Saitek R440 Force Feedback Racing Wheel

Reviews: Peripherals

Accessories | Gaming Devices | Keyboards / Mice | Printers

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Bradford Day
Kurtis
Saitek
Feb. 8, 2005

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Taking a Closer Look

The R440 wheel itself has 4 thumb operable buttons that can be programmed for in-game functions. On the backside of the wheel are two Formula One style paddle shifters. The wheel has a 180° rotation limit, unlike some other similar feedback wheels sporting 240° of rotation. Rubber grips line the wheel along the sides and in the center force feedback monitoring LEDs light as the wheel is turned...even when it is unplugged. Must be magic. Maybe science.

Red and yellow buttons would not have been my first choice in the color department. The red buttons protrude more than the dome-shaped yellow buttons. To be honest I found the button scheme slightly chintzy. The bright primary colors just didn't seem to complement the overall gray and black color scheme. Compared to some other wheels on the market, like Logitech's MOMO wheel set, the R440 looks less racecar inspired. Some LED powered buttons would spruce it up a bit and make it look less cheap. But, the footprint of the wheel base is a mere 10.5" x 6.75" so at least it won't steal all you desktop real estate.

The pedal set is an interesting design. Rather than the traditional floor mounted hinge, Saitek went for a slightly elevated mounting point for the pedals. The articulation point is raised above the foot plate and the two gray brake and throttle pedals are mounted at the ends. A floor plate attaches to the pedal base to offer a little more stability as well as a place to rest your feet and gain a bit of grip on raised ridges. On the bottom of the pedal pad are rubber non-slip feet similar to those found on the wheel base.

Also included is a mounting clamp that slides over the top of the wheel base which can be tightened to your desktop via a plastic screw post. My gaming system is set up on a drafting desk with a top about 1 1/2" thick. The clamp easily fit over my tabletop. But, as demonstrated in the pictures, the maximum thickness that the clamp can accommodate is about 2" or roughly the thickness of Merriam-Webster's 10th edition collegiate dictionary.

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Page 1: Introduction / First Looks
Page 2: Taking a Closer Look
Page 3: Setup & Testing
Page 4: Conclusion

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4 User Comments

1 - Posted by J2T on February 8, 2005 - 2:56 pm

Good review. I have agree completely about the difference a wheel and pedals make in playing a racing sim. It just makes it that much more fun. I have the Logitech NASCAR racing wheel (hey, I found it for $12 at Wallyworld) and though it isn't great, its loads better than using a joypad or the keyboard.

2 - Posted by speedstream on February 17, 2005 - 10:04 am

heh, the pedals would make quite a bit of difference....that much closer to a vr

3 - Posted by Brian on February 17, 2005 - 10:38 am

I would like to have a good racing wheel setup but I don't play games enough to warrant one. I played NFSU with a Logitech wheel at CES. Was fun, but I sucked at it :-P

4 - Posted by Kurtis on February 17, 2005 - 12:30 pm

oh by the way... Logitech is sending Brad their MOMO racing wheel, so he's going to be able to compare them now :-)

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