rec.autos.simulators

Following my "GPL Generic Joystick & Windows 2000" post of 16/7 I got the my
T2 working in GPL.  I didn't manage to get the pedals working though.  I
tried the wheel in GP3 which doesn't need to have Windows see the wheel and
the pedals don't work in that either - ie. the pedals are knackered.

So, its time to purchase a new wheel.  My assessment of my usual peripheral
suppliers is that the following seem to be the wheels available to me:

MS Sidewinder FF  84.99 (www.gameplay.co.uk)
Saitek R4 (why do Saitek not list this product on their site, but
gameplay.co.uk still sell it) 94.99 (www.gameplay.co.uk)
Thrustmaster Ferrari FF 84.99 (www.amazon.co.uk)
Logitech Wingman Formula Force GP 74.99 (www.amazon.co.uk) 54.99
(www.gameplay.co.uk)

The Saitek R4 got good ratings at the US Pits, but oz informs me that it
doesn't working in Win2K and Saitek don't make it anymore (wonder why
Gameplay still sell it - must have big back stocks of it!).

Are there any other mass market wheels which I should consider in the FF
wheel range?  I see that there are alot of homemade wheels for sale out
there, but they are US based so big shipping and duty costs and I'm screwed
when it goes wrong.

My experience of my Thrustmaster T2 and my FLCS was that they are very well
put together and robust.  The only problem I had with the T2 was the
gearshift which was a pain in GPL and GP3 having to take my hand off the
wheel to change gear - the springback on the wheel was v.strong too and the
muscles took a pounding after a few hours play.

James

Thanks to ML for pointing me to act-labs.com

Went back and got a LW FF GP and love it.

-Scott Johnson
 "There is nothing, I think, more unfortunate than
  to have soft, chubby, fat-looking children who go
  to watch their school play basketball every Saturday
  and regard that as their week's exercise."
                       - John F. Kennedy, 1962

Thanks,
John

minor rant: Why can't you redownload something off of windows update easily?
Grrr....

Anyway, the update was for the VIA USB chipset - the force feedback won't work
unless you install it, and I every time I tried to run it it reported I hadn't
installed the Sidewinder software (which I had). It's at:

http://www.microsoft.com/products/hardware/sidewinder/SWUpdate/ff2/FF...

Also see:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q240/0/75.asp

-Scott Johnson
 "There is nothing, I think, more unfortunate than
  to have soft, chubby, fat-looking children who go
  to watch their school play basketball every Saturday
  and regard that as their week's exercise."
                       - John F. Kennedy, 1962