Fanatec Speedster 3 Force Shock Wheel Review

Performance

Once you get everything set up and get to racing, the Speedster 3 is unrivaled. The feel of the wheel when you are driving is absolutely spectacular because it really does feel like a real car. When you try to turn at high speeds you are met with resistance and when you slam into the wall the wheel will shake back and forth and really let you know you are in trouble. Something else I really, really like (and this might sound dumb) is that you can actually drive straight with this wheel. Other wheels are so sensitive that you have to constantly make adjustments to drive down the road and oftentimes the wheels are so sensitive that your small adjustments end up bigger than you intended. With the Speedster 3, thanks in large part to the steering resistance, it is easy to make smooth, controlled turns and corrections and it is almost as if the wheel won’t let you make big dumb mistakes. You have precise control over everything your car does and it just feels great.

Arcade Gamer? Sim Gamer? No Problem!

I used the Speedster 3 wheel with several racing games and it performed well with all of them with little to no tuning required. The wheel was designed in cooperation with Microsoft and the Forza Motorsport team, so you know it is absolutely perfect for that game, but every other game works just as well. I played it with Need for Speed Underground 2, Project Gotham Racing 2, RalliSport Challenge 2, Burnout 3, Midnight Club 3, NASCAR 2005, and even Crazy Taxi 3 and it worked beautifully with all of them. No matter what type of racing games you like, whether it is arcade or simulation, the Speedster 3 is great with all of them so don’t be turned away from the wheel just because you aren’t a big fan of Forza.

Design and Construction

The look and feel of the wheel and pedal units themselves also deserves to be praised. The wheel is made of hard plastic but has rubberized grips where you’ll be holding onto it and it feels great. The pedal assembly is longer than most wheels I have used but the extra space where your heels go is covered in soft rubber that makes driving very comfortable. The pedals themselves are designed in such a way that the brake pedal is a little stiffer than the accelerator which is realistic and feels just right. I’m also very pleased with the look of the unit. From the dash mounted start button to the LED tuning display to the brushed aluminum looking (they’re really plastic) foot pedals to the design of the wheel itself (complete with 6 allen bolt mounting system) everything about this wheel looks like it came straight out of a race car. It all looks and feels gorgeous and it is very strong as well. The construction is very beefy and solid so you definitely don’t have to baby it.

Bottom Line

All in all, the Fanatec Speedster 3 Force Shock Wheel is the absolute best wheel you can get for the Xbox. It is nearly perfect in both its design and performance and I think you definitely get your money’s worth for the $150 price tag. The Speedster 3 actually presents an interesting situation because it is priced at a point where only hardcore racing fans are really going to be interested in it, but it performs so well and is so easy to use that it is the sort of wheel that casual fans really should be using instead of cheaper wheels because you will enjoy the experience that much more. I don’t expect too many casual race fans to invest in a wheel that is this expensive, but I promise that if you do you won’t regret it. Hardcore racing fans will absolutely love the Speedster 3 because it is far and away the best wheel you can buy for the Xbox. If you are serious about playing Forza or Midnight Club 3 or any of the other great racing games on Xbox, you owe it to yourself to get the Speedster 3 because it really does make a difference. The Fanatec Speedster 3 Force Shock is solid in every way and I highly recommend it.

You can buy the Speedster 3 at the Fanatec Website and at GameStop.