PS2 steering wheel recommendations?

[norkusa]

I never really played a console driving game with a wheel before but after playing GT4 at Best Buy today, I'm hooked. They had it set up with the Logitec GT force feedback steering wheel and I was blown away by how realistic it felt. I was ready to bring one home with me until I saw the price...$150. A little too steep for me right now considering I just dropped $250 on a metal DDR pad. Are there any other force feedback wheels out there that feel this good but are less expensive? Also, I have allot of driving games for Xbox....is there any force feedback wheels that are multi-platform so I can use it with my other systems?

[Cthulhu]

You get what you pay for. You can try and save money, but the less you spend the less quality you will get. The Logitech wheel has been praised to high heaven because it really is the best one. Do yourself a favor and save up some money for the real thing. I've tried cutting corners on accessories before and I almost always regret it.

[norkusa]

What about the older Logitec force feedback wheel (which is about half the price)? From what I've read, the only major difference is that the wheel spins around 360 degrees instead of 900. The gear shift looks better on the old one too (moves in all 4 directions instead of just up and down). Aside from that, they sound pretty much the same.

Can anyone that has tried both give a testimonial? Also, what are the connections on the wheels? Do they plug into the USB or controller ports?

[davidbrit2]

I highly recommend the Logitech Driving Force ($80) for GT4. Your lap times will improve a ton with the extra precision and predictability offered by the force feedback. I went out and bought one back around February or so, and I haven't touched GT4 (and several other PS2 racers) with a Dual Shock controller since. It's an incredible wheel.

Dig around this FAQ for more info on Logitech USB wheel compatibility:
http://www.wingmanteam.com/files/documents/webfaqs/ps2faq/ps2faq.htm

Look for the Game Specific Info section to see what games support what wheels. I think all the Burnout and Need For Speed games will work with it, among many others.

[drwily008]

I have used the first Logitech whell several times...for the price you really can't go wrong. It is like the arcade with great precision and quality build.

GOOD STUFF!!

[Avenger]

i dont mean to take this topic over...but holy crap, i was at EB today and this was exactly what i wanted to know about! so for the sake of the topic...

1. what about those mad cat universal wheels? they any good?

2. will the GT4 logitec wheel work on my PC?

3. will the mad cat universal wheel work on my pc, if i use my Playstation2 to USB convertor?

THANKS, hope this info also helps you Norkusa!

[Cthulhu]

i dont mean to take this topic over...but holy crap, i was at EB today and this was exactly what i wanted to know about! so for the sake of the topic...

1. what about those mad cat universal wheels? they any good?

2. will the GT4 logitec wheel work on my PC?

3. will the mad cat universal wheel work on my pc, if i use my Playstation2 to USB convertor?

THANKS, hope this info also helps you Norkusa!

I worked at EB for a while. MAD CATZ IS AWFUL. Awful, awful, awful. As part of my own personal "customer service" policy, I explicitly warned anyone who bought Mad Catz stuff to keep their receipts for sure. Get Nyko or Pelican or some other cheapie brand, but not Mad Catz...

[drwily008]

i dont mean to take this topic over...but holy crap, i was at EB today and this was exactly what i wanted to know about! so for the sake of the topic...

1. what about those mad cat universal wheels? they any good?

2. will the GT4 logitec wheel work on my PC?

3. will the mad cat universal wheel work on my pc, if i use my Playstation2 to USB convertor?

THANKS, hope this info also helps you Norkusa!

I worked at EB for a while. MAD CATZ IS AWFUL. Awful, awful, awful. As part of my own personal "customer service" policy, I explicitly warned anyone who bought Mad Catz stuff to keep their receipts for sure. Get Nyko or Pelican or some other cheapie brand, but not Mad Catz...

The man speaks the truth!! I was a manager for 5 years for EB. All madcatz stuff is pushed regardless of it's quality by the DM's. Therefore you buy SHIT and EB makes their quota!

[davidbrit2]

I've got the MadCatz wheel for my XBox (Forza), and it works pretty well for that, but it's really no comparison to the Driving Force. The PS2 one is probably worse, since the sensitivity of the analog buttons is likely a lot less than the analog triggers of the XBox. And if you map the pedals to the right analog stick, you can't press both at once and have it register. I'd say spend the $30 extra for the vast leap in precision and feedback that you'll get.

And the Logitech USB wheels seem to work just fine on a PC. I've hooked my Driving Force to my iBook and fiddled around with Total Immersion Racing. It basically just shows up as a gamepad with a ton of buttons and axes.

[geelw]

for wheels, ONLY go with logitech, period. they've nailed the driving experience better than any peripheral manufacturer, and 80 bucks for the driving force is a solid deal. if you're employed, treat yourself to one or save up for the gt force and drop another $20 for the lap attachment if you don't like using a table.

g.

[hydr0x]

sorry but this is not even worth asking as there's only ONE answer to it

get a Logitech Driving Force (Pro), Pro if you have the money, normal is very good too, i played GT4 with it and i can tell you you won't make it through more than 10 laps on Le Mans at first because that damn force feedback is killing your arms ;)

[WanganRunner]

Driving Force Pro.

It costs what it costs because it's a hundred times better than everything else.

buy it.

In fact, also get a frame, a racing seat, and a 5-point harness.

[WanganRunner]

Driving Force Pro.

It costs what it costs because it's a hundred times better than everything else.

buy it.

In fact, also get a frame, a racing seat, and a 5-point harness.

Sell your DDR pad to buy this stuff, you'll be happier.

[norkusa]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I think I'm going to go with the $80 Logitech Driving Force. The Pro wheel is nice, but I can't justify spending $150 on a wheel that I'll only use with GT3/4 since most of the driving games I play are on Xbox anyway.

Has anyone tried to hook one of these wheels up to the Xbox with this USB converter? If it works, I'll definitely pick up the Pro wheel:

http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=53&products_id=2154

[davidbrit2]

Everything I'm reading on the Forza boards says that the USB wheels won't work with XBox using a converter.