Above we see just how complex the wheel can be with all of the settings enabled in Simraceway. OF particular interest will be the 3 dials which allow very fine tuning of steering sensitivity, assists and assist value. These three dials can be adjusted to suit your own style of handling and experience allowing both novice and expert to set up the wheel to there preference, be it challenging or allowing the wheel to take most of the control from you. Some of the above features are not compatible with all of the games currently on the market and in our testing, only Simraceway had all bases covered. Every racing game on the market that allows controls to be configured is however compatible with the wheel and both DiRT 3 and F1 2011 worked perfectly with minimal setup.

Simraceway



Simraceway is clearly not as polished or as good looking as some racing titles on the market. In fact I think it's fair to say it is quite basic graphically when compared to most current racing sims. Looks aside however, the game, or should I say simulation, is actually very good. Lovers of arcade style racing may be disappointed as again, it is not as polished as titles such as GRID or the DiRT series but what it lacks visually it does make up for in physics and ultimately, the 'feel' of the game.



Upon starting the game you will need to register for an account and then login to the Simraceway world with your credentials. Once you are logged on you are greeted with the main title screen which allows you to practice, race, visit your garage and configure your options.



Simraceway is perfectly suited to make use of the SRW-S1 and as such there is a specific setup screen for the SteelSeries wheel.



The simulation has a fairly high learning curve, not least because this is likely the first time you have held a steering wheel freehand save for Nintendo's Mario Kart on the Wii which while great in it's own way, is a world apart for this title and peripheral!

Unlike SuperMario, Simraceway and the SRW-S1 can be frustrating to setup as you may feel detached from the driving experience. It odes take some time to configure it exactly to your tastes but perseverance is key here which will be rewarded.

It took me over an hour to get a feel for the steering wheel as it is not natural to hold the wheel out in front of you and while there was absolutely no input lag from the wheel or motion detectors, I couldn't help blaming the wheel for my lack of driving ability! With determined effort and fine tuning of the wheel sensitivity, you soon become accustomed to the controls and begin to make progress. I do however recommend you put a few hours of practice in before racing online unless you are prepared to get slaughtered from people who not only know how to race, know the tracks back to front but clearly have many skills you will need to adopt if you are to even begin to become competitive.



Once you are done practicing and configuring your controller then you are ready to compete in the events. Each event is tailored to a specific racing format be it GT, Karts, Novel, Open Wheeler or Street. You gain money by competing and the higher you finish high up the rankings, the more 'money' you are awarded. By purchasing the wheel, you are given a free $10 which is redeemable to buy better cars, giving you a better chance of winning and competing in different events. While it may seem crazy to restrict people from unlocking all events immediately, it ensures that races are fairly evenly matched by having novice, advanced and pro drivers playing against people of similar skill levels which makes for an enjoyable, competitive experience all round.



I really liked the rev indicator on the wheel which worked great for Simraceway. You may find some games it does not work with however, SteelSeries have created a small .exe file that fixes this in some games that have a compatible rev meter.

Overall, the wheel is perfectly placed between a full blown simulation racing kit and a hand-held controller. While it may be uncomfortable to hold for lengthy periods, it is a compromise you are forced to make. If SteelSeries included the option for a fixed stand I'm sure many users would be thrilled and it would certainly make the wheel much more user friendly.