Review: Pelican Evo Sport GT Wheel - Xbox
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 5:18 pm
By Richard Fisher
Price as tested $69.95
Fit and Finish
This ranks as the number one wheel in this category. While plastic construction is was heavy and good looking without the cheap plastic feel with a rubberized wheel exudes confidence that this is it! Pedal assembly connector uses an RS232 serial connector with hold down screws for trouble free play.
Features
X-Box only. Wireless operation between the console and controller requires 4 AA batteries that go into a compartment that uses a gas cap as the door or lid. Due to that there is also no Vibration Feedback unlike all the other wheels reviewed. A gauge labeled fuel tells you how they are doing. Suction cups are provided for table mount and the bottom is grooved for your lap with rubber strips to help prevent slipping. The pedal assembly is nice with velcro strips on the bottom to keep it in place on carpet. On board is a function called DCM to assist you with oversteer and over reacting that can be turned on or off depending on your needs. The steering wheel does not use springs or any sort of tension that will return it to center. Instead Pelican has created ATS or Active Torque System. When you initially try to turn the wheel you will find it very difficult and there is a label reminding you that the wheel must be turned many times for it to loosen up. On the fly variable wheel sensitivity is on the right side of the console. On the wheel you have a joy stick control on the left and buttons on the right. On the left side of the console there are back, start and power buttons. Below them are cursor controls buttons. Left right shifting paddles.
Performance
As noted the wheel was extremely stiff starting out and nearly useless. After about 3 laps though it eased up quite a bit as the label stated. Now I just turn it back and forth about 10 times prior to play to loosen it up. Slowly but surly I came to like this wheel a lot. With ATS there was simply too much force to go swinging the wheel back and forth. That force also felt more realistic in my hands and with the variable sensitivity I was driving F1 better in no time. While ATS corrected for oversteer it also became apparent that being unable to move the wheel quicker caused under steer reactions as well. You should also be aware that the ATS can give your arms, shoulders and chest area a workout. I played one night for over 3 hours and definitely felt it the next day. While I do not use manual gear shift I gave it a try on this one just in case the ATS caused stability problems. Due to the ATS you may feel like you are fighting the controller. With both hands on the wheel you get a steady response and have enough force to counteract the ATS. With one hand on the wheel the ATS is too stiff slowing down reaction time. That said the console remained pretty much in place during this exercise. Shifting with the left and right paddles worked out great but if you wanted a gear shift lever that may be of little consolation. The pedal assembly stayed put on the carpet better than any of the others but would still slowly but surely move out of place so you still need something to keep it in place over the long haul. The pedals move diagonally and there is about an inch of play before you will get a reaction that easily offset by resting your foot on the pedal eliminating the first 1 inch of play. The on the fly sensitivity adjustment was too cool and I did use different settings for F1 and Indy Racing.
The DCM function was turned on and off and I was unable to detect any real difference in game play.
I did run into a few glitches. In F1 there is a training sequence and while I could enter that sequence no problem half the time when I came out I was unable to select anything. I had to press power on the wheel console to turn it off and then turn it back on to get these working again. During racing there were a few times that the car would suddenly go right for a second which I assume was related to the wireless setup. I changed frequencies and that seemed to resolve both problems.
Conclusion
The ATS feature of this wheel was frustrating. While an enhancement on some levels it was difficult on others. The missing key here is the ability to adjust how much play you have in the wheel. Even after turning the wheel to loosen it up the stiffness will return if you are not turning it enough in the game. Waking up the next day to sore muscles was also disconcerting. I have strongly considered taking it apart to see if I can adjust the tension! There is so much to like about this classy wheel that the final conclusion is truly sad. This product earns the If you only would have award due to the ATS! It excels everywhere else so if you are a serious player give it a try provided you can return it if the ATS bothers you as well.
Pelican Evo Sport Info
Price as tested $69.95
Fit and Finish
This ranks as the number one wheel in this category. While plastic construction is was heavy and good looking without the cheap plastic feel with a rubberized wheel exudes confidence that this is it! Pedal assembly connector uses an RS232 serial connector with hold down screws for trouble free play.
Features
X-Box only. Wireless operation between the console and controller requires 4 AA batteries that go into a compartment that uses a gas cap as the door or lid. Due to that there is also no Vibration Feedback unlike all the other wheels reviewed. A gauge labeled fuel tells you how they are doing. Suction cups are provided for table mount and the bottom is grooved for your lap with rubber strips to help prevent slipping. The pedal assembly is nice with velcro strips on the bottom to keep it in place on carpet. On board is a function called DCM to assist you with oversteer and over reacting that can be turned on or off depending on your needs. The steering wheel does not use springs or any sort of tension that will return it to center. Instead Pelican has created ATS or Active Torque System. When you initially try to turn the wheel you will find it very difficult and there is a label reminding you that the wheel must be turned many times for it to loosen up. On the fly variable wheel sensitivity is on the right side of the console. On the wheel you have a joy stick control on the left and buttons on the right. On the left side of the console there are back, start and power buttons. Below them are cursor controls buttons. Left right shifting paddles.
Performance
As noted the wheel was extremely stiff starting out and nearly useless. After about 3 laps though it eased up quite a bit as the label stated. Now I just turn it back and forth about 10 times prior to play to loosen it up. Slowly but surly I came to like this wheel a lot. With ATS there was simply too much force to go swinging the wheel back and forth. That force also felt more realistic in my hands and with the variable sensitivity I was driving F1 better in no time. While ATS corrected for oversteer it also became apparent that being unable to move the wheel quicker caused under steer reactions as well. You should also be aware that the ATS can give your arms, shoulders and chest area a workout. I played one night for over 3 hours and definitely felt it the next day. While I do not use manual gear shift I gave it a try on this one just in case the ATS caused stability problems. Due to the ATS you may feel like you are fighting the controller. With both hands on the wheel you get a steady response and have enough force to counteract the ATS. With one hand on the wheel the ATS is too stiff slowing down reaction time. That said the console remained pretty much in place during this exercise. Shifting with the left and right paddles worked out great but if you wanted a gear shift lever that may be of little consolation. The pedal assembly stayed put on the carpet better than any of the others but would still slowly but surely move out of place so you still need something to keep it in place over the long haul. The pedals move diagonally and there is about an inch of play before you will get a reaction that easily offset by resting your foot on the pedal eliminating the first 1 inch of play. The on the fly sensitivity adjustment was too cool and I did use different settings for F1 and Indy Racing.
The DCM function was turned on and off and I was unable to detect any real difference in game play.
I did run into a few glitches. In F1 there is a training sequence and while I could enter that sequence no problem half the time when I came out I was unable to select anything. I had to press power on the wheel console to turn it off and then turn it back on to get these working again. During racing there were a few times that the car would suddenly go right for a second which I assume was related to the wireless setup. I changed frequencies and that seemed to resolve both problems.
Conclusion
The ATS feature of this wheel was frustrating. While an enhancement on some levels it was difficult on others. The missing key here is the ability to adjust how much play you have in the wheel. Even after turning the wheel to loosen it up the stiffness will return if you are not turning it enough in the game. Waking up the next day to sore muscles was also disconcerting. I have strongly considered taking it apart to see if I can adjust the tension! There is so much to like about this classy wheel that the final conclusion is truly sad. This product earns the If you only would have award due to the ATS! It excels everywhere else so if you are a serious player give it a try provided you can return it if the ATS bothers you as well.
Pelican Evo Sport Info