If you were thinking of keeping the racing wheel you already had lying around the house, and which you used for Xbox 360 and/or PC applications, to interact with your new Xbox One, then think again. We were distraught upon learning that none of the old wheels will be compatible with the new system, and the official video released to explain why that is the case shed little light.
Featuring Microsoft’s Director of Strategic Alliance Brandan Powell, it shows off a couple of wheels that are compatible, and make it clear that because of the way force feedback works now, and how it’s been integrated more into the backbone of games like Forza Motorsport 5, old wheels would simply not work, so they won’t be supported.
One of the wheels they showed, made by Mad Catz, had a modular idea behind it, allowing the user to swap out the actual wheel for a different sized or shaped one, keeping the same base, depending on needs and chosen racing discipline. The pedals on it are also adjustable too, but there are only two of them, so that limits the realism where three would have been preferable.
It was developed with Aston Martin and Ken Block, and it’s made of high quality materials, looking sturdier than the mostly plastic Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 replica wheel that sits alongside it in the video.
By Andrei Nedelea
Story References: Joystiq
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