Controller vs. Wheel

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vett'e
I played with a wheel from the very beginning because I completely did not see the point of purchasing a driving simulator without the wheel. Anyhow, a wheel definitely adds to the over all experience. However, I still find it easier to drift on a controller because counter-steering is so much more intuitive that way. Otherwise its wheel all the way.
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Yes totally agree with all ^^^
 
I had a Logitech wheel - going back maybe 8-10 years ago.
I remember 2 things about it:

1. It cost $ 129, and
2. It sucked. It was a joke.

That kinda put me off of wheels for a while.

When GT5 came along, I was ready to wheel again. I was doing my homework on the different options when a $ 650 veterinarian bill came out of nowhere. While I'm regrouping from that, the Thrustmaster hits the papers.

My immediate reaction is that it gives me the creeps. If it's the 'official' wheel, how friendly is PD going to be toward unofficial ones ? That is a lot of dough and - correct me if I am wrong - does not include the shifter, which is currently priced at 'X amount'. i.e. unknown. In all my days, I have never heard of any product being sold the way this shifter is. That - along with some other stuff that has happened with GT5 - has blown some cold air up my skirt about GT in general. I don't like 'walled gardens'. I try to avoid being proprietized whenever possible.

My feeling: This Thrustmaster thing is bad juju.

So I am back on the fence about 'investing' in a wheel.
 
The contoller is a lot faster to operate but odes not have the control you get with a wheel. I bought a wheel 2 days ago and it doesn't come in a snap. It's left foot brake, right foot accel, left hand steer and right hand shift, and it's hard to get used to the extra movement. I do experience lift off oversteer because I want to put the pedal down and up too much, but it's just something you have to get used to.

Homes: grab a DFGT or a Fanatec wheel. They range about $130-$170, and the DFGT is an official wheel that all the settings can be changed, but the Fanatecs are higher quality and probably more realistic, although they are not official GT wheels.
 
As for realism, I am with the guys who say that once you start dropping a lot of money on simulator stuff, you could buy an actual car with it.

A few years ago, I bought a 2003 Z4 3.0 convertible. Man, it was amazing. Right up until I blew off the road and almost bought the farm in it. Had like 7 airbags go off. It was smoky and smelled like gunpowder inside. I was afraid to drive for a few weeks, and the sight of a bmw gave me the creeps for months after. I consider that to be a 'real driving' experience. It's hard to compare a controller or a wheel to that sort of thing. Or to say that one one wheel is closer to it than another.

BUT, GT does not claim to be actual driving. It claims to be a simulator. What is done, though, is compare it to other simulators. Unfortunately, I can't help but compare it to actual driving.

I don't mean to come across as a jerk - I don't have a bunch of money - I bought the Z4 used w 60k on the clock. And its replacement was also used w/ 48k miles. I have learned a lot from the game and continue to. I encourage people to take at least some of what they know and put it on the road - it's fun.
 
GT_Prologue5
The contoller is a lot faster to operate but odes not have the control you get with a wheel. I bought a wheel 2 days ago and it doesn't come in a snap. It's left foot brake, right foot accel, left hand steer and right hand shift, and it's hard to get used to the extra movement. I do experience lift off oversteer because I want to put the pedal down and up too much, but it's just something you have to get used to.

Homes: grab a DFGT or a Fanatec wheel. They range about $130-$170, and the DFGT is an official wheel that all the settings can be changed, but the Fanatecs are higher quality and probably more realistic, although they are not official GT wheels.
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Thanks, man.

I very much appreciate the info and for replying to my comments. :)
 
I can't even finish a lap with controller without a crash or off track. As far as I concern I have no problem with controller for GT 4 few years back. Which I win every race.
After I use wheel for racing game on PS3. I become sux with controller for any racing game especially GT5 which is very real.
 
In the past few days, I bought my first ever driving wheel in my gaming life, Logitech DFGT.

Been playing it for almost two week now, and I've been putting up lap times that I could probably never put up with a DS3. Especially some of the special event races because the wheel offers me a more precise positioning and control over my car's driving lane.

Honestly though, I would never come back to a controller playing a sim racer.
 
A wheel for precision driving, and when mistakes dont really matter

A pad for drifting, and when mistakes do matter (try controlling a very fast car with a wheel when it begins to spin, and then enjoy how long it takes to reverse the thing and get it back on the road...)
 
Homes
As for realism, I am with the guys who say that once you start dropping a lot of money on simulator stuff, you could buy an actual car with it.
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You don't get much of a car for less than $200 though. And you can't drive it at 200Mph around racetracks all day long without paying for tires, gas, maintenance and insurance etc.. A wheel brings a lot of fun for very little money, and with a lot more more realism than a pad :)

DJ
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Steering wheel is faster because it can turn the car from 'straight' to full lock quicker.

This can, in some instances on GT5, cause the front tyres to light up red and the car to understeer, but with certain cars it's definately an advantage.

However, on GT5prologue, it was a massive advantage, especially in beginner and intermediate catergories.

You can also adjust steering angle on long or very long bends more accurately.

I use controller and I've got 48 / 60 gold licenses, but I'm between 0.002 and 0.2 seconds away from gold on 4 other license tests, I'm sure that if I had a wheel it'd make enough of a difference between getting gold instead of staying silver.
 
DrJustice
You don't get much of a car for less than $200 though. And you can't drive it at 200Mph around racetracks all day long without paying for tires, gas, maintenance and insurance etc.. A wheel brings a lot of fun for very little money, and with a lot more more realism than a pad :)

DJ
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Without a doubt - truer words have never been spoken (or type written). I too would love a serious GT hardware set-up: wheel, pedals, seat, speakers all over, whatever else I'm missing - the whole deal. I will admit to being partial to paddle shifting. Though I do pine for a Caterham. Maybe one day.

As you point out, DrJustice, the beauty of GT is that you can experience the cars, without the downside. That is, those things that we own also own us. Break a GT wheel and that's a few hundred dollars. Put four pretty decent new tires on a sporty car - you're looking down the barrel of 1,000 USD.
 
Having just received a new wheel for Christmas I agree with the whole relearning aspect. My wife heard me talking about a wheel so she went to gamestop and got me they're house brand wheel. It doesnt have 900 degrees of steering or force feedback but it only cost 80 bucks. Man is it awesome. I only play a couple hours a week usually but I can't put it down now. It's like a whole new game. At first I just did some practice laps in my cars from my original career or what have you then untried racing. Wow it's tougher but much more fun. I may not be the best but I enjoy racing more now. Its crazy how different it is. I decided since I wax relearning I'd create a new psn I'd and start from scratch. Best decision ever. I'm going through the licenses and entry level races to get a feel for it. If your on thdvfence go pick up a wheel and fall in love with GT5 all over again.
 
I've been playing GT for awhile now.....a long while. Been playing with a controller the whole time. I got myself a logitech forceGT today and all I got to say is..........fricking awesome!!!! I love it. The sensation it creates is remarkable. I have a very fast vehicle I can't drive anymore and this game with this wheel recreates the feeling of driving it. Amazing. It didn't take me long to learn how to use the wheel. Prolly bout an hour.
 
i played all the GT games with a controller. i have no problem with it. It might not have the realistic feel. but im ok with it.

Double joysticks > wheel! heh
jk

those damn wheels are cool looking but too much for me...and being used for only 1 game
if anyone wants to donate me one, it would be appreciated!
 
Wheel Users:

What sort of set-ups do you have as far as what the wheel is affixed to, what keeps the shifter in place, what keeps the pedals from sliding across the floor, and what are you sitting on ?

A 1200 USD Playseat would be nice. The thing is that it's not so much the money - it's the amount.

On the face of it, The Thrustmaster appears to be a ton of money. But, after having looked at a number of other wheels - some of which were $ 400+ - the Thrustmaster's price does not seem so singularly ridiculous.

If I want a super-duper, neato keen wheel, it is still going to cost a chunk of change. Or so it seems to me. And I still have to mount it all on some kind of ergo-friendly thing of my own creation.
 
I got the driving force GT for Xmas this year and I havent had much time to use it. With young kids around, I can only ever break out the wheel after they all goto bed and even then, I dont much of the time because when I use it, I play "loud" and wake the kids.
Im not very good with the wheel yet as I find it does have quite a bit of learning curve over the controller I have been using since GT1.
Just need to find some time to sink myself into it.
 
I have bought the DFGT last week. Here is my personal experience with it and the GT series in general. I will try to make it short, please bare with me :dopey: !

GT1 - Barely played it, did not like it at all at the time, shame on me, I was not too much into simulators. To be fair, I have not given it a good chance back then.

GT2 - GT mania started to hit me there, and I loved that game. Not sure what changed, but I started liking the more realistic feel of that game as opposed to the traditional Need for Speed arcadish games I was used to and loved. I played the whole game with the DS1 controller and got around 85% completion on it.

GT3 - Got a severe case of the GT fever, and it completely took over my life for about 6 months... I mean completely. It is all I was doing besides working, eating and sleeping. Got 100% completion on that one. I played about 25% with the DS2 controller, and then got myself a Logitech GT Force wheel and completed the game with it never going back to DS2. I thought it made the game much more challenging and interactive, and easily more fun and engaging. At first I sucked bad, but after a few hours, if I remember well, I started to get a good feel for it, and soon became a good driver I like to think. Note here that the GT Force had only 180 or 200 degrees rotation, but it felt right, especially with the F1 and Lemans prototype cars. F1 races brought my adrenaline levels to new grounds, and I was completely addicted :crazy: !

GT4 - I guess my immune system had kicked in and was working overtime with this one, cause I definitely did not catch the fever as strong this time around. Only completed 60% of this game, and didn't even bother setting up my wheel out of laziness. Still loved the game though and I think it was a continuation of the GT quality we have gotten used to, I was just not willing to let it take over my life once again. I won...

GT5P - Loved it, completed 100%, not much else to say, game too short. Played mostly with DS3, some with GT Force, but I did not have a good setup since I had moved. Let's move on.

GT5 - DAMN!! DAMN DAMN!!! A 6 years + wait really works wonders making your immune system weak I tell you. The fever is back with a vengeance, and has me pinned down, completely deprived of a social life, or a life altogether. GT5 is all I do, besides working and eating. Notice how I left out sleeping... not good :rolleyes: I am sooooo loving this game. 95% completion so far, have not even scratched online yet... my life is over!

I know this story has not been about the DFGT so far, but here comes the meat... and sorry for sidestepping from the topic, but I had to share :sly:.

With GT5 I started off with the DS3 because I did not have a proper setup (cockpit). About 20% of the way, I switched to my trusty GT Force once again, since I made myself a decent cockpit and I am now properly setup. WOW... again the wheel made all the difference in fun factor and player interaction. Then the pedals started acting up... the throttle would let go in the middle of a straight while accelerating hard, without me letting go of the gas pedal, or car just dies coming out of a curve when the pedal does not register me stepping on it. Long story short, I got pissed, and went out to replace it with a shinny new DFGT. Was I happy :dunce: ! This was about 90% through the game.

OK my DFGT impression so far... I like the 900 degree steering, makes the experience even more realistic in my opinion. However I have to say it feels a little weird when driving an F1 or a prototype race car, it felt a lot better and natural with my old GT Force at 180 degrees. But this is true only for those cars, and it is still manageable with the DFGT, it just requires a little more skill and practice I guess. Every other car feels better and smoother with 900 degree rotation I must say. The FFB is awesome. It is stronger than on the GT Force, and the feeling it gives seems more lifelike. One gripe I have with DFGT though is when the car over steers and starts sliding it is really difficult ( for me anyways) to recover, and 90% of the time, my cars snaps the other way during the counter-steer and it is usually wall kissing time or play time in the sandpit :lol: ! This is the only thing that makes me miss my old GT Force sometimes, as I rarely spun out with it, and was always (almost) able to recover from over-steer sliding. Maybe I will get better with more practice, I have only had my DFGT for a little over a week as mentioned previously.

All in all, I am loving GT5, and DFGT makes the experience so much more entertaining... to think of any fan of the series who doesn't get to try this is really sad. Those who can afford the wheel, and hesitate to get one, just take the dive, I guarantee you will not regret it.

I appologize for this lenghty post and I hope I didn't bore anyone to sleep, and that my feedback can help some players make their decision.

And last, I just wanna share my baby with you guys, I just love it too much! - Ferrari 458 Italia fully tuned Bling Custom from my Chrome Fleet... feel free to comment :). Don't worry, yes I do have a stock Italia as well.
09tunedblingcutominrace.jpg


S_D out!
 
Soul_Driver
OK my DFGT impression so far... I like the 900 degree steering, makes the experience even more realistic in my opinion. However I have to say it feels a little weird when driving an F1 or a prototype race car, it felt a lot better and natural with my old GT Force at 180 degrees. But this is true only for those cars, and it is still manageable with the DFGT, it just requires a little more skill and practice I guess. Every other car feels better and smoother with 900 degree rotation I must say. The FFB is awesome. It is stronger than on the GT Force, and the feeling it gives seems more lifelike. One gripe I have with DFGT though is when the car over steers and starts sliding it is really difficult ( for me anyways) to recover, and 90% of the time, my cars snaps the other way during the counter-steer and it is usually wall kissing time or play time in the sandpit :lol: ! This is the only thing that makes me miss my old GT Force sometimes, as I rarely spun out with it, and was always (almost) able to recover from over-steer sliding. Maybe I will get better with more practice, I have only had my DFGT for a little over a week as mentioned previously.
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I just replaced my old logitech driving force with a DFGT and have had the same experience. With the old DF I could easily correct most oversteer, with the DFGT it's simply a different ballgame :D I'm getting better, slowly, but it's much easier with the old DF indeed. I do think it's a shame the rotations isn't linked to the car... I mean, there's a reason why in proper race cars you don't have to turn the wheel round a couple of times :P

Anyway, it does feel better though, as a whole. But it's made a beginner out of me again :P Was racing an '05 BMW 330i this morning, on the Nur GP course, and even that was a handful (it's "only" got 257bhp, and I even had TC on 5 :P), I did manage to correct some small slides, but anything major and I'd be off the track.

One thing I think that makes it more difficult is that you need to think about how much you steer more. When taking a corner, if I'm not turning tight enough, is it because I'm going to fast, or because I need to turn the wheel more? With a DS3 and the old DF, I never had to think about this, learning to "sense" this is probably the biggest difference to me. It might also mean I finally have to actually start memorising what speeds I can take corners at, instead of just watching the "omg break" signal :P

Homes
Wheel Users:

What sort of set-ups do you have as far as what the wheel is affixed to, what keeps the shifter in place, what keeps the pedals from sliding across the floor, and what are you sitting on ?

A 1200 USD Playseat would be nice. The thing is that it's not so much the money - it's the amount.

On the face of it, The Thrustmaster appears to be a ton of money. But, after having looked at a number of other wheels - some of which were $ 400+ - the Thrustmaster's price does not seem so singularly ridiculous.

If I want a super-duper, neato keen wheel, it is still going to cost a chunk of change. Or so it seems to me. And I still have to mount it all on some kind of ergo-friendly thing of my own creation.
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My setup is a bit sub-par atm :P I'm using an attachment which came with my old DF, which you secure the wheel to and then hold between your legs. It actually works better than you'd expect, but it's not ideal for quickly turning the wheel more than 90 degrees to either side... I'm sat on the couch and the pedals are fixed in place by the base of the coffee table, by lucky coincidence the distance is just right :) It works, but for driving anything "violent" I do need to make some sort of stand I think.
 
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After reading how much better GT5 is with a wheel, I'm too wondering whether it's worth buying a wheel. I mean I'm looking at the Logitech DFGT wheel and it costs £100-£150 and I think is it really worth buying some expensive equipment for a racing game?
 
If you are considering a wheel then you fall into one of two categories money wise:

$150 is a lot of money and you are already broke buying the game for $70. Stick to your DS3 and feed/clothe yourself by all means!

If $150 is chump change to you or a night out on the town, or it's a few beers to you, and you love GT5, buy a wheel tomorrow.

I spent big $$$$ on GT5 (PS3, CE Game, G27, not to mention TV and surround sound) and I don't regret a minute of it!
 
Scoop2004
A wheel for precision driving, and when mistakes dont really matter

A pad for drifting, and when mistakes do matter (try controlling a very fast car with a wheel when it begins to spin, and then enjoy how long it takes to reverse the thing and get it back on the road...)
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^ This is what I would do too. I wouldn't junk my DS3.
 
Driving simulator = wheel. If you're in it as a long term gamer then start off with the desk/table route and save up or wait for ebay to throw something up. I got a gameracer setup for less than £70 once and then my BRD setup for £80. Even putting £5 a week away will get you something good to stick the wheel on after a year.

Once you've got your rig you've got it! (and you can't ever go back!)
 
SuperCobraJet
(copied from X1 challenge thread)


Concerning the subject of using the DS3, the more I progress through GT5, the more convinced I am the physics model has outstripped the practical use of this controller.

Being IMO the worst console design to start with, doesn't help.
(even the Dreamcast had a better controller than this, over 10 yrs ago)


I find myself constantly wishing I could use my 360 controller.
I'm not sure how much of having a better controller is a factor in the impression of FM3's physics being too easy.
Its definitely the opposite in this game for me

As pointed out in this thread, this will be even more apparent upon undertaking the X1 challenges.
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It's possible to use a wired 360 controller. You need to purchase a $70.00 XCM Cross Battle Adapter 2... I did this for when i wanted to play online shooters. 👍
 
lukeshupe
My wife heard me talking about a wheel so she went to gamestop and got me they're house brand wheel. It doesnt have 900 degrees of steering or force feedback but it only cost 80 bucks.
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I hate people who do that. What are you supposed to say to her? Thank you dear it's lovely?

Now you are stuck with a cheapo wheel and would hurt her feelings if you bought a G27 or Trustmaster.


She can't possibly know the ins and outs of wheels for GT like you do and relies 100% on the sales person who will clearly sell whatever they have in stock.
 
I bought the GT Driving Force 12/4/09. GT5 finally came out in Nov of '10. Almost a yr. later. Didn't like it at first. I've been playing GT since the first on came out in the 90's so I always used the regular controller. Yeah. I'm old for playing video games but this is one game I'm actually still good at. Anyway, I stuck with the wheel and now I love it. My son who is 18 didn't like the wheel at first either but after watching me get used to it he gave it another whirl and now he likes it too. I love beating all you young punks online. Feels great after always getting owned at Modern Warfare 2.
 
Driving Force GT is the way to go, I didn't have $500 AUD to fork out on a g27 unfortunately.

I find that it is such a more pleasurable experience driving with a wheel. When I used the controller, it felt like a video game, but when I pulled out the wheel, it made the game feel real like it should. Especially with the cockpit view I must add.
 

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