As we've previously said, Forza Motorsport 4 is our favorite driving simulator at present, and there's no better way to experience a detailed driving game like this than with a realistic steering wheel and pedal arrangement.
To coincide with the launch of Turn 10 Studio's Forza 4 on Xbox 360 earlier in the year, German gameware producer Fanatec launched two lines of official licensed products - the Forza Motorsport CSR and CSR Elite series. And although the products were designed in conjunction with Turn 10 for Forza, they work across several platforms (Xbox, PS3 and PC) and with most driving simulators.
Any racing enthusiast will immediately appreciate the tactile experience offered by the Fanatec wheel and pedals - they feel heavy-duty and authentic, not cheap and plastic.
The crisp snap of the aluminum paddle shifters and the strong resistance from the adjustable-tension pedals will bring a smile to your face as soon as they're removed from the box. But once you plug everything in, the experience gets so much better...
Rather than having one weak force-feedback motor, the CSR wheel has three. And these aren't wimpy little buggers, they're buff units normally reserved for RC racecars. You feel as if the wheel is actually connected to a car the first time you feel the alcantara hand grips tugging violently as you jump over a rumble strip. The wheel also has an LED tuning screen, which allows real-time adjustment of the all-important parameters such as deadzone, linearity, ABS, rotation, etc.
But believe it or not, as good as the wheel is (and it's really, really good), the pedals are even better. If you've played driving simulators in any serious capacity with an inexpensive pedal set, do yourself a favor and try the CSR pedals. Not only does the added firmness make driving sims more realistic, it also allows for greater precision with your footwork as you effortlessly dial-in your threshold braking.
In a nutshell, the CSR goodies from Fanatec will make you a faster racer and you'll have more fun doing it.