Is Shift playable on consoles?

[machschnel]

After being severely disappointed by Gran Turismo 5, I'm looking for a game to keep me busy until GT5 gets some serious patches/ updates. Enter Need For Speed Shift....

My only exposure to NFS Shift was the demo. The demo was a love-hate experience for me. There was a lot to like, but the actual driving just felt off. Turning was subject to what seemed like drifting no matter what your speed. Trying to stay straight was impossible, even after a few try's with different wheel set-ups (I'm guessing they work well with the full game though?).

So my question is, is NFS Shift, in it's full form, with any patches available for the PS3, playable? When I say playable, I'm not expecting iRacing physics, just something fun (maybe along the lines of Forza). Being able to drive in a straight line and corner without sliding is somewhat important as well.

 

[HeadsoupBob]

I think updated to the latest patch (1.03) on PS3 it is very playable (and definitely fun!). Yeah it's still a bit 'slidey' but in cockpit or bonnet cam it's not that noticeable. I've had tons of fun with it after the updates, you just have to make sure you get the wheel settings right (subjective). Some cars are better than others too, so you have to find cars that work well for you.

A lot of people gave up after initially playing the game, but it really is a lot better after the patches! I think a lot of people on the 'Shift is poo' side haven't tried the game patched, just the release version, which was very buggy and flawed.

 

[vrooom]

In my opinion SHIFT is great and totally worth it in PS3 if and only if you have a steering wheel.

I have a logitech driving force. It's a 5+ year old wheel which I have bought for my PS2 and PC. It still works great! It only rotates 180 degrees but I find that it works great both in GT5 and Shift.

It's true that with the default settings this wheel is A LOT wobbly in Shift. But after changing the settings to:

• 5% deadzone
• 25% steering sensitivity,

I find it to perform exceptionally well in NFS Shift. I drive with all aids off and it's a really rewarding, intense and fun experience.

Now... I know that some people in this forum are strongly opposed to any deadzone in steering but frankly when I am playing Shift it doesn't even feel that there is any dead zone in the steering, the wobbliness is gone and the steering is very precise. For what is worth I use 5% deadzone or something like that in Dirt2 too which also handles great.

 

[vrooom]

Is anyone here playing Need for Speed Shift on PS3 with Logitech Driving Force GT?
Can you set steering lock of DFGT to 360 degrees so that you don't have to rotate the wheel multiple times to steer your car?

 

[Imari]

Is anyone here playing Need for Speed Shift on PS3 with Logitech Driving Force GT?
Can you set steering lock of DFGT to 360 degrees so that you don't have to rotate the wheel multiple times to steer your car?

It's been a long time, but I'm pretty sure you could adjust the steering lock. I don't know how low it went, but I think I remember fiddling with that setting. The customizability for steering wheels is relatively in-depth, which is good because the default settings are pretty bad. There are/were lots of threads around here in the early days on how to set up your wheel.

 

[machschnel]

In my opinion SHIFT is great and totally worth it in PS3 if and only if you have a steering wheel.

I probably should clarify, I will be playing with a Driving Force GT.

 

[Topracer]

Is anyone here playing Need for Speed Shift on PS3 with Logitech Driving Force GT?
Can you set steering lock of DFGT to 360 degrees so that you don't have to rotate the wheel multiple times to steer your car?

It should be possible, you could set the G25 as low as 270 degree on the PS3.

 

[Destinkeys]

Yes, you CAN adjust steering lock and geometry in Shift. And, unlike GT5, which has F1 cars and karts set to 360º but everything else set to 900º, the mechanical stops come out and prevent your wheel from turning past the point where it does no good... (epic fail, PD!)

The 'wobbles', though, at least on the DFGT (some have reported this is not so bad on the G27, but I have yet to talk to anyone that has BOTH and can speak from a position of authority) that you get driving down straights is completely incurable, until you enable Low Steering Assist or enable a fair sized deadzone (which ruins things at least for me).

It's not TOO obtrusive, and at least returns a modicum of fun to an otherwise frustrating exercise in 'hanging on for dear life' as you take most cars down a straight. In GT5, many of the cars develop a slight 'wobble' down straights, but you only need to hang on to the wheel relatively lightly to dampen it out. In Shift, it's a self feedbacking monster that requires you to grip the wheel and apply maximum force to rigidly lock the wheel down (I have even read from some that place their knee on the wheel, too, just to assist the dampening), to avoid careening around down a straight instead of tracking accurately.

It ruined the game for me on Pro Mode, and to my shame, I never would play the game without Low Steering Assist on. No others, but just that. It's either that or a deadzone, and that simply does not cut it, IMO. I thought maybe I had a bad wheel, but no... GT5, it works perfectly.

But that aside, it is still a FUN racing game. It may not be a sim, but it's FUN! There's much about GT5 I get the impression was designed by the DMV (Dept. of Motor Vehicles), designed to suck the fun out of driving and racing, even if the driving physics ARE accurate! And GT5 misses the boat completely when it comes to crash physics and damage (although damage is getting better via patches), and AI that respond to you and challenge you (or even acknowledge your existence!).

Try Shift... it's a fun diversion from GT5, and might whet your appetite for Shift 2 Unleashed, which promises us (for now, anyway!) that physics will be MUCH better in that game. Just pretend to yourself that you are on Comfort Hard's all the way through Shift, and it's a lot easier to accept the sliding around. In fact, if Shift had SHOWN rain, and told everyone they had street tires on (not racing wets or intermediates), most people would be PRAISING its' handling!

 

[HeadsoupBob]

Hey destinkeys, did you have FFB set to 10, and in which case did you try turning it down? Does it remove the wobble if it is set to say 6 or 7 or is it still there? On the PC version with the early FFB mod it was causing my wheel to oscillate severely but turning FFB down to 7/8 removed it. Weaker FFB might be a better trade-off than having a deadzone.

If you ever get the chance, play shift on PC with the overhaul and graphic mods and you'll really see how much potential Shift has underneath

 

[vrooom]

Yes, you CAN adjust steering lock and geometry in Shift. And, unlike GT5, which has F1 cars and karts set to 360º but everything else set to 900º, the mechanical stops come out and prevent your wheel from turning past the point where it does no good... (epic fail, PD!)

Thanks for the info on how steering lock works on NFS Shift. I am thinking of buying a DFGT and setting it up with 360º lock, 50% sensitivity and deadzone 0 or 2%. I am really looking forward to Shift 2

Also I agree with the suggestion of HeadsoupBob of dialing down the force feedback so that you don't have to wrestle with your wheel causing you to lose stability on straights. I was experiencing this on my wheel which surely hasn't as powerful force feedback as the DFGT.