There are some items that you hold fond memories of but there comes a time when you have to let it go. I suppose I am attaching a bit too much emotion to an inanimate object, but the Saitek R440 Force Feedback certainly evokes them. After all, it happened to be my first and only gaming wheel.
For its price, it was hard to beat the R440. The price certainly made it easier to convince irate parents who would otherwise be bothered at having another wasteful “toy” around. But, the R440 was anything but that. It did most of what any of the more expensive wheels would do, if you could temper your expectations. It was built like a tank and the exaggerated force feedback certainly provided one of the best arm exercises you can get.
It was then, very difficult to let it go, especially as it still worked the way it did when it was first unboxed, eons ago. No sim or arcade game was ever an obstacle, unless the game manufacturer chose to not support custom wheels. As a swansong, I couldn’t help but immortalise it through the following YouTube video.
For those still hooked on to the device, following are some useful links and instructions that might come in handy.
Drivers: They can be downloaded directly from the Saitek website by browsing to the Saitek section and scrolling down to ‘Saitek R440 Force Feedback Wheel’. The site also has links to the Saitek Smart Technology profile editor that I personally never found a use for.
Fixing the Force Feedback problem: I think the drivers are originally for Windows 7 and hence the force feedback encounters some issues on modern versions of Windows. However, this can be easily resolved by following the instructions below:
1. Delete any folder in the registry starting with “VID_06A3″ in the folder HKEY_CURRENT_USERSystemCurrentControlSetControlMediaPropertiesPrivatePropertiesJoystickOEM”.
2. Delete the two entries referring to the R440 wheel in the device manager, make sure to select the checkbox to delete the driver software when doing so.
3. (Re)install newest driver package from the Saitek website.
To the purchaser of my device as well as to any other R440 users around: May the Force be with you!
