The mainstream automotive press has recognized the sim community. Car &
Driver has long been an advocate of the "legitimacy" of sims, publishing
over the years reviews of (if I remember) Atari's arcade "Hard Driving",
Papyrus's Indy 500, a comparison of GP2, ICR2 and N2, and now they have
reviewed and compared 8 different wheel/pedal combos. The winner was the
TSW, spec'ed out with a Momo wheel, although even this got some criticism
for limited pedal travel and "wood shop" quality construction. The CH
system ranked only behind the big bucks systems, and the Thrustmaster
Nascar (or F1) was well down, as its poor pedals offset its excellent
wheel. They provided a fairly good balanced review, and even compared
laptimes at Sears Point in N2 with the different wheels. It's in the issue
with the RennTech Mercedes on the cover.
As an aside, they also had a great article on the $8000, one day session
that allows a driver to progress through BMWs, Formula ??, F3000 and
finally, 8 laps in a 1995 Arrows F1 car. Fascinating to read.
Stephen
