As we all know, when Nintendo release a big title, everything to do with it is hard to get hold of!
And I'm sure a lot of you have been trying for a while now to get your hands on a second Wii Wheel to go alongside that one you got with Mario Kart. The trouble is, they're sold out everywhere and even if you do find one in stock, the chances are that it will be an an inflated price which just isn't worth it.
This is basically how I've been feeling over the past few weeks... But then I had a look on Amazon at their 3rd party wheels. Now most of them look tacky and rubbish, but one of them caught my eye and that was the:
4Gamers Wii Wheel
It had everything I was looking for, The extra 'B' button on the back, the same look as the official one and the same shape. I thought 'Too good to be true, surely?'. But fed up of waiting for the official ones to come into stock at a reasonable price I took a punt on this one... And I'm glad I did!
First, some pics...
As you can see, it's almost an exact copy of the official Wii Wheel(Perfect!). The 'B' button is slightly different in that it's smaller and it feels more 'tight' than the official wheel, where the 'B' button feels very loose within the controller.
Other things to note are that it has a hole for the Remote sensor to go through(Just a hole, not a black screen like the official one) and that it's made out of a different plastic to the official wheel. The Wii Wheel has a very nice Mat finish to it, whereas this one is very shiny and reflective
This can lead to sweaty hands being a bit of a nuisance, but nothing major.
Weight-Wise it's slightly lighter than the official version, but not noticeable once you have a Wii Remote in there! The remote fits very snuggly and there's no issues whatsoever with functionality.
But how does it work in-game? Well, pretty damn good to be fair! There are absolutely no obvious differences to using this wheel instead of the official one when you are playing the game itself. The shape of the handles matches the official controller so it's a very comfortable hold. As mentioned before, The B button is slightly different, but nowhere near enough to make drifting any different from using the other controller.
It's safe to say that this is one of the first 3rd party products I've ever bought that will have people fighting over the Official version! But what about the cost? As we know, the Wii Wheel has an RRP of £9.99, but you should be able to get it for about £8, well this Wheel is available on Amazon for £7.98(Excl Delivery, but if you buy £15 worth of goods or more at once, delivery is free), So it's about the same price. However, as I mentioned, it's not only hard to find the official version in stock, but also at a reasonable price.
Which leads me very nicely into my summary... The 4Gamers Wii Wheel is a brilliant copy of the Wii Wheel. Where other companies have simply created a Wheel shape with minimal functionality, 4Gamers have looked at the official product and Incorporated all of the features that make it more than just an optional accessory
I can't honestly recommend this Wheel
over the Official version as the official version has that rather nice Mat finish... and it's official! It has 'Wii' on the back!
However, if you're looking for that 2nd Wii Wheel(or 3rd, 4th!) and you can't find the Ninty one in stock at a decent price, go for this. I promise you that you will not be disappointed with your purchase.
*Foo's Award for best 3rd Party Wii Accessory*
I'm happy to answer any questions you've got about this as well
