ACT Labs Force RS

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Review: ACT Labs Force RS

Coming out of the box it wasn't the prettiest wheel around, but the oversized padded-grip matched the puffed-up casing it came with. In terms of looks, if the Logitech was a Formula racer and the Saitek was the Millennium Falcon, then the Force RS would to be an '82 Cadillac Seville with its brown steering wheel on a utilitarian black background (no offense to Cadillacs or Sevilles). Seven programmable buttons, a four-way HAT in the center of the wheel, two underside flippers, and three dashboard buttons that are "...disabled. They are reserved for the non force-feedback version," the manual proclaims. ACT Labs just took the regular RS casing, transplanted a motor into it, and voila! The Force RS. The built-in clamps were very handy -no parts to lose and easily utilized. The pedal base is wonderfully designed. About an inch thick, it covers a large surface area, and it's also very heavy to prevent tip-overs. The pedals spring back professionally, but felt a bit light on the resistance.

And I thought the AVB had guts. Playing with the RS Force's test program resulted in threats to my life from fellow editors. This was the only wheel that literally shook my entire desk, its contents, and my fragile cubicle walls. Call me foolhardy, but those threats actually egged me on to select the "Earthquake" simulation (we are in San Francisco, after all) of the test program. Whooo!!... Rrummble ccittttyyy... This RS Force definitely wins the motor war of this roundup and most closely simulates arcade-type FF. Yet, despite the powerful motor, the unit doesn't rattle in the casing as did the MS -wheel--it rattled everything else, but took it like a real man, er, wheel. In our gaming tests, the Force RS performed very well, and though the FF wasn't exactly as strong as in the test program, it was still top-notch. This was the only wheel where I could really feel the vibration of the gears shifting in Need for Speed III. The buttons were conveniently placed and easy to reach, and the underside flippers worked just fine (there's no side-shifter), though they seem a bit fragile.

A colleague walked by and commented on his bad experience with the regular RS wheel (remember, it's the same design), and how those flippers broke on him. This confirmed my intuition not to push those flippers too hard. The pedal base gets an A+. Its fat enough, heavy enough, and thin enough to prevent skidding, tip-overs, and catastrophes in all but the most extreme cases.

If I have to nag about anything, it'll have to be the fat steering wheel. It's comfortable, for a while, but being so thick my hands started getting tired after a bit of racing (OK, a long bit). It's like using a tennis racket with a grip that's too -big--it just doesn't feel right. And this version also uses the archaic serial port for the connection, though ACT Labs states that they're planning on making a USB cartridge available.

One of the most interesting features of the Force RS is its compatibility for use with consoles. Just plug in a PlayStation or N64 cartridge (purchased through ACT Labs, it comes with a PC cartridge) and you'll be cruising down the lane with your PSX. You'll lose the force-feedback with console use, but it's still a good idea if you have multiple gaming platforms and don't want to shell out any more money. Hooking it up to a PSX proved to be an positive experience, and other than losing the FF (and automatic centering), it worked just fine.

It's got its quirks, but the Force RS is a solid, versatile product. Don't hesitate to put this one on your list.-- Danny Lam / GamePro