I feel the need to reach out to my fellow racing fanatics in a way that Gamespot.com has not. I know tech & accessory reviews are low on the totem pole here, but the racing wheel is not just an accessory to a racer. It is a new gaming experience... I'll detail my experience in chronological order. I'll also preface this by saying I've used wheels for the PC, including a $250 force feedback Logitech wheel. Out of the box, the wheel has the same solid, well-built feel that the controllers have. It feels heavy for it's size, giving the confidence of a solid construction. The "wireless" gaming wheel, as pointed out in other reviews, is a bit of a misnomer. It has a phone line (yes, RJ45 or whatever) that connects the pedals and if you want fully functional force feedback, it must be plugged into the wall. Otherwise, it is actually wireless from the console, but only as a "rumble wheel". It comes packaged with a full version of PGR3 (minus the case and manual). You may wonder "gee, i already have PGR3... isn't this useless?" No, the disc comes with the necessary drivers to make use of the wheel. Apparently these drivers do NOT load to your HDD because i tried playing my original PGR3 after playing with the Force Feedback enabled version and the force feedback did not work. The performance of the wheel is extremely high quality. If you have ever used a force feedback wheel before, you will know what to expect... as you enter a turn, the car resists at first, but as you decrease speed, weight shifts and the car eases into the turn. as you accelerate out, the wheel recenters itself just as a real car does. It makes the driving experience much more visceral and realistic. The price tag may place this wheel atop a platform reserved for only the most dedicated racing enthusiasts, but it surely won't leave anyone disappointed. The only thing that it lacks in comparison to some of the very best racing wheels on the market is the full (realistic) 900° rotation, but unless you're parallel parking your F50 GT, you'll never miss it. Once you get used to the wheel and get your cars under control, you'll rarely find the need to use even the full 270° rotation of this wheel - even during drifting. In summary - a solid wheel and a must-own accessory for racers. PGR is given new life with force feedback and the added control - even the most untamable cars (Pagani Zonda F and the F50 GT) are controllable and even more fun than before. The true beauty of the wheel may not be shown until Forza 2 is released, being that it was designed and tested based on the physics of the franchise, but it is certainly worth every penny to those interested in a deep, realistic racing experience.

I thought it only appropriate that my first (new) blog entry should be a true reflection of my thoughts, rather than the typical "this is what i'm doing in my *blah* world..." soooo anyway, i've been frequenting the forums quite a bit in anticipation of the plethora of new games and systems this season. needless to say, most posts i have contributed to have been intelligent discussions about a game's features or a new development in the industry... but sometimes i just can't keep my mouth shut (or my fingers from typing, as the case may be) when someone flames a good topical discussion with blatent fanboyism. i have been in multiple discussions in the past week, both in comments sections and in forums, where sony fanboys have flamed a Gears of War discussion with talk of how much better Resistence: Fall of Man will be. first and foremost, ****ing fantastic for you guys... i hope that game's everything you've ever dreamed of. PS3 is sure to have it's winners, but that doesn't mean 360 owners won't have their own exclusive titles to enjoy. Secondly, R:FOM is a FPS. If you're going to compare it to anything, compare it to Halo 3. GoW is a TPS that uses an entirely different gaming mechanic and has a much different feel. These games aren't exactly apples to oranges, i realize, but it's like trying to compare a sports car to a luxury sedan. When two similar things are trying to acheive different purposes, don't ****ing try to compare them. You sound like an idiot. Thirdly, and what i feel is most important here, you haven't played EITHER game. Your opinion is as valid as a deaf man's criticism of alternative rock. You may like the way one looks over the other (though i can't grasp how any gamer can say GoW doesn't look incredible) or like the plotline of one game over the other, but JESUS people, where are you getting your insight? what's possibly the worst of all is that these fanboy rants pull in more fanboys from both sides and it becomes a blind monkey **** fight with no end until both games are released.... and even then, games are a matter of opinion. Sure, there are some technical criteria by which to judge a game, but even the relevance of said criteria is objective to the player. Fans of the FF series probably don't mind one bit that FFXII is a PS2 game with dated graphics and no HD support... in their opinion, the game is worth playing for other reasons. i have no way of knowing how many people this blog will reach, but if you're a fanboy of ANY system or game, please try to let the people that are excited for a release or a new system or WHATEVER just have their discussions without your ****ing nonsensical dickery. focker... out.