Mad Catz Steering Wheel Worth It?

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i have been playing Gran Turismo 4 since it first came out and i played Gran Turismo 3 before then. Now i am not as dedicated to this game as others are but i have been thinking about buying the Mad Catz Steering Wheel and Pedals but i need to know if its really worth it? is the response on the steering wheel and pedals anywhere near realistic? Or is the control as realistic as it gets?

And a side question do you people use the Joystick or the D-Pad to drive?
I tend to use the D-Pad more myself but damn it takes its toll on your fingers alot more.
 
Hard to say. I have the Logitek wheel, and it's pretty good. I have my doubts about the Mad Catz quality, but only doubts, no first hand knowledge.
 
I have both wheels ... bought the MCII for the xbox initially, but it works with GT4, so that was a bonus. I found it to be okay, but my boyfriend HATED it, which made me go and get the DFP instead.

And - quite frankly - the DFP knocks the SPOTS off the MCII ... like really badly. You can't compare the to of them. It's quality is superior, the way it gives you the feel of the wheels and grip is stunning, and the 900 degree mode is something that you use way more than you thought ... it just feels like a regular wheel.

HOWEVER, just to be fair, the DFP requires somewhere to mount it (it needs to bolt to a table edge or something), while the MCII can rest easily on your lap. SOme people don't like the feel of the DFP, and some people don't like it's noise (I'd argue this point). The MCII is also a third of the price.

If cost is an issue, or you ahve no where to bolt the DFP, the MCII is not bad. But if you have the money, get the DFP ... it's just superior in every respect.
 
Kolyana
I have both wheels ... bought the MCII for the xbox initially, but it works with GT4, so that was a bonus. I found it to be okay, but my boyfriend HATED it, which made me go and get the DFP instead.

And - quite frankly - the DFP knocks the SPOTS off the MCII ... like really badly. You can't compare the to of them. It's quality is superior, the way it gives you the feel of the wheels and grip is stunning, and the 900 degree mode is something that you use way more than you thought ... it just feels like a regular wheel.

HOWEVER, just to be fair, the DFP requires somewhere to mount it (it needs to bolt to a table edge or something), while the MCII can rest easily on your lap. SOme people don't like the feel of the DFP, and some people don't like it's noise (I'd argue this point). The MCII is also a third of the price.

If cost is an issue, or you ahve no where to bolt the DFP, the MCII is not bad. But if you have the money, get the DFP ... it's just superior in every respect.
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Price/Where to Mount and all of that to me is not really an issue my only think was that i have used the MadCatz before for earlier games many years ago and i remember it being horrible but now that technology was better i was praying it was to and so the DFP is alot better?....my question is that does it feel real at all or no?....because the one time i used the MC it felt like i was just holding a steering wheel in my hand in the air because it was terrible.....thanks for the info though
 
The DFP is MUCH better than the MCII ... the MCII - like you said - feels like 'air' ... it has no resistance and the smallest movement creates a huge response from your car, so you spend your time making minute adjustments ... it's just not realistic.

The DFP will blow you away, I guarantee it ... and that comes from someone who has used the DS2 and MCII first ... first time you get on the DFP you'll go "WHOAH!" ... it doesn't "shake" ... it resists your efforts to turn it like real wheels do, and when the tires lose traction you'll feel it in the wheel ... it's INCREDIBLE. If you have the money, get it ... honestly, it's unlike anything else out there.
 
Kolyana
The DFP is MUCH better than the MCII ... the MCII - like you said - feels like 'air' ... it has no resistance and the smallest movement creates a huge response from your car, so you spend your time making minute adjustments ... it's just not realistic.

The DFP will blow you away, I guarantee it ... and that comes from someone who has used the DS2 and MCII first ... first time you get on the DFP you'll go "WHOAH!" ... it doesn't "shake" ... it resists your efforts to turn it like real wheels do, and when the tires lose traction you'll feel it in the wheel ... it's INCREDIBLE. If you have the money, get it ... honestly, it's unlike anything else out there.
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thanks alot for your help Kolyana i think im giong to get it and ill let you know how it is
 
Not that I know of....

I would not suggest getting a Madcatz MC2. I had one for about 1 year and a few months (so just outside of warranty) and it started to malfunction. Buttons quit working, essential ones (such as start button, gas, and 'program'. The top of the wheel broke off. Lastly, everytime you unplugged it or turned off/ reset the PS2, you'd have to reprogram and recalibrate the wheel.
I was not hard/abusive to the wheel in any way, and took fairly good care of it. Until it quit, and then I tore it apart in a vain attempt to fix it. Needless to say, I failed.
 
I am a college student and when I bought GT4 I bought a really crappy chair/wheel/pedal setup. It was so bad and was comparable to the MCII setup. I quickly returned it for a Driving Force Wheel. I did not feel like spending the extra money for the pro version. I think that the original model of the wheel works just fine and I use it often. However, It would be nice to have the DFP for more degrees of wheel turn and the shifter.
 
if i was you id hold on and get a williams wheel its got a ff back wheel and a sequtal box and its only £49.99 i love this wheel and youed be mad not to in other words im saying the mazcat is rubish and this is where its at
 
First of all you have to understand that this board is filled with people that hold anything with an official Gran Turismo endorsement to be a gift from the heavens.
The DFP wheels are regarded with near religious zeal here.
But being the guy that I am I will defend the MC2 wheel against the jihad of DFP users.
:)

Mad Catz 2 Universal wheel:

Pros:

- cheap. $50.
- Can be held on lap comfortably or fixed permanently. Your option.
- deadzone tweak and its very responsive and accurate.
- good shifter.
- good pedals
- good wheel tension while cornering
- good force feedback. Won't wake up the neighbours with bone-jarring RRRRRRrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRR
- PS2/XBox/Gamecube compatible

Cons:

- Does'nt have GT logo in middle of wheel.
- goes 270 degrees instead of 900. Personally I haven't seen the need to go lock-to-lock throught 900 degs while driving. Maybe if parallel parking was one of the missions this might be an issue.
- You will be looked at as an amateur fool and an unwashed heathen for even considering buying one.

It seriously is a good wheel.
I love mine!

:D
 
I've never tried the Mad Catz wheel, but when I got my PS2 a few years ago, Sony controllers were hard to come by. So I bought a Mad Catz DS2 knockoff to make a pair.

It was terrible. Not only did it feel poor, but it made the real DS2 not work when I plugged the MC controller into the other port. Switched them, still nope. Either would work by itself but not both together. I borrowed another Sony controller, plugged it in, and had no issue, so it was the MC controller.

AGAIN, I haven't used the MC wheel, but my experience with the company is poor. I also have driven other games with a different "Pole Position" freewheeling wheel, and I don't like that feeling.
 
I've used the MCII wheel in the past on games like GT3, WRC (orig. version), PRD (Pro Race Driver) and as prevoiusly stated by Kolyana, it was like holding 'air'....and I wasn't impressed by having to always calibrate the wheel...especially when playing WRC where the wheel had to be calibrated after every stage...and even though it was like $80 US, I felt it wasn't really all that!

You really need to look at what you're looking for...If $$$ is an issue, but you still want as much 'realism' when playing GT4...then do hold out & save your money, as it will be a good investment...HOWEVER, if you don't really care about getting as much realism and you're just after getting any type of 'wheel', then the MCII should be good enough to hold you over for some time!


SimRaceDriver:
 
"Mad Catz MC2 Universal" good points:

Its 100% compatible with GT4. Plug it in and go.

No stand or table required. Sit on your sofa, rest it comfortably on your knees, and gravity alone holds it in place because the lack of FF means it isn't being twisted up, over, and off your lap.

When finished, just chuck it into the cabinet and wife or g/f is so happy to have her living room back.

Lack of FF means you can play for as long as you want with no sore wrists or elbows

Lack of FF and the 240-degree rotation is absolutely ideal for rallying. Using the MC2 on the ice and snow races is almost like cheating.

Some, like me, actually prefer the "soft" input of the MC2 over the "hard" steering input of the DFP. Others will hate it, but I was never able to match my MC2 lap times with the DFP I borrowed for two evenings.

The Ferrari-copied paddle shifters are excellent for MT use, although you do have to program them. The unit also has a stick shift on the right.

Its cheap.


MC2 bad points:

You have to adjust out the stupid, moronic, senseless steering center deadband every time you turn on the PS2. Fortunately, it takes about three seconds, but it shouldn't even be there.

For most, the lack of any FF defeats the purpose of using a wheel instead of a controller. I can certainly understand that.

Control and precision is certainly good enough, but the DFP's precision is better, of course. There's no doubt that you can position a car on a track a little better with the DFP. For most, though, the precision of the MC2 is adequate.
 
I've had a few (3) since they first came out. I got one for the PS1 back in 1999, Got a new one for my PS2 after the first one broke. Then got a Multi system one for the XBOX when I got it. My XBOX multi compatible one still works great. But the other 2 lasted 2 years a peice. Exactly 2 years. So Yeah the XBOX one is about 1 1/2 years old so its probably only go another 6 months left on it, but it feels put together better than the first two. So I dont know. But I do know that I only had to pay for the first one and the multicompatable one because of the 5 year warranty that they come with. They are good about honoring it. So all I can say is that I like the way it feel if you can't afford the DFP. I have a DFP btw and love it to death, but I can't use it at knight because of the noise. But the MC2 is definately the best wheel under $100
 

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