Saitek R440 Force Feedback Wheel review

Saitek's R440 is different to the other wheels. Where they're imitations of the real thing, the R440 looks futuristic. But don't judge a book by its cover, as this one performs superbly.

The two-piece clamping system holds the wheel to the desk firmly, and on the floor another two-piece setup holds firm on carpet. This is helped by a pedal design that pivots from above, which prevents creep of the pedal box and your feet upon it.

Once you've left the starting grid, force feedback is the best here. In ToCA Race Driver 2 and GTR, we felt every blip of the rumble strips, and Colin McRae Rally 2 performance was impressive. Even surface changes from mud to gravel were transmitted clearly, and we loved the way the steering lightened over mid-corner crests. It left us in a sweat at the end of a gruelling stage and was more consistent from game to game.

The only criticism is that the grip position is too low, but the superb force feedback overrides this. It's not pretty, but it's the best wheel here.