Logitech Driving Force GT Steering Wheel 941-000020 Video Game Controllers
- 24-position realtime adjustment dial: Fine-tune brake bias, TCS, and damper settings on the fly for unprecedented control over your car’s performance.
- 900-degree wheel rotation: Go 2.5 times around lock to lock, just as you would behind the wheel of many real cars.
- Force feedback technology: Feel every inch of the road for maximum control and the ultimate racing experience.
- Gas and brake pedals: Get precise throttle and brake response with true-to-life pedals.
- Sequential stick shift: Go through the gears for the ultimate in control.
List Price: $ 149.99
Price: $ 119.99
Experience Depends on the Game… Wheel is Great Though,
Summary [8.5 out of 10]
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The Logitech Driving Force GT PS3 Wheel is an excellent driving wheel with a good build quality at a solid price point that will satisfy any casual or avid racer. Unfortunately not every game makes correct or full use of driving wheels, but the ones that do (e.g. Gran Turismo 5) create a surreal driving experience that will satisfy any driving fan.
For the purist that must reproduce the true racing experience in his or her house, we would still suggest the Logitech G25; it is, however, more than twice the price of the Driving Force GT.
What’s in the Box?
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It’s a good sized box, about the size of a Logitech 2.1 PC speaker package. As shown on the box there was an instruction booklet, pedals and wheel (with integrated shifter).
What I was really surprised to find in the box, and it might have been a toss-in for some promotion because I don’t see it mentioned on Logitech’s site, was a full copy of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. If you already have it, then use this copy (if you get one) as a gift I suppose. If you didn’t have a copy, you will be so freaking happy they included one, it does the wheel justice while other games don’t:
After spending time with this wheel and especially Gran Turismo 5, I would have to say that you cannot review a driving wheel, or al teast this driving wheel, without having a copy of Gran Turismo 5 to test with. The experience is so much better with GT than it is with other “arcade” racers that it’s a night-and-day difference. More on that later though under “Driving Experience”.
For anyone that has used a force-feedback wheel in the past 10 years, I think the form factor of these things has always been the same. A life-sized steering wheel attached to a tapered base that is fastened to a table or desk of some kind using clamps or grips of some kind; this is very similar:
As you can see the steering wheel reproduces all of the 17 or so buttons you find on a standard PS3 controller. The red wheel and “enter” button on the bottom right can be used for navigation and confirmation as well as in-game adjustments for games that support it (like Gran Turismo 5).
I’m not sure what the split-circle +/- does on the bottom left, I never got it to really do anything in any games.
In addition to the full-sized wheel the base unit includes an integrated shifter. The shifter doesn’t have much play up or down as it behaves more like those auto-shifters (flappers) you find on some higher end cars that let you drive in automatic or shift automatically if you want. It just clicks up or down as you are driving and a spring re-centers it when you let go. It doesn’t click “up” or “down” into position like a gear shifter, it’s more of a toggle action.
Of course you have your pedal plate. I’m a size 11.5″ and the plate felt like a nice size, sturdy, good resistence on the brake and gas and my foot never fell off it or slipped off. It’s a perfect size.
I did find that the pedals stood upright a bit too vertical, so sitting in a chair and playing, my foot was always cocked up when I was off the gas or break. This made switching from gas to brake with 1 foot uneasy for me and I ended up driving with both feet instead; I just couldn’t flip from gas and then cock my foot up enough to clear the brake as I moved it over to the left to push it back down. What ended up happening is that the side of my foot would hit the break as I moved my foot to the left and push the whole pedal pad over.
I would also point out that the pedal pad would be perfect on carpet because it integrates a retractable spike-strip on the bottom of it that can click out, and dig into the carpet. On hard/wood floors like I have, it was moving around a little bit, so I secured it by pushing it up against the table you see in the picture above. I believe there are little rubber feet on it but they don’t do as good a job stopping it from moving as the carpet-spike-strip would if it was on carpet.
Keep that in mind if you are on a hard floor and don’t have a way to secure it in place, I’m sure putting it on a mat on your hard floor would work fine (like a yoga mat) or something else that will cause it to stay put.
Hooking it all Up
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As with all racing wheels since the dawn of mankind, you fasten the wheel base that everything hooks to, to a table or desk using clamps that tighten to hold it in place:
If you don’t have a table or desk that this can be fastened to, you will need to get one if you plan on using this. I lucked out in that our coffee table had a lip on it that I could hook to, but I have a friend that has a low coffee table that he hooked the wheel to that provides a…
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|A Great Addition for GT5 P,
I purchased GT5 Prologue and played for 2 days using the Dual Shock controller, while the game was fun, I was having trouble running well on several tracks. Over the weekend, I went to a local store which had GTP5 and the racing wheel setup as a display. After sitting down and using the wheel for about 10 minutes, I knew it was a must have. The wheel itself feels well made of durable products, the rubber on the wheel makes it very comfortable. It also has reduced my times in the races where I have used the wheel. The setup was easy and control layout is easy learn. Some reviews I have seen discount the wheel because it does not have a clutch or shifter with actual gears set out. But with the $100 I saved, I am willing to live without theses features.
There are a few downsides, I was hoping for a wireless wheel, but it connects to the PS3 with a USB cable. However, the cable is a good length and allows you plenty of space to move across a room. Also, you have to plug the wheel into an electrical outlet. While this makes for more wires, it also allows for some great force feedback and opposed to a rumble effect.
I am looking forward to using the wheel with upcoming racing games and some old ones. And my favorite thing about the wheel, it the GT logo that lights up in the center of the wheel.
My advise is to get the wheel if you can. Now if they would only release the full GT5 (with damage to the cars please!)
Wanted to update this review to mention the product I found to use the Racing Wheel. I tried small tables, a tv tray and an IKEA laptop table. None of them worked because of they were to tall or short and the tables that could be adjusted were to wobbly or slipped. After much searching, I found the Wheel Stand Pro which is made in Poland. Unfortunately, it was more expensive than the Racing Wheel, but it was a great buy. You can adjust the height, angle of the wheel and distance to the pedals. It is made of steel so it is solid and has sturdy clamps to fold it up and store easily. If you are looking for a great way to use your Racing Wheel, I highly recommend you check out Wheel Stand Pro site. Also, shipping was great. They emailed me on a Friday the stand was on the way and I received it on Monday.
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|Must Have,
I have played the GT franchise games since GT2 on PS1. Needless to say, I have plenty of race time behind the “wheel of the iconic Dual Shock series of controllers. With that in mind, I can never go back to those days after experiencing the Driving Force GT.
The build quality is very solid, as is expected with logitech products in general, and feels very good in your hands. It has a good amount of weight to not feel cheap, but is not heavy to the point of inconvenience. The size of the wheel is smaller than an actual steering wheel, but is of comfortable proportions for long racing sessions.
The control layout is very simple, and translates well from the standard controller scheme. Navigating menus requires zero adjustment time. The real time adjustment knob is promising, and will no doubt be a great tool for the full version of GT5.
The pedals are well built, and are on a solid base, which is an appropriate size and weight to be stable during gameplay. The increase in pedal pressure from the accelerator to the brake pedal is a nice touch as well. I remember feathering the gas and brake way back when, using the digital button layout of the original PS1 controller, and being amazed at the improvement by using the analog buttons on the Dual Shock 2. The ability to fine tune the amount of throttle is simply amazing, and is something truly to see seen for yourself.
As another reviewer said, the wheel does come with a number of wires. The usb connector is approximately 2-3 times longer than the standard usb charger that comes with the PS3, making it adequate for most home setups – I have enough cord length to play at a comfortable distance from a 60 inch display. The external AC power adapter is not absurdly large, and has plenty of cord length as well.
The existence of these wires is a necessary evil, but is well worth it. The force feedback is outstanding. The wheel fights back when attacking turns at high speed, respond with great detail when you come off the tarmac, and translates the effects of weight shift on high speed straights in a way that simply cannot be done with a conventional controller. It gives me a chill to think what this will be like on the rally courses in GT5!
I cannot begin to do this product justice in words. Simply put, if you have the disposable income, and plan to put in some seat time with GT5, be it Prologue or the full game coming out next year, you must try this wheel. At least check out a demo unit – you won’t be disappointed.
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