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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.
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 09/25/2006
The Universal Racing Wheel consists of a steering-wheel-and-pedal set--there is no stick shift such as the one found on the
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.
We tested the Universal Racing Wheel with a variety of titles across all three platforms and came away generally pleased with the results. On the Xbox, we first tried Project Gotham Racing 2 and found that the wheel worked well for minor turns, but wasn't quite up to par for wider ones. Forza Motorsport had probably the best compatibility with the wheel out of any title, as both steering and gas were simple to master. Moving on to the PS2, the Gran Turismo 3's cars slipped and slid across the track, even when we turned the wheel's sensitivity all the way down. Finally, we gave the quirky GameCube racing lineup a shot with Mario Kart: Double Dash. While the extraneous actions such as switching drivers and using weapons entailed a quick control acclimation, the superb steering made it worth learning the curve.
In the final analysis, the Intec Universal Racing Wheel is a decent option if you wish for a more arcade-like experience with your Xbox, PS2, and GameCube racing games. If you're looking to improve your performance in said games, you should probably stick with your system's standard controller or invest in an expensive system-specific wheel such as the
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