Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel (USB) | 
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| Brand: Microsoft
Category: CE
Buy New: $199.95
Rating:  14 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 12
Dimensions (in): 16.6 x 14.2 x 11.9
MPN: A16-00036
Model: A16-00036
UPC: 805529007062
EAN: 0805529007062
ASIN: B00006D2KR
Release Date: August 22, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Powerful 16-bit 25MHz co-processor provides lightning-fast forces to bring a new level of realism to your favorite games | | • | Full speed USB gives you quick and easy installation and set-up | | • | Easy-to-secure clamp provides a stable base for serious racing | | • | Ships with pre-defined schemes for 20 hot games, and let's you program or modify them yourself | | • | Compatible with Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000 Pro, XP Home or Professional |
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| Accessories:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Feel your tires hug the asphalt. Tighten your grip as an icy road sends you into a tailspin. Watch the wheel go slack mid-air and then rumble over railroad tracks. It's everything you'd expect from force feedback technology. A digital-optical tracking system pinpoints your position for accurate, split-second steering control. And with a powerful 16-bit 25 MHz co-processor, you'll feel the torque of top speeds at your fingertips. So hang on tight because there's no speed limit for fun!The SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel was designed with input from professional racecar drivers. It offers the realistic look, performance and ruggedness that racing fanatics demand. Strong and sophisticated forces generated by this wheel means you can get realistic driving experiences that you can feel. The SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel enables you to fine-tune the setup of your wheel for your own driving preferences, improving your chances of victory.
Amazon.com Product Description
Hold on tight, because if you push the SideWinder Force Feedback wheel it is going to push back. This wheel knows the difference between 55 mph and 155 mph, between smooth sidewalks and gravel alleys, and between a jump of 20 feet and a jump of 200 feet. The SideWinder Force Feedback wheel features a custom-engineered force-feedback system that adds hundreds of forces to dozens of driving and racing games, including Microsoft's Monster Truck Madness 2. The SideWinder wheel also features anti-slip pedals, USB connectivity, and a quick-clamp system that makes setting up easy and holding on for dear life secure and comfortable. The wheel works with Microsoft Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000 Professional, XP Home, and XP Professional, and comes with a one-year warranty.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Great wheel January 13, 2007
J. Dotson (Nevada)
Have had this 2 years and drive almost everyday.
The clamp to the desk is wearing out need to figure new way to clamp to desk.
 subpar June 1, 2005
BAR fan (Ohio)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
let me just say first off that i have not used any of the competing wheels, so i'm not speaking comparatively here.
i have owned this wheel for a long time now and it has seen a ton of use. i use it for F1 Challenge, and i've probably logged something like 100 hours of use on it. if you're serious about your steering wheel, and you probably are if you're spending $100 on it, then don't get this one. microsoft has stopped supporting it with software/drivers, and the way it is now, it can not be set up to have a separate gas and brake. this means no trail braking, which means you can't drive seriously. i'm not really into left foot braking, so i still have it. my other big complaint with it is the pedals. currently i have them pushed up against a 2x2 i screwed into the floor, and on top of that i have them taped too the floor so they dont move. this is still insufficient. they weigh all of like one pound, and theres nothing stopping them from sliding on carpet. also, the clamp that holds it on the desk is too weak. it sometimes slides around and in the heat of a race it can be extrememly aggavating. also, the gear-shift buttons sqeak at times, and double shift. the wheel cant be taken apart, so after weeks of struggling with it, i just sprayed a ton of WD40 in there and luckily it fixed the problem. my one last complaint is a large dead zone. it sucks, but maybe all the other wheels are the same. dont know. things i like: the feel, the feedback, the grip, the look.
verdict: buy something else
A good result for the truly dedicated September 13, 2004
David A. Bayliss (Delray Beach, FL)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
The value you get from this product will depend upon your dedication to race gaming.
I bought it for my sons who would be using the machine for an hour or two a day. Whilst initial enthusiasm was expressed by all the reality is that the computer is still used as much as it was, but this wheel has not been out of the closet since April. Here are the facts (at least according to us):
a) The base of this unit is huge, so when attached to a fairly standard computer desk with sliding keyboard drawer there is no room for the keyboard too.
b) The unit has three different wires which come from the back of the unit, so these either have to be threaded over the back of the desk each time, or wrap around the front getting caught up in the kids legs.
c) On many of the games we tried the force of the force feedback was much stronger than in typical arcade games, too strong for my 7 year old to handle. (Some games allow this to be altered, but not all)
d) Most games require the wheel to be re-callibrated for each use, perfect for perfectionists but again it means significant 'daddy intervention' when the kids want to switch games.
e) The power transformer is directly welded into the plug prongs, so this beast takes up three slots in a normal power block, thus requiring its own power block.
Now, on the up-side. When I use the properly installed wheel you can callibrate things so that it does handle like a real car. So if you can set things up properly, and leave them set up, then I suspect this is a very good piece of kit.
But for the casual user, too bulky, too messy and too much like hard work to be used frequently.
 Good wheel May 10, 2004
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
It's a good wheel.
But it has a lot of Dead Zone in it.
Nascar 2003 Season is the worst dead zone.
You can tweak it out so it dosent have as much.
But for Dirt Track Racing, Rally sport challenge and other off road or on road games it is a great wheel but it dose crunch some times. sounds like somthing in it. ever since I bought it it has done that but works.
The look is awesome better then the picture.
but I cant complain I bought it from theese guys for 60.00 on sale.
and Any where else it would be 110.00 $
 great wheel April 1, 2004
antwane barber (atl usa)
0 out of 21 found this review helpful
this wheel has the feel of u bein rite ther in the race man. its all good. wit dis weel its great stuff man. by da way waz up.
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