Driving Force GT
Posted by: Archimedes on Jan 25, 2009 - 09:25 AM
hareware_reviews
|
Okay, for those of you who are in the know, I'm an avid racing fan. I love fast cars. I love racing sims. And before the 3v!l RabbiBob introduced me to CounterStrike, I was a longtime online racer. But I never really had the money to invest in a really good wheel. While everyone else was using TSW wheels (small niche private company that make some REALLY great wheels), I was using a MadCatz Andretti wheel that I still have today. Just a really decent $65.00 wheel that I've had now for about seven or eight years. I've worn the dashpots out on it and she's showing her age - but I still love her and use her for certain things and it was time to find a suitable replacement.
|
|
I tried replacing it a couple of times. I bought a NASCAR 2 Pro Digital that I really didn't like much - I think Gaijin wound up with that. Then I bought a PS2 Driving Force, the original. It was okay, but it wasn't great. Better in some ways than the MadCatz, like for instance it actually worked on my PS2.
But I'd been eyeing a new wheel for some time. Now the wheel I'd REALLY liked to have had is the Logitech G25. That thing is awesome, and specifically for a PC. But it's got a pretty heft pricetag. Even now it still fetches nearly $250 or better. And not without good reason - an H shifter that's capable of supporting a six speed manual transmission - an actual clutch - a full 900 degree turning radius (two and a half full turns) for games that support it, etc. This thing is the epitome of virtual car control.
The only other wheel that comes close, aside from the niche crowd that still turns to TSW and is willing to spend $1200 for a wheel and pedal set - yes, $1200 - has been the Logitech Driving Force GT for the PS3, and even this ordinarily has a pretty hefty pricetag associated with it of about $130. But there hasn't been a lot of talk about how cross platform friendly it is. So when I was perusing the Marden's yesterday, I happened across a few they were $80.00. So it's times like these that I so love my Blackberry. Whipped it out and with a little checking, there were some posts about the fact that it seemed to be cross platform friendly, at least to SOME degree if you used the right drivers.
Now this wheel was specifically made for the new Gran Tursimo games, so there are some additional controls on it specific to that game for making car adjustments on the fly. Obviously these kinds of controls don't work for most other games. ANd I was a little concerned as to how well it would work. My old Driving Force worked on the PC, but it's force feedback was nominal at best (wheel MIGHT rattle in your hands, but typically not), and it didn't really offer any greater level of control than my old MadCatz, but at least it was PS2 friendly. I was a little hestitant to make the plunge but from the reviews I saw, with the right drivers it set up nicely as a Driving Force Pro on the PC. Now I honestly didn't think it would perform a lot better than my MadCatz and was prepared for mediocre performance. But it's an attractive looking thing. So I made the purchase anyway.
Then I took it home and after a little fubbing with looking for drivers, I found some, installed them, and set the thing up and proceeded to test.
First test was Need for Speed Prostreet. The first thing I noticed was actual resistance where resistance was due. When you were muscling through a corner, lo and behold, it was muscling back!! And when you started a four wheel drift, the wheel suddenly went SOFT!! And you could REALLY control your drift!! And then I hit a rumble strip!! Holy CRAP!! You'd think I was actually driving a racecar!! In all of my years of simracing and REAL racing, yes, I actually did race in hobby stock bombers once upon a time, I have NEVER felt a wheel in a racing simulation respond so closely to the real thing!!
Next test, Race '07. Now with either the previous Driving Force or my MadCatz, control was ALWAYS an issue. That is a precision simulation - not a game - a true to life simluation. And being true to my roots, I prefer as few assists as I can manage. And without some kind of response from the car, it's hard to do. And usually I have to set the races up with marginal AI difficulty simply because I can't compete. So I set this to 90% AI difficulty, which would have been a hard to beat crowd with my old wheels, and gave her a run. I qualified fourth in my first run and when the green flag dropped, I ran to the front and was outpacing the rest of the field by 2 seconds a lap EASY!! Today I have to go in and start over at probably 100% AI difficulty to give myself a challenge!!
This thing is the absolute example of total car control in a racing simulation and probably the best $80 I ever spent. I find it amazing now knowing what I do that I EVER was able to compete in the online racing venues as I did. I hate to think what I would have done to the competition had I had this wheel back then!!
If you are looking for a wheel for your PC and you don't want to spend serious cash, this really is the wheel for you. While there are no drivers officially out for them and while some things like the 900 degree support isn't there, the force feedback alone justifies it and I used to HATE force feedback. But this actually is feedback, not just rattling a wheel in your hands.
So if you love racing but, like me, you have a better half that cares more for your well being than you yourself do, this thing and a good race sim is as close to the real thing that you could possibly imagine. I haven't even felt full ARCADE games and sims that can compare most of the time!! So if you're a race lover and love to sim race, do yourself a favor, make the plunge and get this thing. It has to be the single best addition to my PC I've ever added!!
|
|
| |
|
