AVB MagTurbo FF Wheel
MagTurbo Force Feedback Racing Wheel
Manufactured By: AVB
Retail Price: $115
Review Date:06-07-00
One of the first companies to begin providing gear to The Control Center for a once over was AVB Technologies. Until I found them on a web search I had never heard of them although they have been in the game since the early 70's. Although you won't typically find AVB gear on the shelves of you local retailer you can easily acquire it through AVB's own online store or other on-line retailer.
The MagTurbo Wheel is the second generation of force feedback wheels from AVB. The first force feedback wheel in their product line, simply called the AVB Force Feedback Racing Wheel, uses the same I Force technology and many of the same features of the first wheel. The improvements come in the larger pedal base and pedal design, full circle wheel with rubberized grip and the new single clamp system.
Features-
8 buttons (including 2 shift levers behind the wheel)
8 way hat switch
Large pedal base
Single clamp system
USB or serial connection
On/Off switch
Combined/Separate pedal option
Appropriate For-
- Racing Games (Need For Speed, Powerslide, Midtown Madness, Re-Volt, Star Wars: Racer, Viper Racing, etc.)
System Requirements-
Windows 95/98 for serial connection or Windows 98 for USB connection, P166 or higher
Price-
The $115 price tag is on par for a second generation force feedback wheel. However, a bundle of games and/or demos is missing from the package.
Warranty-
180 day limited.
Performance-
The MagTurbo Force Feedback Wheel is a great performer. The wheel delivers good control while the pedals offer decent gas and braking controls. The pedal base is a little light but rubber pads on the bottom help keep its placement on a carpeted floor; bare floors may need you to add additional "feet" to the pedal base for better stability. For some reason there are no "feet" under the foot rest for your left foot so if you use it as intended you may inadvertently tilt the base. Overall the pedals are a grand step forward from the last version supplied with the previous wheel from AVB.
The wheel shape and surface offers comfortable control. The use of a rubberized surface was a wise choice on the designers part. The paddle shifters are independent of each other unlike other wheels on the market. This makes them more sturdy and easier to use. The wheel is a decent size but the paddles are easy to reach without compromising your grip on the wheel or turning ability.
The face of the wheel has a row of 3 buttons on each side of the center post. They are well spaced but not too far apart to control with either thumb. The 8 way hat switch is located in the wheel center and is also controlled by your thumb but you need no adjust your hand from its grip on the wheel, limiting access to the shifters, for use. However, I cannot think of a situation where you would need to shift and use the hat at the same time. The manual and box describe programmable buttons but the only means of programming the button functions is through in-game setups- no profile utility is provided.
The force feedback effects of the wheel are well delivered by the drive motors delivering a full 3 pounds of force. As with any force feedback device the effect quality is largely dependent on the games programming not the device. Still the I-Force API delivers better effects that the DirectInput API in a majority of games and sims. The force effects are easily adjusted through the game controller properties and through most game option menus. I did not find the effects overpowering in anything I used it with.
Performance differences between the serial port connection and the USB connection are minimal but the USB connection offers a quicker interface. Moderate slowdowns were detected using the serial connection but still left the games playable on my systems. In a similar vein, games programmed for DirectInput and I-Force API's both played delivering effects with the MagTurgo Wheel thanks to DirectX although there are some subtle differences between the two that are not noticeable unless you compare the two side by side.
Overall the MagTurbo is a fun to use wheel that offers many control options- plenty of buttons, shifters and of course the wheel and pedals. The force effects are smooth and add to the realism of the game/sim.
Setup -
Assembly of the wheel is easy. The wheel unit has two connectors on its back- one for the power supply and the other for the pedals. A cable comes from the back of the wheel and has both USB and serial port connections on its end. Only one of these should be connected with the USB connection recommended. The power supply is a brick transformer unit and requires plenty of space around it because of its size and for heat dissipation. The connection between the wheel and pedals is via a telco style cable.
Software setup for the wheel was simple but not as described in the manual. I plugged in the wheel via the USB port and it was detected as a "Race Leader Force-Feedback Wheel" and asked for the driver location. I directed Windows to the CD with the MagTurbo driver but it returned a message that a driver was not found. I resorted to the manual install process by specifying the device myself, receiving the "this driver is not the best suited for your device" message which I acknowledged, ignored and proceeded on.
I ran a quick check through the Game Controller applet and tested the forces under the appropriate tab. Setup using the serial port connection is similar and was also performed without major problem.
** Software -
** The only software included with the MagTurbo wheel is the driver set which is a modified I-Force 2.0 driver set from Immersion. Setup and use of it was straightforward although I needed to use the manual install process.
Documentation-
As with most AVB manuals the included documentation is thorough. The 70 page document is written in 5 languages and covers system requirements, the wheel layout, hardware setup, software installation, operation and troubleshooting.
The AVB website offers product details, an online store, company details, driver downloads, product FAQs and a discussion board.
Overall Rating-
The MagTurbo Force Feedback Wheel from AVB is a wheel worth finding. The improvements over its predecessor address the details that consumers brought up through feedback. This next generation force feedback wheel offers a few more buttons over most of the competition, is solidly constructed and has a fair price. The Control Center highly recommends the MagTurbo Wheel from AVB.
Pros-
Nicely laid out, rubberized wheel
Great force effects
Includes a variety of buttons
Cons-
- Pedal base could use more weight and better "foot" pad distribution to keep it put
Similar to-
Review date as printed on the original page. Images from the original page are not reproduced.