I will be the the first to admit that I am by NO means a video game fanatic. I haven’t been an avid gamer since Duck Hunt was cool (the first time)! But all that changed the day my good friend said, here’s some rum, now we’re gonna race ironing boards!” Little did I know I was meeting my second addiction, with rum taking first place. Next thing I know I’ve got my hands wrapped around this racing wheel that’s clamped to the ironing board and I’m racing a BMW M3 through simulations of some of the greatest racetracks in the world!

That night I became addicted to both Gran Turismo, and the Driving Force Pro Force Feedback Racing Wheel from Logitech. This wheel is not for the feint of heart, or the arcade quarter junkie. It requires a little bit of initial configuration, a sturdy place to mount it (hehehe…I said mount it) and a lot of free time. Here’s a quick rundown of the features:

• Comfortable, full-sized rubber grip wheel with 900-degree steering — turns 2 1/2 times, lock to lock
• Switches automatically to 200-degree mode, for compatibility with other racing games
• Wheel-mounted paddle shifters, sequential stick shift and a full set of Playstation buttons
• State-of-the-art force feedback technology lets you feel all the action (we’re talkin bumps and jolts and road vibrations and all!!!)
• Textured floorboard features and no-slip carpet grip system, for better control and a better racing feel

Overall, the wheel feels like the real deal. It simulates the way the cars in the game would handle almost to a “T”. It can be a bit bulky to store when not in use, but as much as we play it (on 53″ of high def tv) who ever has to worry about putting it away?!?!?!?
~WC~