Customer Reviews

V3fx Racing Wheel 2

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

I bought this to use with Ridge Racer 5 with Playstation2, but it does not work in Playstation2 analog mode. I contacted the manufacturer and they were aware of the problem, and would ship a "fix" in a "couple" of weeks.

BEWARE!

I have to agree with the review titled "Any Car That Drove Like This Would Never Be Bought." While I thought the pedals were acceptable, the steering itself was horrendous. It claims to have "multiple sensitivity levels" but the three that it comes with are "way too insensitive" (you steer and nothing happens), "unacceptable" (waaaay too much dead space in the center of the steering) and "wild oversteer" (you can look sideways at the wheel and do cookies). It also didn't help that there's actually a sort of "notch" at the center steering position that the wheel snaps back to. If you just want to steer a little, you end up oversteering when you pull it out of the center position "notch." The positioning of the wheel was highly adjustable, though, and could be put into a comfortable position wherever you wanted it, so I have to give 'em points for that. And the fact the pedals stayed pretty much stationary on the ground. But that's all. I'd hold out for the GT Force wheel - I've tried the PC version Logitech put out and it's MUCH better.

I purchased this Steering Wheel 3 days after I received my Playstation 2. The moment I pluged it in, the display lost detail. I was unable to correct this and Sony was unable to correct this. They had to send me a new Playstation 2 and I was charged for the service because it was not a Sony Approved item. Be carefull what you buy to plug in to your Playstation 2.

Ok there is a major physics problem with the steering control of this wheel. When you turn the wheel to the right or left, ok sure, the car turns, but when you straighten the wheel out... in a normal car you have turned the wheels so that they are straight but in this design... straightening out the wheel simply has the same effect as "letting go" of the steering wheel, which means the wheels will straighten out automatically as you drive down the road. In effect, turning the steering wheel does not directly control the position of the tires, but how much force you are applying to the clockwise or counter-clockwise turn of the car's ACTUAL steering wheel. The overall handling this creates is a series of incredibly frustrating fish-tales as you come out of a turn. In addition, while there may be 300 degrees of turn, only a small "portion" of those degrees recognizes input, and these input zones don't even start for 15-20 degrees on either side of the zero degree mark. So as you come into a turn you have to move the wheel nearly 20 degrees before you actually start to turn, and then (depending on the wheel's sensitivity to the remaining wheel movement) only an uncontrollable few degrees applies force to the turn unrealistically. Coming out of the turn you might expect to move the steering wheel to the center, but the input recognizes that you are no longer applying wheel force into the turn and has the effect of "letting go" of the steering wheel. You would actually have to apply opposite wheel turn in order to get the TIRES to straighten out. Again, the steering wheel only controls the amount of turning force you are applying to the ACTUAL steering wheel of the game, it does NOT control the direction the wheels are facing. Don't even get me started on the foot pedals...

Just got this wheel, plugged right in and worked FINE with Gran Turismo 3 on my PS2. It does take some getting used to a wheel versus a controller for the game. I highly recommend getting the wheel at the same time as the game, and learn the game with the wheel. (I also recommend learning on one of the slower cars...) The adjustable sensitivity works great.
One minor complaint, though I'm learning to avoid the problem: during hard cornering/steering you can inadvertantly hit one of the L1/L2/R1/R2 buttons and change screen views. This is a little annoying (and disruptive, especially if it causes you to slow down and get passed!) but after a day or two you'll learn to avoid the problem.

I can't get my V3FX to work with NASCAR2001. I have contacted the manufacturer. They can't help me for 5-10 days. It will be sent back by then.

I didn't like this steering wheel because it was very sensitive to the touch and in Ridge Racer 5 for PS2 when ever I touched it it would move the car around. I also use the steering wheel on Nascar 2000 which is a PS1 game and it was the same thing but it depended on which course you had to drive on.I tried a course with the regular controller and it was much better. I am returning this steering wheel.

Unit does not work with many racing games because of controll mapping.
E-Mail requests for assistance were ignored.
Game Shark Tech Support people were rude and unhelpful. (Tech support is only a long distance call away.)

I doubt that I would ever deal with these people again.

I've looked over the some 26 reviews for this product. It's amazing how contradictory they are, especially when it comes to compatibility with GT3 and Ridge Racer 2. My hypothesis is that the hardware and software is engineered and constructed so cheaply that some wheels work and some do not. Why else would it work for some users and not for others? But anyway...

I myself have found that, though it has been technically "compatible" with my GT3, it's not a realistic wheel. The steering is looser than a giant old U-Haul I rented! If you're looking for that nice, tight steering of a German-engineered automobile, this isn't it. I also agree with a previous reviewer about the pedals--they're an all or nothing thing, absolutely no pressure sensitivity. All in all, a very poor product.

Racing wheels have been around for about as long as racing games, and while great improvements have been made, they're mostly the same. The V3FX is the best. It comes with a good-sized wheel and plenty of customizable features. Comprised of the wheel and a separate, two-pedaled foot piece, the V3FX has a built-in Dual Vibration. Personally I think It's a winner when it comes to games like Ridge Racer or Gran Turismo.