anyone use the hand held wheel?

[greggp666]

anyone use the hand held wheel ? i love racing games but i know witch (sp?) one to get any ideas?

[leecow]

Picked up the Gamester handheld tonight. Will post gameplay impressions after I've had a chance to use it. I purchased it primarily for NASCAR Heat but will also try it in PGR. Here are some initial thoughts.

Construction seems decent though nothing exceptional. L & R triggers are set back too far. When the hands are centered on the side bars they fall just below the middle finger and require a rather odd motion to press. D pad and White/Black buttons fall very nicely within the thumbs movement arc. A,B,X,Y buttons seem a tick too high. Spring tention on the steering control feels pretty good and should be comfortable during the fine, long duration motions required in Heat though lock-to-lock distance may be too far to be useful in PGR.

[greggp666]

well just waitting for the good and the bad of the hand held.play more faster hehe.j/k.i need it for nascar thunder 2002.

[leecow]

Gamester Pro Racer handheld wheel
Tested with NASCAR Heat (large oval tracks only) and Project Gotham Racing

Scores (n / 5)
Construction: 4
Fit and Finish: 3
Did it make the game better: 3.5

The wheel is reasonably comfortable and the controls feel well placed during gameplay with the exception of the L & R triggers. Triggers are set too far back causing them to fall under the middle finger's first knuckle. This may work out alright but will take some getting used to. The A button on my unit was initially a bit sticky but that's worked itself out. The D-pad down direction requires a good deal of force to work - other directions are fine.

NASCAR Heat: This game requires a wheel. The long burn, subtle control input required in hardcore mode makes driving with the standard controller extremely difficult and physically uncomfortable over the course of a lengthy race.

After making a few in-game adjustments to controller sensitivity and turning down the steering lock a few degrees, car control with the Gamester was decent. The steering motion used with this controller is a little odd and there could still be a fatigue factor not present with a true wheel. Longer testing will be needed to determine if this is true. Analog trigger input for gas and brakes were responsive and controllable.

Conclusions
If you're having a hard time finding or can't justify the Thrustmaster or MadCatz wheel/pedal sets.The Gamester Pro Racer is a serviceable choice for NASCAR-type racing games.

Project Gotham: In part due to the steering motion and in part due to frequent lock-to-lock steering input needed, this controller is totally unusable in PGR.

[greggp666]

thanks

[Hugh_Jass]

Nice review, Leecow. I think I'll wait for a better solution.