GranTurismo geeks rejoice! New Logitech Driving Force Wheel for PS3
Alex just bought a PS3, John already has one, and I'm trying to convince the Misses that after Blu-Ray won the war against HD-DVD we're due to replace our aging console with a new unit from Sony. Logitech just upped the ante with the release of its new Driving Force GT Wheel, but I highly doubt that it's going to help my case.Regardless, the new wheel carries over all the features we loved about the outgoing model, including 900-degrees of rotation, steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters and a separate stick to swap cogs when we're sliding sideways through turn 11 at Laguna. But Logitech hasn't stopped there. The new wheel was designed in collaboration with Gran Turismo's developers at Polyphony Digital, and features a new force-feedback system that supposedly recreates the feeling of understeer, oversteer and all-out traction loss, along with new controls on the wheel that allow you to adjust brake bias, traction control and damper settings on the fly. Plus, the horn lights up.
The Logitech Driving Force GT Wheel will go on sale sometime in early May, carrying a price tag of around $150. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be released on April 17th on both Blu-Ray and through direct download, but for those of us that can't convince our significant others a new PS3 is worth the cash, the new wheel is compatible with both GT3 and GT4 on our existing PS2s.
Gallery: Logitech Driving Force GT Wheel
[Source: Joystiq]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
bob cobb 6:34PM (2/21/2008)
Great, now people can blow even more money on an overrated driving sim Demo!
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jg 6:40PM (2/21/2008)
Are you an old school Papyrus Racing fan?
FotoGenetix 6:41PM (2/21/2008)
its hardly overrated I dont see any other game that is comparable.
why not the LS2/LS7? 6:41PM (2/21/2008)
Money they could instead spend on cat helmet editions.
ermax18 8:30PM (2/21/2008)
What is wrong with being a Papyrus fan? It may be old school (1997) but look how many years it took for someone to make a more realistic sim. So far reviews of GT5 show it isn't on par with rFactor but much better then past GT games. I haven't played with a wheel so I can't really give my opinion. A true sim can't be judged with a game pad.
Speaking of Papyrus. SCCA made a deal with iRacing a few weeks ago. I hear the track models are crazy accurate. An ALMS driver was saying that he drove a test version and said that every bump at Sebring is modeled perfectly in iRacing.
bob cobb 8:42PM (2/21/2008)
Gran turismos physics are very overrated, and the lack of damage is pathetic. Yea its great they have a ton of real cars you can drive, but it's never impressed me to the point where I get why so many people sackride this game. Plus people are basically paying full price for this "demo" which is quite sad as well.
Atropos 6:41PM (2/21/2008)
Why not just make the Logi G25 wheel compatible? Pricier, but there are most certainly people who'd spring for it.
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why not the LS2/LS7? 6:58PM (2/21/2008)
It is compatible. It even supports the clutch and gated shifting.
But making the G25 the official wheel wouldn't yield a lot of sales since it is so expensive.
PiCASSO 12:24AM (2/22/2008)
Actually, the Logitech G25 is going for $225 or less. Just google it and find a store like Provantage. A $75 difference in price is nothing compared to what you get in the G25. I have the old Logi GT wheel when GT3/GT4 were out for the PS2. This is pretty much the same wheel, except different button layout on the wheel. So the G25 isn't "so expensive" anymore...
kip 7:03PM (2/21/2008)
OH man i cant wait for this!
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Matt Keller 7:28PM (2/21/2008)
Protip:
This is a DFP with a brake bias setting that you can change on the fly. If you're a casual gamer, you'd be better off with a second-hand DFP, or even a Driving Force EX.
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why not the LS2/LS7? 7:58PM (2/21/2008)
DFP/GT-Force is still an awesome wheel. And it lasts quite well. Driving Force EX is probably a bad idea to buy 2nd hand since the bearings got sloppy with less than 50 hours use.
I wish my GT25 had the buttons on the wheel that this or even the GT-Force have.
ermax18 8:38PM (2/21/2008)
You can't beat the G25 for the money. They can be had for $249 (including shipping) now. They really do need more buttons on the wheel though. I got a soft rubber bouncy ball and cut it up so it would fit in the brake cylinder and now the brake is so stiff that when I pull it by hand it only goes down about halfway before it starts making my 45lbs cockpit start to slide. Not a problem when I am in the seat though. Thresh hold braking is much easier now. This mod wouldn't work with the typical desk chair setup though. You would fall out of the seat before the pedal goes all the way down.
Edward Romero 9:03PM (2/21/2008)
great, now people can game w/a realistic sterile experience:
o sequential style shifter
o no clutch pedal
Why don't we just get a Chauffer to drive in the games...
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impr 10:17PM (2/21/2008)
Having played the latest Gran Turismo 5 Prologue the physics are significantly tweaked every vehicle has a different feeling of weight to it and the G25 steering wheel has a gated shifter with a clutch pedal.
PiCASSO 12:26AM (2/22/2008)
See for yourself... G25:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/playstation_3/devices/131&cl=us,en
Taylor 10:10PM (2/21/2008)
Here that Micro$oft? Make an epic racing wheel for Forza Motorsport 2. Time to put it in GT5's grave already.
Cue the flames.
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AndyMF 2:56AM (2/22/2008)
Isn't there already a racing wheel for the X360?
Taylor 10:27AM (2/22/2008)
Yes, there is a wheel, but its for all racing games on the 360. I've used it, and I'd rather use a normal controller. The pedals are cheap, the wheel just decides to quit, its a mess.
Steve 6:59PM (2/22/2008)
Wheel mounted shifters on a 900 degree wheel are a mistake. Shifters should be on the column, so that shifting up is always on one side of the wheel, shifting down on the other. That way, the same hand always does the same thing, if you're driving correctly (shuffle steering).
Oh well. I'll stick with my old wheel on my PC. Doesn't have the best force feedback by any means, but at least the shifters are done right.
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