Playstation 2 Driving Force EX Racing Wheel

by Logitech

Product Features

• Complete compatibility with all PS2 racing games
• One-piece wheel rim means incredible force fidelity with no squeaks, rattles, or flex
• Comfortable rubber grips for long endurance races
• Responsive, accurate gas and brake pedals
• USB connectivity for true force feedback and incredible driving precisision

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000A2BCOQ
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 11.5 x 11.5 inches ; 7.7 pounds
• Media: Misc.
• Release Date: August 29, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,302 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #51 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Hardware > Controllers

Product Description

The Logitech Driving Force EX Racing Wheel combines industry-leading force feedback technology with unprecedented racing control. The Force feedback technology provides realistic directional resistance as you encounter bumps, ridges or potholes on your way to victory lane. Even in games that don't support Logitech force feedback, the controller port connection will keep you on the starting grid. Drivers, start your engines! Gas and brake pedals add to the realism and precision Comfortable rubber grips USB connection for true force feedback

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guide to using wheel with PS3, September 10, 2007

By 

FTP "Tech. Enthusiast" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Playstation 2 Driving Force EX Racing Wheel (Misc.)

Although the wheel has quirks with both the PS2 & PS3, the wheel is still definitely worth its price! With a full day of trials & errors, I was surprised that the force feedback was equally inconsistent with the PS2 and PS3. Sometimes I started the game and the wheel worked fine with force feedback; sometimes the wheel worked but the force feedback didn't; sometimes the wheel only worked for multiplayer mode but with no force feedback; and sometimes the game didn't work at all - all this for the SAME game. As you can see, quite frustrating, but when it did work, it's was SOOO awesome that I decided to experiment all day with it. I did more testing with the PS3, so I'll focus on that. For the PS2, some games do state that you must plug the USB into the top port (for older systems - for newer PS2 systems, I don't know which is the preferred port). Similarly, the PS3 has a preferred port.

THE BEST CONFIGURATION FOR THE PS3 IS: 1. plug the USB into port #3 (port #1 also works, but I had more success with #3), 2. turn on the system manually - DO NOT use the PS3 controller to turn it on! This allows for the wheel to be assigned to controller #1 - MOST driving games can not be played in single-player mode when the wheel is assigned to controller #2. Unfortunately, the wheel does not have a PS button to re-assign the wheel or quit the game. If your system was on and a controller was previously assigned to #1, then the wheel usage will be inconsistent. Therefore, it's best to plug in the USB in port #3 and turn on the system manually. This way, I was able to reliably play games with the wheel with force feedback.

GAME COMPATIBILITY: Currently, I only have 8 driving games. The most reliably were Burnout 3: Takedown and Midnight Club 2 (I would assume later games in the series would also work, but not sure about earlier games). Gran Turismo 4 and Need for Speed 2 also worked fine, but it sometimes took several attempts to start the game. Like plugging new USB devices into a computer, sometimes the drivers load correctly, sometimes they don't, so try several times. These 4 games all worked with the wheel with force feedback.
MotoGP3 and Tourist Trophy worked with the wheel, but without force feedback AND it required Pelican's PS2 USB adapter ($15) to be plugged in also. Pelican's PS2 USB adapter is worth it though 'cause it was the only way I could adjust the sensitivity of the wheel. Once the sensitivity is adjusted, it should remain the same as long as the system is on (you can change games and have the same sensitivity). However, I am not sure if the wheel returns to default sensitivity once you turn off the system.
Dirt for PS3 worked wonderfully - great force feedback and a joy to drive! However, World Rally Championship was the MOST inconsistent (even though Logitech stated that it's compatible). Sometimes it worked with the wheel, and sometimes it didn't (actually, when I got this game to work, Gran Turismo didn't work).
You can see the full list of supported games (up to end of 2005, they haven't updated the list) on Logitech's website. The manual really sucks.

As for people deciding between this wheel (EX) and the Driving Force Pro, the main difference is that the Pro has 900 degrees turn for SOME supported games (see Logitech's site). While 200 degrees turn for the EX model is arcade-like driving, 900 degrees turn is kinda overkill. Some purists say that 900 is like simulating a race car, but you can only comfortably turn the wheel 270 degrees in each direction (try it for yourself and you'll see) - therefore, 540 degrees would have been more ideal. I think this is a practical observation since several reviewers indicated that it was hard to adapt to the Pro wheel. Besides, the blue rubber of the EX model looks cool and the stick shifter of the Pro model looks bulky (EX's paddle shifter works fine). The final difference between the 2 models (besides price), is the vibration/ resistance motor. The EX model weighs in at 9 lbs, while the Pro weighs in at 15 lbs - that 67% heavier because of it's stronger motor. You may get better vibrations with the Pro model, but many reviewers complained that it was noisy. I did not find that problem with the EX wheel.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adds so much to driving games, September 10, 2007

By 

Gary Curtis (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Playstation 2 Driving Force EX Racing Wheel (Misc.)

I recently bought this wheel for use with my PS3 and have been delighted with its performance. It makes a world of difference in GT HD and DiRT making them much more immersive. The force feedback is good, especially in GT, and that games shows how effective a good FF implementation can be - I can't wait for GT5.

This wheel has all the buttons of a PS3 controller except the PS button so compatibility is excellent. It only supports 200 degrees of motion compared to the 900 degrees supported by some wheels but I don't consider that a significant loss. Racing cars have much faster steering ratios than road cars and 200 degrees lock to lock just feels right in racing games.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best wheel for the money, October 19, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Playstation 2 Driving Force EX Racing Wheel (Misc.)

This is probably the best wheel for the money. It is awesome. THe pedals slide around a little. But that is such a small thing compared to the realism of this wheeel. You feel the bumps and everything. It is awesome.