GZ Interview
August 15, 2002

Saitek’s Managing Director talks about the Adrenalin Wheel for the Xbox
By Michael Lafferty

Nothing brings the realism of driving games to life more than having the right controller in hand. When it comes to PC games, players have a bevy of options to choose from – from joysticks to arcade-style controllers, gamepads, wheels and mouses.

But the options for console platforms have, heretofore, been rather limited – until now. Saitek is one of the companies forging ahead with a variety of controllers that are a perfect fit for the many different gaming genres.

For those who enjoy the thrill of driving games, Saitek has the Adrenalin Pedal Free Wheel (http://xbox.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r20633.htm ). The wheel puts all the controls within easy reach.

Nick Gibbons, managing director at Saitek USA, took time to talk about the development of the wheel.

Question: One of the big problems with developing peripherals for other platforms has been that not every game released supported the game devices. Is that different with the Xbox? Will every race game produced for the platform support the wheel?

Nick: “You're right. Historically on some platforms, there have been some issues with some games as far as complete compatibility. As well as this, some games did not allow the full spectrum of features that the peripheral was capable of. When it comes to the X-Box, the rules are fairly tight and games come with a number of pre-configured setups that the user can chose from. Hopefully this will continue.”

Q: How is designing a wheel for the Xbox different than for a PC or another console system?

Nick: “Microsoft has a very stringent standard that we have to meet to gain the ‘X-Box compatible’ logo. All of Saitek's products are X-Box compatible and have been thoroughly tested by compatibility labs. So this is the main difference from other platforms. Other things that needed to be looked at were the user and the likely sophistication of the games. X-Box games have great graphics and the users are demanding. We needed to create a great wheel, but at a price that didn't break the bank. $29.95 for our wheel fits that bill!”

Q: What do you feel are the main advantages of using a device like a wheel when playing a game?

Nick: “In driving games you already have a paradigm that people are used to – the driving wheel. So when it comes to simulating the driving experience, users are going to perform much better using a driving wheel compared to a pad. On top of that a wheel is more comfortable than a pad for driving. I don't think it's an accident that the latest real cars still use driving wheels, not pads!”

Q: What aspects of your Adrenalin Wheel do you think are particularly important and will impress consumers the most?

Nick: “Apart from the price, I think it is probably the fantastic centering mechanism. Many wheels use cheap elastic bands to return the wheel to center. You can feel it by turning a wheel all the way to right or left and let it go. It feels ‘rubbery.’ We use a sophisticated ball-cam mechanism that has a compression spring to return the wheel to center, giving a much more realistic feel.”

Q: The Adrenalin Wheel comes with pedals, or pedal-free. What do you consider to be the advantages of those options?

Nick: “This is a personal issue. Personally I prefer the pedal free solution for X-Box, as I like to have all my control in one place, with less wires in my living room. I might feel differently if I had my X-Box in my den on a table.”

Q: This product has a vibration function so players can ‘feel’ the game – how is that different from force feedback, if at all?

Nick: “Rumble or vibration feedback takes signals from the game put in by the developer and translates them into rumble pulses. Clever positioning of the motors and interpretation of the signals gives a really nice feedback feel. True Force Feedback is more advanced and expensive. It uses complex gearing to give true resistance to the gamer when they move the controller. For example driving on ice will give you a very low resistance and so on.”

Q: In a short span of time, peripherals like the wheel have come a long way. What do you think will be the next big wave? How is the peripheral industry managing to keep pace with the technology and games? Where, in your estimation, is this heading?

Nick: “Good question. I think a lot of what console gaming is about is related to ease and convenience for the gamer plus the ability to get a competitive edge. Wireless is an obvious area of growth – how much nicer is it to play without wires getting in your way or cluttering up your room. On-line gaming is the next big area, and I think that people will be looking for products that work better and faster. We're working on products to fit the bill now.”  

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