Few would argue that traditional gamepad or keyboard controls can equal a properly calibrated steering wheel, and none would argue it successfully. In the quest for an immersive and realistic racing experience, there is no more valuable tool. Consequently, save the extravagant 3D setups of die-hard enthusiasts, there is no more expensive one. Even still, racers truly come into their own when they're no longer relying on analog sticks or - dare we speak of it - WASD keys. Of course, consumers aren't the only ones aware of this. The studios behind all the rubber-burning are keen on steering wheels as well and often create their own. The benefits of this are enormous - sharper turns, better feedback, tighter handling - but also only enjoyed by the relatively small and emphatic population willing to drop three digits on a nice wheel. Contrastingly, the negatives are felt by far more. Sloppy controls are to racing what stupid AI is to shooting - that is to say, absolutely game-breaking. Nothing deflates a racer quicker than what has affectionately been labeled Ice Rink Syndrome - the insufferable tendency for cars to slide across asphalt like they were so many Olympic skaters - or other handling-shattering pitfalls. And guess what gamepad users are getting more and more of? An uncharacteristically frosty racer and subsequent good taste of the airbag, correct.
A freelance games writer, you say? Typically battling his current RPG addiction and ceaseless perfectionism? A fan of horror but too big a sissy to play for more than a couple of hours? Spends far too much time on JRPGs and gets way too angry with card games?
Well that doesn't sound anything like me.
