controllers

Just bought this wheel today and I love the way it feels. I've been playing Sega GT 2002 and Rallisport non stop for past 7 hours. Very well designed and fits on my lap perfectly.

There are problems with it however that will make me return it tomorrow morning.

1. In both games it will disconnect 1-5 times a race. Pressing start button will fix this but it also resets your calibration. Imagine being disconnected and having to recalibrate it 5 times a race - extremely annoying.

2. It doesn't remember your calibration settings when it's powered off. This alone wouldn't make me return it but is still annoying.

I haven't had anything brake off yet, like other reviewers. The wheel and pedals are very firmly built.

Another thing - Mad Catz need to be open for support something other than Mon-Fri 9-5.

I bought this wheel a couple days ago, for the sole purpose of playing with Project Gotham Racing 2. It's the only racing game I own. So far I haven't experienced the disconnect problems others have complained about. Hopefully I won't. Using the wheel over the regular controller does add an additional element of fun, however there are some things I would change:

Drawbacks:
1) Vibration is underpowered.
2) The wheel itself is rather small. This may be good for younger players, but being full-grown I feel like I'm driving a little kiddie car.
3) The stick shift is goofy. All it does is click up or down, you're not actually shifting. Therefore I think the whole point of including it is defeated. Also, there's no clutch - so really, all you'd be doing is reaching over and clicking this little piece of plastic up and down. I'll stick to automatic transmission thanks...
4) Calibration can be tricky. The dead zone in the middle is a problem. It doesn't seem very responsive to slight turns, but then suddenly your car is totally spun out. Maybe I just need to adjust to it some more.
5) Floor pedals slide easily. Since I play on a wooden floor I've had to put something in front of them to hold them in place since I drive with both feet.
6) Buttons and "butterfly" buttons behind the wheel are not configurable, at least with PGR2. The buttons on the wheel themselves are difficult to access while racing. There are two "butterfly" buttons immediately behind the wheel which are easier to tap, but PGR2 doesn't let you configure them. This is a problem because I like to use the handbrake button while driving, but it's too difficult to reach on the wheel itself while playing.

All in all, a decent improvement from the controller if you're really into racing, but I'd prefer something that was a bit more realistic, heavy duty and sensitive.

this is the best wheel. i have been playing it for over an hour and i have not got one error message. so if your a serious racing fan get it quickly.