Paid $80, lasted only 1 1/2 years, so why am I satisfied?
Pros:
analog, precise, cheap (now), works with a good number of games
Cons:
doesn't work with driver, power steering went limp.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
When the Playstation debuted in stores, I bought it, and when the Steering Wheel Came out, I bought that too, in fact, this Mad Catz costs $80 then, and only worked with a few games. I also bought the game Need For Speed, the original, that was one of the only racing games to work with the Mad Catz wheel at the time, but it worked in harmony. Extreme precision with both throttle and steering. So precise that when using the 'in car view' which allows you to see the gauges, steering wheel, etc., you can actually move your steering wheel and it will look exactly the same as in the screen. Very precise.
There is a shifter on the right of the wheel, it is not a 'throw around' style sifter, it is a digital shifter, tap it up, your car up shifts, tap it down, and- yeah, the car down shifts. Little did I know that when I purchased this wheel it would work for a number of games I bought in the future, such as: Gran Turismo 1, Gran Turismo 2, Need For Speed 2, NFS 3, NFS 4, NFS Porsche Unleashed, and other racing games I own, the analog precision is a great advantage over digital because less movement of the car's wheels reduces drag, and when you turn your steering wheel only as much as you need to, you are turning at the utmost precision possible, rather than sharply turning the wheel at a quick rate (what digital controls do). You can actually gain a few seconds on your best lap times with the Mad Catz Wheel.
Problems: As you may already know, the Mad Catz Wheel does not work with a number of games that it would be perfect for, one of them being Driver. And another annoyance can be that when playing one game with the analog wheel, a different game might have a totally different feel for the car while using the wheel, so driving skills need to adapt to a certain game. My wheel, which I paid a crazy $80 for, still works, but not well, the return steering (such as those in newer cars) is not dead, if you turn the wheel one way and leave it, it doesn't center itself. And the Throttle and brake pedals often get stuck. So it is basically broken, if I was into racing games as much as I were before, I would purchase another one, I am satisfied with this steering wheel!