And the "previous generation" of power steering was hydraulic, which had a similar behaviour and setup in that it is an amplification of steering input.
Electric power steering allows for configurability of steering difficulty, which tends to engender the feeling of precision at a certain point along the effort curve. (Variable for different people, naturally).
Plus, with more powerful electric systems (better alternators, basically), moving hydraulic steering pump from belt-driven frees up the engine a bit, yielding less drag and better fuel efficiency.
But fundamentally, I believe that in modern vehicles, due to their weight, direct steering linkages are a bit rare.
Electric power steering allows for configurability of steering difficulty, which tends to engender the feeling of precision at a certain point along the effort curve. (Variable for different people, naturally).
Plus, with more powerful electric systems (better alternators, basically), moving hydraulic steering pump from belt-driven frees up the engine a bit, yielding less drag and better fuel efficiency.
But fundamentally, I believe that in modern vehicles, due to their weight, direct steering linkages are a bit rare.