I don't think anyone should panic just yet with regard to the steering. Here is Autocar's first drive review of the 997 in 2004. For a car many on here are praising for steering feel, this review was certainly not glowing about it

"My only puzzlement concerns the steering. Because the variable-ratio steering is lighter and slightly less direct around the straight-ahead, the immediacy and linearity of responses in that crucial first movement off-centre, taken for granted by longtime 911 drivers, are reduced. This is the biggest change to the steering since the adoption of power assistance on the 964 in 1988 and, at first experience, just as controversial. I spent day one in South Africa confused by the rack’s messages, even admitting to missing the constant joggling of the wheel, a 911 peculiarity for more than 40 years that has finally been eliminated. Initial turn-in seemed slower, less urgent, and I was sawing at the wheel through third-gear sweepers, convincing myself I could feel the rack’s ratio changing. By the end of the second day, after belting the S over the challenging Franschhoek Pass and tapping into the car’s greater agility at the limit, taking advantage of its superior grip and more adjustable handling, I’d come to terms with the new set-up. Everywhere beyond the first 30 degrees of wheel movement the steering is quicker and more precise. Body control is brilliant. The 911 stays flat, linking corners in a series of incisive, flowing movements, the suspension soaking up bumps and surface changes that would upset the previous 911’s poise. Be warned, 996 owners need to accept that the 997 feels different. It took me until the third morning to accept that the changes to the steering truly worked."

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Porsche-911-3.8-Carrera-S/209097/