Apologies Morgorth_666 but I couldn't disagree more.
That 3 seconds figure you saw somewhere was a result of someone pulling a number out of thin air that made them feel better about themself. Similar and wildly different numbers are reported all the time, as are complaints from wheel users about the unfair advantage that controller users have and how they win more often than not.
I have never heard a wheel user ever complain about a DS3 user having an unfair advantage. Quite the reverse, and that 3 second figure IMHO is not that inaccurate although I will say that it probably represents the top end of the performance gap between equally skilled wheel vs DS3 users.
The reason most of the top racers are on wheels is because most of the top racers take their racing very seriously and as such are much more likely to want to invest in wheels. Nothing more. The fact that doodlemonopoly can be so competitive with either shows that both are quite capable in dedicated and well-practiced hands.
Correct, most serious players have wheels because they take the game seriously and want the experience to be as realistic as possible but lets not kid ourselves. They also have wheel and pedals because it gives them the best possible platform to be able to be competitive too.
Holding up Doodlemonopoly (sorry Doodle) as an example of the norm is preposterous in the extreme. There will ALWAYS be unique individuals that rise above the limitations of any situation and Doodle is one of those. There is no doubt that he is quite extraordinary but to say because he's doing it everyone can is just plain wrong! DS3 users in the top 1000 probably represent less than 2% and I can never accept that at those rates that is a proof positive sample that the DS3 is an equally capable component. If that were true we'd see a much higher sample rate.
Wheels have some advantages such as the obvious smoothness of steering and accelerator input. Controllers also have some advantages such as the ease of moving from extreme steering angles back and forth when wrestling with an out of control car, and the speed-sensitive steering not allowing you to overturn the wheels(much).
Smoothness as you put it or predictable and linear control as I would put it are some of the reasons a wheel is better. Aside from that, the most significant reason is that they are far more accurate and allow much finer levels of control. On a wheel you have inches or movement to determine turn rate on a DS3 you have millimetres of movement so It seems reasonable to posit that error rates would be far higher on a DS3. The same rule applies to braking and acceleration. On the DS3 you have such a fine margin between right and wrong it's almost impossible not to get it wrong.
If there is an absolute difference in pace it is a matter of tenths, not seconds. Various different wheels are widely reported to be reliably faster or slower than each other as well by at least as much. In any given online lobby you're likely to see a good mix of wheel and pad users and there is no way to predict who will finish where except who has the better car, who has the better setup/tune and who is the better driver.
Here we almost agree, regardless of what equipment you use it's up to the individual and whilst I will argue Wheel vs DS3 till the sun turns blue I would hesitate to argue one wheel over another. If you are a bad driver having the best equipment in the world won't make you a good one and equally if you're exceptionally gifted then I doubt it matters what you use.
The fact that wheels and pads are as similar in pace as they are in GT5 is a very good thing. Games often do have wide gaps in performance, and it is by no means always an advantage to the wheels.
I think you are mixing up people with devices. The fact that so many people are equally paced in GT5 is a good thing.
Agree with Morgoth_666. I am DS3 user and have been playing for a year now. I believe that its got more to do with skills rather then the equipment. If you take a bad image you can't blame the camera, can you? I am working hard to improve my skills and ability to drive fast with a DS3. Throttle modulation is the only reason why skilled and fast DS3 users are a tenth or two behind the faster wheel users.
Once I get more practice and get better at throttle control my time will improve. And I also realise that I am not as talented as most players on here are. So I am happy with my place on the totem pole!!
I might not be so quick to agree although I do agree with you that a workman should never blame his/her tools. Having a DS3 does not mean that you can't be competitive and can't have fun but for the ordinary folks in the world who aren't as gifted as Doodlemonopoly like me, a wheel would probably offer a better platform for improvement over a DS3. Who knows Freerizzy, maybe you're the next Doodle and that would be fantastic if that's true but don't discount a wheel.
As a final parting shot, I am a huge fan of the DS3 it's not perfect but it does a really good job and I would never discourage anyone from taking the game as far as they can with one but if you want to make the final move then you simply MUST get a wheel and pedal set. Real cars don't come with DS3's!
No problem Alan, I guess I deserved that.....gotta love the design work on some of those cars. I'd love to have a go in that Honda 