USB Andretti Wheel

I've been tempted to give the Mad Catz Andretti wheel a shot, but every time I see one there is a sticker on the back covering up the "Game port + USB port" on the diagram saying "Game port only". Does a USB version exist? That's one of the reasons I was looking at it to begin with. -- Ken's Sig 3.0 "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi Go #43 and #44! volksy (at) geocities (dot) com volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com

This is odd -- the Mad Catz Andretti Racing Wheel I reviewed (http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/sims/mcaw/) had BOTH USB and Game port connections. Their Web site (http://www.andrettiwheel.com/) indicates that it comes with BOTH connections also. I recommend dropping by the Andretti Wheel Website and dropping the Tech Support/Webmaster a line. I'll try to query my point of contact at Mad Catz to get an answer. -- JB On Sat, 5 Jun 1999 11:44:48 -0400, "Ken Beard"

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>I've been tempted to give the Mad Catz Andretti wheel a shot, but every time >I see one there is a sticker on the back covering up the "Game port + USB >port" on the diagram saying "Game port only". >Does a USB version exist? That's one of the reasons I was looking at it to >begin with. >-- >Ken's Sig 3.0 >"Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan >Kenobi >Go #43 and #44! >volksy (at) geocities (dot) com >volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com

I have been thinking the same thing, but what is keeping me away is no dual-axis support. Has anyone went from dual-axis to this wheel? How is it?] Thanks Rick Sweeney

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> I've been tempted to give the Mad Catz Andretti wheel a shot, but every time > I see one there is a sticker on the back covering up the "Game port + USB > port" on the diagram saying "Game port only". > Does a USB version exist? That's one of the reasons I was looking at it to > begin with. > -- > Ken's Sig 3.0 > "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan > Kenobi > Go #43 and #44! > volksy (at) geocities (dot) com > volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com

Rick, I'm not GPL whiz, but I'm currently evaluating the ACT Labs RS/PDPI L4 combo, which features great pedals AND dual-axis support. It works great in GPL, but I can't say that I'm seeing all that much difference in braking functions between the ACT Labs RS/PDPI dial-axis setup and the Mad Catz Andretti Racing Wheel with single-axis support. The ACT Labs RS/PDPI combo is smoother and more accurate, but it should be considering the price difference ($179 for the RS/PDPI duo, versus $69 for the Andretti Wheel). As I said, I'm no GPL hotshoe, and I still tend to be a brake OR throttle kind of driver (I get the concept, but in a sim, the practice of trail braking eludes me). I personally have yet to see any advantage to using the brake on a separate axis for my style of driving. That doesn't mean that there is no advantage -- it just means that for my driving style, I'm not seeing any performance advantage using dual-axis brake and throttle versus a combined-axis setup. And, given that, I find that the Andretti Racing Wheel works fine for GPL, Viper Racing, and SCGT -- again, that's based on my own personal opinion and driving style. What I can say is this -- if you're currently using a Thrustmaster product, I think you will ultimately find that the Mad Catz Andretti Racing Wheel will give you better *** performance based on the fact that its digital input puts MUCH less load on the CPU than the Thrustmaster's 250K pots. Hope this helps a bit. If anybody else has any experience with the Andretti Racing Wheel, please share it, because my opinion is far from definitive. -- JB

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>Thanks >Rick Sweeney >> I've been tempted to give the Mad Catz Andretti wheel a shot, but every time >> I see one there is a sticker on the back covering up the "Game port + USB >> port" on the diagram saying "Game port only". >> Does a USB version exist? That's one of the reasons I was looking at it to >> begin with. >> -- >> Ken's Sig 3.0 >> "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan >> Kenobi >> Go #43 and #44! >> volksy (at) geocities (dot) com >> volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com

Thanks for the info JB, very informative. Appreciate your response. Rick Sweeney

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> >I have been thinking the same thing, but what is keeping me away is no dual-axis > >support. Has anyone went from dual-axis to this wheel? How is it?] > Rick, > I'm not GPL whiz, but I'm currently evaluating the ACT Labs RS/PDPI L4 > combo, which features great pedals AND dual-axis support. It works > great in GPL, but I can't say that I'm seeing all that much difference > in braking functions between the ACT Labs RS/PDPI dial-axis setup and > the Mad Catz Andretti Racing Wheel with single-axis support. The ACT > Labs RS/PDPI combo is smoother and more accurate, but it should be > considering the price difference ($179 for the RS/PDPI duo, versus $69 > for the Andretti Wheel). > As I said, I'm no GPL hotshoe, and I still tend to be a brake OR > throttle kind of driver (I get the concept, but in a sim, the practice > of trail braking eludes me). I personally have yet to see any > advantage to using the brake on a separate axis for my style of > driving. That doesn't mean that there is no advantage -- it just > means that for my driving style, I'm not seeing any performance > advantage using dual-axis brake and throttle versus a combined-axis > setup. And, given that, I find that the Andretti Racing Wheel works > fine for GPL, Viper Racing, and SCGT -- again, that's based on my own > personal opinion and driving style. > What I can say is this -- if you're currently using a Thrustmaster > product, I think you will ultimately find that the Mad Catz Andretti > Racing Wheel will give you better *** performance based on the fact > that its digital input puts MUCH less load on the CPU than the > Thrustmaster's 250K pots. > Hope this helps a bit. If anybody else has any experience with the > Andretti Racing Wheel, please share it, because my opinion is far from > definitive. > -- JB > >Thanks > >Rick Sweeney > >> I've been tempted to give the Mad Catz Andretti wheel a shot, but every time > >> I see one there is a sticker on the back covering up the "Game port + USB > >> port" on the diagram saying "Game port only". > >> Does a USB version exist? That's one of the reasons I was looking at it to > >> begin with. > >> -- > >> Ken's Sig 3.0 > >> "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan > >> Kenobi > >> Go #43 and #44! > >> volksy (at) geocities (dot) com > >> volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com

Digital Microprocessor..Yes, that is the key! (Yes I own an Andretti wheel and have also owned Thrustmaster and Logitech wheels too.....) Andretti is the best in my own opinion.....

I have reviews of the Andretti Wheel and others on my site. I find the Andretti Wheel the best bang for the buck. It is a very comfortable, affordable wheel (<$70). -- Sam Mancuso Visit The Control Center for the latest PC Game Controller News, Reviews and Information! > This is odd -- the Mad Catz Andretti Racing Wheel I reviewed > (http://irlinsider.adnetweb.com/sims/mcaw/) had BOTH USB and Game port > connections. Their Web site (http://www.andrettiwheel.com/) indicates > that it comes with BOTH connections also. I recommend dropping by the > Andretti Wheel Website and dropping the Tech Support/Webmaster a line. > I'll try to query my point of contact at Mad Catz to get an answer. > -- JB > On Sat, 5 Jun 1999 11:44:48 -0400, "Ken Beard" > >I've been tempted to give the Mad Catz Andretti wheel a shot, but every time > >I see one there is a sticker on the back covering up the "Game port + USB > >port" on the diagram saying "Game port only". > >Does a USB version exist? That's one of the reasons I was looking at it to > >begin with. > >-- > >Ken's Sig 3.0 > >"Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan > >Kenobi > >Go #43 and #44! > >volksy (at) geocities (dot) com > >volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com

In your review you mentioned that the Andretti wheel will not work with DOS legacy games like NASCAR 2. Excuse my ignorance, but does this mean that NASCAR 1999 would also not work with this wheel? I know that N99 is built on the N2 game engine and I am a fan of the TPTCC 99 mod for N99 by The Pits. By the way, excellent review. Very through, and the photographs were extremely helpful, especially of the mounting clamps. I am tall and my thighs get bruised by the turnknobs of my Thrustmaster T2. It looks like the Andretti wheel might be my next accessory. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Share what you know. Learn what you don't.

>In your review you mentioned that the Andretti wheel will not work with >DOS legacy games like NASCAR 2. Excuse my ignorance, but does this mean It probably will work with DOS legacy games just like the Logitech FF USB wheel does. However N2/NR1999 DOS has special optimizations made to the joystick driver for online play which make digital FF wheels unable to properly calibrate. That is why it won't work, not because you cannot use the wheel in DOS. If you are buying the wheel for N2/NR1999 online play you can forget it. If you primarily will use to for other driving sims it might be OK. -- Header address intentionally scrambled to ward off the spamming hordes. cisko [AT] ix [DOT] netcom [DOT] com

It looks like there are a few Andretti Wheels out there that do NOT offer USB support -- here's the info I got from Ali Hussainy, product manager at Mad Catz: <SNIP> The first 2k wheels we sold to Electronics Boutique were GAMEPORT ONLY. EB was in a rush to get their hands on the new wheel and decided to forgo the extra functionality. All of the remaining 40k wheels we have shipped since then are BOTH USB and Gameport compatible. Again, EB is the only place selling the Gameport only version at their request. Again, I apologize for the confusion. Have the guy contact me if he needs more information. Thanks. Ali Hussainy Product Manager Mad Catz, Inc. <END SNIP> Not bad -- a great wheel, AND responsive support from Mad Catz. -- JB On Sat, 5 Jun 1999 11:44:48 -0400, "Ken Beard"

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>I've been tempted to give the Mad Catz Andretti wheel a shot, but every time >I see one there is a sticker on the back covering up the "Game port + USB >port" on the diagram saying "Game port only". >Does a USB version exist? That's one of the reasons I was looking at it to >begin with. >-- >Ken's Sig 3.0 >"Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan >Kenobi >Go #43 and #44! >volksy (at) geocities (dot) com >volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com

So far, I have been very happy with myAndretti Wheel. Mad Catz, Has also answered my many questions quickly and consicely too. I never got that support from the guys who made my T2. The durability of the wheel is the only hting I am waiting on since that is jsut going to take using it for a while to see if it works better, but so far its been a pretty good jump from the T2 I was used to. I bought it at EB and it has both game and USB ports, but since I am not using NT or Win 98 I am stuck with Game port. Dave

I am also now using a T2. I am considering the Andretti wheel, but I did see in one review that the clamps stuck down quite a bit. I am tall and the T2 bolts hit my thighs now; is the Andretti wheel any better? Also, the article (it was at Gamecenter I believe) critisized the pedals and their front to back motion. How do the pedals compare to your old T2? Thanks in advance! Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Share what you know. Learn what you don't.

Thanks for the info John. I do think I saw the same thing at Media Play though. Haven't seen them at CompUSA lately, although I think they had them a while back but I don't remember those having the "Gameport only" sticker. This helps, since I know there are Gameport only versions and it wasn't just some box mistake, so I can just look around and get one of the USB / Combo versions if I decide to get one of these. And it is nice to have quick support - if they'd only included dual-axis pedals it'd be a no-brainer. I've been trying to notice while driving how much I actually use that, and it's very rarely that I'm really working them both even though I use both feet (a carry over from my days of using my CH Pedals for driving sims). So that may not be that big of a deal. I'll probably pick it up and give it a good test drive from somewhere with a good return policy and see how well it works. Thanks again! -- Ken's Sig 3.0 "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi Go #43 and #44! volksy (at) geocities (dot) com volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com >It looks like there are a few Andretti Wheels out there that do NOT >offer USB support -- here's the info I got from Ali Hussainy, product >manager at Mad Catz: ><SNIP> >The first 2k wheels we sold to Electronics Boutique were GAMEPORT >ONLY. EB was in a rush to get their hands on the new wheel and decided >to forgo the extra functionality. >All of the remaining 40k wheels we have shipped since then are BOTH >USB and Gameport compatible. >Again, EB is the only place selling the Gameport only version at their >request. >Again, I apologize for the confusion. Have the guy contact me if he >needs more information.

Guys, This is my experiance with the new Mad Catz Andretti Wheel. I have used a T2 wheel for 3 years now and I finally said "screw it" I'm tired of this junk breaking. So, I went to my local Babbages store and picked up this new wheel. Well, the wheel looks GREAT! The buttons are in the right place and the tension in the steering wheel is very realistic feeling. The clamping system is nice but I prefer the old T2 style. Here comes the killer. The pedals SUCK!!! They stay in place on my carpeted floor but you have to raise your leg up to press them down. I like the old T2 way of just having to pivot your ankle to accelerate and brake but the Andretti wheel doesn't come close. I played with it for about an hour chunked it back in the box and sent it back. Man, I wish I could use the T2 pedals with the Andretti wheel. Thanks, Aaron Markham *Kart44* http://drive.to/rollcage rgm3.vcf < 1K Download

Aaron's right -- not about the fact that the pedals suck (I don't think they do, personally), but, rather, about the fact that you do have to raise your foot/leg to operate the pedals. As I said in my review, you can't just pivot your foot on the heel with these pedals, but it's not much different than it is in a real car (a bit MORE realistic in some ways, actually). Aaron's opinion is right for him, obviously, but although I found the pedals difficult to adapt to at first, after I "learned" how to use them, I found them to be very easy to use. When I went back to my TSW2 pedals (or the ACT Labs pedals), I had to "re-learn" how to use them all over again. Again, this is a learning curve issue, I think, but when it comes to things like this, everybody's opinion is right. -- JB

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>This is a multi-part message in MIME format. >--------------7E1F03B72BB046A5B55F753C >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >Guys, > This is my experiance with the new Mad Catz Andretti Wheel. I have used >a T2 wheel for 3 years now and I finally said "screw it" I'm tired of this >junk breaking. So, I went to my local Babbages store and picked up this new >wheel. Well, the wheel looks GREAT! The buttons are in the right place and >the tension in the steering wheel is very realistic feeling. The clamping >system is nice but I prefer the old T2 style. Here comes the killer. The >pedals SUCK!!! They stay in place on my carpeted floor but you have to raise >your leg up to press them down. I like the old T2 way of just having to >pivot your ankle to accelerate and brake but the Andretti wheel doesn't come >close. I played with it for about an hour chunked it back in the box and >sent it back. Man, I wish I could use the T2 pedals with the Andretti wheel. >Thanks, >Aaron Markham *Kart44* >http://drive.to/rollcage >--------------7E1F03B72BB046A5B55F753C >Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii; > name="rgm3.vcf" >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >Content-Description: Card for A. Markham *Kart44* >Content-Disposition: attachment; > filename="rgm3.vcf" >begin:vcard >n:Markham;Aaron >x-mozilla-html:FALSE >url:http://members.xoom.com/TheStripe/Tristar.html >adr:;;;;;;USA >version:2.1 >note:I used to design N2 cars for PIT ROAD and G24 Motorsports. I am also a kart racer. I have been racing karts on the WKA National Dirt Circuit for 5 years now. I have a championship and numerous wins. I am also running the OARS Goody's Dash offline series. >x-mozilla-cpt:;0 >end:vcard >--------------7E1F03B72BB046A5B55F753C--

Thanks for everyone's responses to my posting. It's good to know that I can use my NASCAR99 with the Andretti wheel, should I ever decide to get it, but there is still life in my T2 so I will stick with it rather than have to deal with the pedal geometry change. I guess I am lucky as my T2 was a later model and I understand that the springs in the pedals were beefed up. So far (knock on simulated wood grain desk top) I have not had the spring breakage problem so many have reported in the past. With regards to the comment about how lifting your foot off the floor to push the pedals is more like real life... my feet are so big that I rest my heel on the floor mat all the time when I drive and just pivot the ankle joint. All my shoes have this worn spot in the back of the right heel, drives my wife nuts ;-) -- Mark D Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Share what you know. Learn what you don't.