 Must Have |
| Review Date: May 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Ryan M. Mccabe, Albuquerque, NM |
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. |
Best wheel for the money!
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| Review Date: May 6, 2008 |
| Reviewer: C. Yang, |
Excellent build quality, very solid with great force feedback(vibration).
Auto calibration whenever plugged into PS3 or a racing game gets loaded or quit. GT5P worked flawlessly as well as the Dirt demo, GTHD, GT3/4.
Full 900 degree turn radius is very nice. Wheel is 10 3/4" in diameter measured. It auto centers as you accelerate out of a turn, making it feel just like a real car. Like after you turn, then let the steering wheel slide through your hands back to center. I thought you had to manually turn it back to center it but it does this automatically. Very nice indeed.
Gas pedal is ok but brake pedal is firm and responsive.
Sequential shifter is great but I use the paddle shifters more and only use the shifter for quick gear changes when I can't reach the paddle buttons fast enough. Such as coming out of a turn and needing to up shift quickly.
The tuning knob is great for those on the fly adjustments when in game and you WILL want to adjust certain aspects when in races. Assuming you know what your doing.
Having the ability to quit to the XMB from in game is great but only works for GT5 Prologue so far. You can also move around the XMB with this as a controller.
Overall, this is an excellent steering wheel for the money. Having played on a G25 as well the only real difference is the 6 speed stick shift and price. Well of course, the leather and metal accents on the G25, too. It's a bit better in feel compared to the older driving force pro in steering, feedback and pedal pressure to me. It's very much like the G25. Remember though, some cars have a 7th gear so it kinda kills the feel of the 6 speed only G25, so you have to shift with the button or use it as sequential to be able to access the 7th gear. No biggy if you like shifting with a stick, but still lame. Also, the tuning knob helps alot if you know how to use it right. So, if you gotta have a stick shift, get the G25. If you want to save some money(about $80-120) and don't care about the "stick shift" too much, then the official Driving Force GT wheel is the one to get. |
PS2, PS3 and PC, yep!
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| Review Date: August 15, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Edward V. Hawk, Atlanta, GA |
Just got this wheel the other day from Amazon, and I can say that this is the best wheel I have used to date.
I previously used a Thrustmaster Enzo, which while it had strong force feedback, had a bad dead spot, and wasn't very easy to drive. Also, the pedals needed to have a 50lbs dumbbell set behind them so they wouldn't move. Also, the feedback was rather clunky, but better than nothing.
Next, I moved on to the Logitech Momo (which is essentially a Driving Force Pro for the PC; same motor, gears, and bearing system). A better wheel than the Enzo in some areas; the pedal setup was miles better, with the (probably) patented carpet tack thingy found on most Logitech Wheels, but also not as strong a feedback motor as on the the Enzo. Also, the force feedback never felt as fluid as I would have liked, and as a result I sometimes didn't have the confidence I should have when trying that overtaking maneuver at speed.
Which brings me to this wheel, the Logitech Driving Force GT. I purchased it mainly because my girlfriend has a PS2, has GT4, but doesn't have a wheel, and my Logitech Momo wasn't recognized by the PS2. As I'm sure you all know, playing GT4 without a wheel just simply won't do. Also, I'm buying a PS3 as soon as GT5 comes out, so I thought I might was well kill several birds with a single stone.
This thing is the bee's knees. Yes, it works on your PC, in case you were wondering. So if you've got anything other than the G25 wheel, get this one, and sell the one to cover your losses. I play racing sims a lot; GT Legends, GTR2, rFactor, LFS, and just for fun (not really a sim), Test Drive Unlimited. On the PS2, just GT4. I haven't purchased a PS3 yet mainly due to the fact that the ONLY game I care about for the PS3 is GT5.
So now that you know that it works on your PC, PS2, and PS3, I'll try to let you know how well it works.
I've used the fabled G25 wheel before. It's $300, and I'm not so willing to shell out that kind of money for a video game controller, but yes, it is nice, and is one of the best force feedback wheels you can purchase. Well, this one uses the same force feedback motor, gears, and sample rate, and cost less than half as much. It is miles ahead of my Logitech Momo. 900' of rotation I thought at first would be a gimmic, and something I wouldn't ever use... wrong. It makes the fine control of the car that much more realistic, and therefore makes driving quickly and precisely that much easier. It makes for a totally immersing driving experience, which is what a force feedback wheel controller should be all about.
The wheel is thinner than the Momo, but a lot more comfortable in hand. It's also much larger in diameter than the Momo or Driving Force Pro, which really helps with the overall feel. I also found the build quality much higher than the Momo and Thrustmaster Enzo wheels I have used. The wheel simply doesn't budge under load, whereas the other wheels you could flex the wheel up, down, and sideways while driving. Most of the buttons on the controller can be mapped in the PC, but not all. More than enough though.
The force feedback is forceful, but really, REALLY precise. There is a lovely deadzone right at the middle that just smooths in to progressive feedback, and there is no sudden feedback area, it's just so smooth. I can't say enough about the force feedback; simply awesome, very much like driving a real car at speed. The amount of data sent through the steering wheel is just awesome. You can trail brake going into corners, use the throttle to turn the car coming out, and it never feels unnatural or forced. It just feels fluid, and really gives you confidence to drive faster, find a better line, brake later, and get on the power sooner.
For those reviewers who said the wheel has too much feedback? Go to the gym. If you're having problems turning in with this wheel, it's you, not the wheel. The pedals are the same as on the Momo, and while not world class, like on the G25, they do the job, and again have the retractable carpet tack system found as found on the Momo, which makes it completely immobile on carpet.
So in conclusion, if you have the older Driving Force Pro, sell it. Get this one instead; it's in a different league. The fact that you can use it on three different platforms is a huge plus in my book as well. I promise you won't be sorry, and will be grinning like an idiot for weeks to come. |
Believe the Hype
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| Review Date: June 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: A&E Daddy, PA, USA |
I did a lot of research before I bought this wheel. A few years back, I bought a wheel (made by MadCatz, not Logitech) for my PS2, and was less than impressed to say the least. So I wanted to make sure of my purchase for the PS3. Almost everything I read review-wise praised this wheel, and let me tell you I'm now a believer. Put simply, the thing rocks.
Imagine trying to play a game like Metal Gear Solid 4, Madden 09, etc with a steering wheel... Wouldn't be fun (or make much sense), right? Well the same goes for playing a racing game with a regular Six Axis / Dual Shock 3. Since I've had this wheel, games like Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Burnout Paradise, etc have gone from good to just plain amazing. When you use this wheel, it's like, "Whoa, this is how it's supposed to be!" Speaking of games, I want to list the games that I've successfully used the wheel with as I found a list like such hard to find online. Games that I've played and work with the Logitech Driving Force GT:
-Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (duh...)
-Burnout Paradise
-GRID
-DiRT
-Need for Speed Pro Street
-Ridge Racer 7
-NASCAR 08 / 09
And I'm sure many more to come. Listen, like someone said in another review here on Amazon. I've you're thinking about it and you have the money, do it. You won't regret it.
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Great Product
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| Review Date: May 6, 2008 |
| Reviewer: K. Crumrine, Chicago, IL USA |
I bought GT5P and this wheel to treat myself after being a fan of the Gran Turismo series for a long time. I've got to say, its quite an experience. My friends and I built a mount for it and it feels fantastic.
The wheel itself is comfortable and solid feeling. The pedals are heavy and don't move when you're playing, especially on wood floors.
The clamping system is good and keeps the wheel in place during tight turns. |
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