A few questions + Speedster 3 vs Driving Force

[Psy-T]

My birthday is coming up in a week, and I was thinking of getting myself a steering wheel for the Playstation 2. Other than for the obvious games like the Gran Turismo series, I was hoping to find something that would work well with games such as Twisted Metal Black.

Anyways, I had a look around to see what I can afford, discarded everything that wasn't Logitech or Fanatec, and these are my options:

Fanatec Speedster 3

Logitech Driving Force

Logitech Driving Force

...and at the very top end of my budget I can stretch to:

Logitech Driving Force EX

Fanatec Speedster 3 ForceShock

As you can see, there are 2 different 'Logitec Driving Force' wheels in there, so I'm a bit confused, but that's basically all the details I could get from the respective webshops here in Israel - which one is really the 'Logitec Driving Force'? What's the actual name of the other one?

In any case, since all of these wheels are rather old models, I'm having a hard time finding useful information about them from the respective manufacturer's websites, so any information you could spare about these would be appreciated.

Ultimately, my intention is to play with the wheel on my lap, rather than hooked up to a desk/rig, so information about the dimensions and weight of the wheels would be very useful.

And of course, any information about the functionality of the wheels would help greatly in my choice.

Lastly, any subjective information from your experiences with these wheels would be highly valuable.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Honestly... The Driving Force (older), or Driving Force EX (newer) are the only ones you should be considering, out of that list.

Go on Ebay though, and you can probably get a good deal on a Logitech DFP, or even a used DFGT. I turned in 3 games at my local Gamestop in return for the DFGT (new) with only $30 to pay out of pocket.

The DFGT is the way to go, if you can make it happen.

Oh, and don't play with the wheel on your lap. It's not worth it trust me. Just get a TV dinner tray, if you can't be bothered with anything else.

 

[Psy-T]

Honestly... The Driving Force (older),

Would that be the black & blue one, or the pure black one?

or Driving Force EX (newer) are the only ones you should be considering, out of that list.

Go on Ebay though, and you can probably get a good deal on a Logitech DFP, or even a used DFGT. I turned in 3 games at my local Gamestop in return for the DFGT (new) with only $30 to pay out of pocket.

The DFGT is the way to go, if you can make it happen.

I had a look at ebay, saw only one I could afford, used (60 bucks), and it didn't appeal to me anyhow, since I prefer flaps, or even digital buttons for the gear shift, rather than the stick.

Oh, and don't play with the wheel on your lap. It's not worth it trust me. Just get a TV dinner tray, if you can't be bothered with anything else.

I'm 6'3, and I like to play games from my lazyboy chair; even when I'm playing music, I have my huge 14kg keyboard on my lap, so it's really a matter of preference here rather than anything else - unless I opt for the DF EX, which from what I could gather, would tear my thighs up with its powerful force feedback.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Would that be the black & blue one, or the pure black one?

The one that's not called the "EX"

I had a look at ebay, saw only one I could afford, used (60 bucks), and it didn't appeal to me anyhow, since I prefer flaps, or even digital buttons for the gear shift, rather than the stick.

The DFP/DFGT have flaps behind the wheel just like any FFB wheels on the market. However they are both higher quality than either standard Driving Force model.

I'm 6'3, and I like to play games from my lazyboy chair; even when I'm playing music, I have my huge 14kg keyboard on my lap, so it's really a matter of preference here rather than anything else - unless I opt for the DF EX, which from what I could gather, would tear my thighs up with its powerful force feedback.

Any decent FFB wheel will be practically useless from your lap due to the force feadback (and the DFEX is light on the FFB compared to other wheels on the market). Trust me, for a few bucks you can buy a TV tray, and at least it will be anchored down to something. Then just scoot it up to you on the couch. You will regret not doing so.

 

[Psy-T]

The one that's not called the "EX"

Hmm, maybe my original post isn't displaying properly; I'm pasting a segment from that original post that is supposed to display two separate images:

Logitech Driving Force

Logitech Driving Force

If both are displaying properly, can you tell me 1. Which one of them is the Driving Force? 2. What is the other one?

Both are being sold here in Israel under the name "Logitech Driving Force" for roughly the same price.

...Or maybe I'm just blind and can't see that one of those images is clearly marked "EX" somewhere.

The DFP/DFGT have flaps behind the wheel just like any FFB wheels on the market. However they are both higher quality than either standard Driving Force model.

I meant that the stick would be somewhat of a disadvantage in my case, though obviously not a significant one.

Any decent FFB wheel will be practically useless from your lap due to the force feadback (and the DFEX is light on the FFB compared to other wheels on the market). Trust me, for a few bucks you can buy a TV tray, and at least it will be anchored down to something. Then just scoot it up to you on the couch. You will regret not doing so.

Well, I definitely appreciate the advice, but surely there'll be no harm in trying to use the wheel on my lap for a while before feeling compelled to use it on a hard surface.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Hmm, maybe my original post isn't displaying properly; I'm pasting a segment from that original post that is supposed to display two separate images:

Logitech Driving Force

Logitech Driving Force

If both are displaying properly, can you tell me 1. Which one of them is the Driving Force? 2. What is the other one?

The top image is the Driving Force. The bottom image is not.

I meant that the stick would be somewhat of a disadvantage in my case, though obviously not a significant one.

Why in the world would having a stick there be a disadvantage? All it is is another button (1 up and 1 down) to program functions to. The pedals behind the wheel work just like any other FFB wheel (like you claim to prefer), so the only difference would be the addition of another button set (the stick). It's not in the way of anything either, so I'm having a hard time seeing where the disadvantage is. If anything it's an advantage, whether you use it for shifting or not.

Well, I definitely appreciate the advice, but surely there'll be no harm in trying to use the wheel on my lap for a while before feeling compelled to use it on a hard surface.

You'll see when you try to use it on your lap. Don't be stubborn, just do it right the first time and save yourself some headache. However, it's your life, so do what you want.

 

[Psy-T]

Thanks for the help Delphic Reason.

I have another question or two: Will I be able to play PS1 games such as GT1 & 2 on my PS2 with the Driving Force? I'm not expecting force feedback or anything like that, just the bare ability to play those games on the wheel rather than on the Dualshock2.

If it's not possible to play PS1 games (on a PS2) with the DF, then that's a very major advantage for the DF EX. Does the original DF have any advantages over the DF EX to compensate (other than the lower price, of course)?

Again, thanks for your time.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Thanks for the help Delphic Reason.

I have another question or two: Will I be able to play PS1 games such as GT1 & 2 on my PS2 with the Driving Force? I'm not expecting force feedback or anything like that, just the bare ability to play those games on the wheel rather than on the Dualshock2.

If it's not possible to play PS1 games (on a PS2) with the DF, then that's a very major advantage for the DF EX. Does the original DF have any advantages over the DF EX to compensate (other than the lower price, of course)?

Again, thanks for your time.

Any wheel (The DF and DFEX are essentially identical) that will work with the PS2 should play PS1 racing games, if the game will support it.

I would go with the EX out of those two. The original DF is getting pretty long in the tooth, so you may find more problems.

 

[Psy-T]

So yeah, I decided on the EX, mostly to ensure compatibility with PS1 games (even ones that don't have pre-programmed support for wheels), also, some reviews stated the force feedback is stronger in the EX than in the original, so that'd be a nice bonus as well.

 

[Delphic Reason]

So yeah, I decided on the EX, mostly to ensure compatibility with PS1 games (even ones that don't have pre-programmed support for wheels), also, some reviews stated the force feedback is stronger in the EX than in the original, so that'd be a nice bonus as well.

ALL wheels that will work with the PS2 will work for any PS1 game. It may not work well for most games, but it will work.

I'm sure the FFB is stronger on the EX. It's supposed to be similar to the DFP in strength, although the DFP is far superior in every other way.

Still think you should have gone the DFP route (you can lock it to 180 (like the DFEX) or 900), but all in all I think you made the right choice.

Have fun with your wheel. 👍