DURING the day, I drive what my friends call Singapore's National Car - the Toyota Corolla Altis.

You won't believe how many times I've tried opening the wrong car door in a public carpark.

There's nothing wrong with owning an Everyman's car. It's reliable, sturdy and it lets me do my job as the family's chauffeur without fuss.

But once in a while, when I feel like a speed racer, I go home to my Xbox360 and play a racing game like Project Gotham Racing, flinging my virtual self around tight corners at impossible speeds in dream machines.

Such couch-driving experiences just got much more thrilling with the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel ($249).

It's designed by Microsoft from ground-up to be the perfect companion for the upcoming car simulator title, Forza Motorsport 2.

Watch this space next week for the full review before its 29 May global launch.

For the wheel, 'wireless' is a bit of a misnomer. Just like wireless gamepads, you don't need a cable between your Xbox 360 game console and the wheel.

But there is a Ethernet cable connecting the steering wheel to the foot pedals, as well as a standard power cable to drive the powerful force feedback vibrations. The latter simulate actual ground resistance, the aligning torque of the wheel, the feel of peak friction and different ground surfaces like grass or sand.

You could go without the power supply and simply use two AA batteries to power the wheel, but you won't get any force feedback.

Be it the way the car struggles to stay on course after you recover from a high-speed turn, or the way it shudders when you drive over raised chevrons, force feedback really raises the bar on realism.

Then you have to decide whether you want to put the wheel on your lap or use the bundled clamp to attach it securely to a table. Naturally, clamping is the best option.

PUMPING ACTION

Made of slip-proof rubbery material, you can be sure that even serious cases of sweaty palms won't allow your grip to come loose.

The foot pedals have great pumping action, though you wish the base would remain more fixed to the floor.

There are also finger paddles for gear shifts, if you insist on driving in manual gear.

Given its sensitivity, the wheel is best played with simulator games like Forza 2 rather than arcade-like titles like Need For Speed Carbon.

What I dig about the wheel is how in Forza 2, you really get a good feel of how different roadsters (be it a Subaru, Ferrari or Mazda) behave on various tracks and with various components.

However, don't assume you're going to instantly clock better lap times when you start using this wheel. It requires some practice to avoid oversteering.

In fact, you'll find yourself veering out of control more often than not because the wheel introduces real-world driving conditions not possible with normal controllers.

So if you think you can go at 200kmh and do full wheel-locks without spinning out of control, well, happy crashing.

Rating: 4/5