The SteelSeries SR-SW1 is a hand held PC steering wheel that looks set to banish expensive alternatives with its cost effective, space saving motion technology…
Product on Review: SteelSeries SRW-S1 Steering Wheel
Manufacturer and Sponsor: SteelSeries
Street Price: €119.99 (at time of review)
SteelSeries make some of the best gaming peripherals around. From the excellent 7G mechanical gaming keyboard to the award winning Sensei gaming mouse. Anything SteelSeries have cast their magic upon has yielded an award here at Vortez so when we were asked to take a look at the SteelSeries SR-SW1 steering wheel we literally grasped the opportunity with both hands.
Steering wheels are few and far between despite there being a keen following of racing games and simulations on the PC. The reasoning being that the only steering wheels worth having are the ones which are very expensive and thus may not make a sound investment unless you’re an avid fan of the driving sim genre or have the bank balance of Bill Gates. Space can also be problematic with a desk mounted steering wheel due to the desktop real estate required for a steering wheel, gear lever and not forgetting the all important foot pedals also requiring space beneath.
Step forward the SRW-S1. It’s an all-in-one wonder wheel if you like. The gear changes and accelerator/brake are all combined into an accelerometer equipped, free standing steering wheel that wouldn’t like out of place in Fernando Alonso’s F1 cockpit! Unlike steering wheels currently on the market, the SR-SW1 is designed to be held much like a Wii controller or mobile device saving on desktop clutter and perhaps most importantly price. Being a SteelSeries device though we do not expect this product to have sacrificed quality for value for money so you can be assured of the SR-SW1’s craftsmanship.
SteelSeries take on SRW-S1
The Simraceway® S1 Steering Wheel is a high-performance, handheld PC racing wheel co-designed by SteelSeries and Ignite Technologies. The portable, motion-sensor wheel features a patented throttle and brake lever system that offers a fully simulated racing experience within hands reach. We’ve collaborated with and tested the SRW-S1 Wheel with top ranked Indy 500 race car drivers and Simracing World Champions
Specification
READY. SET. RACE.
The Simraceway® S1 Steering Wheel is a high-performance, handheld PC racing wheel co-designed by SteelSeries and Ignite Technologies. The portable, motion-sensor wheel features a patented throttle and brake lever system that offers a fully simulated racing experience within hands reach. We’ve collaborated with and tested the SRW-S1 Wheel with top ranked Indy 500 race car drivers and Simracing World Champions.
STAY IN CONTROL
Everything you need, from brake balance controls to assist setting dials, are always in reach. No other wheel on the market combines this level of customization and functionality. Click the image below for a full overview of the SRW-S1′s button mapping:
IN YOUR HANDS
The wheel’s unique design means you can take it everywhere and use it anywhere. There are no pedal sets or bulky seats. The Simraceway S1 is a handheld joypad and wheel combined that brings a true-to-life race set-up to your laptop or desktop computer.
FULL RANGE
You can experience full-range acceleration and braking on the back of the S1 Wheel. The right paddle – for acceleration/throttle – allows you the ability to vary the amount of throttle input, from feathering to fully depressing it for maximum acceleration. The paddle on the left – for braking/stopping – allows you the ability to vary the amount of braking input from, feathering to fully depressing for full braking force.
BRAKE BALANCE CONTROL
Brake balance control (aka “brake bias”) allows you to change the brake balance to the front or rear of the vehicle. If a driver were to hit the brakes with a rear brake bias, he is more likely to spin out of control. However, if a driver were to hit the brakes with a front brake bias, his is more likely losing his ability to steer into a corner. A balance must be found. We have a button for that.
PLUG-AND-RACE
Plug it in. Choose your game. Play. Sure, you can customize every button, but only if you want to. There is no complicated configuration required when used with Simraceway™ and most PC racing games.
WHAT’S YOUR STYLE?
The SRW-S1 wheel adapts to your driving style based on the way you steer. You’re going to do it in 1 of 3 ways: Over-steer, under-steer and neutral.
OVER-STEER
Drivers who prefer over-steer like to have the rear of the car loose and the front dialed in. This allows drivers to use the throttle to correct their driving line or to use it to aid in steering. It also means there is more risk of losing control.
UNDER-STEER
Drivers who prefer under-steer like to have the rear of the car dialed in and the front loose. While it becomes harder to make a turn at higher speeds, it does provide stability and reduces the chances of losing control.
NEUTRAL
Drivers who prefer a neutral setup like to have both the rear and the front of the vehicle dialed in. This allows drivers to compromise between over-steer and under-steer.
WHERE TO?
Everywhere. The Simraceway® S1 Steering Wheel can be used with all PC racing games including:
iRacing
F1 2011
Simraceway®
GTR
Live for Speed
DiRT
DiRT 2
GTR 2
Test Drive Unlimited
Need for Speed Shift
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
Need For Speed Underground
Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition
Blur
+ Any other PC racing game on the market.
Some features, including the Assists dials and the shift indicator LEDs, may not be compatible with certain titles.
GET A GRIP
The rubberized wheel grips have an ergonomic shape that allows you to keep a comfortable grasp to steer as you move around the controller to brake, accelerate, shift, look back, request a pit stop and everything else in order to drive and win.
TOTAL FLEXIBILITY
While the wheel comes preconfigured to operate seamlessly with Simraceway®, many of its controls can be customized*, so you can program them to match your driving – and gaming – preferences. Find out more about the simulated racing experience at www.simraceway.com.
USED BY THE PROS
The SRW-S1 Steering Wheel has been tested and approved by professional racing drivers including four-time IndyCar Series winner, Dario Franchitti and double Indy 500 Champion, the late, great and much missed, Dan Wheldon as well as SimRacing stars, David Greco and Bruno Marques.
Packaging & First Look
The exterior packaging of the SRW-S1 is very well presented with full panoramic views of the wheel itself visible. The front of the package displays the product title uppermost along with ‘Simraceway’ a game which was specifically developed to show off the wheels functionality which the packaging suggests is included in the box but it is freely available to download.
The bottom of the box details the main features of the wheel and intriguingly suggests that the wheel was co-developed with SteelSeries
Flipping the box over we get an introduction into Simraceway, an ‘online world focused on live multiplayer racing’ which we will cover later in the review.
The included accessories are sparse to say the least. A quickstart guide and a ‘credit card’ containing a $10 credit to use for upgrades on Simraceway are all that is included.
The wheel itself is quite light and the materials used are of a very good quality. It is perfectly sized (see USB stick for scale) and can be used both by large and small hand grips without too much issue. The main grips have a rubberised none-slip texture and all of the buttons are easily reached by both thumbs. I would have preferred there to have been more space between the steering wheel holes as the mid sections do get in the way ever so slightly but this is just a minor point.
The rear of the wheel features four paddles. The top two smaller paddles are used for Gear up and down with the larger bottom paddles being used for accelerate and brake. These paddles eradicate the need for a desktop gear lever and foot pedals but I do worry about the ‘realism’ of having an accelerator and brake pedal on a steering wheel which after all, is designed to be simulator based. Compromises such as this are required to save desktop space but this may also compromise on realism.
Ergonomically, the wheel is fairly comfortable to hold but not perfect. The switches are stiff but precise and will perhaps loosen up over time. The buttons give tactile feedback which is great and they can all be configured to your liking in most PC racing games. Sadly, there was no mention from SteelSeries any compatibility with consoles which is a great shame.
Overall then, the SRW-S1 is well thought out and feel comfortable to hold. While the numerous buttons may seem daunting, in practice few are used but the option is there depending on the complexity of your racing sim, be it Simraceway, DiRT or F1 2011, all of which are compatible with the Steelseries SRW-S1.
Let’s try out the steering wheel and take a peek at Simraceway…
Performance Testing & Simraceway
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.
Conclusion
Although the SRW-S1 and Simraceway has a steep learning curve, it works very well once you have become accustomed to it. The motion detection is perfect and there is zero lag. The accelerator and brake paddles work very well however the gear change paddles require a ‘long throw’ and are hardly what you would describe as quick shift due to the actuation points which should be a lot shorter.
My major complaint of the SteelSeries SRW-S1 is that it simply feels unnatural holding it ‘freehand’. With no fixed stand to attach it to a desk of other solid surface the wheel soon becomes tiresome to hold. For quick races it is great but competing in a 70 lap F1 race is out of the question as the pain that ensues becomes very uncomfortable. While the wheel itself if ergonomically sound, the manner with which is controlled is anything but because expecting someone to hold their arms out for such a lengthy period with no support can be troublesome. Indeed my shoulders initially ached after just 30 laps of F1 and both my shoulders and forearms ached the next day from trying to master my skills on Simraceway for a few hours the night previous. It would have perhaps been better to have the option of a stand with which to fix the wheel to, especially as there is a screw hole in the back seemingly for this purpose.
The SteelSeries SRW-S1 does however give the consumer the option of a very good, space conscious, affordable steering wheel and in that they should be applauded because having to hold the wheel freehand aside, the wheel is an excellent product and one which will certainly improve your track times and perception of realism. Perfect it isn’t but it’s certainly a viable option for those who want a steering wheel that doesn’t cost the Earth nor require masses of desktop real estate and in that, SteelSeries have fulfilled their mission statement. They have created a very unique product which fills a gap in the market so if you are looking for a very good steering wheel, you will not get a better one for the price and thus the SteelSeries SRW-S1 comes highly commended with both our Silver and Creative awards.
Pros:
+ Good price
+ Quality materials used
+ Looks great
+ Great packaging
+ Highly configurable
Cons:
– Time consuming to tweak
– Painful to use for long periods
+ Good price
+ Quality materials used
+ Looks great
+ Great packaging
+ Highly configurable
Cons:
– Time consuming to tweak
– Painful to use for long periods
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to SteelSeries for providing today’s review sample.
