The Final Say! Design 8.5 Usability 8.0 Installation 8.5 Value 8.0 360 Spider Racing Wheel - reviewed by Andrew B Review Date: 17 March 2003 Review Score: 8.0/10 Distributed By: Thrustmaster

The 360 Spider Racing Wheel from Thrustmaster is the latest addition to the cutthroat world of steering wheels for the PSOne and PlayStation 2 with some new features that will be welcomed with open arms by gamers in Australia. The Spider is almost identical to the 360 Modena Racing Wheel from Thrustmaster but unlike its previous incarnation, there are no foot pedals.  For this reason, the Spider seems to be aimed at the casual gamer who loves racing but doesn't want the complexity of setting up the steering wheel on their PlayStation. The reason for this, is that the Spider comes with a knee-top design system that basically lets you sit down and start racing straight away without the need to attach a plethora of cables to your PlayStation or wheel. Most wheels are designed to be attached to tables or desks, although you can rest it between your knees, they don't feel that comfortable. Thrustmaster have done an excellent job at making the wheel fit comfortably between your knees that is also quite sturdy.

Features/ Specifications:

- 8 way D-pad
- 2 Built in powerful motors in handgrip, Dual and Dual Shock 2 compatible
- Start, Select, Mode buttons (analog, digital, Negcon)
- 8 Quick buttons
- Knee top design system
- Progressive gas and brake control with 2 analog wheel-mounted levers.
- Compatible with all car racing games developed for Dual Shock and Dual Shock 2
- Official Licensed Ferrari Product

Compatibility Requirements:

- Compatible with PlayStation® and PlayStation® 2

The setting up of the Spider was extremely easy and only took a couple of minutes to figure out where everything went but after that, it was ready to be tested. The wheel was tested under a variety of PlayStation 2 games that included GT Concept, World Rally Championship 2 and V8 Supercars and the wheel performed quite adequately. Because most people are familiar to the Sony PlayStation Dual Shock 2 controller, it will take some time getting use to the wheel. The accuracy of the wheel, depending on the game was fairly accurate and V8 Supercars was easily the best game for the wheel. It should also be noted that the Spider supports Dual Shock (rumble, force feedback) which at times feels a little too rough, especially the way how it turns on and off during gameplay. The standard controller (Dual Shock 2), has a variety of different rumble modes when playing GT Concept but the Spider felt like there was only one type of rumble, on and off. When controlling your car, there are two levers on the side of the wheel (easy access to your fingers) that allowed your car to accelerate or brake, now if they only implemented this in real cars. This lever system performed remarkably well on all the games mentioned above.  

The Spider also feels very ergonomic and actually feels like a real wheel and because of the overall well made design, nothing feels cheap or nasty on it. Considering that Ferrari have given Thrustmaster the rights to produce this wheel, you are almost guaranteed to have a quality product. The wheel also contains rubber grips on the handle which helps you keep a strong grip on the wheel to ensure that your racing will never be effected. The buttons on the Spider seem to be carefully placed on the wheel so you won't need to fiddle or lose valuable time when looking for the standard PlayStation buttons. When navigating the menu systems of the games, you could either use the wheel or the directional pad to move between menus. 

In conclusion, the Spider is an extremely well designed wheel that many part-time or full-time gamers will thoroughly enjoy. The only downside of the wheel is the lack of pedals and brakes that would of made a welcomed addition to such a comfortable wheel. With an affordable price that is available in most good game stores, the Spider would make a welcomed addition to your PS2 accessories. Thrustmaster also offers a 2 year warranty on the 360 Spider Racing Wheel that will give gamers all peace of mind. 

- Andrew B