Wheels tested with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue
There are two types of people on planet Earth; those who inexplicably obtain a sense of enjoyment from endlessly tinkering with every single aspect of a car, and those who can’t possibly find pleasure in such a fundamentally pointless activity. Fortunately, I am a member of the first category and, while I often participate in SCCA Solo II autocross events, actually wrenching around with settings on my car is an activity best left to people whom do not screw up the first ten times they try something. Still, from an elitist standpoint, legitimately racing a car in real life leads to a higher appreciation of everything Gran Turismo tries to accomplish. I feel like I know the game better, and I’ll do nearly anything to enhance that experience.
This is why I am absolutely in love with Logitech’s new Driving Force GT wheel. Released last May, The standard 900 degrees of rotation, force feedback, gas/brake pedals, and faux shifter all return, but they’re joined by one major new addition; an adjustment dial for Gran Turismo specific driver-assists such as traction control and ABS sensitivity. The option to adjust these aspects in real time, versus having to finish the race and fiddle with it in a menu, is a godsend to those of us who feel the obsessive compulsive need to constantly tweak every aspect of our car until we feel it absolutely perfect (before we buy a new part and start all over again). Is it worth an upgrade from the previous Logitech Wheel? Probably not, but if you never bought one the first time around, you’re truly missing out on one of the purest experiences in gaming.
The Driving Force GT wheel is impressive for harder members of the gaming core, but later this summer Logitech will be releasing another wheel to address the needs of less intrinsically obsessed racing fans. The Driving Force Wireless wheel, priced fifty dollars less than its counterpart, looks to suit these needs by eliminating the cumbersome brake/gas pedals (replacing them with paddle shifters behind the wheel) and drastically reducing the rotational diameter to 200 degrees. This is far more adept to most arcade racers, as well as friendly to more casual players who may consider 900 degrees to be overkill. It also features an expandable lap rest, which should suit those who can never find anything appropriate for wheel-mounting purposes. I personally found placing the wheel in my lap to be a little cumbersome in terms of control, but then again, a lot of people aren’t over six feet tall and may have an easier time with it on their lap. Either way, it seems like a good fit for everything from Gran Turismo to Burnout.
