A forest of Video Game Racing Wheels

At forty I still consider myself a gamer, but car racing games were never a favorite genre until I become an instant dad. My son who is a big fan of the movie "Fast and Furious 1 and 2", and goes nuts for any car racing game that comes out for the PlayStation 2. This Christmas he wanted a racing wheel to play his games with, and I was soon exposed to the world of video game racing controllers. I went to the nearest GameStop store (the only store on the island for us gamers), and I was overwhelmed to find they sold many different brands and types of racing wheels. They all basically promised to be realistic, compatible with any game station, and work with any racing game you play it with. My first purchase was the MadCats 2 Racing wheel which was on sale ($77.00), it was compatible with the PS2, Xbox, and the GameCube. My son was elated when he tore away the gift wrapping to find his dream present, and quickly hooked up the controller. Unfortunately it failed to work on either PS2 or the GameCube which the boys have. On the PlayStation 2 connection to the game unit could not be establish, and on the GameCube it sort of worked but you could not make any selections using the buttons. I made three trips to the GameStop to exchange the controller, and on my third trip I was on the verge of asking for a refund. But I pleaded with the sales staff if any of them had experience using the racing wheels they sold in the store, which one was the best? They all said the Logitech Driving Force Racing Wheel, but it cost a hundred dollars more ($177.00). So I told the staff to hold off on the refund, while I checkout this Logitech controller.

The features on this racing wheel is impressive:

Realistic 900-degree wheel rotation (2.5 turns lock-to-lock in supported games)

Automatic 200-degree rotation compatibility Smooth mode

Reliable steel bearings

Force Feedback rubber steering wheel

Sequential stick shifter

Responsive gas & brake pedals.

What sold me on getting this controller was the fact it was made specifically for the Sony PlayStation 2. The experience I had with the MadCats 2 steering wheel left me frustrated; it stated it was compatible with all game stations, but in reality there was a 50 percent chance it would work with what you had. I wanted a 100 percent guarantee that it would work with my son's PS2.

Setup

I got home, and found the kids were out with their mom doing errands, I quickly went about setting up the Logitech racing wheel. I wanted to surprise the boys that their dad brought home a working racing wheel, and not a lemon. Since the USB ports had never been used, I took to clearing the dust away from the ports with a can of compressed air before hooking up the steering wheel. I was relieved to find the steering wheel does not rely on getting its power from the play station, but has its own AC adapter cord. I prefer the controller of this size should have its own power cord, because I think this prevents the likely chance of the the steering wheel not getting enough juice to operate properly. The serial cord from the pedal stand plugged in without a problem, but I was disappointed to find it had no screws on the connector plug to keep it firmly connected to the racing wheel which I think it should have had for the money I paid for it. The ports for the serial and AC connection are on the same side (right side), which makes for a easy routing for desktop installation. Connecting the racing wheel to the PS2 was simple, it required the use of one USB port. The racing wheel did not come with the lap attachment that Logitech sells separately. The "Lap attachment" is a mounting platform that fits between the gamer's legs, which would have been nice to have in my case. Instead I clamped the wheel to my son's night stand. The Logitech racing wheel relies on friction clamps to keep it mounted to the edge of a table, and its clamping range is about 2-1/2 inches wide. It can adjust for thick and thin tables, using plastic adapter blocks that come with the controller that snap onto the clamps. However when subjected to rigorous game playing from a 7-year old boy, the clamps will come loose, and need to be re-tightened. I think they should have used something similar like the MadCats 2 steering wheel where they used large suction cups for desktop placement, and slide down leg braces for lap playing configuration. But Logitech is a company that thrives on selling accessories for their controllers, and this steering wheel was no exceptions. I liked how they made the steering wheel housing in the shape of the front hood of a racing car. A gamer could paint the housing, and slap on some graphics to make it unique so he or she could look cool at the next LAN party. Once I had everything connected properly, and the racing wheel mounted firmly to a surface, it was time for a test drive. I used the games Burnout 3, and Need for Speed Underground 2, which I originally purchased with the MadCats 2 racing wheel. I booted up the PS2, and the steering wheel immediately went into calibration mode; the steering wheel turned from right to left, then centered.

As I mentioned before the strongest selling point of this wheel for me was the fact the wheel was made for the PS2. All the buttons you find on a standard PS2 controller, are placed in the center of the racing wheel, and their arrangements and the symbols on the buttons mirror that of the OEM pattern. Except for the Actions buttons L1, L2, R1, and R2 they are small silver buttons at the top and bottom of the steering hub. During game play of Burnout 3, I found it difficult to reach the "R2" button, when I needed to use it to control my burning vehicle's direction in a major traffic crash to rack up big-time crash points. The feel of the steering wheel and the shifter are as realistic as you can get. The stick shifter movement is solid, and emits a click when you are shifting through the gears. There are shifting pads on the back of the steering hub, unlike other wheels that have them jutting out from the steering column as plastic tabs. The force feedback in the steering wheel is awesome! If you crash into a wall the wheel will jerk, drift into a turn the steering becomes tight, and zoom through loose gravel the wheel rumbles. I have played with controllers with force feedback in other games, but this was my first time in a racing game, and it was annoying for me because I was newbie. The force feedback was so realistic I found myself over compensating in turns, and driving all over the road like drunken driver. I wish they had a button I could toggle the force feedback "Off" and "On". Which is why it is important to keep toddlers away from this controller during serious game playing. In fact they have a bright yellow sticker below the shifter, warning not to let toddlers near the controller. The use of the pedals was awkward for me, mainly because of how I had the steering wheel and pedals arranged using the night stand. So I had to sit erect, with my feet placed squarely on the pedal stand. The pedals are solidly built, and it stays in place on the carpet by a built-in device called the "Carpet grip system"; a plastic foot with a rubber sole under the pedal stand that uses spring tension to keep the pad firmly in contact with the carpet at all times. The pedals have a strong spring return that could withstand heavy use when you are driving into a turn. Correct me if I am wrong, but I wondered why Logitech put so much effort to make the steering wheel and shifter realistic, but forget to do the same to the pedals? The accelerator pedal feels okay, but I think the brake pedal could use some realism. If Logitech incorporated a dampener along with the spring return, I think that would give the brake pedal that realistic feel. The 900-degree rotation did not come into play in the games I had, but I have heard in the next generation of racing games this will be in effect. In any case the Logictech Racing wheel is designed to switch from 900-degree to 200-degree rotation mode automatically depending on the racing game loaded.

The Word is:

I have yet to find a racing game that will not work with the Logitech Driving Force racing wheel. But I will make updates when I do. Racing wheels are luxuries for gamers that want to immerse themselves into the racing games they play, and Logitech's Driving Force racing wheel is successful at making that happen for the gamer. It delivers as advertised. However considering the money this racing wheel cost me, the designing of the mounting system, and the connectors should have received the same attention as was given in putting realism into the controller. If you are lost in the forest of video game racing wheels for your Sony PlayStation 2, the Logitech Driving Force Racing Wheel is your oak tree that stands out from the rest. I would highly recommend it to veteran gamers, and to parents who want their kids to have the most fun from such racing games.

Recommended: Yes