AVB Top Shot Force Feedback USB Racing Wheel

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Review: AVB Top Shot Force Feedback USB Racing Wheel

"Smiley" here, as we like to call the AVB FF USB Racing Wheel (well, see for yourself), came into our test labs looking sleek and ready to play. Although the plastic seemed to be on the inexpensive side, and the motor was suspiciously quiet, it looked solidly constructed. It comes with four suctions cups attached for table-top use (they work pretty well until you get too excited and start pulling on the wheel), but I've found that suction cups on an FF wheel is rarely the best option. Good thing they also included metallic clamps with plastic supports. Beware though, I "over-tightened" the clamps, and since they attach to the edge of the table, the suction cups on the rear bucked up like a horse's hind legs. Once attached, make sure you have a box of band-aids ready if you've got long legs because you'll be scraping your knees on those pointy screws (ouch!). The entire package comes with Monaco Grand Prix Racing Simulation 2.

Fortunately, the wheel's performance was better than the clamps. Plug in the power adapter, turn it on, and soon you'll see red and green bulbs light up on the bottom of the wheel telling you, "Hey, I've got power." The suspicion about the motor turned out to be invalid because it's the best thing about this wheel. The claimed "3 lbs. of force" really kicked in, providing some of the strongest force-feedback in this roundup. Unfortunately, the plastic grip wasn't padded at all and was much less comfortable than some of the other wheels (that white strip along the wheel is just anti-skid material; hardly classifiable as a padded grip). The buttons are all configurable, but we had mixed feelings about the placement of thumb buttons at the tips of the wheel. They were certainly convenient at times, but they can also be depressed accidentally if you grip the darn thing too tightly or just grab it in that general area. The shifter had good manners, springing back to the center in an arcade-like style. The pedals were X-Large, didn't skid too much, and worked well.

As an overall package, the Top Shot seems to need a little more tweaking before it hits the big leagues. Give it a better grip, higher-quality plastic, and better clamps and it'll be top-notch. Note also that this unit requires a USB port and Win98. If you have that and $140, you're in business.-- Danny Lam / GamePro