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"Start your engines..."
When I first set out looking for a racing wheel to use on my Xbox 360, the first and foremost option that sprang to mind was the Official Microsoft Racing Wheel, of course, as you could only expect, it was completely overpriced (the key word being ‘Official’). I had also read reviews of it breaking easily and not working. So, I refused to fork out a ton for a wheel that had a reputation for being dreadful. I looked elsewhere, to unofficial wheels for the console. There is surprisingly a small amount of options, but the next wheel I found seemed to fit the bill.
You get what you pay for
The Logitech DriveFX Axial Feedback Wheel seemed like a godsend. At top whack, it’s sold for a ludicrous £69.99. I say ludicrous because you can easily pick the wheel up from all the way down to £18, so if you do consider purchasing it, don’t get ripped off. Reading reviews about it before hand, most had said it was value for money, which I was dubious about, as being so cheap, I couldn’t expect much value from it. When it did get delivered, I was correct. It wasn’t the greatest thing I’d seen in the world, but people were right, you do get what you pay for.
Does this wheel make me look fat?
Let me start with just the aesthetics of the wheel and pedals. The wheel itself looks superb. Being an unofficial wheel, the buttons on it are not completely in keeping with the Xbox 360 controller, the A, B, X and Y buttons having a different font, but the colours are all the same. The controls I completely despise are the two buttons on the back of the wheel, acting as ‘realistic flappy paddle’ gear changers. They look so stupid, being just two buttons, acting similarly to the bumper buttons on the Xbox controller. Why didn’t Logitech fit nicely designed levers that are suited to do the job? Was a shortcut if you ask me. The wheel is 10” diameter, so although slightly smaller than the standard racing wheel, it’s big enough to be comfortable. The back part that the wheel is mounted on is a nice lustrous shape, and will clamp onto any table that is 3” thick or less. The clamps do not have rubberised grips, but just because of the logical design, there are no worries about it coming unfastened mid-race. To the pedals, which look pleasant, featuring nice rounded patterns within each pedal. The whole set together looks great, and is very satisfying.
Devil in Disguise
Looks can be deceiving though, and sadly with this wheel, they are a bit. The pedals, for example are very fragile. They are made of a fairly cheap plastic, and feel as though they could fracture with a hard stomp, so be careful with them. Another problem with the pedals, besides the fact there are only 2 of them, is that the brake is too easily pressed. There is hardly any distinction in the amount of pressure you have to apply between the brake and accelerator, and anyone who knows anything about cars will know that a brake is usually expected to have a rougher mechanism, in other words, it should be harder to press, so that takes away some of the realism.
"Lets get physical!"
The wheel movement itself is good. Once you’ve plugged the force feedback in, you get a lot of forces acting at once on the wheel, especially while trying to turn. The wheel will replicate the elements from the game into realistic physical battles for you to turn with.
So many wires, so little time...
A problem with the set as a whole is that there seems to be just too many wires. You have to plug a USB from the wheel into your Xbox. Then you have to plug a seven-pin plug from the pedals into the main wheel. Then you have to plug in the power supply from the wheel into a socket, for the feedback itself. This can start to become very messy, although I have to say, the wheel works straight away once all these wires have been plugged in.
Official Microsft Wheel
As highlighted before, I would take this wheel over the Official Microsoft Wheel, as I just don’t trust Microsoft to make their own accessories. Every accessory I’ve seen from them seems to be overpriced or it doesn’t work. My prime example of this would be the wireless adapter, which is ludicrously priced at around £60, when you can pick up an unofficial one for 1/3 of the price.
Madcatz Racing Wheelp
Madcatz have a Racing Wheel, which looks a lot better than the Logitech one, but sadly, the realism and reliability is rumoured to be terrible, although it is on the market for £15, and features a gear stick, but sadly no clutch.
G25 Racing Wheel
I was completely gutted when I found out that the G25 Racing Wheel was only available for Playstation users, so anyone on a PS3, it’s pricey, but boy, it’s as close to racing as you’re going to get! This is only for
In Conclusion...
Overall, this wheel isn’t for the serious racer, it’s a cheap and satisfying model from a very respectable company. Logitech is known for quality, so I don’t think you can go wrong with them. My wheel is still fully functional, and is just as good as the first day I got it. Games wise, I’ve only got Racedriver GRiD, but I’m sure it would work well with Forza Motorsport 3, and it’s also meant to be good with the PGR Series.
Ratings
Visual – 7/10
The amount of wires spoil the look of the wheel, it looks too fiddly. I would’ve also preferred a different colour somewhere on the wheel, as it’s just a solid black or dark grey all over.
Experience – 8/10
Regardless of the price, the wheel feels great. It’s not the best experience on the market, but it’s the best you’ll find at this price.
Feel – 7/10
The wheel is rubberised, and after playing for a bit, the wheel starts to feel clammy on your hand, but apart from that, the wheel is superb to handle.
Price – 10/10
I cannot fault the price at all. For £20, this is an absolute bargain and blows all it’s competitors out of the water. For once, you actually feel as though you’re ripping the company off.
Overall – 8/10
A cheap and satisfying wheel, ideal for a casual racer.
When I first set out looking for a racing wheel to use on my Xbox 360, the first and foremost option that sprang to mind was the Official Microsoft Racing Wheel, of course, as you could only expect, it was completely overpriced (the key word being ‘Official’). I had also read reviews of it breaking easily and not working. So, I refused to fork out a ton for a wheel that had a reputation for being dreadful. I looked elsewhere, to unofficial wheels for the console. There is surprisingly a small amount of options, but the next wheel I found seemed to fit the bill.
You get what you pay for
The Logitech DriveFX Axial Feedback Wheel seemed like a godsend. At top whack, it’s sold for a ludicrous £69.99. I say ludicrous because you can easily pick the wheel up from all the way down to £18, so if you do consider purchasing it, don’t get ripped off. Reading reviews about it before hand, most had said it was value for money, which I was dubious about, as being so cheap, I couldn’t expect much value from it. When it did get delivered, I was correct. It wasn’t the greatest thing I’d seen in the world, but people were right, you do get what you pay for.
Does this wheel make me look fat?
Let me start with just the aesthetics of the wheel and pedals. The wheel itself looks superb. Being an unofficial wheel, the buttons on it are not completely in keeping with the Xbox 360 controller, the A, B, X and Y buttons having a different font, but the colours are all the same. The controls I completely despise are the two buttons on the back of the wheel, acting as ‘realistic flappy paddle’ gear changers. They look so stupid, being just two buttons, acting similarly to the bumper buttons on the Xbox controller. Why didn’t Logitech fit nicely designed levers that are suited to do the job? Was a shortcut if you ask me. The wheel is 10” diameter, so although slightly smaller than the standard racing wheel, it’s big enough to be comfortable. The back part that the wheel is mounted on is a nice lustrous shape, and will clamp onto any table that is 3” thick or less. The clamps do not have rubberised grips, but just because of the logical design, there are no worries about it coming unfastened mid-race. To the pedals, which look pleasant, featuring nice rounded patterns within each pedal. The whole set together looks great, and is very satisfying.
Devil in Disguise
Looks can be deceiving though, and sadly with this wheel, they are a bit. The pedals, for example are very fragile. They are made of a fairly cheap plastic, and feel as though they could fracture with a hard stomp, so be careful with them. Another problem with the pedals, besides the fact there are only 2 of them, is that the brake is too easily pressed. There is hardly any distinction in the amount of pressure you have to apply between the brake and accelerator, and anyone who knows anything about cars will know that a brake is usually expected to have a rougher mechanism, in other words, it should be harder to press, so that takes away some of the realism.
"Lets get physical!"
The wheel movement itself is good. Once you’ve plugged the force feedback in, you get a lot of forces acting at once on the wheel, especially while trying to turn. The wheel will replicate the elements from the game into realistic physical battles for you to turn with.
So many wires, so little time...
A problem with the set as a whole is that there seems to be just too many wires. You have to plug a USB from the wheel into your Xbox. Then you have to plug a seven-pin plug from the pedals into the main wheel. Then you have to plug in the power supply from the wheel into a socket, for the feedback itself. This can start to become very messy, although I have to say, the wheel works straight away once all these wires have been plugged in.
So how does it Compare to it�s Competitors? Official Microsft Wheel
As highlighted before, I would take this wheel over the Official Microsoft Wheel, as I just don’t trust Microsoft to make their own accessories. Every accessory I’ve seen from them seems to be overpriced or it doesn’t work. My prime example of this would be the wireless adapter, which is ludicrously priced at around £60, when you can pick up an unofficial one for 1/3 of the price.
Madcatz Racing Wheelp
Madcatz have a Racing Wheel, which looks a lot better than the Logitech one, but sadly, the realism and reliability is rumoured to be terrible, although it is on the market for £15, and features a gear stick, but sadly no clutch.
G25 Racing Wheel
I was completely gutted when I found out that the G25 Racing Wheel was only available for Playstation users, so anyone on a PS3, it’s pricey, but boy, it’s as close to racing as you’re going to get! This is only for
hardcore racers though! (Also, check the bargain thread, I posted a link where the wheel is dirt cheap, as I think pete did).In Conclusion...
Overall, this wheel isn’t for the serious racer, it’s a cheap and satisfying model from a very respectable company. Logitech is known for quality, so I don’t think you can go wrong with them. My wheel is still fully functional, and is just as good as the first day I got it. Games wise, I’ve only got Racedriver GRiD, but I’m sure it would work well with Forza Motorsport 3, and it’s also meant to be good with the PGR Series.
Ratings
Visual – 7/10
The amount of wires spoil the look of the wheel, it looks too fiddly. I would’ve also preferred a different colour somewhere on the wheel, as it’s just a solid black or dark grey all over.
Experience – 8/10
Regardless of the price, the wheel feels great. It’s not the best experience on the market, but it’s the best you’ll find at this price.
Feel – 7/10
The wheel is rubberised, and after playing for a bit, the wheel starts to feel clammy on your hand, but apart from that, the wheel is superb to handle.
Price – 10/10
I cannot fault the price at all. For £20, this is an absolute bargain and blows all it’s competitors out of the water. For once, you actually feel as though you’re ripping the company off.
Overall – 8/10
A cheap and satisfying wheel, ideal for a casual racer.
It is indeed very much worth it ;)
"Start your engines..."
When I first set out looking for a racing wheel to use on my Xbox 360, the first and foremost option that sprang to mind was the Official Microsoft Racing Wheel, of course, as you could only expect, it was completely overpriced (the key word being ‘Official’). I had also read reviews of it breaking easily and not working. So, I refused to fork out a ton for a wheel that had a reputation for being dreadful. I looked elsewhere, to unofficial wheels for the console. There is surprisingly a small amount of options, but the next wheel I found seemed to fit the bill.
You get what you pay for
The Logitech DriveFX Axial Feedback Wheel seemed like a godsend. At top whack, it’s sold for a ludicrous £69.99. I say ludicrous because you can easily pick the wheel up from all the way down to £18, so if you do consider purchasing it, don’t get ripped off. Reading reviews about it before hand, most had said it was value for money, which I was dubious about, as being so cheap, I couldn’t expect much value from it. When it did get delivered, I was correct. It wasn’t the greatest thing I’d seen in the world, but people were right, you do get what you pay for.
Does this wheel make me look fat?
Let me start with just the aesthetics of the wheel and pedals. The wheel itself looks superb. Being an unofficial wheel, the buttons on it are not completely in keeping with the Xbox 360 controller, the A, B, X and Y buttons having a different font, but the colours are all the same. The controls I completely despise are the two buttons on the back of the wheel, acting as ‘realistic flappy paddle’ gear changers. They look so stupid, being just two buttons, acting similarly to the bumper buttons on the Xbox controller. Why didn’t Logitech fit nicely designed levers that are suited to do the job? Was a shortcut if you ask me. The wheel is 10” diameter, so although slightly smaller than the standard racing wheel, it’s big enough to be comfortable. The back part that the wheel is mounted on is a nice lustrous shape, and will clamp onto any table that is 3” thick or less. The clamps do not have rubberised grips, but just because of the logical design, there are no worries about it coming unfastened mid-race. To the pedals, which look pleasant, featuring nice rounded patterns within each pedal. The whole set together looks great, and is very satisfying.
Devil in Disguise
Looks can be deceiving though, and sadly with this wheel, they are a bit. The pedals, for example are very fragile. They are made of a fairly cheap plastic, and feel as though they could fracture with a hard stomp, so be careful with them. Another problem with the pedals, besides the fact there are only 2 of them, is that the brake is too easily pressed. There is hardly any distinction in the amount of pressure you have to apply between the brake and accelerator, and anyone who knows anything about cars will know that a brake is usually expected to have a rougher mechanism, in other words, it should be harder to press, so that takes away some of the realism.
"Lets get physical!"
The wheel movement itself is good. Once you’ve plugged the force feedback in, you get a lot of forces acting at once on the wheel, especially while trying to turn. The wheel will replicate the elements from the game into realistic physical battles for you to turn with.
So many wires, so little time...
A problem with the set as a whole is that there seems to be just too many wires. You have to plug a USB from the wheel into your Xbox. Then you have to plug a seven-pin plug from the pedals into the main wheel. Then you have to plug in the power supply from the wheel into a socket, for the feedback itself. This can start to become very messy, although I have to say, the wheel works straight away once all these wires have been plugged in.
Official Microsft Wheel
As highlighted before, I would take this wheel over the Official Microsoft Wheel, as I just don’t trust Microsoft to make their own accessories. Every accessory I’ve seen from them seems to be overpriced or it doesn’t work. My prime example of this would be the wireless adapter, which is ludicrously priced at around £60, when you can pick up an unofficial one for 1/3 of the price.
Madcatz Racing Wheelp
Madcatz have a Racing Wheel, which looks a lot better than the Logitech one, but sadly, the realism and reliability is rumoured to be terrible, although it is on the market for £15, and features a gear stick, but sadly no clutch.
G25 Racing Wheel
I was completely gutted when I found out that the G25 Racing Wheel was only available for Playstation users, so anyone on a PS3, it’s pricey, but boy, it’s as close to racing as you’re going to get! This is only for
In Conclusion...
Overall, this wheel isn’t for the serious racer, it’s a cheap and satisfying model from a very respectable company. Logitech is known for quality, so I don’t think you can go wrong with them. My wheel is still fully functional, and is just as good as the first day I got it. Games wise, I’ve only got Racedriver GRiD, but I’m sure it would work well with Forza Motorsport 3, and it’s also meant to be good with the PGR Series.
Ratings
Visual – 7/10
The amount of wires spoil the look of the wheel, it looks too fiddly. I would’ve also preferred a different colour somewhere on the wheel, as it’s just a solid black or dark grey all over.
Experience – 8/10
Regardless of the price, the wheel feels great. It’s not the best experience on the market, but it’s the best you’ll find at this price.
Feel – 7/10
The wheel is rubberised, and after playing for a bit, the wheel starts to feel clammy on your hand, but apart from that, the wheel is superb to handle.
Price – 10/10
I cannot fault the price at all. For £20, this is an absolute bargain and blows all it’s competitors out of the water. For once, you actually feel as though you’re ripping the company off.
Overall – 8/10
A cheap and satisfying wheel, ideal for a casual racer.
When I first set out looking for a racing wheel to use on my Xbox 360, the first and foremost option that sprang to mind was the Official Microsoft Racing Wheel, of course, as you could only expect, it was completely overpriced (the key word being ‘Official’). I had also read reviews of it breaking easily and not working. So, I refused to fork out a ton for a wheel that had a reputation for being dreadful. I looked elsewhere, to unofficial wheels for the console. There is surprisingly a small amount of options, but the next wheel I found seemed to fit the bill.
You get what you pay for
The Logitech DriveFX Axial Feedback Wheel seemed like a godsend. At top whack, it’s sold for a ludicrous £69.99. I say ludicrous because you can easily pick the wheel up from all the way down to £18, so if you do consider purchasing it, don’t get ripped off. Reading reviews about it before hand, most had said it was value for money, which I was dubious about, as being so cheap, I couldn’t expect much value from it. When it did get delivered, I was correct. It wasn’t the greatest thing I’d seen in the world, but people were right, you do get what you pay for.
Does this wheel make me look fat?
Let me start with just the aesthetics of the wheel and pedals. The wheel itself looks superb. Being an unofficial wheel, the buttons on it are not completely in keeping with the Xbox 360 controller, the A, B, X and Y buttons having a different font, but the colours are all the same. The controls I completely despise are the two buttons on the back of the wheel, acting as ‘realistic flappy paddle’ gear changers. They look so stupid, being just two buttons, acting similarly to the bumper buttons on the Xbox controller. Why didn’t Logitech fit nicely designed levers that are suited to do the job? Was a shortcut if you ask me. The wheel is 10” diameter, so although slightly smaller than the standard racing wheel, it’s big enough to be comfortable. The back part that the wheel is mounted on is a nice lustrous shape, and will clamp onto any table that is 3” thick or less. The clamps do not have rubberised grips, but just because of the logical design, there are no worries about it coming unfastened mid-race. To the pedals, which look pleasant, featuring nice rounded patterns within each pedal. The whole set together looks great, and is very satisfying.
Devil in Disguise
Looks can be deceiving though, and sadly with this wheel, they are a bit. The pedals, for example are very fragile. They are made of a fairly cheap plastic, and feel as though they could fracture with a hard stomp, so be careful with them. Another problem with the pedals, besides the fact there are only 2 of them, is that the brake is too easily pressed. There is hardly any distinction in the amount of pressure you have to apply between the brake and accelerator, and anyone who knows anything about cars will know that a brake is usually expected to have a rougher mechanism, in other words, it should be harder to press, so that takes away some of the realism.
"Lets get physical!"
The wheel movement itself is good. Once you’ve plugged the force feedback in, you get a lot of forces acting at once on the wheel, especially while trying to turn. The wheel will replicate the elements from the game into realistic physical battles for you to turn with.
So many wires, so little time...
A problem with the set as a whole is that there seems to be just too many wires. You have to plug a USB from the wheel into your Xbox. Then you have to plug a seven-pin plug from the pedals into the main wheel. Then you have to plug in the power supply from the wheel into a socket, for the feedback itself. This can start to become very messy, although I have to say, the wheel works straight away once all these wires have been plugged in.
So how does it Compare to it�s Competitors? Official Microsft Wheel
As highlighted before, I would take this wheel over the Official Microsoft Wheel, as I just don’t trust Microsoft to make their own accessories. Every accessory I’ve seen from them seems to be overpriced or it doesn’t work. My prime example of this would be the wireless adapter, which is ludicrously priced at around £60, when you can pick up an unofficial one for 1/3 of the price.
Madcatz Racing Wheelp
Madcatz have a Racing Wheel, which looks a lot better than the Logitech one, but sadly, the realism and reliability is rumoured to be terrible, although it is on the market for £15, and features a gear stick, but sadly no clutch.
G25 Racing Wheel
I was completely gutted when I found out that the G25 Racing Wheel was only available for Playstation users, so anyone on a PS3, it’s pricey, but boy, it’s as close to racing as you’re going to get! This is only for
hardcore racers though! (Also, check the bargain thread, I posted a link where the wheel is dirt cheap, as I think pete did).In Conclusion...
Overall, this wheel isn’t for the serious racer, it’s a cheap and satisfying model from a very respectable company. Logitech is known for quality, so I don’t think you can go wrong with them. My wheel is still fully functional, and is just as good as the first day I got it. Games wise, I’ve only got Racedriver GRiD, but I’m sure it would work well with Forza Motorsport 3, and it’s also meant to be good with the PGR Series.
Ratings
Visual – 7/10
The amount of wires spoil the look of the wheel, it looks too fiddly. I would’ve also preferred a different colour somewhere on the wheel, as it’s just a solid black or dark grey all over.
Experience – 8/10
Regardless of the price, the wheel feels great. It’s not the best experience on the market, but it’s the best you’ll find at this price.
Feel – 7/10
The wheel is rubberised, and after playing for a bit, the wheel starts to feel clammy on your hand, but apart from that, the wheel is superb to handle.
Price – 10/10
I cannot fault the price at all. For £20, this is an absolute bargain and blows all it’s competitors out of the water. For once, you actually feel as though you’re ripping the company off.
Overall – 8/10
A cheap and satisfying wheel, ideal for a casual racer.