The good: The Intec Universal Racing Wheel is extensively customizable and adjustable and works with the PlayStation 2, the Xbox and the GameCube.
The bad: There's no stick shift included, and the vibration is rather weak.
The bottom line:While there are better system-specific racing wheels, the affordable Intec Universal Racing Wheel works pretty well for a wide range of titles.
As the PlayStation 2, the GameCube, and the original Xbox ride off into the sunset, we can be assured that the consoles have a sweet ride--all three were home to some excellent driving titles. From multiconsole classics such as Burnout and Need for Speed to exclusives hits the likes of Mario Kart: Double Dash, Forza Motorsport, and Gran Turismo, it's tough to pick among the systems when it comes to racers. Thanks to the Intec Racing Wheel, those looking for a more immersive racing experience needn't settle on any one system. The multiconsole driving wheel works for all three and lists for just $50.
The Universal Racing Wheel consists of a steering-wheel-and-pedal set--there is no stick shift such as the one found on the Mad Catz Universal Wheel, but there are paddles behind the wheel that serve as a decent alternative. The buttons, paddles, and pedals have a metallic sheen to them, giving the wheel a design that's much better than Mad Catz's toy-like wheels but still not quite at the level of Logitech's arcade-perfect designs. The button layout is pretty good--just about every console's respective control buttons are represented on the wheel at least once, with each system's right analog stick--the C-stick on the GameCube--being the only omission. The one major qualm we have with the layout is the clutter caused by labeling each button three separate ways. If each console had its own set of button names, it wouldn't be a major problem. Unfortunately, the three consoles share multiple buttons, so it's difficult to tell whether the X button you're looking at refers to the PS2, Xbox, or GameCube's X button. We have to give kudos to Intec for using a headphone-style input to connect the foot pedals to the steering wheel--it's much easier to attach and remove than the PC-style connectors employed by other wheels.
There are dozens of racing games spread across the three consoles, and not all of them conform to the same control layout. Even worse, some racing titles don't allow you to alter the control setup to work correctly with the Universal Racing Wheel's layout. Thankfully, the Universal Racing Wheel allows you to remap buttons to the paddles and foot pedals so that just about every racing title for each of the three consoles can be experienced as authentically as possible. Another feature to allow a greater range of use is the wheel-sensitivity toggle, which allows you to make a loose- or tight-steering game a little more manageable.
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