Racing wheel pros/cons/suggestions.

[cthellis42]

I know there have been threads about individual wheels before, but I haven't noticed an overall suggestion/discussion thread before.

I'm currently in the market for a quality wheel for my brother, who's looking to take that further dive into GT5 and other games, and while price is not really an object... some things can get expensive enough that I want to make sure they're worth it. (At one point he picked up a random cheap wheel from Gamestop and didn't like it at all, though, so it can't be... you know... crap.)

The wheel I'm referring to specifically, of course, is the Logitech G25. Frankly, it makes ME drool, and the closest I come to "racing games" is Burnout!

I tend to trust Logitech more in general, but know that force feedback wheels can be touchy, and have different takes. And while I know my brother would appreciate the design quality touches on the G25, the real focus is on control and force feedback quality. On that note, I've heard good things about Logitech's new Driving Force GT; my only real reservation is the lack of clutch on it, and knowing my brother would appreciate the more minimalist approach of the G25 over the "wheel chock-ablock with buttons and dials" like the DFGT and other ones have, so if that's the main difference it'd still be worth an upgrade to me.

Is there a "generally accepted as 'best' controls/feedback" choice from all the options? Is there a "better supported by the most games" choice? (Emphasis would be on GT5 and other games coming out on PS3, because his PC sucks.) I'd really LIKE to retain the clutch, but if another option has better-quality foot pedals in general, and a better wheel, and/or is of comparable quality but NOTABLY cheaper, it may be worth looking elsewhere.

A few years back, I seem to remember everyone being all up on the Momo wheel, but... it seems that day has passed, eh?

 

[djskribbles]

i haven't tried the DFPGT yet, but i think the G25 is still king. someone tried it out and compared it to his DFP and he said the FF is actually weaker. now i know the FF strength isn't everything, but the clutch and H pattern shifter (with choice to use sequential of course) seal it imho. so if money isn't an issue, the G25 is the way to go imho. the only reason why i'm considering the DFP or DFPGT, is because money IS kind of an issue for me. i would love to get the G25, but these wheels are so expensive.

 

[Arwin]

Agreed. The DFPGT is a successor to the DFP, and is much more comparable to that wheel than the G25. The DFPGT is awesome value for money, but the G25 is quite clearly better.

There's one downside for me with the G25 that I could think of and that is that the addition of the clutch pedal lead them to have the other two pedals smaller, and having large feet I had some trouble getting used to that when I tried the wheel at a friend's place.

The G25 also has an accelleration advantage in GT5 Prologue right now, it seems. With all auto-clutch simulations (for all control methods that do not support a clutch), an 'average' shifting time is taken. But with the G25, you can shift faster or slower. If you shift faster, you can out-accellerate other control methods. Some people are a little annoyed with this of course, which is understandable. I wonder if they will do something about this, either by adding clutch options to the regular controls, or introduce separate online game modes and leaderboards.

I also can't afford the G25 yet, but i have two DF Pros and they are still quite good fortunatley.

 

[Nick Laslett]

With each release of GT the wheel gets better and better.

I played GT2 to completion using the Dual Shock 1.

With GT3 I brought my first wheel, the Driving Force.

Although it was good, the game was still easier with the pad.

With GT4 I brought the Driving Force Pro wheel, this was much better, but the pad still had the edge.

With GT5, I still use the Driving Force Pro wheel, but this time the wheel is much better than the pad.

I wouldn't even bother playing GT5 with a pad, it would be pointless, like trying to play Wii sports without the remote.

I was extremely please with how well the game plays with the wheel, it was a bit of a revelation.

 

[sevanig]

Need for speed: Pro Street fully supports the G25, the best mode is the drag strip, with using the clutch and six speed...

Sorry to rub it in

The pedals on the g25 sh#t on the new driving force gt pedals...