE lets you experience a range of
sensations bound only by your imagination. In fact, I-FORCE is so
advanced, that it's been certified by the US SPACE foundation."
If its good enough to be certified by the US
SPACE foundation, it should provide a darn good experience for us
game enthusiasts. One
important note here, is that the Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback
Wheel uses Microsoft's own Force Feedback technology,
this is why the effects may feel completely different on the
Microsoft system. The good thing though is that I-Force is
100% compatible with DirectX, so you will have no problems with any
games that use DirectInput for their force feedback effects, most
games do, so this is not much of an issue.
Also, the Force RS uses the serial port to connect to your
system. The serial port has a much higher bandwidth than a
standard game port so you will
experience absolutely no lag when
playing games. We've heard stories of the Microsoft joystick feeling
lagged when turning the wheel, our experience with the Force RS was just the opposite.
There's one more thing that we're sure we'll
make you very excited. Act Labs has developed a gear shifting system
which is an add on for the Force RS. This gear shifter will
have support for many different game modes (like Hi-Lo, typical
5-gear and reverse) but most important of all
it supports 6 gears and looks and feels real. Act Labs really
knows how to do things right.
Here is a wrap-up of all of the Force RS's features:
- Immersion
I-Force technology
- Program
custom force-feedback effects using our software
- Rubber
steering wheel overlay
- 7 buttons
on wheel face
- 8-way D-pad
(mounted middle)
- F1 style
gear shifter
- Gas / brake
pedal system
- 270 degree
turning radius
- 6 foot
cable length
- Windows 95
compatible (Not DOS compatible)
- Pedal base
: No tip, no slippage
- Vertical
gas pedal
- Horizontal
brake pedal
- Effective
slider clamping system
- Cartridge
system for multi-platform support
