This iPad racing gadget is crazier than the Mario Kart Wii Wheel

Have you ever found yourself awkwardly twisting your iPad around in the air, wishing there was a better way, when playing a game? Kickstarter may have an answer.

Most iPad racing games use the device’s accelerators to have players tilting the tablet left and right to steer in an effort to mimic a steering wheel. It’s usually enjoyable to do so at first, but the fun starts to wear off after a few minutes of having your arms outstretched, and it gets worse when your palms get sweaty. No racing game out there is good enough to risk dropping an iPad.

Kolos (Slavic for “colossus”) is a new tabletop racing wheel that holds 9.7-inch iPads (compatible with iPad models 2, 3, 4, Air, and Air 2) in its center to provide for instant access to the hundreds of iOS tilt-to-steer racing games. A self-centering mechanism allows players to effectively let go of the wheel, which helps overcome unnecessary extra tilting. And given that the Kolos mounts to surfaces, it alleviates the burden of holding up the tablet, leaving the hands free to grip the wheel as well as accelerate and brake with your thumbs.

You can disconnect the wheel from its base to allow for free turning anywhere. As an example, Kolos’ campaign video shows an unclipped wheel being carried into a bathroom of all places.

Bulgarian startup Kolos has launched a Kickstarter campaign today, and it hopes to raise $100,000 for mass production of the device. The company says that it hopes to surpass the Kickstarter goal on the first day.

Early bird pricing starts at $45 for the Kolos, with the price increasing about $5 for the next backer tier. The company hopes to ship the device to backers by the end of the year.