Logitech May Discontinue Steering Wheel Peripherals
The future of Logitech’s sim-racing steering wheel products has come under question since the company announced they “plan to discontinue other non-strategic products, such as speaker docks and console gaming peripherals, by the end of Calendar Year 2013,” in their latest quarterly earnings report.
As Logitech’s wheels work with both the PC and PlayStation consoles, it is not explicitly clear if they fall under the range of products to be eliminated.
Since the press release, Logitech’s public relations team has tried to offer some clarification via Twitter, emphasizing they “are NOT exiting PC gaming, only console accessories,” and reiterating that “PC gaming continues to be a priority for the company,” though specific questions about steering wheels have not been addressed.
Meanwhile, industry insider Amar212 paints a bleak picture of the company’s future in the market, citing a massive drop in orders of the company’s wheels from retailers since 2008.
Logitech has, of course, dominated the sim-racing steering wheel market since it first partnered with Polyphony Digital in 2001 for the release of Gran Turismo 3 and its officially-licensed “GT Force” wheel. Their wheels have remained popular among sim-racing enthusiasts, thanks to reasonable costs, durable construction, and wide availability among retailers around the world.
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Newest comments are displayed first.
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February 2nd, 2013 at 5:45 am - #lspredator
Hope They don’t stop. I like the wheels i have 2 DFGT and G27, and i Am waiting on G29 :)
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January 31st, 2013 at 3:20 pm - #consciousness
That is bad news. I purchased a DFGT after years of playing pc sims on a keyboard (anyone remember REVS!) and then a DS controller on the PS2 and PS3 for the GT series. Initially i simply could not control the car with the wheel for 2 reasons, 1st even though i drive spiritedly in my own cars (66 Cooper S, 2002tii) it just did not translate correctly and opposite lock was hopeless, 2nd i was just used to key/button pushing. So 3 months later i dig it out of the closet and am astonished by how damn good the wheel now feels, this is in great part due to the updates PD made to the interfacing and feedback for the DFGT and the physics of the cars, also i made a wedge of dense foam and jammed it under the brake pedal lever giving the pedal the resistance of a real car (it recalibrates for less travel when you get on track, just push it down to where you feel comfortable having maximum pedal pressure).
I recently went looking for driving nirvana and decided to try upgrading to a “better” wheel (more expensive) after much painstaking research i settled on the Fanatec GT3 RS V2 with the load sensor brakes. It sucked. virtually no feedback of the road surface interacting with the suspension or the weight balance. I drive cars that give the most feedback and have a tricky balance which requires a real attuning through the wheel e.g. my favorite the RUF BTR, also the BMW 2002 Turbo, on the Nordschliefe with the DFGT 6.38 @ 550pp and 6.58 @ 505pp respectively. G27 more or less the same, dead feeling. Why is this when they are wheels that cost 2 or 3 times as much? I’ll tell you, because PD specifically designed the DFGT wheel to work with the GT4 and GT5 and although other wheels are supported they do not have the development time put into them in terms of the subtleties of feedback.
I have not tried the T500RS official wheel for GT5 for 2 reasons, 1. Is is RIDICULOUSLY expensive, $100 more than my 500gb PS3 system with controller, and secondly it is unreliable with hellish customer service.
Well to wrap it up i am disappointed there is nothing to upgrade to for GT5 or the upcoming GT6 that is worth it IMHO, that is unless PD partners up with another wheel maker who can make an affordable and reliable wheel like my trusty DFGT (yes i had the pedals apart a few times to clean out the carpet hair but otherwise it has been faultless for almost 2yrs).
RIP Logitech
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February 1st, 2013 at 10:28 am - #researchALLwars
good post. This almost makes me want to get a DFGT just to experiment- but without the gated shifter and clutch pedal I have to pass. G25 ‘feels’ pretty alive to me- but it could be better, for sure.
What you say about the Thrustmaster seems to be echoed by quite a few sim-racers. Not good. Well, hopefully Logitech is being very specific with these new statements and a new PC racing wheel is in the works. It should work on PS3 just fine. It would be nice if PD gave us some actual wheel options in this game. You guys ever check out the Wheel Options in a codemasters game? Even on consoles- diRt, GRID, and F1 all have a deep and intricate set of options for whatever darn wheel you hook up. Deadzone, saturations, linearity, and multiple feedback settings. These REALLY help the immersion factor which translates directly to the fun factor of these titles. Oh well. We take what we get. Try to give critical feedback to the developers, and try to have fun- not always easy with our quirky GT series..
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February 1st, 2013 at 11:26 pm - #Both Barrels
Good write up. I would love to have a wheel with the gated shifter and clutch, but not at the expense of fantastic wheel feedback. I’ve also heard that the clutch system isn’t proper, even after the update to fix it. Both my DF Pros are ancient, but I take comfort in the fact that I’ve seen the PD guys using the exact same wheels. I am now concerned about what my options will be if they eventually kaff out… And I’m totally gonna try the foam under the brake pedal!
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January 31st, 2013 at 1:28 pm - #Mooey42
Sad to hear. I’ve had 3 Logitech wheels and loved them all
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January 30th, 2013 at 8:23 pm - #Rushton1996
Yet another period of dead silence from PD after that surge of excitement and trailers the Detroit show brought along with it a couple of weeks back :(
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January 30th, 2013 at 10:07 pm - #steebz
Getting used to it now. Hype hype hype then silence……sadly, that’s how PD works.
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January 30th, 2013 at 12:18 pm - #Z Crazy
Long story made short…. they acquired 4 companies recently and likely paid roughly $200 million too much. That ment they had to account for the losses somewhere on their balance sheet… and recorded huge losses. If you tell your investors you took huge losses they want heads to roll. So to keep his (CEO) job he starts doing the only thing he can, cutting jobs and divisions starting with the least profitable. I’m curious to see how this plays out.
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January 30th, 2013 at 5:03 pm - #infamousphil
Lol, interesting.
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January 30th, 2013 at 12:24 am - #Smokeyhat
Good, the steering wheels SUCK!!!!
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January 30th, 2013 at 3:55 am - #Jaywalker
No they don’t.
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January 30th, 2013 at 8:02 am - #J91patriz
they are just useless in GT…
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January 30th, 2013 at 10:32 am - #MAidioPT
@J91patriz
Useless is your comment.
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January 30th, 2013 at 12:21 pm - #Z Crazy
Sucks…really, ITS THE BEST $100′ish wheel on the market (better than some $200+ wheels). Now if they only lasted more than a year…
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January 30th, 2013 at 12:35 pm - #tpark103
Paid under 100 w/ two year warranty for a DFGT.
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January 30th, 2013 at 1:56 pm - #AzNTypeR
Really, so the DFGT sucks?
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January 30th, 2013 at 4:04 pm - #pnbr0014
the best wheels for the price were the G25 and G27 and those wern’t made specifically for GT5.. so i think they will just be discontinuing the GT line and not the G25 G27 genre.. personally i think games should support periferals not the other way around.. GT should have a library of wheels to support so they can appeal to a library of customers.
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January 30th, 2013 at 5:13 pm - #infamousphil
Think the wheel haters cain’t afford one? Or, are they faster with a controller. I have friends who say they are quicker with the D button, automatic transmission and/or controller… I’m faster with my controller than the wheel that sits in my lap. Who’s to say?… Other than their opinion. Monetary and space shortages restrict my wheel experience.
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January 30th, 2013 at 10:12 pm - #steebz
Blind stupidity. How can this fool diss DFGTs??! They are rock solid i’ve never had any problems with mine! Dont believe the stories about bad reliability coz most of them are complete nonsense
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January 30th, 2013 at 10:55 pm - #Whitefalcon63
I’ve had my G25 for about 5 years and have only just for new pots to the pedals and other than that it’s been faultless. I’ve definitely got my monies worth out of it.
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January 31st, 2013 at 2:17 pm - #pnbr0014
yep i have the G27 and i do find that my times are way quicker and my driving is way smoother than with the controller. but hey to each his own i wouldnt bash anyone for using a controller i never bothered with the GFGT cuz well.. here in trinidad we drive on the right hand side lol..
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January 30th, 2013 at 12:08 am - #marktyper
This issue is sad even though it’s not clear if they will discontinue wheels or not . If thy do, yes sony and pd must team up and make a fully compatible wheel for the future of ps3 and gt5 . Btw I learned how to drive manual from this G27 and I swear I have never driven manual before. Now I can roll like a boss :)
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January 30th, 2013 at 12:52 pm - #researchALLwars
lol! that’s pretty cool man. I’ve tried to teach a couple girls how to drive manual with the g25- with mixed success. Oh well, it’s not like that’s the real reason they came here haha!
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January 29th, 2013 at 11:50 pm - #belzebutt
Not that surprising in hindsight. Everyone who wanted GT5 already has it, and everyone who wanted a DFGT already bought one. That thing was released in 2005 and wheels are notorious for lasting a long time, so unless they come up with some new wheel that’s worth replacing the old ones with, they won’t sell many of the old ones.
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January 29th, 2013 at 10:36 pm - #nascarfn
so yep i did my logitech shoping tonight got the
-z506 5.1 surround sound
-radio
-i-pod dock
-keyboard
already own the g27 so didnt need it -
January 29th, 2013 at 10:28 pm - #pyru
too bad! Because G25 and G27 are great wheels… Actually the only peripheral that I like from Logitech are driving wheels. :P
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January 29th, 2013 at 8:11 pm - #steebz
this is quite sad because i have a DFGT and i was wanting to upgrade to a G27 eventually. Oh well, guess i’ll get a fanatec instead. YOUR LOSS LOGITECH
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January 29th, 2013 at 10:47 pm - #young car joc
You can still get it. Just buy it before the end of the year or just buy it off amazon for cheaper. After that. Just get a preused one. It’s not like they ever break
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January 30th, 2013 at 8:19 am - #steebz
Yeah, i you’re right because my DFGT has never let me down and i’ve gave it quite a lot of abuse lol, i’m gonna start saving for a G27 now before it’s too late
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January 29th, 2013 at 6:44 pm - #BWX
Well yeah, the G27 is a good wheel pedal set for the price, but they need to keep updating them to be competitive. They need to get a load cell brake and better shifter and a belt driven wheel with more power and speed than the G27 and I am sure it would sell well and be competitive price wise.. I guess they’d rather just give up? If so that is pretty weak.
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January 29th, 2013 at 6:44 pm - #sorg
i’ve just thought: what console-only peripheral they’ve produced besides wheels? And i couldn’t remember. So, i guess, wheels is the first product line to drop.
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January 29th, 2013 at 6:53 pm - #sorg
forgot to add: i’m not sure about other countries, but in Asia, even in 2010 retailers was telling me that DFGT wheel is discontinued. I even called Logitech and they’ve told me the same. The only option i had is to buy it in other country.
So, i’m pretty sure wheels are the first product to drop. -
January 30th, 2013 at 5:23 pm - #TeamCZRRacing
All of their wheels (as far as I know) work with both consoles and PCs. For instance I used to use my G25 with Project CARS, and I’ve seen other people use it with different games such as rFactor.
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January 29th, 2013 at 5:31 pm - #Turkey :D
I own many Logitech product, a G5 mouse, Extreme 3D joystick, and a DFGT wheel and I’m fairly satisfied with them. However, I’ve noticed that Logitech has stopped innovating and have been overtaken by other peripheral companies. Had they improved their designs in a more timely fashion, this wouldn’t be happening. This is just business.
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January 29th, 2013 at 3:51 pm - #VBR
It was trying the Logitech GT Force wheel with GT3 that got me into the series, I’d already decided not to buy a PS3 & GT3, then I played it with the wheel round a friends house & realised that I needed to get me one of these! Upgraded to a DF Pro for GT4, then to a G25 for GT5 Prologue, & it’s still going strong after 4 years. I seriously hope the company continues making these reasonably priced & well made wheels, & that theircompany grows strong again. Thanks for making me a sim racer Logitech! All the bes, VBR. : )
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January 29th, 2013 at 2:59 pm - #Donald Rumsfeld
There is not a :( big enough to express how :( this makes me feel.
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January 29th, 2013 at 1:30 pm - #TheGTGuy
Can anyone help me please, everytime I sign into PSN about 2 minutes later it signs me out and says error, what do I do???
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January 29th, 2013 at 8:12 pm - #steebz
that’s a connection (router) issue buddy
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January 29th, 2013 at 1:09 pm - #Lawndart
This might be a sign that MS are still going to block non-registered peripherals on the new Xbox this year… Worse, Sony might do the same? Sony and MS have racing sims for the next hardware… Who will be the mass market supplier? Console gamers far outnumber PC… So what’s the real story in the background?
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January 29th, 2013 at 11:35 am - #Jamaicangmah
Ok Sony/PD is gonna need to step up and offer up their own premium driving wheel at an affordable price because i can’t go back to GT with a controller and im not willing to buy over priced unofficial wheels or cheap crap.
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I would love a G27!