rec.autos.simulators

I see they have developed a gated 8 speed shifter, anyone know if there
are any plans to develop a patch for N2, will N3 support it, GPL?

Thanks

Mick

Please email me I dont get out often.....hehe

Cheers,

Craig

**** Posted from RemarQ - http://www.remarq.com - Discussions Start Here (tm) ****

<SNIP>

I've been evaluating both the Mad Catz Andretti wheel and the ACT Labs
RS wheel -- both fall into the $65 range, but neither offers
split-axis support.  You CAN get split-axis support on the ACT Labs RS
wheel if you order the PDPI RS cartridge and PDPI L4 digital game
card, but that runs the price up into the $135 range.  At any rate,
I'd recommend either wheel very highly.  

The Andretti Wheel is a particularly nice wheel -- a real surprise,
actually  given the previous driving wheels that Mad Catz has brought
us.  The Andretti Wheel looks a bit like a Thrustmaster NASCAR Pro
wheel, with better ergonomics and switch placement.  It seems to be a
bit more well-built than the NASCAR Pro wheel -- and the pedals have
the most travel I've seen in any pedal combo, including the TSW
products.  The pedals have a unique dual-hinged feature that allows
the pedals to pivot much like the pedals in a real car, but the motion
doesn't translate well to bottom-hinged pedals, and it takes some
getting used to.  Once you "learn" how to use the pedals, though,
they're VERY nice.  Plus, the Andretti Wheel is a true digital wheel,
which lessens the CPU load and provides for better frame rates.  Add
in the fact that it's both gameport and USB compatible right out of
the box, and you've got a pretty sweet controller.  From a durability
standpoint, I think it's going to hold up better than the Thrustmaster
products.  One downside is that the Andretti Wheel is NOT compatible
with DOS games, so ICR2 and N2 are out if you want to use this wheel.

The ACT Labs RS wheel is also very nice -- some people have made
negative remarks about the amount of friction in the pedals, but I
think they may be the best set of pedals I've used aside from the TSW
and TSW2 pedals.  These things stay put like you wouldn't believe, and
while the travel may seem a bit small compared to other pedals, the
sweep is VERY linear, and they work great.  Even the TSW pedals aren't
really all that superior to the ACT Labs pedals.  Unfortunately, the
paddle shifters are not the best, and there's no stick shift, but the
steering wheel itself is VERY nice and there are plenty of buttons
that allow you to relocate your shift functions if the paddle shifters
don't work suit you.  The ACT Labs wheel also seems to be much more
duarable than the Thrustmaster products.  If you go with the full ACT
Labs PDPI/RS combo, you also get split-axis support -- AND what may
well be the smoothest control input, bar none (including the Saitek R4
and Microsoft Sidewinder digital FF wheels, and the Mad Catz Andretti
Wheel).  The only thing I've seen that's even close is a TSW2 wheel
coupled with a PDPI L4 card, and THAT will set you back more than
$280.  I actually think the RS/PDPI combo may still be a bit smoother
and offer more control than the TSW2 and PDPI L4 combo, so if you've
got more than $100 to spend but don't want to get into the $200+
range, you really can't beat the ACT Labs PDPI/RS combo for $135.

Both the Mad Catz Andretti Wheel and the ACT Labs RS wheel have pedals
that far surpass anything that Thrustmaster has to offer, and build
quality and materials that seems to promise better durability, too, so
either of these would be worth considering if you're looking for a
non-Force Feedback wheel in the sub-$100 range.  

FWIW, The IRL Insider Magazine will be conducting a head-to-head
shootout of these wheels in the June issue, I believe.  The review
will include the ACT Labs PDPI/RS wheel, the Mad Catz Andretti wheel,
plus the Logitech Formula (non-FF) wheel, the Thrustmaster NASCAR Pro
wheel, and hopefully the Thrustmaster NASCAR Super Sport wheel.  Stay
tuned -- everybody's been going ga-ga over Force Feedback wheels
lately, but meanwhile, the manufacturers have been producing some
truly great non-FF wheels while we weren't looking.

-- John Bodin
   Publisher, The IRL Insider Magazine
   http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/

P.S.  Check out The IRL Insider Sim site for more reviews:
http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/sims/

http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/pdpi/

This should give you a good feeling for what the L4 card by itself is
all about.  The ACT Labs RS/PDPI combo review is probably about a
month off (we're gearing up for coverage of the Indy 500 now, and that
takes priority over hardware reviews <G>).

LMK if you have any questions.

-- John Bodin
   Publisher, The IRL Insider Magazine
   http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/

http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/sims/pdpi/

-- JB