Hardware

For many GT players a driving wheel is a must but, no matter what wheel you choose, you need a sturdy place to mount it. While there remains plenty of choice in the commercial driving rig market from such names as rSeat, Wheel Stand Pro and VisionRacer, many gamers also enjoy creating their own, often cheaper, and there are many threads in our Sim Racing Hardware forum of such builds.

The new “official” GT5 steering wheel, the Thrustmaster T500 RS, releases this Wednesday, and InsideSimRacing got their hands on an early unit to provide us with some much-needed details and first impressions.

One of the most frequent complaints about the popular Logitech Driving Force GT is the pedals. The brake, in particular, can be quite “squishy”, making it more difficult to accurately gauge the force being applied. Since the DFGT was released, several popular DIY mods have been shared in our forums, but this one is probably my favorite: simply wrap a small bungie cord around the brake pedal and hook it around the base of the unit, as YouTuber megadarren demonstrates above (thanks, TRC_Hunk).

Full details about the new “official” GT5 steering wheel, the Thrustmaster T500 RS, have now been released, and it looks like Kazunori Yamauchi’s original tweet hinting at the price was actually correct. It will be released on Wednesday, January 5, 2011 in North America and Europe for $599.99, £449.99, or €499.99 (it’s coming Jan. 25 in Japan). Thrustmaster is clearly targeting the higher end of the market with this price range, especially considering the T500’s H-pattern shifter (to be released in the next few “months”) is not included with the package.

With the launch of Gran Turismo 5, the steering wheel market is really heating up. Now, however, the bar has apparently been raised with the new Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2. The wheel is receiving high marks from users in our steering wheels forum, and there’s even more kind words from the hosts at InsideSimRacing, who called it part of the “best package” to play the game. Keep an eye on the wheel segment of InsideSimRacing’s Gran Turismo 5 review in the video above (you’ll find the wheel discussion begins at 24:45) for more, or watch Darin’s mini-feature on the GT2 here.

PlanetaDeJuego snagged the first official shots of the new “official” GT5 Thrustmaster T500 RS steering wheel. Notably, the T500 appears to feature a “reversible” pedal mount, which can be used in either a top or bottom-hinged configuration. Thanks to all who sent these in!

Kazunori Yamauchi has continued to reveal interesting bits of information on Twitter about the new official Gran Turismo 5 steering wheel, the Thrustmaster T500 RS. Unlike the last “official” wheel, the Logitech Driving Force GT, it seems Polyphony Digital will now be endorsing a premium product which commands a considerably higher price tag. According to Yamauchi, the T500 RS will sell in the range $500 (keep reading…), with the separate gated shifter sold separately for a still undisclosed amount of money.

A brand new steering wheel, the Thrustmaster T500 RS, first popped up in the game’s settings, as noted by TomN here in our forums. Today, Tom also discovered this teaser animation on Thrustmaster’s website, revealing the T500 RS’ new logo alongside official GT5 branding. The teaser provides us with our first peek at the new wheel (aside from the in-game icon), though many details remain unknown. What we do know, however, is that the T500 RS will feature “unmatched steering accuracy, thanks to the built-in H.E.A.R.T (HallEffect AccuRate Technology)” and “16-bit resolution with 65,536 values in the wheel’s rotation”.

If you’ve been watching the evolution of GT5 at various game shows and events over the past few years, you probably noticed these circular “racing pods” used to show off the game. Made of steel and glass, they’re certainly impressive looking and are now being sold to the public.

Check out this 25% off coupon on all Logitech gaming products, including their steering wheels. This drops the price of the G27 wheel from $299.99 to $224.99 ($23.50 less than Amazon), and drops the Driving Force GT from $149.99 to $112.49 ($17.50 less than Amazon) with free shipping. Just apply the coupon code LOGIGAME-910 to your order from the official Logitech online store and you’re good to go.

When GTPlanet reviewed the VisionRacer VR3 earlier this year, we really loved what we saw. Anyone dedicated to their sim-racing hobby would be hard-pressed to find something to match the VisonRacer’s ergonomics, beauty, or quality of construction. Craftsmanship is not cheap, though, and the VR3 is still a significant investment for most gamers. To help out, the VisionRacer guys are offering a special price just for GTPlanet readers: $999 with free shipping to the U.S..

GTPlanet independently verified leaked shots of the new Logitech G27 a while back, but many of you still weren’t convinced.  Earlier this week, however, a VirtualR reader just happened to stumble upon the new wheel at Logitech’s own web site.  He wisely nabbed screenshots while the pages and images were still online to verify his discovery.  Although there doesn’t appear to be any new technical details revealed in the Portugese product description visible in the screenshots, it confirms the exterior design (including the six wheel buttons, thicker wheel, shift light indicators, and the suspiciously absent shift mode selector switch).  It’s becoming more and more likely, however, that the G27 is simply an evolutionary update to the G25, as opposed to a radical new design with lots of additional features.  We’ll keep you updated, of course, as more information is released.

The Logitech G25 was one of the first steering wheels to introduce a clutch pedal and gated 6-speed shifter.  It’s success has prompted other wheel manufacturers like Fanatec to jump in the game, fueling competition in this niche market to new heights.  Now, with the G25 pushing 3 years old, everyone is watching Logitech to make a move.

Since steering wheels first became popular accessories for racing games, the search to find the best way to use them has been ongoing.  Over the years, we’ve seen lots of creative solutions from just about everyone (including Sony!), and lots of different products have attempted to fill this niche market with varying degrees of success.  While everyone else was making noise, though, one company has spent the last 5 years quietly developing and refining their own high-end racing seat.  So, does the VisionRacer VR3 take the lead?  Read our full review to find out…

Sim racers love their hobby, and we’ve seen some pretty impressive setups over the years (see our Racing Cockpits forum for more).  This, however, raises the bar to a completely new level – it’s a full size replica of a Ferrari F1 car wired up for video gaming, and it can be yours for £13,500 ($18,944 USD).  The mysterious model is actually listed for sale on a website where ‘real’ F1 cars can be bought and sold, but this one substitutes a PlayStation 2 in place of a V10.  Yes, that’s right – more than $18,000 and you don’t even get a PlayStation 3!

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something comes along which pushes the envelope of racing pod construction even further.  GTPlanet member GTP_joeninety has built a fully-enclosed driving simulator for his living room.  No corners were cut, with the ‘box’ featuring everything from interior sound proofing to forced-air ventilation.  It also includes…

Hardly a day passes in our Gran Turismo 5 Prologue forum, when someone does not lament the lack of skill that plagues many online competitors in the game.  Today, we may just have discovered the reason…  Logitech G25 steering wheels can now be purchased with a very special feature: a beer keg.  The new racing cockpit, created by Dream Arcades, include a tap conveniently placed above the cup holder.  Of course, you’ll probably want to drink after you pay for this thing: $7,000.  Of course, that includes a 120-inch projector, 5.1 surround sound system, PC, and a new G25 wheel.  Looks like the official GT Pod finally has some competition!

A few of the first hands-on comments have been popping up around the web by people who actually got to play Gran Turismo 5: Prologue with the new Logitech Driving Force GT wheel, and so far, they are good. While these are just impressions from the floor at the Game Developers Conference (and not full reviews), it is interesting that the force feedback is getting so much attention. Hopefully, these folks have experience with other force-feedback wheels, and can actually detect an improvement from the older games.

Logitech has just announced the all-new Driving Force GT wheel for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue! This is the first wheel of its kind that has a dial on the wheel itself to allow the user to adjust things on the car in real time, such as brake bias and damper settings. The force-feedback feature has also been given more power, and most importantly, the illuminated GT logo in the center can now be pressed to blow the car’s horn in the game.