The Saitek R440 has no stick but does provide two paddle shifters, gas and brake pedals, and four buttons, and it can be desk-mounted or held in your lap. Its over-the-top force feedback will thrill gamers: It rocks and rolls you through crashes and road hazards, and Saitek's generous software bundle includes a nifty calibration tool that uses explosions, cold-cranking starts, and flying leaps to set feedback intensity. All this melodrama makes the R440 fun for arcade games but not particularly subtle. Our unit was tough to calibrate with precision and never delivered the detailed driving experience possible with NASCAR and GTR.

The R220 is a less-expensive version of the R440 that lacks feedback and software. It performed well and, with some titles, was even more realistic than the feedback-enabled R440.