Interact Force feedback Fx Wheel

(SV-281)**

Force Feedback Fx Racing Wheel (SV-281)

**Manufactured By: InterAct

Retail Price: $40 **

Review Date:** 2-24-99

Updated: 6-27-99**

$40 to put Force-Feedback in the palm of your hand? Can't be true, but it is with the InterAct Force Feedback Fx Racing Wheel. Using Microsoft's DirectInput API the forces in Need For Speed III, DethKarz, Powerslide, MotoCross Madness and other racing games are felt through the wheel. OK so its not a full size wheel but I have yet to see a PC wheel the size of my car's. The Fx Racing Wheel is similar in size and feel to a high end radio controlled car transmitter.

InterAct's first hand held wheel, the UltraRacer PC was similar in concept. They have added force-feedback, moved the wheel to the side, reconfigured and added buttons and gave it button programmability capabilities. The force-feedback effects are delivered using the Microsoft API DirectInput. Virtually all current racing games supporting force-feedback support this API. The manual refers you to their website for a compatibility list but it not posted. Look for Microsoft force-feedback or DirectInput compatibility and it should be fine. Even if force-feedback is not directly supported by a game you have the option to program force-feedback effect to actions using the InterAct Profile Database software. I experienced great problems this this software. Having the profiler software active made my system useless for gaming; reducing the framerate to a few frames a second. Even without the controller in use, if the profiler is active in the system tray the slowdown is experienced. The software also looks to assure the device is connected and functioning properly. If you have other controllers (and who doesn't) it gives a "soon to become annoying" message alerting you it is not selected as your game device when you start your system. Hopefully this check will be disabled and the slowdown issue resolved in the near future. No word has been received from InterAct yet.

Although I never did receive a response from InterAct they did address this issue. I seems that the problem was limited to a few soundcards (I experienced the problem with a SoundBlaster Live! Value, Xitel Platinum Storm and SoundBlaster PCI 512 soundcard). A patch has been released and is available on the InterAct website and remedies the issue.

The design of the controller allows for a more natural use of the throttle control; eliminating a complaint I had with the UltraRacer PC. The placement of the wheel on the side of the unit took little a bit to get used to (I had it down after a few laps). The turning radius of the wheel is fairly tight being from about 10 to 2 o'clock. The "head" of the unit is fairly heavy; containing the mechanism that provides the forces. The batteries are housed in a compartment in the handle but they don't even begin to offset the weight at the top of the controller. The weight issue becomes a factor after a bit of play and I found myself propping it on the edge of my desk for support.

The force feedback effects are decent. As with any force-feedback product the realism of the effects depends largely on the game code. Powerslide and Need For Speed 3 were plenty of fun. The wheel does not deliver force-effects unless resistance is applied to the wheel. The rumble of the engine is not felt unless the wheel is turned a few degrees. I assume this feature was implemented to keep it from rumbling it off your desk when you don't have a handle on it but it does take away from the overall effect.

Force power is provided by 2 AA batteries or a DC 4v adapter (neither included). The documentation and website do not list a source for a power supply or estimate the life of a set of batteries. After at least 8 hours of total use the battery indicator in the properties tab is still showing full power. They warn against using rechargeable because they do not provide the power necessary for the wheel.

Features -

• DirectInput Force-feedback
• 4 programmable Buttons
• Throttle Control
• Mode Button
• Escape Button
• Enter Button
• Force-Feedback Mapping for games not supporting FF

System Requirements-

P-75 or higher, Windows 95/98, 16MB RAM, Direct X 5.0 (or higher) compatible soundcard w/DirectInput compatible gameport, 2 AA batteries

Note- InterAct lists the following devices incompatible:

• BTC 1815-Analog Devices 1815 Sound Comm Chipset
• Chromatic Research !MPACT, !MPACT 2 sound cards - CMI8330 Audio Codec
• Creative Labs SoundBlaster 16 SCSI-1 (note: all other SoundBlaster cards are compatible, Live! requiring an update)
• Digital Research DRSound3D-Avance Logic ALS 100+ Chipset
• ESS978-based laptop docking stations
• New Media Systems Game Jammer PC Card
• Roland RAP 10/AT
• Toshiba Tecra 700CT Notebook Computer

Price -

At under $40, the Fx Racing Wheel is the most affordable force-feedback controller available.

Performance -

Overall I liked the way the Fx Racing Wheel performed. In all of the racing games I threw at it (DethKarz, Need For Speed III, Powerslide, etc.) it played similar to other force-feedback wheels I have tried. I mentioned the lack of forces when the wheel is centered above. The lack of forces on straight-aways was a bit annoying. The forces are not as well defined as other wheels because of the size of the unit and its small turning radius (<90 degrees). Being a hand-held unit in a small package means that the forces and overall effect are also reduced but are still well implemented.

However, the button placement is not well implemented. The 4 main buttons are on the handle that you need to have a good grip on because of the forces and weight of the head of the controller. The 3 additional buttons on the head can only be reached by unhand the wheel. Its nice to have many buttons to use but they must be well placed.

Setup -

In most instances setup of the Fx Racing Wheel should be pretty simple. After unpacking the unit and installing the batteries you can plug it into your gameport. Start the system, install the drivers, restart and begin to play... unless you have a Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live! soundcard. The initial driver release requires a software update that can be downloaded from the InterAct site in order for it to be recognized.

Setup in games was also fairly straightforward and should not pose a problem as long as you setup within the game and do not use the profile software. I did not experience problems with the profile software itself but when it was loaded it rendered the system unplayable because of the high system utilization.

By applying the patch available on the InterAct website, the problem went away and the profile software became a usable function.

**Software -

**The software that comes with the Fx Racing Wheel includes drivers, Direct X 5 files and the InterAct Profile Database files for both InterAct force-feedback wheels. The software setup is straight-forward. The website has an update for Creative Labs Live! soundcard users that will receive a "not connected" message otherwise (trust me on this one). The InterAct Profile Database starts with the Windows boot and an icon resides in your toolbar tray. The Profile Database has a few preset game profiles that allow forces to be felt in games that do not directly support force-feedback.

However, the InterAct Profile Database program was not usable due to its high utilization of system resources. Gameplay was impossible with it active. Framerates in any 3D game or screensaver were reduced to a slideshow (even those not using the wheel or having it selected in the Game Controller panel). I have contacted InterAct about this but have not received a response yet. If I receive a resolution I will update this review with details about the Profile Database software. I simply removed the app from my startup group so it would not initialize when my system booted.

After applying the patch I activated the profiler and did not experience the system slowdown. I used the profiler to create a patch for Carmageddon I which does not have force-feedback support. Although this allowed forces to be felt they were only activated with button presses I had assigned in the profile. Its a nice feature to add but most racing games available today have some sort of force-feedback support and this feature will probably be largely ignored by most users.

Under the Game Controller properties tab you will find a test page with battery level indicator, a general tab displaying pertinent driver information and button assignments and an effects page where you can sample the Fx's force-feedback capabilities.

Documentation -

The manual included with the Fx Racing Wheel contains details on the setup and use of both of InterAct's force-feedback products. The manual does a good job of describing and showing how to install and setup your wheel. The manual also does a good job of detailing how to use the profiling software although I was not able to effectively test the software itself. General troubleshooting and contact information is also provided.

Overall Rating -

If you on a limited budget, have limited space and are looking to get into force-feedback racing the InterAct Fx Racing Wheel may be the way to go once the software problems are resolved. The profile software is unusable at this time because of the system slowdown it causes. Unbalanced weight and button placement issues hinder its extended play session usability. The Fx Racing Wheel is more than functional, it has the potential to be a really fun controller with a few minor issues if/when the software gets corrected.

With the patching of the profiler software the major flaw of the wheel has been corrected. The previous rating has been updated to reflect this and The Control Center can now recommend the Fx racing Wheel. Minor issues still exist with the unbalanced weight and button placement but you have to realize its difficult to cram everything into the palm of your hand. The wheel is idea for the casual racer on a budget who does not want to clutter up their workspace with a full size driving controller.