Getting the most out of a high-end PC racing game normally involves a bulky simulated steering wheel and a pair of foot pedals hidden under a computer desk. As you can see, the Simraceway SRW-S1 Steering Wheel is anything but normal.
Created by SteelSeries in conjunction with Simraceway creators Ignite, the Simraceway SRW-S1 Steering Wheel is a hybrid racing controller that solves the problem of bulky and expensive racing rigs by integrating the pedals on the back of a handheld controller.
The unit has been designed, tested, and approved by a team of professional drivers. Where they found a team of professional drivers comfortable with 20 buttons, three dials, and a d-pad on their steering wheel is beyond me.
"When we set out in 2008 to create a new kind of racing game, one of the first issues we had to confront was the age-old ‘interface problem'," said Ignite CEO Jonathan Haswell. "For decades now, racing game players have been faced with the unenviable choice of spending a huge amount of money on a wheel-and-pedal set that is tricky to set up, store and transport or settling for a binary joypad that simply isn't fit-for-purpose.
"It soon became clear that the only solution was to produce something completely new and unique. A controller that would be affordable enough for those who can't justify spending fortunes on top-end racing wheels but authentic enough to convey the full exhilaration of the virtual racing experience. We were honored that a company with the reputation of SteelSeries understood the direction we wanted to head in and we're overjoyed with what they've managed to produce for us."
Unique as it is, SteelSeries says the controller will work right out of the box with most popular racing games, and in case it doesn't, each of the unit's 20 buttons can be customized until they do. So there, racing games.
The Simraceway SRW-S1 Steering Wheel goes on sale today at the SteelSeries web shop for $119.99.
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