Racing Wheel
Score: 85% Developer: Memorex Device Type: Accessory
Function: The Racing Wheel from Memorex not only attempts to improve Nintendo's first-party steering wheel, but also add the ability to use Nintendo's MotionPlus Sensor, and for the most part, they did everything they set out to do. The Racing Wheel itself is slightly larger and adds some rubberized grips at the nine and three positions, not only making the controller less likely slip in long gaming session-induced sweaty palms, but also a bit more comfortable in those same lengthy races. On the back side of the peripheral is a battery case compartment that, instead of holding a power supply, provides a port to plug your MotionPlus Sensor into. The plug's other end comes out on the right side of the Wii-mote's cradle in order to provide communications between the two units. By moving the MotionPlus area to a central location on the back of the wheel, Memorex not only keeps any balancing issues at bay, but also prevents the sensor from awkwardly sticking out of one side of the wheel. Similar to Nintendo's steering wheel, there is a larger button resting on the other side of the Wii-mote's (B) Button, but unlike the first-party peripheral, this button is spring-loaded on its own instead of relying on the controller's button's force to push back. Theoretically, this means that the button is more responsive, but I didn't really notice that much of a difference.
Performance: Seeing as Memorex's Racing Wheel is little more than a molded piece of plastic, a couple of moving pieces and the wiring to connect the controller to the MotionPlus, the cradle holds up pretty well to wear-and-tear, but again, it's pretty much molded plastic. Of course, both this product and the Nintendo one are shells and even though they seem strong enough, both feel like a good drop or angered toss might result in more than a few scratches, so I wouldn't go playing Frisbee with the thing or anything crazy like that. Of course, the main feature that I can't avoid talking about is the compatibility with the Wii's MotionPlus Sensor. Unfortunately, despite lengthy searches, I can't find a racing game that actually uses the MotionPlus. Based on plugging everything up and playing a game like Red Steel 2, which uses the extra sensor, I know the connections are there and the signals work, but playing anything but a racing game with the Racing Wheel is a bit absurd.
Features: Non-Slip Rubberized Grips Compatible With and Without MotionPlus Hidden Compartment for MotionPlus Sensor Spring-Loaded (B) Button For Fast Response Slime Profile Enables Access to All Buttons
Drawbacks & Problems:: The Racing Wheel does have a couple of possible bad points. For one, there are more moving parts on Memorex's wheel than the standard one. One major worry point is how the cradle's port connects to the Wii-mote. The grip on the right side actually pulls back so that the port is even with the rest of the interior cradle. You then set the controller in its slot and push the grip back into place to not only plug into the controller, but also lock the controller down. Not only is this a moving part that has the potential to break, but it's a pretty snug fit and I always have to wiggle both the controller and the sliding grip around a bit in order to actually get everything into place. The only other drawback comes in the lack of racing games that use the MotionPlus. I'm not saying that the addition of this ability to the wheel is a bad thing, it's just that there isn't any use for it at the moment. But it's a bit of a catch 22, isn't it? There is no reason to make a racing game that supports the sensor, because there isn't a way to use a wheel with the sensor, but there isn't a reason to make such a wheel since there aren't any games that support the feature. So while I have to wonder about the business decision of making a wheel with this extra ability, I do hope it leads to the development of games that this controller peripheral is designed for.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
Related Links: Game Vortex's Coverage of the Memorex Racing Wheel at E3 2010
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