Race Controller

Description

The Race Controller is a black wheel with red-orange buttons mounted on a base, connecting directly to the Dreamcast controller port. It featured analogue paddles for acceleration and braking, and a rear port designed for pedals, though Sega never released official pedal hardware during the Dreamcast’s lifespan.

It was compatible with a wide range of Dreamcast racing titles, including Sega Rally 2, Daytona USA 2001, Metropolis Street Racer, Crazy Taxi, and F355 Challenge. It was also supported by lesser mainstream releases such as Tokyo Bus Guide, Le Mans 24 Hours, and many others. In Europe and Australia, the peripheral was sold under the same name as in Japan. Once again with Sega accessories, the American situation was just weird.

Reception seems to be mixed. For me it was a substantial improvement over the Saturn equivalent, particularly the addition of analogue paddles. Some players noted a large deadzone in the steering response, which was later shown to be a software issue rather than a fault in the hardware. Most likely the racing titles I played were less affected, like F355 Challenge. Retrospectively softwares mods have improved its accuracy. For me, along with the Arcade Stick, the Dreamcast had some amazing arcade conversions and both these accessories made for some extremely elevated experiences.