Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo S Steering Wheel – Review – Hardware

“The highest quality peripheral ever for the Xbox 360.”

This statement refers to the Porsche 911 Turbo S steering wheel made by a company known as Fanatec/Endor.

First Impressions: Here sits in front of me this large box with just the words “Take a deep breath” on it … so I do.  My fingers tremble as I lift each of the three tabs that hold the top of the box down.  As I open the first flap, I am greeted with another statement “Relax…” – so I took it’s advice, and I calm my hands down.  The next flap reads “Not Yet” on it.  I’m starting to get excited again.  When I reach the final flap, the words “GO GO GO!” are displayed boldly, and again I follow its advice.  I lift the final flap, and the first thing I notice is that the box is filled with the aroma of leather – yes, real leather.  As I take the wheel out of the box, I notice how well it is built.  The stitching and choice to use leather is something you would expect to find in an exotic car.  The pedals are the next item I notice – they are the standard pedals.  The pedals are made from plastic; but let me just say, you won’t notice it at all.  The instant I placed my feet on them, it felt as if I was in a real car.  This feeling was enforced by my fingers surrounding the leather of the wheel.  The wheel comes with three options for manual shifting.  There is the paddle shifter located on the steering wheel itself. In addition, you can choose between a sequential shifter or a 6+1 Manual Shifter. For the sequential and the 6+1 shifters, you have to actually attach each to the wheel using metal rods and plug in to the available slot located on the side of the wheel.  After installing my shifter of choice, I finally have the wheel setup on my table.  I decide to turn on my Xbox 360, and pop in Forza 3.

Gameplay: I boot up Forza 3 and decide that I want my first experience with the wheel to be associated with speed.  The choice is obvious, as I pick the Bugatti Veyron in my career garage. Then I select the Benchmark track and throw myself into the fray.  I change to the cockpit view and notice the precision when I turn the wheel.  The wheel in the game follows my every movement just as if I was in the car itself.  I lightly press down on the gas pedal, the car revs, and the body tweaks with all the torque.  Now I’m getting excited.  I ready myself and slam the gas pedal to the floor. I take off.  I am gaining speed quickly.  First, I’m at 100 mph, then 150, then 200. Finally, I approach 250 mph, starting to make the first banked turn.  I notice the wheel resist like a real car, I fight the forces to make the turn at 230 mph. I hit the straight and let the car loose, finally hitting 260 mph as I cross the line.  After that I’ve had my fill of speed. Now I’m left wondering how it will handle a track like Fujimi Kaido.  I hop into my Audi A4 Touring Car to start it up, revving the engine to take off.  At the first corner, I crash because I’m not expecting the sensitivity of the wheel.  Afterwards I correct myself and take off again.  Taking every turn as if it wasn’t a problem, I cross the line in par as I did with my standard Xbox controller.  One of the bonuses to this setup is that you can manipulate the clutch with ease.  The 911 Turbo S Wheel increases the realism already found in the game by allowing you more control over your car than the original Xbox controller.

Build Quality:  As previously mentioned, this hardware is of the highest quality.  Each button feels like the buttons on the steering wheel in your car.   The buttons on the left and right side are designed to make them as naturalistic as possible to press while in a race.  If you want to change views, you can do so with just the press of a button.  As with any piece of hardware, there were a few problems.  The most significant issue is with the default setting for force feedback. Sometimes the vibration is bad enough it can jerk the wheel out of your hands.  It should be noted that you can adjust this, and players can find a level they feel comfortable with.  Another problem lies with the 6+1 shifter. The amount of force it takes to shift the 6+1 shifter out of the box is a bit extreme, but after some time using the shifter it becomes easier.  Another difficulty involves the paddle shifters. The paddle shifters are a little small, and you barely feel when you engage to another gear, and the only time you know, is when the car shifts in-game.  The start, select and d-pad buttons are a bit out of the way while navigating the menus and you find your hands get a bit stretched.

Final Thoughts: Overall this wheel is great a companion to the Xbox 360. Out of all the choices available for the Xbox 360 this Wheel setup is the best. There are some minor faults but they don’t take away from the experience.  The 911 Turbo S Wheel was designed to work with not only the Xbox 360 but the PS3 and PC.  One other thing that should be noted is that they are only making 10,000 wheels in total.  So if you want buy one you should do so with haste.  This review was based upon a pre-production model but Fanatec’s final version offers many more improvements not listed here.  Overall I am amazed with this setup and would recommend the 911 Turbo S Wheel to anyone who loves racing games.  If you want to pick up one this amazing wheel go here http://www.fanatec.de/html/index.php?id=250&lang=en to purchase one.  Prices start at $249.95 you will not be disappointed.

Score: 8 out of 10

Written by Travis Gardner

Popularity: 5% [?]