The Driving Force Pro is a demanding wheel in that you can’t simply plug it in and begin playing, but instead it requires a little more setup time. Unless you purchased the lap attachment separately, you’ll have to find some sort of table that your wheel can clamp on to, and you’ll also have to find a place to put your pedals without having them slide all over the floor. For gamers who were looking for something a little more authentic than racing with a TV dinner tray, Sparco Motor Sports has come out with an entire racing frame to perfectly house you and your Driving Force Pro!

Sold exclusively from www.gtcockpit.com, the Sparco Racing Cockpit pro can be purchased in three different variations. The first only includes the metal frame, which will be enough for you to situate your wheel and pedals. However, if you’re looking for the full blown setup, you’ll want to try the Sprint or Siena combinations. Both of these setups include the metal frame and an official Sparco racing seat, so you know everything is high quality. The Sprint setup includes a more affordable bucket seat that’ll be enough to give you a place to sit. For this review, we will be testing out the Siena seat; Sparco’s most technologically advanced racing seat, offering the perfect mixture of style, performance, and comfort. For a complete comparison of the three models and for further product specifications, we recommend that you visit www.gtcockpit.com to find which setup is right for you.

Installation

If the Racing Cockpit Pro came fully assembled, the shipping prices would be outrageous. When packaged, the seat was tucked away in its own box, while the metal frame was entirely disassembled in a surprisingly small package. Included with the frame was an instruction manual providing step-by-step help, as well as two non-slip rubber pads which gave us a nice place to put our tools. The required wrenches for the screws were also included, so if you don’t have a set of your own you don’t have anything to worry about.

Despite contrary belief, setting this thing up was incredibly simple. Overall, it took us 20 minutes to setup the frame with the seat, and it took roughly five more minutes to adjust it to our personal likings. The two side frame parts are held together by a steel bar at the bottom and by the rubber padded platform which will act as the wheel base. The platform for the pedals fits snugly between the two frames, and its inclination can also be adjusted depending on which holes you put the screws through. The seat slides onto a metal railing, and the metal railing slides into two holes in both of the frames. As a result, the seat can be slid forward or backwards easily, making it simple to adjust the seat to your height. Knobs on either side of the seat also allow you to fully recline, so finding a comfortable setup isn’t a problem. While putting everything together was easy enough to do without having to refer to the manual constantly, even the most mechanically challenged people should be able to put the Racing Cockpit Pro without having any trouble.

Performance

Once you have everything setup, there’s only one thing left to do: Race! Simply put, the Cockpit Pro provides a sturdy housing for your Driving Force Pro without sacrificing any comfortably whatsoever. The rubberized base for the wheel was created meticulously and just barely has enough room for the wheel to fit, and once your wheel is in place you won’t have to worry about it slipping off at all. To test just how tightly it was placed, we had the wheel enter the 900 degrees rotation mode, and then we jerked the wheel left and right, showing no signs of mercy at all. Several minutes later, the wheel hadn’t budged an inch despite all the force that was exerted onto it, and we even had a hard time trying to take it off intentionally! Similarly, the pedals will just barely fit into the metal foot portion of the frame, so you’ll probably have to smack the pedals a few times before they finally fall into place. For once, we were finally able to enjoy a video game racing wheel without having to worry about the pedals sliding all over the floor.

To top it all off, driving around in an official Sparco racing seat is truly a memorable experience. This low-to-the-ground position literally puts you into the driver’s seat of your favorite racing games, and who would’ve imagined that it would be so comfortable? The back has a layer of rigidness for firm support, but it has a plush coat that feels so soft. When you’re sitting inches off the ground with your legs fully stretched out and your hands sweating from all the force feedback, it’s really easy to believe that you’re actually driving. While gamers with a big high definition television with surround sound will certainly get the maximum effect, the total immersion created by Sparco Racing Cockpit Pro for any gamer is just astonishing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Racing Cockpit Pro is, without a doubt, the perfect device for any true PS2 racing fan. At its current sales price, the metal frame alone will cost $330, the Sprint setup will cost $550, and the total Sienna combination will cost $700, so this is clearly not a purchase to be taken lightly. However, due to its sleek design, luxurious comfortably, and the overall authentic racing feel that imitators can’t even come close to, the Racing Cockpit Pro could be said to be worth every penny. All three models are sold exclusively at www.gtcockpit.com, so head on over there if you want to enjoy the most realistic PS2 driving experience ever.

We would have given this product the Driverheaven Heavenly Hardware Gold Award however considering the price it just falls short of the mark.

Contacts: Reviewer: Andy "Vesper" Levine
Editor/Designer: Allan "Zardon" Campbell