Gimmick or not? The debate over the Wii Wheel has raged ever since it was first unveiled alongside Mario Kart Wii, with most gamers and pundits throwing their opinions of the device behind the gimmick side of the debate. Well, I just received my final copy of Mario Kart Wii today and have thusly been able to get my hands on the Wii Wheel for the first time, and therefore decided I’d give you my take on the maligned pack-in peripheral.
You’ll probably be surprised to hear that I actually like the Wii Wheel quite a bit (and maybe doubly surprised that I feel rather “meh” about the game thus far…). I took it out of the box, stuck my Wii Remote inside, fired up Mario Kart Wii and within the first race I was steering my kart around with ease. Continuing a few races further with the wheel, I then removed the remote and used it to steer without the wheel shell for a few more races to compare.
Both control schemes function nigh identically, but with the wheel I find the handling to have a slightly more balanced feel to it given the heftier weight and larger size of the device. Holding the Wii Remote sideways is a bit tricky, I think, due to its small, elongated form factor. To me it’s just not a very comfortable way to steer.
Another benefit of the Wii Wheel, subtle as it may be, is its larger, flatter B button, which is needed for launching weapon pick-ups. With just the remote, I think it’s slightly awkward pressing the B button in the same manner since it’s in the shape of a trigger. Small difference, I know, but it’s something I noticed switching between the two control schemes.
So yeah, I’m unexpectedly thrilled by how well the Wii Wheel works, especially since damn near every review and impressions piece I’ve read has pretty much panned it so far. Like the Wii Zapper, it’s nothing incredibly innovative or game-changing, but for racing games — Mario Kart Wii at least — it definitely provides a more intuitive gameplay experience. Or maybe that’s just me, certainly wouldn’t be the first time…
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Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
It’s odd that you’re mentioning this as my wife and I were discussing this last night as we played some friends online. Being a long-time Mario Kart player, I found the wheel to be a huge learning curve to a game that I was already quite familiar with. However, my wife finds the wheel to be the best way to play the game, since she was never able to play the other Mario Kart games using the analogue stick.
So in the end, it seems the wheel is great at getting people that have never played a racing game to try it out. It’s almost as if they feel that since they already know how to drive, this can’t be much different. It’s a pretty smart idea on Nintendo’s part.
I guess that makes sense, as I’m not some huge Mario Kart fan either who is so used to the traditional control method. But even still, I’ve had plenty of experience with the past Mario Karts and plenty of other racers, yet still find the Wii Wheel the best way to play and had no learning curve whatsoever.
Unfortunately, I haven’t really gotten to play any new games since Puzzle Quest, Super Mario Galaxy, or Geometry Wars Galaxies on my Wii. I’ve been wanting to play Mario Kart Wii, like, super bad, though. From what I’ve heard, the game itself is the same ol’, same ol’, but the multiplayer is almost a different ballgame, and ESPECIALLY if you aren’t playing online. That scares the shit out of me, as the days of everyone sitting around and jamming out on Double Dash were incredibly fun.
I find myself using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck combo. I’m just not as responsive and quick with the Wii wheel, and I can’t get use to drifting with. I think it’s easier to control weapons from while driving, but I still can’t bring myself to use it. Maybe if I just practiced more with it, I’d be better. And of course I want to use it, since the whole point of having a wii is to take advantage of the motion controls.