Do you remember going to the arcades and the first game you would run to play was a racing game? You couldn’t wait to drive one of the new cars that just came out, get your friends to play and try to beat their score. My favorite part of playing racing games was sitting behind the wheel and actually feeling like I was in the game. That was a feeling I thought I could only get in the arcade. Even though gaming companies have come out with driving wheels for console systems, a lot of them didn’t feel like a real steering wheel. They were plastic and felt extremely cheap. The pedals were never very responsive, there were times that I had to basically stomp on the pedals to get them to respond. I haven’t played a racing game in awhile for that reason.
Logitech made a driving wheel for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. We know they make some of the best gaming accessories to date, but could the company make a driving wheel that would feel like the ones in the arcade? When playing a racing game, we want to feel like we are actually driving a car. Could the G920 be the driving wheel that will make me come back to racing games? or will this just be another wheel that makes me feel like I wasted my money and time? Let’s find out as I take the Logitech G920 Driving Force Wheel for a spin.
Design
As soon as I opened the steering wheel, my first reaction was “Well, this is fancy” the Xbox One G920 Steering Wheel is wrapped in leather, all of your major command buttons are on the front of the wheel, the LB and RB buttons on located on the side. This allows you to have more control, as well as comfort when you play.
You don’t have to worry about placing the wheel on your lap when you play, as the G920 can be placed on a table, or you can hook the wheel up to the edge of your table, all you have to do is adjust the two knobs that are located on the side of the wheel to the length of your table. The pedals are made out of stainless steel, so no matter how hard you press on them, they are built to take a beating. You also have an integrated throttle, brake, and clutch pedal.
The back of the wheel is where you will find all your wiring – the wires connect to the Xbox One, as well as the pedals and needs to be plugged into a power source. There is also wiring underneath the pedals – so I suggest you buy some zip-ties to keep all the wires in place.
Performance
The G920 comes with a dual-motor force feedback – this allows you to feel every little moment as if you were driving a real car. When you start to drift – you will feel it. If you remember the older steering wheels – they used to vibrate when you would turn the wheel to far, or they would start to make a noise – that was one of the reasons I stopped using driving wheels for racing games. But, Logitech built their driving wheel with anti-backlash which gives gamers precision control. This will help reduce that unwanted noise that some of us find irritating, it also helps with the unwanted vibration. While playing, I didn’t hear any noise, and the steering wheel was so smooth – it was refreshing not having the wheel vibrate every time I made a sharp turn.
Now that we know that the wheel runs extremely smooth, what about the pedals? For me since I’m only 5ft I have to sit at the edge of my seat in order to reach the pedals properly. While playing it felt like I was actually driving a car – I didn’t have to put that much pressure on the pedals, I would press down lightly and the pedals responded without a problem. With other pedals – I would have to put so much pressure on them in order to get a response, this would cause my calves to tighten up, making me so uncomfortable that I would only play for a short period of time. The pedals also have a rubber bottom, this will help keep them in place while you’re playing through an intense race. In order to play on PC you must download Logitech operating system for the PC.
Price
Logitech is selling the G920 for $399.99 and $59 for the Driving Force Shifter (if you choose to get one), now some of you have complained about the price – yes it’s a high price point, but you’re not getting a plastic wheel and plastics pedal that will come apart in a couple of months. You are getting a set-up that has offers a six-speed shifter, a wheel that has a solid steel shaft and is covered with leather giving you a realistic feel.
You can also use it for two different systems – Xbox One and PC. I have seen many people complain about other companies and their driving wheels, how they are cheap feeling and don’t last long – I myself have had this problem which made me stay clear from using a driving wheel when it comes to racing games. But believe me when I tell you – no company has come close to what Logitech is offering players. The details the company put into the G920 is well worth the price!
Conclusion
I have stayed away from playing racing games because I didn’t like the cheap plastic feel, I hated the noise the wheels would make and the vibration when making a sharp turn annoyed me. When playing a racing game you want the old school arcade feeling – a feeling like you are actually driving the car, and playing on a controller made it boring.
After using the Logitech G920 Driving Force I can finally enjoy playing racing games again. The Craftsmanship, the smooth and quick response of the pedal, the silent and non-vibrating steering wheel allow for the authentic arcade feeling we love and want to recreate at home. Yes, the price point of the G920 may worry some, but, you are getting a durable product that can be used for two different systems. If you want to truly enjoy your favorite racing game, you can only do so if you use the Logitech G920 Driving Force Steering Wheel.
Price: $399.99
Here are the list of games that are compatible for the Logitech G920 Driving Force.
For the full arcade experience, you can purchase the Playseat
