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If you love racing games, have a PS3 or PC, and have no problem parting with a hefty $349, Fanatec’s wireless steering wheel is right up your alley. Sure you can get a gaming steering wheel for a lot less money, but it won’t come fully equipped with a 6+1 shifter, three working pedals, and an official seal of approval from Porsche. Fanatec spent seven years coming up with a setup that was worthy of the Porsche name, and the end result is pretty damn sweet. The steering wheel is adorned with real leather, it has three feedback motors, a key-shaped 1GB memory stick for storing settings, and both the wheel and pedals are completely free of wires.

There is no question that $349 is probably too much to spend on a gaming wheel, considering a PS3 only costs $399. But if you spend as much time in the virtual world of video games as you do out in the real world, this may be as close as you’ll ever get to driving a Porsche, and it costs a lot less than the real thing.Thanks for the tip, Rick!

[Source: Engadget]

The latest gizmo from Japan’s Takata will tell you where to go, but not like those verbally abusive digital keychains from the ’90s. The Takata CSW steering wheel is designed to interface with sensors in your vehicle and display different messages on an LCD screen in the 12 o’clock position. There are already lights and sirens to let you know if your door is ajar or the washer fluid is low, but the CSW wheel’s best trick is that it will talk to the Navigon 7100 navigation system, should you have one. It’s an interesting cross-brand lashup that is pushing the envelope of aftermarket integration.

The screen in the wheel works in conjunction with the larger screen in the navigation unit to display instructions, though the improvement over just the Navigon would likely be sufficient. Both the wheel and the Navi can reportedly poll vehicle sensors, though we’re not sure exactly how, so the systems would be more aware of what the driver is doing beyond merely position data. Both companies hope the wheel will reduce driver distraction, though we’re not convinced that looking down to the wheel rim is any safer or more convenient than the slight gaze diversion to the customary upper center of the dashboard. We don’t know of any manufacturer plans to OEM-issue these units, but the effort could portend a future convergence in the gadget galaxy.

[Source: Navigadget via Kicking Tires; Photo: SoundDomain]