| Guillemot Race Leader Force Wheel by Leonard "Viking1" Hjalmarson7 |
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Package Contents
Guillemot is a fairly recent arrival to the North American hardware market, and is best known by many for their sound and video products. In fact, they currently have the lowest priced Voodoo2 accelerator on the market (the Maxi Gamer3d-2). Not long ago Guillemot commissioned the development of a force feedback racing wheel. The result is the "Race Leader," a wheel that compares well in feel and power to the Act Labs unit. Installation Installation of force feedback products is quite simple. In this case, you place the wheel on your desktop and lock it down with the clamps. Then you plug the pedal cable into the pedal base, and plug the other end into the back of the wheel unit. Next you plug the 9 pin connector into your serial port, and hook up the power to the back of the wheel unit. Plug in the power supply, and you're set. Setup Bringing up the Game Controller applet in Control Panel gives you access to the test and Gain adjustment panels. In the Test Input screen you can calibrate, check that your hat is functional, and also check input from the programmable buttons. Calibration is simple: turn the wheel all the way left and right and depress each pedal fully. This should be done each time you power the unit on and off. The Wheel The power supply for the Race Leader is almost as large as Act Labs unit. This is good news, since it means that the wheel itself benefits by the available power. The wheel and mount is smooth and domed, and on the underside of the unit are suction cups to give the wheel a snug fit to your desk. Once you pressurize your clamps, the wheel is secure. The wheel itself feels solid and comfortable. The shift paddles are about three inches long and reside behind the wheel on either side of it. The paddles share the same axis so that when you pull on one back the other moves in the opposite direction. The pedals are adequate, not quite as nice as the Act Labs or Microsoft pedals. The mount is about 12" wide and roughly the same depth. The gas and brake are identical, not a big deal but some would prefer a difference in here. Each travels away from you on depression, but they don't pivot as they move, a limitation when compared to some other products. In Game Performance The wheel itself is strong, almost as strong as the Act Labs wheel and about the same as the Saitek unit. In fact the wheel is strong enough to give your kids some trouble or to give you tired arms if you play for an hour or so. Naturally, you can tune these forces downward if it's too much for your kids. |
I know that paddles are a standard approach on racing wheels, but I definitely prefer the fixed shifter. The wheels we have reviewed to date all follow the paddle pattern. There are some advantages: if you race in manual transmission mode you can keep both hands on the wheel while shifting. (My preference is MANUAL shift since I can make use of engine braking characteristics.)
I'm partial to Ferraris, but some recent downloadable additions to Need for Speed caught my eye, and these new cars are a lot of fun. The Lister Storm is an unusual one, but I've been greatly enjoying the Spectre also. NFS 3 is a great test bed for any force feedback product. Dirt and snow, wood and asphalt, each feels a bit different and bumpy or rough surfaces are quite impressive. About the only area needing improvement is the feeling when you land after becoming airborn! Like the other wheels we have tried, subtle forces actually seem a bit better simulated than the larger ones. (This likely has to do more with the API than the hardware). Wheel response is good throughout both types of forces. Impacts: side as well as front end collisions, don't seem quite right to me, but this is more a limitation of NFS 3 than of the wheel itself. When you are REALLY cranking, say past 200 KM, you will notice the rigidity of the wheel increasing. With the forces cranked up to max, small children will have difficulty. But us bigger kids appreciate the difference! Operation of the pedals is good. The base is a bit light but wasn't a problem on our basement carpet. Summary Reponsiveness is good, and the digital buttons work fine. As a digital device it's easy to program the buttons to function as you choose. The pedals are not as nice to use as the Act Labs unit, but they work well enough. The shift paddles are a bit loose. It would be nice if there were some kind of tension on them. If they were moved them off the wheel onto a shifter unit as the Saitek wheel, it would be great. For more info on Need for Speed see our Review or visit the website at NeedforSpeed to download new cars. The price of this unit is what will catch the eyes of many. I'm sure you will see this one on the street around $99 US. Guillemots' aggressive pricing is one of the things that keeps them in the mind and hearts of gamers.
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