That would be great; I would love to try it out on some different hardware. I wish I could have turned a few laps on the CXC rig, but there was an hour-plus wait for the motion simulator every time we visited the booth.
I, too, was surprised by the experience. I really like the handling characteristics of pC1 with my Thrustmaster T300, so I was befuddled as to how pC2 could feel comparatively numb.
Initially, I wrote off my first experience at the Bandai-Namco booth to a bad/overused/de-tuned wheel, until I felt the same feedback (or lack thereof) in our private Logitech session with a G920. I chose the same car and track (488 GT3 at Algarve) and performed the same tests — clipping the apexes to hit the high yellow curbs and riding the rumble strips at turn-in/turn-out — but still felt nothing (I did feel a slight vibration over the rumble strips, but it was very weak). It almost felt as if the wheels were unplugged from their power source or something, but surely that could not have been the case.
My rallycross impressions were similar, but different — the dirt surface generated a sort of generic "rumble rumble", but I didn't feel any nuance or additional feedback as I was sliding the car through the corners or clipping the curbs embedded in the dirt. It didn't seem to matter as much in rallycross mode, as I was still having an absolute blast (the dirt physics are great!).
As for the gamepad experience, yeah, that's not what I was expecting, as I know how much time you guys have put into making it right. Come to think of it, much like the wheel, I wasn't getting much feedback (in terms of vibrations) through the pad, either. After four laps of Algarve, I didn't seem to be improving or coming to terms with the gamepad handling; it was frustrating. This stands in contrast to the only other racing game I played with a controller at the show, Forza 7. The controller — and the car — felt alive in my hands; it was satisfying to drive and I didn't want to stop.
I'm sure that's true. A lot of people whom I know and trust — like John, from ISR — have praised pC2's handling, both privately and publicly. So, needless to say, I feel more confused than disappointed after my time with the game at E3, but I don't have anything to go on other than my own experience.
I was eager to ask Andy and Stephen about all of this, but despite Raymond's best efforts and several return visits to the booth, we were never able to reconnect with them after our first media presentation. Nevertheless, what they showed us during the session was extremely impressive, and I'm still geeking out pretty hard over the seasonal changes and track temperature simulations. It's about time a racing game brought all of that to the table...
If you guys can get the handling and force feedback right, I think you are well-positioned to knock this one out of the park. 👍