- 94
- Durandal7
I had always been a gamepad driver, ever since the original GT. At one point I even bought a PS1/2 wheel to see if it was at all worthwhile, and decided it wasn't, and ever since then I figured wheels were a waste of time.
(This despite the fact that I won't play a flight game without a dedicated stick and throttle setup.)
Things changed a few months ago, when I had an idea for an X-mas present for my girlfriend's dad: a PS2 and a copy of GT4. I had figured that I'd throw in my old wheel since I never used it anyway, because he had no familiarity with gamepad controls, but of course knew how to drive a car with a wheel. I failed to get the old wheel to work with GT4, since the pedals only produced minimal throttle and brake input when fully depressed, So I proceeded to teach him the gamepad, with which he did okay(but not great).
Several days later, I was browsing the PS3 section at Best Buy and came across the Logitech Driving Force Wireless, on sale for $30 instead of the $100 MSRP, and figured I'd give it a shot, and if he didn't like it I could always return it. Of course I had to give it a try myself when I got home on GT5P, and as soon as I tried it I knew why I never liked the first wheel, it was missing the tactile feedback that the DFW provided, and after that I was hooked on force feedback wheels.(he was also hooked as soon as he tried it as well, so I picked up a second one while it was still on sale.)
I proceeded to get all golds in GT5P shortly after converting to the wheel, some of which had eluded me with the gamepad, and at that point I realized wheels weren't just more fun, they were faster. Soon after, I started drooling over the DFGT and G27, though the latter was way more than I wanted to spend at the time. Later I managed to grab a DFGT on sale for $100, and was quite happy with it, once I improvised a stand using industrial post shelving from Storables.
I still wanted a G27, probably more after the upgrade to the DFGT, but the price seemed quite steep. I decided I'd at the very least wait 'till GT5 came out to even -consider- getting one, but then the $150 G27 sale happened and I ended up driving to the 6th nearest Best Buy to grab the last one in the state, because the deal was so incredible.
Needless to say I couldn't be happier with the G27. It's much quieter and the pedals and paddles and shifter are such a big upgrade over the DFGT, though the wheel itself loses points for the button layout vs. the DFGT and DFW, especially the lack of a PS button.
I'm still glad I got the other wheels, however. The DFW is great for portability and ease of setup, with only a USB dongle and power cord, and analog paddles for gas/brake, plus the integrated lap-stand, even if it's not 100% stable. The DFGT is a great back-up for the G27, and it has the sequential shifter the G27 lacks, plus the realtime adjustment controls, and better button layout.
So several years and 3 wheels after I first tried a wheel and decided I was better off without one, now I'm a completely reformed gamepad driver, though my old skills do translate well to GTPSP.
P.S.: I can take some pictures of my wheel stand if anyone is interested, it is quite stable and takes up hardly any space if you break it down into component parts, which is quite fast.
(This despite the fact that I won't play a flight game without a dedicated stick and throttle setup.)
Things changed a few months ago, when I had an idea for an X-mas present for my girlfriend's dad: a PS2 and a copy of GT4. I had figured that I'd throw in my old wheel since I never used it anyway, because he had no familiarity with gamepad controls, but of course knew how to drive a car with a wheel. I failed to get the old wheel to work with GT4, since the pedals only produced minimal throttle and brake input when fully depressed, So I proceeded to teach him the gamepad, with which he did okay(but not great).
Several days later, I was browsing the PS3 section at Best Buy and came across the Logitech Driving Force Wireless, on sale for $30 instead of the $100 MSRP, and figured I'd give it a shot, and if he didn't like it I could always return it. Of course I had to give it a try myself when I got home on GT5P, and as soon as I tried it I knew why I never liked the first wheel, it was missing the tactile feedback that the DFW provided, and after that I was hooked on force feedback wheels.(he was also hooked as soon as he tried it as well, so I picked up a second one while it was still on sale.)
I proceeded to get all golds in GT5P shortly after converting to the wheel, some of which had eluded me with the gamepad, and at that point I realized wheels weren't just more fun, they were faster. Soon after, I started drooling over the DFGT and G27, though the latter was way more than I wanted to spend at the time. Later I managed to grab a DFGT on sale for $100, and was quite happy with it, once I improvised a stand using industrial post shelving from Storables.
I still wanted a G27, probably more after the upgrade to the DFGT, but the price seemed quite steep. I decided I'd at the very least wait 'till GT5 came out to even -consider- getting one, but then the $150 G27 sale happened and I ended up driving to the 6th nearest Best Buy to grab the last one in the state, because the deal was so incredible.
Needless to say I couldn't be happier with the G27. It's much quieter and the pedals and paddles and shifter are such a big upgrade over the DFGT, though the wheel itself loses points for the button layout vs. the DFGT and DFW, especially the lack of a PS button.
I'm still glad I got the other wheels, however. The DFW is great for portability and ease of setup, with only a USB dongle and power cord, and analog paddles for gas/brake, plus the integrated lap-stand, even if it's not 100% stable. The DFGT is a great back-up for the G27, and it has the sequential shifter the G27 lacks, plus the realtime adjustment controls, and better button layout.
So several years and 3 wheels after I first tried a wheel and decided I was better off without one, now I'm a completely reformed gamepad driver, though my old skills do translate well to GTPSP.
P.S.: I can take some pictures of my wheel stand if anyone is interested, it is quite stable and takes up hardly any space if you break it down into component parts, which is quite fast.
