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what percentage of gamers use steering wheels?


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I've had one or two over the years but once the novelty wears off I think most of us realize they aren't as precise as just using a controller.

 

The only place I like steering wheels is an arcade game with the full driving setup, which seems to work better.

 

The tabletop units for home consoles are a little awkward from an ergonomic perspective, because most couches/coffee tables don't have you seated in a natural driving position.

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A good steering wheel is far more precise than any analog stick, not to mention you don't have the finesse with the accelerator and brakes with a mere few millimeters of throw as you would pedals, or the ease of shifting gears as you would with a proper shifter of some sort.

 

The problem is you've never encountered one, or played a game that was properly setup to take full advantage. You'd never want to use a gamepad in a proper PC racing sim if you experienced at least a mid-range wheel accessory beforehand. Nobody does in the sim world once they do.

Edited by Atariboy
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A good one is a big commitment in terms of space and money, though. I hear what you're saying, but I'm not into it, for the same reason I'm not into VR ... I'm just too casual.

 

I'd love to play with someone else's obsessively engineered driving setup, though.

Having the small, somewhat deducted setup I have now with my PS2 does make me want to move up to a more advanced system some day for my PS4, but that's in the house, not in the garage arcade, so the likelihood of that happening with the very low 'wife acceptance factor' is almost nil.

 

As for VR, it interests me, but I can't get past the instant motion sickness and vomiting (no joke). I can't read in the car either - even a minute or two when someone else is driving is enough to ruin my day.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette

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Nurmix, you have a bloody GARAGE ARCADE. We don't want to hear you whining about "wife acceptance factor" as long as you have a fragging GARAGE ARCADE. For perspective, most people have a spouse, or a GARAGE ARCADE, but not both.

You make an excellent point. I've taken over half the garage, and an entire downstairs room to use as the recording studio for The Intellivisionaries Podcast...

 

I'll shut up now.

 

 

 

Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette

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You make an excellent point. I've taken over half the garage, and an entire downstairs room to use as the recording studio for The Intellivisionaries Podcast...

 

I'll shut up now.

 

 

 

Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette

What's your wife's acceptance factor for smashing arcade machines a la Sheena Easton?

 

We have some disagreement (or maybe just casual sexism) as to who owns them, but I think there's no doubt this is willful destruction, not an accident a la George Costanza and Frogger.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/263700-sheena-easton-killing-defender/

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Good question.

 

I'd say they're not as gimmicky as a trak-ball, but (maybe) not as common as an arcade stick?

 

I'd put them in the same class as a light-gun, it's a niche audience.

 

But then again I haven't looked into it much, I know the fighting game scene has an intense community and following, along with e-sports.

 

Does Forza and Turismo have a loyal fan base and sub culture as well, competitions? I gotta look into it now!

Edited by FOX2600
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Does Forza and Turismo have a loyal fan base and sub culture as well, competitions? I gotta look into it now!

 

Driving games definitely used to have a pretty big and dedicated fanbase. It's seemed to me that over the past 10-15 years, that following has really dropped off as the number of games has dwindled (not sure which is cause and which is effect). There just aren't as many driving games as there used to be, and I don't see as many people talking about the genre.

 

I feel like people play the real hardcore sims on PC more nowadays, and there still aren't that many and they just get stretched out to last for 5 years with updates and online play, like a lot of other genres nowadays.

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I will still attest to useful peripherals for systems following the list as below in importance for console systems at least.

 

Controller's (originals)

Controllers (Third Party)

Arcade Sticks

Driving Wheels

Light Guns ( remember you also need the right TV as well and no I still don't count the Wii)

DDR Pads and NES Power Pad

Band Instruments

And Finally "STEEL BATTALION"

 

Well that's the list as I see it mostly and I did not include 4 player taps or multiplayer taps but if you want put them after arcade sticks.

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I use the wheel exclusively for my Mario Kart 8 addiction (and for MK Wii before that) and can't play the game any other way. I love it.

 

When friends watch me play they just die laughing because I am a 42-year-old man holding a little wheel and tilting and clicking like a crazy man.

 

While I own a ColecoVision wheel and gas pedal I think I've used it only a few times. It's not the best controller ever.

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I love racing games with a GOOD wheel, but you wont find one at your local walmart or gamestore (less your game store kicks hella ass that is) What I'm talking about is the higher end ones that typically cost as much or more than your console likely did new. Yes, you can get a wheel for $50-$200 range, but many of these range from adequate to shit. If that's the only thing you've ever used yeah, it's not really that great.

 

In the PSX era I had a really good wheel with pedals and a shifter for my computer, Supposedly even had arcade style force feedback, but I didn't play a game that supported that (arcade style, like it would supposedly push the wheel back, rather than just having a rumble motor inside it like the cheap ones do). Even built a custom cabinet, with an actual car seat jacked from our local equivalent of U Pull it (don't know if those existed back then or not) And I played the ever loving crap out of racers on there. That was something like $800 back then (not counting the cabinet and carseat) It took up a lot of space and just didn't make the move when we moved in 2004.

 

Someone mentioned the popularity of racers going down? COD behuches. LOL, J/K (kinda) Actually, thinking about it, racers are some of the first good 'sim' games, the first games to have first person perspectives, to concentrate on realistic handling and controls, good ai, etc. It wasn't until the PS2/Xbox era that we really started seeing other increasingly good quality sim games (shooters being an example, hey, I love doom, but compared to a quality racing game of the same era, or a modern fps, it's really just a toy in comparison)

 

Interestingly At the same time all these other sim games started popping up everywhere, racers really just kind of stalled out, yes they're prettier now, but not really any more advanced than they were several generations ago. I got Drive club for the PS4 and it was, well, disappointing IMO (I think they went a lit...er...lot overboard with the changing weather effects, among other things)

 

Add to this the fact that so many other games have driving as either a side, or main quest thing in them now, and stand alone racing is really starting to take a back seat. (who doesn't play GTA5 just to steal cars, see how fast you can get around the island (or over it) or hell, just drive off a building or cliff just to admire how the damage modeling works on there?)

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I like to play with a steering wheel when playing racing games, together with manual shifting.

Bought a f1 steering wheel back when geoff crammond f1 2 came out. And wouldn't want to play if any other way. Used that steering wheel with f1 gp3, grand prix legends, need for speed series and the later test drive games. Then i bought a second hand logitech force feedback steering wheel. Because the ps3 could use pc usb steering wheels i use this steering wheel with gran turismo, and i really wouldn't want to play simulator games without a steering wheel controller.

Playing daytona and virtual racing on the saturn with a steering wheels makes playing it so much more easy.

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Playing daytona and virtual racing on the saturn with a steering wheels makes playing it so much more easy.

 

yes, and no.... i play them all the time with a controller, and since there's so little motion from the analog stick,

it's a lot easier on the hands....i've also played them with a controller on the pc with emulation and got faster times, and better results than i did with

the arcade, and steering wheels.

 

so yes, it might make the games easier to play, but not necessarily better for experts, depending on what you get used to.

 

then again, i haven't played each game hundreds of times in the arcades, whereas playing at home with a controller, is what i got used to.

 

later

-1

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yes, and no.... i play them all the time with a controller, and since there's so little motion from the analog stick,

it's a lot easier on the hands....i've also played them with a controller on the pc with emulation and got faster times, and better results than i did with

the arcade, and steering wheels.

 

so yes, it might make the games easier to play, but not necessarily better for experts, depending on what you get used to.

 

then again, i haven't played each game hundreds of times in the arcades, whereas playing at home with a controller, is what i got used to.

 

later

-1

But could you play Virtua Fighter in the Arcade with the Daytona wheel?

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The only racing wheel I ever had was the Sega Saturn Arcade Racer steering wheel. I really enjoyed Daytona USA and Sega Rally back then and wanted an arcade like experience. It was ok, but having to get out a TV tray to set the thing on every time I wanted to use it became a pain.

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The only racing wheel I ever had was the Sega Saturn Arcade Racer steering wheel. I really enjoyed Daytona USA and Sega Rally back then and wanted an arcade like experience. It was ok, but having to get out a TV tray to set the thing on every time I wanted to use it became a pain.

Works well under the legs as well....depending on your features I mean. I never liked the suction cups it always tended to stick like 3 out of four and then half way through driving one side would come undone and it would pull the TV tray over.

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I have one for my PS2 and 360. I think the PS2 Logitech unit will work on PC. I don't have one for the Xbone ... have you seen the prices for force feedback wheels?? I think they're coming down in price but very very slowly.

The USB Logitech wheel I have is PC compatible, but I haven't tried it yet (I don't have any current drivers/racers on it to test). I wish it would work with my PS4, but from what I've read it won't.

 

 

 

Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette

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