Customer Reviews

Driving Force Wheel for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

. . .but whether or not you are truly a "wheel person" at all. The Logitech Driving Force Pro is a highly-regarded accessory for the PS2. Many serious enthusiasts of racing games will tell you that it's the only acceptable controller for the ultra-popular "Gran Turismo" and "Need for Speed" series. I'm not here to dispute any of that - this is far and away the finest wheel available on the market today. However, given the number of impracticalities that come bundled with any wheel controller, anyone who's not a purist should honestly consider whether or not they'll get enough return on this hefty investment.

The chief impracticality is that any wheel must be anchored to something absolutely immovable in order to get the full effect out of it - and how many among us happen to have a chair directly in front of the TV that is angled like a car seat AND a table in front of it that's oddly enough taller than a coffee table but shorter than a dining table? Exactly - almost no one. Why do you think that stands custom-made for the Driving Force Pro sell on EBay for $80 and entire steel-framework cockpits with pre-set mounts are available at $500+ per? Your only other alternatives are to cook up a half-solution yourself. I've read how other reviewers have crafted lap desks out of boards or modified TV tables to be sturdier, but again, it raises my chief concern with any wheel controller: will you use/enjoy it enough to put in the extra money and effort necessary to properly use it?

The easiest solution is to sit on the floor and bolt the wheel to a coffee table, but that eliminates the possibility of using the pedals, which severely limits the realism. Plus, you'll feel more like an old lady hunched over the wheel about an inch from the windshield rather than a highly-skill professional guiding a performance vehicle toward the finish line. Finally, even this watered-down option won't work without cutting some foam to fit the base of the wheel; otherwise, its hard plastic will almost immediately scratch your tabletop.

The second issue is with gameplay - the wheel has a very steep learning curve in the beginning. I consider myself an expert-level player in GT3, but making the switch to the wheel with GT4 almost took all of the fun out of the game for the first several days. It was difficult to even drive in a straight line, much less execute the maneuvering necessary to succeed in any worthwhile driving game. The purists will say that once mastered, it becomes second-nature just like riding a bike and that's true; however, the road to achieving that level of mastery is a frustrating one, and if you're a casual gamer who enjoys more of an arcade racing experience, the Driving Force Pro may simply be too demanding for you.

The third issue is that when you consider the wheel, the pedals, and whatever mounting apparatus you choose, it's going to eat up a lot of storage space. The pedals are even too tall to simply slide under the couch when you're not playing, so no help there. And given the number of cords (AC power, wheel-to-PS2, pedals-to-wheel) that are required, just leaving it around when not in use looks pretty sloppy and would be easy to trip over.

Once you've finally gotten your physical setup in order and gotten acclimated to using it, the wheel is excellent. It is solidly constructed and the force feedback is a real treat. The 900-degree mode offered in select games like "Gran Turismo 4" creates a new standard in realism; however, given the stoutness of the resistance in the motor and the relatively compact size of the wheel (other reviews have hit it right on the head - it's sized like an Indy car, not a street car), your hands, wrists and/or forearms can get fatigued pretty quickly playing that way. Its motor is also pretty loud, which will be annoying to anyone else in the room not interested in hearing a never-ending symphony of mechanical grinding sounds.

(...)

The Driving Force Pro represents the best of the wheel controllers for both console and PC gaming. However, all but the most avid racing gamers would be hard-pressed to justify the undertaking of mounting, configuring and learning how to use the wheel on top of the steep price tag.

PROS
* Solid construction and nice rubber wheel wrap
* 900-degree turning really immerses you in the driving experience (for the handful of games that support it)
* Also compatible with many PC driving games via USB port

CONS
* Absolutely needs to be mounted in order to use to its fullest, often requiring a weird work-around or expensive add-on solution
* Creates a messy maze of cords when in use; very bulky to store when not in use
* A steep learning curve may frustrate more casual gamers who prefer an arcade racing feel

I wasn't very sure of my purchase at first, given the price tag on this PS2 Wheel.
As the racing game freak I am, I decided to give it a try.
A couple of years ago I bought a MadCatz racing wheel for PC, I played with it for two or three weeks, and decided that it was easier and, in fact, more fun, to play with the keyboard instead of the wheel.
This totally changed when I got the Driving Force Pro.
The looks of this wheel is the first thing that let you realize that you made a good purchase, it looks really cool, and feels comfortable in every way. It doesn't feel like a cheap wheel at all.
Hooking it up is really easy because of its clamp system, which makes it very solid if you attach ot to a table...in my case I put a board across the arms of my Tv chair and attached the wheel to it. I works pretty good like that. The pedals feel real, the brake pedal is a little harder, just like in a real car.
When you connect the wheel and restart our PS2, it automatically turns left and right and finds the center point for you.
Once playing it takes a little while to get used to it...it took me about 1 hour to start matching my times on Grand Turismo 3, and about 2 to start cutting time down.
Now I'm playing Pro Race Driver, and it can't be better...I can't wait for the release of GT4 to test this baby on 900 degree mode!.
If you are thinking about buying a racing wheel for the PS2 this is the way to go, the money you pay for it is totally worth.
There's only one thing I didn't like too much about this wheel: there's too many cables hangin' around the pedals (power, connection to the wheel, and connection to the PS2), and sometimes you get those around your legs....no big deal though, just try to put them away, on the side, and you won't have anything to complaint about.

This thing rocks when it comes to driving games. There are a few things I wish were changed though.

First, the clamping mechanism needs to open just a wee bit wider. I mean, like 1 mm. That's all I need to be able to attach the thing to a countertop. However, even having it on a countertop would not work really well, so I need to find something else to mount it to.

The other problem is the manual - there really isn't one. This caused me a bit of confusion when I hooked it up the first time to play Gran Turismo 4 - The thing powered on, did it's self centering, then proceeded to be ignored by the game. Only after some time spend messing around did I figure out that you need to remove the Player 1 joystick from the console when you want to use the wheel.

Other than that, this thing is killer.

I'm a wheel newbie, but I liked the looks of this wheel when I saw it in a local retail store. It's very well made and solid, and includes gas/brake pedals and a +/- gearshift as well. The diameter of the wheel is a bit small, but it doesn't really detract from the experience. Besides, I've noticed Indycar wheels are small.

The wheel is a little hard to turn, feels like manual steering. But you get used to it quickly. I'd rather have some resistance instead of just a freely-spinning wheel anyway. The force feedback effects are great. In Grand Turismo 3 when your car is going close to it's limit, you can feel the car lose adhesion to the road and pull left and right irregularly. If you pop over a hill and go airbourne for a second you can realistically feel the wheel lose turning resistance.

Burnout 3 and Grand Turismo 3 are a BLAST with this wheel.

Here are my tips:

1. You must have a table or similar surface to mount it to. Something flat and around 2 or 3 inches thick and sturdy, I would guess. You cannot hold it in your lap. I've got mine mounted to a wooden chair turned sideways for now, not an ideal setup but still fun nonetheless.
2. Plug it in the top USB port on your PS2, otherwise some games will only want to use it for player 2. I don't think the picture "manual" tells you that.
3. This wheel also works on a Windows PC. Download drivers at http://www.wingmanteam.com/ I'm not clear whether force feedback can/will work on a PC but I tried it in Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 with good results. I've heard you can get the 900 degree mode working in a PC but haven't got that far yet.
4. You'll need to plug in the wheel to a standard electric outlet, so plan for that.

All right, let my start by saying that this is indeed the best wheel on the market, but that doesn't say very much since 95% of the wheels out there suck. The Driving Force Pro and the Mad Catz MC2 are really the only ones worth paying for. If you are shopping for a wheel I'd suggest looking at the MC2 also. It is a lot cheaper and has a few better qualities than the DF Pro, although it doesn't have force-feedback or 900-degree steering.

The Driving Force Pro is Logitech's second attempt at a steering wheel for a game console. Its most notable feature is the 900 degrees of steering, which is something that no other wheel on the market has. However, the 900-degree steering is only compatible with certain games. I am not sure which yet, but I do know that Gran Turismo 4 (scheduled for release in January/February 05) will. It will automatically switch to 200-degree steering for games that do not support 900-degree. The wheel's other big feature is the force-feedback. It is a little loud, but it really brings the game to life. Since it has force-feedback it has to be plugged in, so make sure you have a free outlet.

Other features include a textured rubber grip, easily adjustable clamps for your table or set-up, very nice styling with a steel GT (Gran Turismo) logo in the center of the wheel, paddle shifters which move with the wheel, L3 and R3 buttons, a sequential stick shifter, USB connection to the PS2 (Works with PC's too, but I haven't been able to get the Force Feedback to work with it yet), and a very functional carpet gripping system for the pedals. I do have a few complaints about it. For one, the wheel is a little bit small at 10 inches in diameter. The MC2 is about 11. It also doesn't have dual-shock (vibrating motors) like the MC2, but this is made up with the force-feedback. The addition of a sequential stick shifter is good, but I personally feel that they put it a little too close to the steering wheel. It also doesn't have much movement when you shift, which kind of takes the fun out of it.

Pros:
-900-Degree steering
-Force Feedback
-Nice design
-Steering unit and pedals stay in their respective places well

Cons:
-No Dual Shock
-Shifter leaves something to be desired
-No calibrating controls or throttle guage
-Price

I should also mention that I had a little bit of trouble with it freezing up briefly while playing GT3. It has happened a few times, but I'm not sure if it's a defect with my unit or an actual incompatibility with the PS2 or GT3. I plan on exchanging it for a new one soon to see if this is a universal problem. I hope this has helped.

Logitech's Driving Force Pro for PS2 is an excellent input device for novice and more advanced users in driving simulation games. The response is excellent, the feel is decent, and the functionality is superb.

Those who purchase this unit must be aware that the 900 degree turning can only be used by games that support this type of input. If 900 degree movement is not supported by the game (such as Gran Turismo 3) the user will find that this wheel automatically detects this and adjusts the steering locks accordingly. When this author purchased the wheel for use with Gran Turismo 3, he found that the standard turning radius of 200 degrees seemed to create a problem for fine tuning the position of the wheel. Because of the smaller rotation area, minute movements are much more pronounced than when 900 degree rotation is allowed.

The steering feel of this device is as close to true as one will find in a gaming device. The force feedback power can be manually adjusted from full power to 60% power directly on the device. Some games may allow further tuning of force feedback power in-game. The footpedal unit feels firm, with different resistances for gas and brake, adding some to the realism of most games. The buttons on this wheel are not pressure sensitive like the Dual Shock controllers and other accessories are. This device is all digital, using the PS2's own USB port to connect. An outside AC power source is required for use.

Technical note: This device is listed as Force Feedback, but with all technicality, this is not correct. Force feedback devices use pressures from the users hand and responds by generating its own force which opposes the hand. Typically in these devices, the counter force generated by the device is proportional to the force applied by the user. This wheel uses a different mechanism that does not require a force from the user to be present. In a nutshell, this all means that this device will move on its own, independantly of whether or not a user is present.

Overall, this device is unique, and a great buy.

The goods:
Great feel, as close to realistic as you're gonna get
Excellent range of motion
Solidly built, Heavy duty. Nothing flimsy about it
Table clamps are very strong, with no extra movement
Learning curve is at a minimum
Quick and easy setup. Up and running in no time
GT emblem on the wheel. Looks GREAT!

The bads:
Force Feedback is a little noisy, though not exceedingly loud.
200 degree motion makes it difficult to fine tune steering on the fly.
Initial price seems a little high. (well worth it, however)
Too addictive! Can't seem to put it away!!

This is a steering wheel unlike any other on the market. The Driving Force Pro (DFP) allows a full 900 degrees of rotation, unlike most other wheels that only allow one full rotation of the wheel. The DFP is also a 'Force Feedback' wheel, which means that the wheel/car 'fights back' as you go into a corner, accurately simulating the real driving experience. With adjustable plastic clamps, the DFP will stick like a rock on to almost any sort of table. My table is almost 2.5 inches thick, and the clamps still fit (albeit only just!).

The wheel itself is smaller than a regular steering wheel, but is similar in size to those used in actual racing-type cars. It looks and feels beautiful... padded with an imitation leather-type material, you can grip it as firmly as a squash racket with no danger of slippage. The wheel also sports a very attractive silver 'GT' logo in the centre, leaving you in no doubt which game this wheel was designed for. With the pedal unit on the floor beneath your table, a great little 'spiky strip' digs into your carpet to ensure that they remain solidly in place, even when your driving like a idiot. The accelerator is as sensitive as in a real car, and the brake is realistically more solid. With the DFP you also get a choice of transmission controls - a little stick shifter on the right of the wheel, or (my personal preference) 'Formula One'-style paddles mounted behind the wheel.

The other PS2 controls are all on the centre of the wheel itself. My only quibble with the controls is that, depending on how you set them up, you probably will have to use a wheel-mounted control to reverse, which is a tad awkward when your trying to steer at the same time... but that's a minor complaint... a good enough driver shouldn't need to use the reverse gear anyway!!

The DFP is compatible with many racing titles, like Colin McRae Rally and (surprisingly) Gran Turismo 3 (a 2001 title).. although GT3 only supports the regular 360 degree mode, GT4 allows you to choose between 360 and 900 degree modes by pressing a simple sequence of buttons. GT4 (I have only played Prologue) however, doesn't really like you playing in 360 mode however, as the wheel vibrates quite badly, and hence the 900 degree mode is preferable. In GT3 however, the 360 mode is as smooth as anything, and is a joy to drive with.

Importantly, you can select the strength of the force feedback, which is ideal as it allows you to select a mode you feel most comfortable with. Some tracks in GT4 are very tight and winding (Citti Di Aria, Grand Canyon), while others have long straights and sweeping curves (Le Mans, Nurburgring Nordschielfe), and these two types of circuit handle very differently, and I personally use different levels of force feedback for each. Due to the nature of the wheel being a force feedback wheel, it does make quite a noise, and seems a little strange/off-putting at first, but you get used to it. My solution was to connect my PS2 up to my Hi-Fi and crank up the volume!

All together, if GT (or racing games) are your thing, then this is a dream product. It's exactly like having your favourite arcade machine right there in your home, and GT4 is infinitely the better for it.

This really is a great wheel. It is responsive and fairly easy to get the hang of. (Even my two year old can drive now - with a little help on the gas from Daddy.)

The wheel really does enhance the driving experience and very closely models actual driving. (Although, I think I may still be better at winning races doing it the old-fasioned way without the wheel.)

I do wish that for the price this was wireless. Logitech makes a great wireless keypad, so it would have been fairly easy for them to incorporate that into the design. I'm sure it'll be available in the future.

Also, make sure you've got a table to attach it to that you can bring near your TV. It's practically impossible to use otherwise. I mounted the wheel on a nearby table and have never taken it off since.

Sure, I would have lived without it, but I am really enjoying it now that we've got it. So, if you've got $150 to blow, go for it. Otherwise, don't worry too much about it. Maybe you can save your money for a future wireless model. :-)

Just got the wheel in tonight and I've been putting it through its paces with GT3. GT3 only uses 200-degree mode, so that's all I can talk about, but it's very cool indeed. It's going to take some getting used to, but the feedback is good, the wheel itself is very responsive, and rally is just plain awesome! In rally, I found myself not thinking about the wheel at all, just about controlling the drifts with the gas pedal. My arms were completely on autopilot, doing all the steering by instinct. Very cool. The pedals are excellent as well, light and linear on the gas, and heavy and tight on the brake, just like a car. I haven't seen any other pedals that are like this; Logitech definitely thought of everything. The paddle shifters don't stick out very far, but that makes them very non-flimsy. You definitely need some kind of table to mount this to (I use a fold-out dinner tray), or your knee is going to bump the power cord out while it bounces around on your lap. I believe there's a $20 lap attachment accessory that probably also works, but a table is better.

I was very pleased to get this for $35 less than MSRP ($150 for even this wheel is a bit much) and with free shipping. Overall, great buy, and a must for racing fans!

I'm not new to racing games/simulators or racing wheels. I've tried several over the years, and the first one that I bought myself was the MadCatz wheel for the Dreamcast. Paddle shifters were nice and it worked ok, but the feel wasn't quite there and I could never get it to be positioned correctly. When Gran Turismo 3 came out, it only took me a couple of hours to decide that the $100 was worth it. It was terrific -- it added a whole new dimension to the game. The force feedback was a welcome addition (albeit a bit noisy), the steering had some heft to it, and it was a lot more precise than previous wheels I had used. Later editions came out that added the D-pad to the wheel, making it useful as a single controller.

SO ... what's so great about this new wheel vs the old? After all, you can pick up the older one for half the price and even cheaper used. Well, after spending countless hours with the old one and sitting down with the new one, here's the rundown:

1) The steering feel is much better and heavier. The force feedback is more subtle and much more realistic than the last version, though obviously not like the real thing.
2) The wheel itself is more comfortable in the hand than the previous one.
3) The pedals don't slip on carpet! A retractable grip foot claws the carpet -- no more adjusting mid-race!
4) The pedal feel is also much heavier, particularly on the brakes, making precise pedal modulation much easier.
5) The 900 degrees of rotation isn't a big deal -- but when you've overcooked a turn and you just need to whip the wheel around, it's nicer to just crank it instead of hitting a bump stop.
6) The sequential shifter isn't a big deal, either. It seems like fun at first, but I'll take the paddles over the stick when it comes down to license tests and battling it out with friends.
7) The force feedback's stepper motor isn't any quieter than the last iteration. For those unfamiliar with this wheel, the motor is silent while driving, but when you jerk the wheel to make an adjustment while fighting it, it makes an almost zipping sound, like fingers over corduroy. It's not annoying or really that loud -- rarely noticed when you're into a game -- but it can be heard in the next room.
8) The clamping system is just as effective (or ineffective) as the last one. Find a good place to put it and you're set. Only heavier tables will work well and a lot of people seem to have trouble finding the appropriate way to mount it.
9) The cheap RJ-11 phone connector for wiring up the pedals has been upgraded to a DB9 serial port connector -- much more sturdy and less prone to breaking, especially if it's thumb-screwed down.

It's a hard financial choice to have to upgrade instead of keeping what you have, but I did find the wheel's feel to be much nicer than the previous one and I'm happy with my purchase. If you find GT4 demo'd at store, sit down and you'll notice right away that it's different.