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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Comments (121)

  1. 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

    1. 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..

    2. 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!

  2. 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 :(

  3. 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.

    1. 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…

    2. 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.

    3. 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.

    4. 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

    5. 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.

    6. 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..

  4. 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 :)

    1. 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!

  5. 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.

  6. 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

  7. pyru

    too bad! Because G25 and G27 are great wheels… Actually the only peripheral that I like from Logitech are driving wheels. :P

  8. 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

    1. 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

    2. 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

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

    1. 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.

    2. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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. : )

  13. 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???

  14. 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?

  15. 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.

  16. marktyper

    I dont think they will discontinue steering wheels cause I know they sell alot! But if they will discontinue, thats real sad . I have G27 owned it for 9 months now . Started with dfgt . If they discontinue_ gt6 anr future sim race games will not click!!!

  17. fordskydog

    G25 is best ‘ cause it has everything you need. Three pedals, h-pattern, sequential, paddles. Would be nice to have a couplr more buttons on the wheel.

    Logitech, please don’t go! Please keep making us a middleground wheel of nice features and resonable price. I fear my G25 will succomb to daily abuse evenyually…

  18. Ingenting87

    very sad if they stop making steering wheels. i was really looking foward to a G29.
    i have the G25 and G27 and they are amazing wheels.
    NOT COOL LOGITECH…

  19. braunracing88

    I still have my Driving Force Wheel of theirs from 2001 and it works just fine on both PS2 and PS3. Hopefully, it’ll work on the PS4 whenever that comes out.

  20. SavageEvil

    This story is a bit misleading, Logitech is only discontinuing their console line of peripherals they will continue to make peripherals for PC. So no worries about no more steering wheels, if they did that they might as well close up shop and go out of business. They lost a lot of money with peripherals, so they attempting to cut off that dead weight and stick to their bread and butter PC market. I say yes, now we get new wheels to replace the G27. I hope they really come out with an adjustable pedal set, a much heavier paddle shifter assembly and overall stronger FFB motors and tougher overall build.

  21. liampage123

    The G27 is for the PC. And it comes with rfactor. They should keep the steering wheels, they get good sales. G25 and 27 are pretty popular.

  22. grog

    So we’re getting worked up over a story without any clarification or specifics?

    That said I would also pile on if they do stop making steering wheels. I’ve been wanting to see some new steering wheels come to market.

  23. terminator363

    It’s stupid that Logitech is discontinuing sales of peripherals -not just wheels- when they have a pretty solid reputation.

  24. researchALLwars

    The biggest problem with buying a wheel, of any price range, is the fact that a sturdy rig must also be contructed or bought at a painful price itself.

    The rig is where you have to start. In the forums here on GTP there are some REALLY good DIY options that can certainly get you racing for around 60-80 bucks in materials if you’re even slightly good with a drill. (which you are. so quit bein a such a big ol baybeh, and get to work.)

    1. Metallica81

      lol I just use a computer chair and an old table we had laying around, I play GT5 and iRacing no prob..lol

    2. researchALLwars

      ok fellas, the old desk/chair combo is not completely* inadequate- but it also is not going to hold you in place during that big, violent steering correction as you try to save a big drift. Also, the seating position and steering wheel angle is less than ideal without a rig.

      I probably spent around $130 on materials for mine and I am tucked in nicely- with a fine-tuned, adjustable seating position mimicking a real racecar. My g25 shifter just a hand fall away from the wheel- right where it would be in the best sports cars. I can whip that wheel as violently as I please, and press down on my Nixim-modified brake pedal with hundreds of pounds of force, no problem.

      I’m not gonna force you guys to step up from your adolescent-level setups, so by all means- laugh away and enjoy your games. See you on the track.

    3. mr_pepps

      @researchALLwars Dude my wife would piss herself laughing at me if I made a pretend car in the house like you. Table and chair suits me fine.
      Do you have people over to sit right in front of you, eating noisy snacks and whispering at each other when you watch a movie at home? You know, like a real cinema?

    4. researchALLwars

      hey. some of us need that other person in our life so bad that we’re willing to let them call the shots around the house. That’s fine, bro. Some of us like to wake up every day, and do exactly what it is we feel like doing. No master above, no slave below.

      I won’t hate. Do your thing. Or her thing… whatever. lol

    5. BWX

      LOL, right on.

      I am the one wearing the pants, not her.

      People can wisper all they want, my sim-rig stays. They can go blank themselves if they don’t like it- and if you are so insecure that you are embarrassed of your own hobby, then maybe you need to grow a pair.

    6. vlonjati77

      Yeah I ve built myself teh racing rig.I think I should have pics of it somwhere here in this site.Anyway mr-pepps says his wife would laugh her a$$ off if he made a pretend fake car for gt5 lol My wife also laughs but I dont give a fak.I enjoy racing with the wheel and laugh my A$$ off while she plays AngrY $hit Birds hahaha.

    7. vlonjati77

      There is no way i will race again without wheel,its impossible to go back to racing with pad,if not Logitech there will be alternatives I guess.I race at Nurb WIth no aids ABS OFf and fair obviously.Who is interested can add me my psn id is the same as my username here.In the message write GT5,and you should have MIC.if you dont have MIC(headset) do not waste your time.

    8. mr_pepps

      @vlonjati77 Ha! Angry Birds! Too true :)
      @bwx Is there any chance I could learn to be so assertive and confident like you? I wish I had a sim-rig at home too.
      @researchALLwars Man sounds like you have it made :-D No boss, no overbearing commitments and all the tine in the world to do just what you want when you want to. I want that life!!
      Sounds bliss :)
      If only I wasn’t so unsure of myself…

    9. researchALLwars

      cmon mr_pepps!! Whats the worst that could happen? She leaves? Let her. If her love can’t go beyond such trivial things, then maybe you’re not with the right person anyway.

      Maybe you have a basement where you could have a nice sim-racing rig? Also in the forums here in the Sim Racing Hardware section you will find the many great DIY setups- many of which are able to quickly set-up and break-down for storage. Your rig doesnt have to be a permanent fixture in your living room.

      We love you man! Fight the good fight! lol!

  25. nascarfn

    this is console gaming peripherals there keeping the computer stuff going and the g series is a computer series this shouldn’t of even been posted here there will probably not be a g29 any time soon but there most likely will be later on down the road after this all calms down and they straighten them selves out g29 news will probably coming out

  26. RevoXeli

    Their wheels are really good and totally worth the money. I’ve had other wheels but nothing is as good as the G27. It’s like a completely different game with the G27, H-shifter and the clutch. I love my G27

  27. 2012GT325

    I use my good ‘ol PS3 controller to play GT5. I have never used a wheel and I know I might be missing a lot. But wheels are expensive and I don’t know about their quality. I don’t want to be paying for one and seeing it break a few months later. I understand the production costs and so on, but it shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to get a quality wheel. I think it’s ridiculous that some wheels cost MORE than the combined cost of the console AND the game!!! Ouch!!!

    1. TomBrady

      Where did you get that idea from? Wheels last years, they last longer than your TV will, or your PS3. Logitech DFGT is $100 or less. It has everything you need, strong force feedback, sequential and paddle shifters, 900 degree steering, and obviously gas and brake pedals. Its only missing a clutch and H pattern shifter, so no, wheels are not expensive

    2. lemans2005

      I can only say you know nothing about the wheel. First, it is not too expensive, as a DFGT only cost $92USD in my area; Second, Logitech offer one year warranty for each wheel, so even you break your wheel few months later, you still can replace a new one from Logitech.

    3. LERK84

      My 1st G27 broke after 10 months Logitech replaced it in 5 days totally free. My replacement G27 9 months later is broken in the exact same way, The buttons & lights on the wheel & the paddles dont work & Logitech wont replace this 1. I really love this wheel but its not reliable enough to stand up to everyday (& I mean everyday for 5+ hours easy) usage. & the way Logitech wont replace a wheel that they sent as a replacement is really annoying im now forced to buy another wheel or stay stuck with my broken 1.
      @ TomBrady I use my TV even more than my wheel & its fine at 2.5 years old whereas ive broken 2 G27’s not through any missuse or tampering & the longest mine lasted was 10 months. But I know people have no problems with them & have them fully working for years, But not me.

    4. Metallica81

      DFGT 80 bucks at best buy…had it awhile now ( knock on wood) still works fine, even after falling from a table and hitting a wood floor…

    1. playnthru

      Fanatec? Not likely, since Thrustmaster already IS GT’s official wheel. I doubt Fanatec would pay PD for the rights required to do so.

  28. Froudeybrand

    They G27 sells for 499 rrp in Australia but every now and then you see them for 299 at retail outlets, so I wonder what the cost and mark up is for the stores. Or I would like to see final Cost of wheel prior to retail inflation.

  29. GT5Canuck

    I found a store selling refurbished DFGT wheels for $43, 2 weeks before the release of GT5. Best deal for me in a long while, managed to point four friends or co-workers to the store before they ran out.

  30. infamousphil

    Great products at low prices? It just ain’t feasible anymore. Welcome to the 21st century. Consider yourselves lucky to have one of their wheels.

    Limited space in my home, I’ve purchased one of their (in you lap) models. With limited control (buttons) I’m not as quick as I am with the controller.

    Hope it doesn’t go away because I hope to afford one sober or later ;(

  31. Wally

    No surprise! That’s what you get when you don’t have a good customers services! And for $200 more you get a Thrumaster T500 ,a real wheel!

    1. chassy

      Must be a real one for $500 dollars… im pritey sure that the thrustmaster wheel its good, but i dont change my g27 for 2 trustmasters. I got the g27 and T500, i prefere the g27 all the way. This is sad if they planning to take the g27 or their wheel series out of market

  32. StiggyGT

    It would really be sad to see these products go…
    Especially with the future release of GT6, as many have mentioned. Oh well, the Driving Force series has served well, and shall continue to do so for me and many others for many more years if they ARE being discontinued..

  33. DaveTheStalker

    It’s pretty obvious Logitech doesn’t want to take the risk in taking the next step in the market. They don’t want to compete in the next generation of wheels with Thrustmaster & Fanatec. The T500rs has been on the market for 2 years.

    It’s easier for Logitech to hike up prices on low cost goods like keyboards and mice with no “real” upgrade in hardware. They wouldn’t get away with charging $600-$800 for a slightly upgraded wheel. However, leaving the budget wheel market to bottom feeders like Mad Katz is disappointing. As for the lack of orders, I’ve never seen a G25 or G27 In any consumer electronics store or a video game specialty store, and stores like Walmart or Target, I’ve never seen a Logitech wheel there. It’s a tough accessory to sell, you can’t just hold it in your hand. You’re required to clamp it to something. This something could be really expensive or really cheap. Nonetheless, you can’t just “pick up and play” with a wheel.

  34. leeislee

    If they sold their wheels really cheap, like go £50 each they’d sell fifty times the amount and make more money.

    1. PaMu1337

      Shame there’s still a thing called production costs, if they would sell for such low prices, they would make massive losses.

  35. Farkup

    I wore out my DFGT, and as it was dying I saved my pennies for a Fanatec CSRE, pedals and gated 6, and sequential shifters. IMO, there is nothing out there that can compare to it. The load cell brake is amazing. Still, it is very expensive for the average gamer. Logitech filled the “decent priced” wheel niche, and has good quality. I’ll be sad to see them discontinue support for the consoles.

  36. TylerJDallas

    I saw this coming. I work in the Home Automation industry and they stopped selling the Squeezebox Media Streamer unexpectedly.

  37. Youngun

    No….. Disappointing. Either they have no new ideas (i got a few logitech) or the competition is to stiff. A wheels a wheel, GT6 + new Wheel release bundle could sell if done right. Loved my G27 as a middle market wheel, and not being belt is better in my mind. R.I.P G-Series……

  38. waddy2001

    It would be interesting to see what percentage of GT5 gamers use a Logitech wheel. Even if it’s only 25%, that would mean around 15 million products, wouldn’t it? Seems to me that a company can survive quite well with that number of sales. Maybe the problem is distribution. Logitech should look at direct marketing in major markets. Drop the retailers and they might make more money with substantially lower costs. Alternatively, they could offer exclusive rights to someone like Amazon. With GT6 coming out sooner or later (probably later), they’d be missing a whole new market, wouldn’t they?

    1. Factor41

      I’d say the number of people who use ANY wheel is significantly lower than 25% when you consider how many GT5 owners will be casual gamers, kids with no budget, people who got GT in a bundle and aren’t so fussed about it, etc.

  39. omnibusse

    OMG! Loved my Driving Force GT and always thought about getting a G27. Looks like time’s running out soon.

  40. NFSCARBON1

    Logitech wheels are good quality and very popular, so I can’t see them being dropped forever. Perhaps when the economic climate picks up and people have a bit more cash to spend Logitech will release the next series of wheels?

    At the moment I think the problem is many casual gamers do not have the money spare to afford even a DFGT, let alone a G27. And those who do have the disposable income possibly have enough to buy the alternative Thrustmaster or Fanatec Wheels instead.

  41. Foxiol

    Glad I own a G27 bought at release and still like new. Sad about this but hope this make Thrustmaster and Fanatec to low their prices because they do quality products too but quite expensive.

    Also I was hoping for a G29 or G30 soon…but no more.

  42. KYD302

    They made three good wheels the G25 G27 and the GT5 wheel the biggest problem is the lack of a clutch on the gt5 wheel the g27 is my favorite wheel but it’s been out 5-10 years and the price hasn’t been reduced ever and imo the wheel is over priced i still call my g27 my favorite wheel but the t500rs from thrust master is a better wheel when it’s not broke. i’ve had to have it repaired three times already and it has maybe 20 hours of use on it. so for 600 bucks it’s not worth it but if logitec plans to discontiue there wheels i might have to buy a few before they stop making them. Logitec is great for the price and aside from thrustmaster theres not another company worth talking about and in my opinion i want a wheel with a 6spd slot shifter and an optional hand brake that can be mounted at the thigh for the entry level drifters and more extreme drifters also it would be very nice to have for my massive collection of rally games. i’ll miss logitech but maybe some other company can step up and do a better job.

    1. Both Barrels

      That may very well be the main reason, I’ve got 2 GT Pros (the original, without the shuttle wheel) and they’ve both held up all these years. I’ve had to take the pedals apart to remove a lot of dog hair, but other than that they behave like new.

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