Logitech G27 Racing Wheel (PC)

If you are a big fan of driving games like Gran Turismo, Dirt 2, Need for Speed Shift and some of the PC's more hardcore sims such as Live for Speed then do yourself a favour and save up for this wheel. I've been using this wheel for about a week now with Need for Speed Shift (which is surprisingly an excellent game) and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.

Initially I found it more difficult to contol the cars using the wheel, but once you get over the alienation of not using a control pad it's actually much more fun and intuitive (especially if you already drive). Driving the cars has become much more involved, and once you start getting the hang of things like feathering the throttle when the back end starts to step out round corners and quickly applying opposite lock to correct the slide then you really almost feel as though you are driving these high performance cars. Switch to the in cockpit view on either of these games (which is excellent on both), and it really helps with the illusion and game immersion.

Its really strange, but after a decent session using the wheel (and pedals/gearshifter of course) and then driving your real car, everything feels very strange - being able to feel the inertia and road surface through the tyres/steering wheel seems much more pronounced, almost alien, because you can't really feel these things realistically when using the G27. It's almost as if using the G27 is real driving, and driving your car is becoming this weird new experience! It's a very odd sensation, but one that is testament to the G27's usability and pseudo-realism.

I really think, that to an extent, using the G27 could go some way to improving an amateur drivers ability to drive a performance car around a track. Obviously you don't get a realistic sense of the forces involved as you go around a corner, or the feeling of the loss of grip through the tyres but apart from that I really think that certain aspects would translate. Maybe I'm being naive, I've not raced on a track myself, but I've owned a few different high performance rear wheel and front wheel drive cars (between 200 and 300bhp) and explored the limits of their grip (on private roads of course) and in my opinion using the G27 isn't a million miles away from driving enthusiastically in real life.

The long and short of it is that I am delighted with the G27 wheel set. Yes it's expensive, yes they have ommited a few features that were on the G25 - notably the ability to change the H-shifter gearbox to sequential shift like you have on touring and rally cars, but honestly, it's still a fantastic product. The movement of the wheel is very smooth and quiet (an improvement over the G25 apparently) and the gearshift isn't that noisey either. I would have liked a bit more weight and feel to the gearchange like in a real (decent) car, and possibly made the throw a touch shorter - but really that is nitpicking. All in all it feels like a great quality product to use, the best peripheral I have ever had the privelege of owning.

One thing to note though, it is only compatible with PC and PS3, no Xbox-360 unfortunately.

If you are thinking of taking the plunge, I say bite the bullet and go for it! Get yourself a few quality racing titles like the ones I have mentioned and you will have a great time learning how to really drive! One small tip, when starting out I'd say put the force feedback levels down to near the bottom of the scales within the games that you are playing. When starting out sometimes it seems that high force feedback levels really works against the learning curve - I found that I was having real trouble just driving in a straight line, yet alone tackling corners. I was just endlessly fish-tailing down the road due to over correction of oversteer! As soon as I put the feedback levels down I found it much more manageable and learning to control the car became so much quicker! Some people will pick it up quicker than others, I've always loved racing games so found the transition pretty quick. Don't get frustrated if this isn't the case with you - just make sure those feedback levels are nice and low and keep racing, keeping your arms and feet moving fast. Don't be afraid to be a little rough with the wheel and pedals - they are built like german tanks. I'd say try be a little sympathetic to the gearbox, although it is quality, I reckon it could potentially be the weak point with lots of misuse.

Above all, if you do get one.... have fun! I'm sure you will. Also, I know most of the racing games say this as they start up, but don't be tempted to try and drive your real car like you drive with the G27. I used to drive like a complete idiot when I was younger, and I've been in some pretty nasty car crashes - very lucky to have come out with minor cuts and bruises. I've seen plenty of cases of people who have not been so fortunate, it shatters peoples lives. In my opinion everyone breaks the speed limit now and again, but there is breaking the speed limit and driving like an idiot. Always have in the back of your mind the questions, if someone steps out in front of me, or if someone in front of me slams on the brakes will I be able to stop in time? There are so many absent minded drivers on the road, often it's people who have been driving for years and just don't care any more. Take pride in your driving, it's a continual learning experience. Learning to ride a motorbike makes you think about these things so much more (if you have a brain, and don't have a death wish).

Well, enough from the voice of experience.... go get this wheel and have fun!

First the good news (sort of).

I won't bore you with all the details... other than to say my much loved G25 wheel went into meltdown (a known issue, that Logitech couldn't/didn't rectify). It was only just inside the warranty period, so I was unsure what they would suggest when I contacted their customer support. They almost immediately offered me a replacement, which was very kind of them.

I was told a G27 wheel would be the only replacement they could provide to replace my G25 (Logitech no longer sell the G25... I wonder why?), which seemed a good deal to me, and it arrived 2 days later, having been sent from The Netherlands! Excellent service Logitech.

Now the bad news...
I was unaware of the "problem" Logitech have had with the G27 wheel, until my one day old model started playing up. I went online and did a little research and easily found the answer. It appears nearly every G27 has the problem, either from new or it develops some while later... Grr!

What is the "problem" I refer to, you ask?
Well, as you clock up the virtual miles racing on your chosen racetrack, the steering gradually creeps more and more off-centre. After a few laps you find the virtual car you are driving only goes in a straight line if the steering wheel is in the turn position. It starts off only a degree or two, then gradually increases. On the game I first discovered this anomally, F1 2010 (PC), after about 5 laps of any course it becomes virtually impossible to drive as the paddle shifts behind the wheel are so far out of "true" you cannot use them, not to mention all those buttons on the wheel being impossible to use.

It is SUCH a shame, as this would be a really GREAT product without this issue. The quality of finish, and materials used, are of a much better than average standard. It is a pity the same can't be said for the mechanicals within.

This is a really MAJOR problem, that (as far as I can see) Logitech have failed to address. There is no official acceptance by Logitech that this problem even exists, despite HUNDREDS (if not thousands) of customers having the same problems!

Unofficially, it is claimed to be a hardware issue, judging by those technical-minded forum posters comments and DIY "cures" I found on the Net.
I'm not saying it is, or isn't, but I would have expected a very reputable and high profile I.T. company like Logitech to have come up with a "fix". After all, a steering wheel which fails to steer isn't of merchantible quality is it!

I would recommend you SERIOUSLY think BEFORE spending in the region of £300 for a wheel, pedals and gearshift that looks great, but is unusable on any serious (simulated or arcade) racing games.

Added on 11 April:
Logitech replaced the defective G27 wheel without batting an eyelid and, so far, the new wheel is working fine.
Overall I still preferred my old G25 and see little point in so many buttons on the G27 wheel when many of them do nothing and don't seem to be able to be programmed to do anything either!

I bought this wheel for 1 reason - Gran Turismo 5 on the PS3. This wheel adds an enormous amount to that game, but it's not perfect. While most functions work, there are a couple of things that don't due to the lack of official support by Polyphony Digital (makers of GT5).

Before I get into the GT5 specifics, let me say that this is one impressive gaming wheel: real leather wheel, solid build quality, great stability from the brackets, and strong quiet, Force Feedback. If it wasn't for the hardware issue that I've had (and the fact that it seems to be common), I'd have given it the full 5 stars.

Here's what works, out of the box, in GT5:
- 900 degree steering
- Force Feedback
- Pedals (including the clutch - no triangle press required)
- Gears (both H-Pattern Shifter and Paddles)
- LED Gear Shift Indicator Lights
- Standard PS Controller buttons on Gear Shifter
- Standard D-Pad on Gear Shifter.
- Middle 2 Red buttons on Gear Shifter (Select & Start).

Here's what doesn't:
- The six "Face" buttons on the wheel. The top 2 work, but can't be re-assigned.
- Outside red buttons on Gear Shifter. Believe these should be L3 & R3, but do nothing.
- Can't customise the buttons at all in GT5.
- Can't adjust the force-feedback strength.

Tricks I've found:
- The clutch needs to be pressed to start working in each race. If you push it at any time, then you need to continue using it to use the H-Pattern Shifter.
- If you press the clutch, and then start using the paddles for gears, the clutch will be de-activated.

The only real problem that I've had with this wheel seems to be a fairly common one: during "hard racing" the wheel doesn't return to centre properly, so that when the wheel is straight, the car is not, or vice versa. Re-plugging the USB cable fixes this (either pause race or between races). Logitech's customer service is second to none in my experience, and they have advised me to return it for a replacement, so I'll update this review when I've had some time to test it!

**Update** Amazon couldn't replace this as they had no stock, so have issued a refund. I got a new wheel from another supplier, and there is no problem with the centering - the wheel is now perfect!

Although I've had a couple of problems, I'd thoroughly recommend this wheel for GT5 or any other game!