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18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 Awesome Arcade Wheel! Apr 22, 2011
By Todd Hilker
Few reviews commented on what you actually get with this wheel, so I will go into detail. If you don't want to spend $130+ on a wheel, and are mainly interested in arcade racing, this is about your only option. But I think if you read on, you'll find it's a great option. When I initially looked at this wheel, I had some fears about it due to some of the poor reviews. None of my fears came true.
The wheel came with gas/brake pedals, desk clamp, lap attachments, user manual, and software drivers. The software is good for win7/vista/XP/ME/2000 with support for 32 or 64 bit. It installed quickly and my system (win xp) recognized it immediately.
I'm using this wheel to race old need for speed titles. All of these games, (NFS 3 Hot Pursuit, NFS High Stakes, NFS Porsche Unleashed, and NFS Hot Pursuit 2) work just fine, feedback and all. (However, when I first installed it and began playing NFS HP 2, the feedback didn't work. I played an older NFS title and that seemed to jog the feedback into action. It's worked on every game ever since). Although HP 2 didn't recognize the wheel, I was able to map the controls under options easily.
A lot of reviewers complained about how small the wheel is. It's not as small as they make it out to be, I have very large hands and it feels really comfortable. In fact I think it's size is a bonus, I clamp it to my desk and it doesn't block my view of the monitor. It took no time to get used to, in fact I came in first place on my very first race with it! It has shifting levers, which although you can't map them for the gas or brakes like some wheels, they work great for shifting. People also complained about the gas/brake pedals being too small/too close together. Although they are somewhat small and close together, I had no problems with them whatsoever. My floor is smooth tile and they hardly moved at all on me.
There are some very minor complaints I have about it. For me, the D-pad didn't work with these games I'm playing. Also, the cable leading from the gas/brake pedals is not super long, so you can forget trying to route it behind your desk, it pretty much just reaches up directly to the wheel with a little slack. However, the cables in general were a bonus for me because there aren't that many of them. There is no power supply, it gets power from the USB. Just two cables and it's pretty neat on your desk.
The wheel has ten buttons available, plus the shifters, plus the d-pad, and they are all easily reached. Some people complained about the sensitivity of the wheel, I didn't find it to be overly sensitive, it felt natural. There is a pretty good turn radius on it and it feels like you are actually driving! I quickly became lost in the game and never felt like I had to struggle against any aspect of the wheel or pedals. Overall, for your money, you can't go wrong with this wheel!
*Update 10/10/2011* - I recently built a new computer that has Windows 7 32 bit home premium on it. When I tried to install my steering wheel on it, I got an error "device will not start". It looked like it had successfully loaded the driver, but there was some other problem and it wouldn't work. I updated windows and also tried downloading the driver directly from the Kye website all to no avail. After weeks of scratching my head I contacted the Kye support via email. It's been about two months now and I have still not heard anything from them, so I might deduct one star from my rating for their crappy customer support. However, I was able to solve my problem on my own. I had been plugging my steering wheel into either a USB 3.0 jack or a USB hub. Neither of those options will work with this steering wheel, it has to be plugged directly into a USB 2.0 jack. That's a little inconvenient for me because all of those jacks on my computer are in the rear i/o panel. However, I still love this steering wheel, despite all the trouble I had setting it up, now it works again and I'm in business! Also, the feedback works for me on Windows 7, I noticed some people claimed that it would not work - must be the games they are trying to play. I'm playing the new Need For Speed Hot Pursuit. The feedback is a little subdued, I would like it a little stronger, but it's ok. Also, the D-pad is working for me in this game. The steering is a little sensitive, but after playing for a longer time I quickly got used to it so no problems there. Overall, I'm still happy with this wheel!
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Really Great PC Wheel, but Doesn't Vibrate If You Use Windows 7 Jun 27, 2011
By Riley Spiller
I currently only own one PC driving game, and that is 18 Wheels of Steel American Long Haul. From the time I first opened the box, I have enjoyed this wheel. At first, I was not sure if I should buy this wheel because of some of the negative reviews, such as the one saying the wheel was barely larger than an XBox controller. Now notice, it you didn't have an XBox, you wouldn't know the actual dimensions, and that is why I will provide the dimensions so you know exactly what you are getting.
The diameter (directly across the center) of the wheel is approximately 8 1/2 inches, which is smaller than other racing wheels, but it's still comfortable and easy to maneuver. (Remember, I use this on 18 WOS which is a simulator game, not some high-speed racing game, so this review may not be accurate for racing games.) The base of the wheel is small (base = 7" x 5"), but that is kind of good if you have a cluttered desk like me! The wheel also comes with an attachment so you can set the wheel directly on your lap (probably if you play PS2 and aren't at a desk). I have not used this attachment, but it looks comfortable.
The pedals are approximately 7 1/2 inches wide (each pedal being about 3"). These are kind of small for being pedals, but I have had no problems so far. (Once again, I don't have to switch pedals quickly while racing because I don't play racing games.) One small downside is that the pedals sometimes move around on the ground, but I also use the pedals on smooth vinyl flooring. If you have carpet, or kind of rough tile, they should stay stationary.
The desk clamp works very well. The wheel stays sturdy and doesn't move around on the desk. The clamp should be able to fit on a desk up to 2" width.
This product comes with the necessary device driver to use the wheel on your PC. *HOWEVER, it appears this driver has no support for Windows 7. Now don't get all worried thinking you can't use this wheel with Windows 7. All this means is that the wheel will NOT vibrate if you use Windows 7. Otherwise, the wheel works perfectly fine.
Another downside is that the wheel only turns 90 degrees in each direction. I don't find that as a problem with my simulator games, however, it might be a nuisance if you're playing racing games trying to fly around corners.
Overall, this is a great wheel for PC (I cannot give you a review for the PS2 because I do not own a PS2). It has its little problems here and there, but they're hardly noticeable. So, if you're just looking for an inexpensive PC wheel, I would highly suggest this!
12 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Great Pc Wheel Sep 18, 2008
By Hueichih
"Anthony"
This pc Wheel is better than you would expect the vibration feature is what pushes over the top of the other 30 dollar pc wheels(can also be played with ps2)this is a great wheel its pedals are a little small same goes for the wheel but after a few runs with this wheel it wont bother you at all.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Cheap price, cheap result Oct 20, 2010
By Andre
This wheel is very cheap but it wasn't as good as I though. First, the wheel is very small...too small. Barely larger then a Xbox controller. The attachment area between the socket and the wheel seems fragile...Not sure it's gonna last very long. Mine is already slightly loose after a couple of hours of play. No support for Win7, and it shows up in the games. The feeling is king of imprecise, like playing with a keyboard. Even a gamepad is more fun to play!!
The pedals are the worst. They are too hard, and the base too light. The pedals are too near. So it either moves by itself or you touch two pedals at times, and you always have to push hard on them to react in the game. Are the creators of these things never drove a car with pedals ?
The only good things is has is the look, easy to grip and the clamp is reasonable. Otherwise I wasted my money on this, don't waste yours...
13 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Outstanding value for the occasional gamer... Sep 10, 2007
By Brett J. Monroe
"BJ Monroe"
Bought this wheel and pedals while my son was visiting, and boy did we ever get my money's worth out of it! We had a blast playing all his driving games on the PS2. And the USB connection, well, I've got to get the PC set back up in my new office room, but I'm dying to put it to the PC game test... but in the meantime, I've played more PS2 lately than anytime since getting home from overseas. (Soldiers play a LOT of games on off-duty time!)
Loved it, even considered buying a second one so we could go head to head on even terms... oh well... maybe for Christmas.
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