INTRODUCTION

   Racing games may no longer have the same "prestige" and "wow factor" as they did 10 years ago (or even in the 90's thanks to the launch of the Need For Speed and Test Drive series) but for some gamers they are irreplaceable and with new and upcoming titles like Dirt 4, Need For Speed Payback, Gran Turismo Sport, Forza Motorsport 7 and The Crew 2 things are really looking up. Personally i still miss the days when I’d walk 3 kilometers just to get to the billiards that had the brand new (then) Sega Rally Championship racing game arcade (on Sega's Model 2 board) only so i could test my skills driving the amazing Lancia Stratos. The Sega Rally Championship was also the first racing game i ever played using a steering wheel and till this day i can't say I’ve found a racing wheel that could offer me the same experience. The Japanese Hori may not be among the most popular gaming peripherals manufacturers in the market like Logitech or Razer but they've actually been around for much longer and today we'll be taking a look at their latest APEX Racing Wheel.

   Founded in 1969 and working closely with games console manufacturers from 1983, Hori Co. Ltd was one of the first 3rd party accessory makers in the world. We have been the leading accessory manufacturer in Japan for almost 30 years, during which time we have pioneered many concepts that have made gaming more enjoyable and accessible to everyone, while also creating unique products that appeal to hardcore and niche gaming markets. Since 2004, Hori has expanded its operations globally and now has offices in the US, Hong Kong, and the UK, enabling worldwide distribution and swift and effective customer service.

   The APEX Racing Wheel doesn't feature any type of force feedback (no internal motors) nor does it come with a manual gear shifter and a clutch pedal (not available even as extra) so it's quite evident that HORI wanted to release an affordable product aimed towards not so demanding gamers. Still the 280mm diameter wheel features rubberized textured areas (optimal grip), 13 programmable buttons, basic multi-level vibration feedback (via bungee cord probably - not to be mistaken for force feedback), 270 degrees max rotation (adjustable down to 180 for faster response - quick handling mode), adjustable sensitivity, paddle shifters, directional pad, adjustable dead zone and two different installation options (suction cups and table clamp). The foot pedals on the other hand may not seem or feel as impressive as the wheel itself but it still features adjustable sensitivity and a retractable foot rest for increased stability. Last but not least the APEX Racing Wheel by Hori is fully compatible with Playstation 3/4 game consoles and PC.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Hori packs the APEX Racing Wheel inside a blue box that has a picture of the wheel at the front, console compatibility and the company logo.

Both sides of the box are taken by pictures of both the pedals and the wheel.

A complete product picture is also placed at the rear of the box and used to showcase the product features.

The entire bundle is placed inside plastic bags and between several pieces of cardboard.

Along with the wheel and pedals you're also getting 5 suction cups, table clamp, long screw and the instruction manual.

THE APEX

The APEX may not be the sturdiest racing wheel in the market but build quality is reasonably good and in terms of design it has very little to be jealous of far more expensive and advanced models (the Playstation logo is placed right at the center).

Much like with most racing wheels the front end resembles the front of a car.

A small modular port is placed at the front and here is where you connect the pedals.

Two buttons are placed on the rubberized textured areas of the wheel and these are perhaps the best ones since they are easier to access even compared to the paddle shifters.

A small 4-way directional pad (D-Pad) is placed on the left side of the wheel while on the right Hori has placed the usual console buttons.

Four extra programmable buttons are placed at the center of the wheel right beneath four buttons and two LEDs used to configure the various wheel features (for example you can turn on the quick handling mode by pressing the R2 button while holding the Assign button).

From the left switch placed at the top center you can toggle between Playstation 4 Normal mode, Playstation 4 Steering mode and Playstation 3 compatibility (some games work better with different modes so be sure to check them out). From the left switch you can also configure the D-Pad to left stick or right stick control.

The paddle shifters are made out of plastic and aren't that sturdy but they work as they should (they even make a click noise when used).

At the base of the wheel we find 6 rubber feet and 5 mounting spots for the 5 suction cups.

The 3 meter long cable ends on a regular (not gold-plated) USB plug.

The pedals unit is very simple and made out of hard plastic.

Unfortunately the size of the pedals is not the best but we've seen way worse.

You can adjust the sensitivity of the pedals via the D-Pad and Assign button (press and hold the Assign button for 3 seconds, the hold the pedal you want to adjust for another 3 seconds and adjust the sensitivity with the up/down button of the D-Pad).

At the base of the pedals we see 4 textured rubber feet and the retractable foot rest.

By placing your feet on the foot rest you increase the stability of the pedals (which is not that great to begin with).

Worth pointing out is that in both games we initially (we also used Dirt 4 down the road) used the APEX Racing Wheel with (F1 2016 and Asseto Corsa) it was detected and didn't come across any issues (we just had to assign controls manually since for example Asseto Corsa doesn't officially support it like it does several Fanatec and Logitech wheels).

CONCLUSION

   As mentioned in the intro page Hori probably never aimed to release a racing wheel to cater to the needs of demanding gamers with the APEX and after using it for over a full month we haven't changed our minds. Build quality is actually surprisingly good for the wheel itself (for the products price range always) but the same doesn't apply for the pedals which feel very "cheap". Unfortunately the lack of force feedback automatically means that you have almost no real connection (feedback) with the game you're playing (the vibrations system tries but without luck) and although again this is something we've come to expect by similarly priced racing wheels we can't skip mentioning it. Using the quick handling mode (180 degrees rotation instead of 270) gave us mixed results. It worked pretty well in Dirt 4 (at least sometimes) but it was really bad in F1 2016 and Asseto Corsa (it might however be better with the Playstation 3/4). Also thanks to the 13 available programmable buttons (D-Pad) you can probably assign all the functions you'd ever need so you can even choose not to use the pedals if you decide you’re not too fond of them. The lack of control software may not be very crucial since all the features can be adjusted via the buttons on the wheel (not to mention that the wheel is primarily designed for use with PlayStation 3 and 4) but still it would simplify things for PC users so I do hope Hori improves on that with their next release. As for the two mounting/installation options we found that the desktop clamp works many times better compared to the suction cups just remember to not screw it extremely tight cause you may end up damaging it (as already mentioned build quality could be better).

   We mentioned the “affordable” price tag of the APEX Racing Wheel many times in our review and by that we ment that currently it retails for just USD99.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for just 90Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Now considering that you need to spend over twice as much to get a reasonably good force feedback racing wheel we think that Hori has done a good job overall. Sure we can’t recommend the APEX Racing Wheel to serious and demanding gamers but for casual gamers it could offer many hours of fun and to them we say give it a chance, it may actually impress you.

PROS

- Design
- Wheel Build Quality (For The Price)
- 13 Programmable Buttons
- Playstation 3/4 and PC Compatible
- Quick Handling Mode (180 Degrees Rotation)
- Retractable Foot Rest
- Vibration Feedback
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Pedals Build Quality
- Paddle Shifter Quality
- No Force Feedback
- No Control Software (PC Users)