Driving with a controller sucks!

iamsupernasty

iamsupernasty

1,542
United States
Chicago, IL
iamsupernasty
I'd never driven on GT5 with a controller until today. Had a Driving Force Pro when GT5 came out, and upgraded to a Driving Force GT a few months ago.

Long story short, my DFGT died today. I tried playing online with a controller, and Jesus was it a terrible experience.

For all of you who are wondering if a wheel really is that much better, the answer is yes.

I just placed an order for a G27 (50% off thanks to Logitech's awesome customer service) and I'm not sure I'll be able to play the game at all until it arrives.

Sorry, not exciting. Just thought I'd share.
 
I don't have a wheel due to the money just not being here right now, but I've alwasy drivin' with a standard controller since GT4. It's gotten to the point where if I picked upa wheel, I'd suck. Kind of a reverse thing for you. As strange as it sounds, thats how it is.


I'd prefer at standard controller to a wheel because I've been playing for so long, but I'm sure if I had a wheel I could get just as good with some time. You get used to your controller the more you play with it I guess.
 
OT: When you called up logitech to tell them the wheel was dead, they offered you 50% off a G27? Sick
 
slashfan7964
I don't have a wheel due to the money just not being here right now, but I've alwasy drivin' with a standard controller since GT4. It's gotten to the point where if I picked upa wheel, I'd suck. Kind of a reverse thing for you. As strange as it sounds, thats how it is.


I'd prefer at standard controller to a wheel because I've been playing for so long, but I'm sure if I had a wheel I could get just as good with some time. You get used to your controller the more you play with it I guess.
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Yea I know what you mean. I used a controller for years on GT1, GT2, GT3, and even GT4 before I bought my Driving Force Pro. Switching to the wheel took a while to get used too, but it was ok because it increased the fun factor.

Switching back to a controller sucks because not only am I slow and rusty, it's less fun.

J32
OT: When you called up logitech to tell them the wheel was dead, they offered you 50% off a G27? Sick
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Yep. They said I could send the DFGT back and get a free replacement, or keep the DFGT and have 50% off a new G27 w/ free shipping. Sounded like a perfect opportunity to upgrade, so I jumped on it.
 
I tend to prefer a controller as well. Been using them since Turismo #1 and in every other racing game, regardless of console brand. Maybe it's because of the setup of my gaming room. Sitting on a couch about 5 feet away from an LCD tv screen. I find it weird to sit there with a steering wheel between my thighs. It just doesn't feel any more realistic immersion-wise than the controller does. That would most likely change if I were to build a drivers cockpit dedicated to a wheel and pedals.
 
After using the DFGT, it feels weird to drive with the controller. I mean I still can, but I just don't have that sense of feeling like I just to have when I only drove with the controller.

Also very nice man. If my DFGT takes a hit *please do* (lol), I'd do that in a heartbeat!
 
marxlien
im kinda competitive playing online with a ds3, but i also think that it's easier to made mistakes.
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Even though I have a lot of experience drving witha DS3, I still agree with this 100%.
 
AHHH when you get use to something is difficult, for instance me and manual gears, I used to drive automatic, doing manuals have become a challenge
 
Without the proper setup, the wheel/pedals control method has always been a joke to me. The worst part is the manual transmission control. The vast majority of entry level sports cars have a proper floor shifter, not paddles or the sport mode from a Hyundai Accent. Using a wheel is a pointless luxury and does nothing for immersion or realism. It allows for slightly faster times, which don't matter outside of time trials.

Driving with a wheel sucks!
 
This is my first racing sim ever. Never played any of the other GT games or any other racing game for that matter. In fact, I would have never played GT5 if it hadn't come with the PS3 that I bought last December.

My PC went down for a few days so I was bored and picked up GT5 that I'd had laying around since December and I made it all the way to the A-spec extreme series using the controller and that's where the fun stopped.

The controller just wasn't responsive enough. Trying to accelerate smoothly out of a hard brake hairpin corner was like trying to perform spinal column surgery with a power drill.

So I ordered a G27 and I'll never look back. My times on every race that I competed in plummeted. I went from barely managing to get silver on my license tests to going back and getting gold on all of the licenses I already had. Instead of spinning out helplessly without the aids all jacked up to 10, I could turn them all off and smoothly control the movements of my cars.

Last but not least, there were several cars that I thought were utter crap with the controller, but suddenly love now that I have more finite control.

Driving with a controller does indeed suck.
 
Money and space/location dictate I use the DS3. I would love to have a wheel and nice setup for one, but it is a bit out of reach for me. In saying that I find driving with the DS3 very easy. Granted, its not quick enough for the X2010 and in somecases the FGT, but its what I am used to and what i am good with. If I started with a wheel now, I dont think I would be great, but I would certainly build up the pace as time went on
 
The wheel is a mixed blessing for me.

Essentially, it makes the game absolutely no fun to play with a controller, but it's a bit of an effort to get the wheel out and set up, so I find myself playing the game less than I would if I just used a controller.
 
Eunos_Cosmo
The wheel is a mixed blessing for me.

Essentially, it makes the game absolutely no fun to play with a controller, but it's a bit of an effort to get the wheel out and set up, so I find myself playing the game less than I would if I just used a controller.
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I had this problem for most of GT5P, the trick is to get a setup you don't have to put away, or something that puts away easily.
I don't think I could play with with just a controller anymore, not that I'm incredibly better with a wheel, it's just such a better experience.
 
Thomas2012
Its not the controller its you
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Says the person who goes around blaming a Stratos for it's twitchy handling character :D but yea, it does take some time to adapt to a controller. I've been using one since GT5 came out, and I can just about match a poor-average wheel user. How does driving with a wheel feel like? Like driving a real car?
 
Dude, I use a DS3. I match a lot of wheel users online. I personally find it fine to drive with a DS3. And yes, I have tried a wheel. For 2 months, nonetheless.
 
I know that a wheel is faster, but a controller is my only option. Not because I don't have the money, but because if I even tried to use a wheel I would be killing myself...
 
The amazing ghoztmazta online uses DS3 only. I have a wheel but it takes sos much space in my room so i dont bother to pick out of the closet. I was using it aklot before, but then i got a girlfriend and u all know u need it clean :P HAHAHA. So i only use the DS3 right now. And i match all wheel users i race against. But i have perfected my skills for almost 10 years of racing games and such, so probably why i am so damn good.
 
C-ZETA
I know that a wheel is faster, but a controller is my only option. Not because I don't have the money, but because if I even tried to use a wheel I would be killing myself...
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Wut?

andy63
The amazing ghoztmazta online uses DS3 only. I have a wheel but it takes sos much space in my room so i dont bother to pick out of the closet. I was using it aklot before, but then i got a girlfriend and u all know u need it clean :P HAHAHA. So i only use the DS3 right now. And i match all wheel users i race against. But i have perfected my skills for almost 10 years of racing games and such, so probably why i am so damn good.
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Imagine how fast you could be with wheel practice then. :sly:
 
I found it very hard to get back on track with the dfgt after making a mistake and having to reverse and turn the wheel at the same time was hard haha, I have a fully functional dfgt sitting here but i use ds3 now its just not as much hassle to get pout and play quickly.
 
This thread makes me sad :( The way my livingroom is set up, there's no way for me to use a wheel so I'm stuck with the DS3. I've been drooling for a G27 for ages now and spent endless hours trying to figure out how to make it happen, but there's simply no way. Hopefully when I'm done with school and move to a bigger place with the gf I can have a proper man cave. :D Hopefully GT6 will be out around that time...
 
I've been driving with a wheel since day one. When I bought my PS3 back in 2008, I ordered a G25 at the same time. I'm now using a G27 and I'm just waiting for for an official release date from Thrustmaster for the H-pattern shifter and I'll be ordering a T500RS.

I don't just play GT5. I play other PS3 based racing games and I also play PC based racing sims. I'm looking for the most realistic experience possible. And to me, using a wheel is an essential part in that experience. The few times I tried driving with the DS3, I was completely hopeless. I could barely control the car, let alone set any competitive times. But that said, I don't really play any other games outside of racing sims so I have almost no experience with the DS3. For me it's basically a device to turn on or shut off the PS3 and navigate the XMB. It's a foreign object that still doesn't feel quite natural in my hands.

Owning a wheel, especially a mid or upper range wheel is not cheap. And for many people on this site, who are still students, or struggling in a bad economy or for whatever reason, don't have the financial means to buy one, I understand and sympathize. I was there once too. But I can't quite understand why people wouldn't WANT to use a wheel with a driving game, if they could. In my opinion, it's the single most important step in bringing a game like GT5 away from gaming and that much closer to a sim racing experience.

Real cars have real steering wheels. (Not DS3s) :)
 
GfxJG
Dude, I use a DS3. I match a lot of wheel users online. I personally find it fine to drive with a DS3. And yes, I have tried a wheel. For 2 months, nonetheless.
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FR cars are harder to drive on the limit with DS3.
If you see what people can do with a wheel and you simply cant replicate it with the controller...I cried :3
 
Well, every man for himself.

I more prefer driving using DS3. The analog throttle/brakes and control at least give a little bit of experience about driving real car.

For sure if i have a chance i will take on the wheel. The problem is, i don't have a place to put it. :P

And i think you guys know that even Kaz said if you want full experience, wheel are the best. 👍
 

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