Presenting our review of the Logitech Driving Force Shifter. The stand-alone shifter can be purchased for $59.99 and paired with the G29 and G920 Driving Force Racing Wheels. It is compatible on the PlayStation 4 (PS4), Xbox One and PC. While the G29 works on the PlayStation 3 (PS3), it is recognized as a Driving Force GT, which didn’t have a shifter, rendering the Driving Force Shifter not compatible with the PS3. The shifter weighs 1.66 lb (0.76 kg) and features six speeds and a push-down reverse, steel and leather components for comfort and durability and mounts securely to a racing rig with clamps or hard mount points that require M6 screws. The Driving Force Shifter is nearly identical to the old Logitech G27 shifter. It has the same throw length and feels / appears identical besides the missing buttons and D-pad. Pros
Cons
Essentially, the Driving Force Shifter is a re-packaged G27 shifter that you have to now purchase separately. As a shifter it performs correctly in terms of gear layout, but it doesn’t inspire confidence. Due to it’s toy-like feel, it requires a lot more “spotting” than other shifters we have used, pulling your concentration from driving and towards making clean shifts. Another negative of the shifter is that it does not have a sequential mode like the G25 shifter. A lot of people like sequential shifters and not having that option detracts from the shifter’s value. People purchase H-pattern shifters because they want a more authentic – and fun – experience. An H-pattern shifter is rarely going to be faster than using the paddles on your wheel. While the Logitech Driving Force Shifter isn’t bad, it’s not great either. It will get the job done but it certainly nowhere close to feeling like a real-car. There are other competitors out there that do feel closer and offer a sequential mode for not that much more money. On top of this, if you already own a G27 shifter, then there isn’t a good reason to upgrade to the Driving Force. The G27 shifter is compatible with the G29 (on the PS4 and PC) and the G920 (on the Xbox One and PC) with the exception of the buttons. With the same feel as the G27, the Driving Force doesn’t move the needle enough to justify the upgrade. The Logitech G25 is an electronic steering wheel designed for sim racing video games on the PC, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. It uses a USB interface.  Specifications[edit]Its components are:
Compared with other wheels in its class, the G25 is at the higher end of the range with an RRP of USD $299.99 or GBP £249.99. The higher cost is due to the inclusion of a number of features often not found in cheaper wheels. A comparable wheel is the Fanatec 911 Porsche wheel, although it does not use any metal in its exterior construction. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement
Fancy yourself as a virtual racing driver? This leather-clad, brushed metal extravaganza will transform you from Mark Webber into Stirling Moss. Derek loves nothing more than punching a remote location into a GPS, queuing up some music and heading out on a long drive, so it's a good thing he's in charge of CNET Australia's Car Tech channel. Five hundred big ones is lot of hard-earned dosh to spend on a steering wheel. How on earth could Logitech ever justify asking us to splash out that much? The GoodLeather and brushed metal feel (and smell) exquisite. Steering feedback bears striking resemblance to real life. Pedals don't budge under hard braking. Did we mention that the steering is just awesome?. The BadNew York winters are less sloshy than the gearbox. Steering wheel motor more whiny than a day old puppy. Pricey for casual racers. Clutch and gearbox are gimmicks. PC and PlayStation only. The Bottom LineFancy yourself as a virtual racing driver? This leather-clad, brushed metal extravaganza will transform you from Mark Webber into Stirling Moss. Design The G25 gets off to a good start when you open up its not inconsiderably-sized box because your olfactory senses are hit with the distinctive odour of leather. Sure, similar levels of delight can be derived from unpacking Logitech's cheaper Momo-branded steering wheel, but that wheel doesn't come with the G25's exquisite brushed metal paddle shifters and pedals. Close your eyes and you could almost imagine that you're behind the wheel of a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston Martin. And then there's also the solid, weighty feel to three separate components of the G25: steering wheel, pedals and gearshift-cum-joypad controller. All the G25's odds and sods are connected to the steering wheel's base, including the power pack and USB cable. The connectors for all these wires reside in a cavity on the steering wheel's base. This design allows the G25's wheel unit to keep a nice and clean profile -- one impromptu reviewer even went so far as to call it "car-like" and "aerodynamic". However, we imagine that most G25 set-ups will require owners to constantly pack and unpack the steering wheel between uses, and it's here that tucking the wires into their runners is quite a pain, especially on the first few occasions. On paper the two metre USB cable seems sufficiently long, but when we were using the G25 away from a PC it usually came up just a little bit short; we either had to move things around to accommodate the wheel or use a USB cable extender. Features Both the steering wheel and gearshift boxes have adjustable clamps so that they can be securely attached to a table. If you're using the G25 with a PS2 or PS3 in the living room, be prepared to do a little bit of room re-arrangement because, unlike the Logitech Driving Force Pro steering wheel, which was bundled with the PS2 and Gran Turismo 4, there's no attachment allowing you to use the G25 between your legs. Although if you have that older wheel's attachment, it works surprisingly well with the G25. Joining the already mentioned brushed metal bits and liberal use of dead cow, the G25's other headline features are its clutch and six-speed gearbox. Like the steering wheel, the gear knob is swathed in leather and, as such, feels great in the hand. The gearbox operates in one of two modes, either as a sequential tap-up, tap-down shifter or a gated six-speed box. In six-speed mode, the gate is so poorly defined think of stirring a ladle through a vat of cold, day old porridge that selecting the wrong gear is an all too frequent occurrence. Slip the box into sequential mode and the shifter becomes redundant; changing gears with the wheel mounted paddle shifts is not only quicker but far more pleasing too, with the paddles cool to the touch and emitting a particularly satisfying snick on engagement. Mid-corner shifts require the utmost attention, though, because with the paddles mounted to the wheel rather than the base, it's all too easy to shift down when you mean to shift up. Although none of the games that we had on hand supported the clutch, we suspect that it too, like the six-speed gate, falls into the realm of gimmickry. After all who wants to finish second because vital tenths-of-a-second were wasted clutching in and out. Performance Boasting 900-degrees of motion, or 2.5 turns lock-to-lock, the G25 makes a good start on its path to realism. Stepping up from other wheels, though, it takes a few races to get used to the extra steering effort required, especially in low-speed corners. Once acclimatised, the G25 rewards you with feedback that gets pretty close to the real thing -- ripple strips feel remarkably like, well, ripple strips not like an electro-mechanical gubbin that's trying to yank your arms free of their sockets. When we mated the G25 with Gran Turismo HD Concept and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on the PS3, we nearly fell off our seats, so giddy were we with delirium. Pick an Integra Type-R and you can feel the steering tighten up under acceleration, growing to a wink-wink-nudge-nudge hint of torque steer. Yet with a Lotus Elise, the wheel is lighter and talkative enough that you can feel when the car's rear is about to step out. The pedals' heft allied with the carpet grabber (a studded flick-down tab) ensures that the pedals don't budge even under the hardest braking. However, a demerit point or two is earned by the whining noise made by the G25's motor. It's a trifle annoying but it's only apparent when the wheel is winding its way from lock to lock during calibration or self-centring. So is it worth AU$500? Well, if you're a dedicated race fan and your backyard isn't conveniently situated over a large deposit of liquefied dead dinosaur then yes and no. Yes, because for many of us it will be the closest we'll get to fanging a Ferrari or GT-R around. And no, because a quick Internet search will yield a clutch of retailers selling the G25 for around AU$300. Keep in mind too that the G25 only works with PC and PlayStation (both 2 and 3) games a slightly out-of-date list of compatible games can be found here so Xbox racing fans will have to look elsewhere. |
