Oh joy, I finally got my hands on the Logitech Driving Force GT, the official wheel of Gran Turismo.
This review has taken a while to write, for a few reasons. Poor old New Zealand had a few supply issues upon release and it took a fair few weeks before they were readily available, and also because I wanted to spend a lot of time with the wheel to get a good feel for it and forge a strong opinion.
Read on to see if this wheel’s for you.
Now just in case you are the sort to judge a book by its cover, the Logitech wheels comes in a standard dark green box, a few pictures on the side and a handle in the centre. Who cares you say? Actually not me, but when you compare it to the similarly priced “Rubics” designed shiny packaging of the Microsoft Force Feedback Wheel, its definitely lacking in the first impression appeal. But that’s where the mundane ends.
The initial setup is quick and easy. Unpack, mount to desk, plug in power supply, plug USB into PS3, hook up pedals, and you’re away. Takes about a minute.
First thing that grabbed me with this wheel is the feel of quality, once mounted the action of the wheel is smooth and rattle free, with no slop or play. There is just the subtle ‘whir’ of the motors inside. Aesthetically it’s gorgeous, predominately black except for the red function wheel and the Driving Force badge. At 11 inches across, it’s a solid one piece wheel with rubber over-mould grip, and boasts a full 900 degree rotation. A sequential shifter on the right hand side and paddle shifters on the wheel, as well as all the other button you’d expect on a Playstation controller. Oh and the GT icon in the middle lights up. Nice touch.
The pedals are a heavy plastic build with very effective carpet grips on the bottom. Not once in the heat of racing (and crashing) did the pedals slip from under me. Unfortunately there is no clutch on this model, just brake and throttle.
That’s enough of the details let me tell you what its like, is it fun, does it improve your driving, does the force feedback work well, is it worth it?
YES YES OH GLORIOUS YES.
Coupled with the international sensation that is Gran Turismo 5 Prologue this wheel becomes all that it was promised to be. The force feedback works incredibly well. Regardless of what vehicle you’re driving and on what track you very quickly get the feel for the vehicle and the handling. A lot quicker than you can with the controller. You can feel every bump, rise, pebble (ok maybe not pebble) on the track, you can feel when the car starts to under steer in a corner, or when you over steer coming out the corner, it just feels so accurate and responsive. I love the sensation when a wheel drops of the outside of the track and the feel of loosing lateral grip and fighting to regain control.
This wheel is also sporting a new function wheel or the “real-time adjustment dial”. At first I thought it was a novelty item or a gimmick that I would never use, how wrong I was. I now find myself in almost every race adjusting my brake bias, or level of traction control trying to get that extra millisecond out of my lap. It’s a great addition to the wheel.
Now whether or not its made me better at GT5p than I was before is hard to say. I am beating my old lap times and I’ve got the last couple of gold’s I needed to complete the game totally, but I can say without a doubt, its a hell of a lot more fun and in my opinion, worth every cent. It’s so easy to loose hours at a time on the one track. No medals, no trophies, no multi-online (that works), just racing. Brilliant.
Now I have tried the wheel with a few other titles with mixed results, it works extremely well with Formula One: Championship Edition. Colin Mcrae: Dirt supports the wheel but I didn’t enjoy it as much, I can’t quite put my finger on why, likewise with Codemasters latest arcade racer hit Grid. Sega Rally works but that doesn’t count because it’s not a proper game. (edit: Please note I hate Sega Rally)
If I was to grizzle about anything on this wheel it would be the fact that the gear stick is on the right hand side and not left, and that there is no clutch, but to be perfectly honest I’m nit picking, because it didn’t even bother me after about ten minutes. So if you’re looking for great racing wheel for your PS3 you can’t go wrong with the Driving Force GT. For its price, performance and features, it really is a bargain.
