---
key: mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306
type: mechanic
id: spatial-interfaces--t306
lang: en
title: 'Steering wheels, pedals, joysticks and cockpits'
summary: >-
  A wheel and pedals supply axis input while force feedback supplements control.
  BeamNG.drive plots the force the game sends to the wheel.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306.md
aliases:
  - 'Wheels, pedals, joysticks and cockpits'
tags:
  - Spatial and alternative interfaces
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-9a110e52e07a4ab3
  - source-c7dc51be86fee9b9
sources:
  - id: source-9a110e52e07a4ab3
    title: 'MDN: Gamepad API'
    url: 'https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-c7dc51be86fee9b9
    title: BeamNG.drive
    url: 'https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: spatial-interfaces
    id: t306
    title: Spatial and alternative interfaces
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/spatial-interfaces/#t306'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: 'Wheels, pedals, joysticks and cockpits'
    description: >-
      A wheel and pedals supply axis input while force feedback supplements
      control. BeamNG.drive plots the force the game sends to the wheel.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/control-beamng-wheel.webp
      width: 453
      height: 193
      game: BeamNG.drive
      sourceUrl: 'https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/Beamng_ffb_app.png
      credit: BeamNG GmbH
      rights: >-
        © BeamNG GmbH. Official documentation or publisher-distributed image;
        respective rights retained. Excluded from portal MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: 'BeamNG.drive: a plot of steering-wheel force feedback'
      alt: 'BeamNG.drive: a plot of steering-wheel force feedback'
      markers:
        - x: 34
          'y': 22
          label: The graph compares current force with the feedback limit
    tips:
      - >-
        Calibrate axis centers and endpoints, and check force feedback for
        clipping.
    examples:
      - title: BeamNG.drive
        url: >-
          https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
  2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
  examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
  Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
  every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/spatial-interfaces
---
# Steering wheels, pedals, joysticks and cockpits

id: spatial-interfaces--t306
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/spatial-interfaces--t306/

A wheel and pedals supply axis input while force feedback supplements control. BeamNG.drive plots the force the game sends to the wheel.

## At a glance

![BeamNG.drive: a plot of steering-wheel force feedback](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/control-beamng-wheel.webp)

[BeamNG.drive](https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/) · © BeamNG GmbH. Official documentation or publisher-distributed image; respective rights retained. Excluded from portal MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. The graph compares current force with the feedback limit

- Calibrate axis centers and endpoints, and check force feedback for clipping.

- [BeamNG.drive](https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/)

## How it works

Cockpit input distributes control across axes, pedals and switches with consistent ranges and neutral states.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t306-variants"></a>

- Wheels set angles within their supported range. <a id="t306-v1"></a>
- Pedals expose separate or combined values. <a id="t306-v2"></a>
- Levers preserve an absolute parameter position. <a id="t306-v3"></a>
- Profiles map functions to a specific device. <a id="t306-v4"></a>

## Design example

A game truck uses a wheel and two pedals while buttons replace a missing third axis.

Prototype check: Test end-stop calibration, combined axes and multiple devices; force feedback needs separate capability support.

## Context and limits

Spatial and specialized input requires calibration, clear action confirmation and a way to continue after signal loss. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.

- [MDN: Gamepad API](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Gamepad_API) (id: source-9a110e52e07a4ab3)
- [BeamNG.drive](https://documentation.beamng.com/support/hardware/steering_wheel_setup/) (id: source-c7dc51be86fee9b9)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors