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Thinking of getting a steering wheel for racing games
Thirith
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm currently nursing a minor obsession with Dirt Rally 2.0 in VR, and I'm wondering whether I should get myself a steering wheel. (The one I've got an eye on is the G923 - if I find a nice special offer just before Christmas, I might pounce.) If I'm realistic about it, I won't use it much outside Dirt Rally, so it'd be a pretty unreasonable buy to begin with. However, the big question is: how much does a steering wheel add to the game? Has anyone else been in a similar situation? And, for someone who's never had a steering wheel and who doesn't know how to drive a car, is there anything in particular that I should keep in mind?
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
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I would recommend trying to get a G29 (the PS4/PC version) instead of a G920 (the Xbox/PC version) though, they both work fine on the PC (and are ID'd by most games), but the G29 has an additional button cluster (including a dial), and an LED rev display (which really helps in rally racing). Plus I think it looks cooler. Logitech tends to put them on sale for a deep discount every year during Christmas, so I would keep an eye out. As loathe as some people may be about giving Supreme Earth Overlord Bezos any additional cash, the G29 is on Amazon right now for $270 (down from $400). The only caveats with either wheel is that they don't come with a gear shift. Modern performance cars all use butterfly shifters anyway, so its not a huge deal, but Logitech does sell a separate 6-speed shifter for around $70 if that's something you need.
Some people like a little more resistance from their gas/brake pedals, and while there are mods you can do and replacement parts you can get the easiest way to solve the problem is to place a small piece of foam beneath the pedal inside the housing. This will give you graduated resistance for roughly the cost of a small piece of foam.
The next step in terms of immersion would be a cockpit/seat setup. Some people build their own, but you can also buy them pre-made. Like anything related to sims they can be extravagantly expensive, but you can get a solid entry level setup for around $300.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
The big ones I see a lot of videos talking about are the G923 and the Thrustmaster T248. The general consensus seems to be that the T248 is better than the G923 because it has stronger force feedback and better pedals, and because the Trueforce just isn't supported in many games. But the biggest flaws with the T248 are its paddle shifters, which are plastic and loud as hell, and the requirement to get the Thrustmaster shifter if you upgrade, which is like $200.
Honestly, I dunno. I'm not buying anything anytime soon, as who knows how long I'll keep enjoying Forza (though I did 100% Burnout Paradise back in the day). The prospect of getting the G29 for a steep discount to bring it at least.. somewhat reasonable sounds like a winner, though.
Also, related to Burnout Paradise, even arcade games benefit from a wheel, but I would recommend dropping the 900° rotation down to something like 360° or even 180° if you're playing something that requires a lot of sudden lock to lock moves.
Other games are generally fine, but FH4 in particular is much easier to drive with keyboard or controller (compared to a thrustmaster tmx, at least)
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
Drive safely.
... though looking at the Fanatic offerings is not helping things. >.<