Gran Turismo 6: Do you use a DS3 controller or a steering wheel?

  • Thread starter Mikey24
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What do you use?


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    373
Back in 2011 i was going for the G27 which is very common here, but since i also play on the PC and the X360, and had a scheduled work-related trip to the US, i decided to go with the Fanatec CSR + Elite Pedals.

I was really pleased that it was (a lot) cheaper than the G27 in Brazil, since it was within the tax-free quota (USD500). Also pleased that it now works on the PS4 (kinda, but they'll sort it out lol).

Had to spend a little more when i got home, on one of these stands (pic below)

Rock solid build for both, still tip top after 4 years, specially the wheel, it's like new.

1378168487_3.jpg
That stand looks awesome!! That's exactly the type of stand I want to get. I swear, I see the best sim racing equipment being sold anywhere BUT the United States. It's so frustrating...
 
Use a wheel DFGT.....will be upgrading to G29 when GT7 comes out.....need to make 100% sure what is the best option available at the time.....
 
I have used the DS3 for years and started to use the Hori Racing Wheel 4 this year. I enjoy using both the controller and steering wheel.
 
I have always just used the standard playstation controller from gran turismo 1 until now. I would obviously love to have a wheel and pedals for better immersion and more precise inputs but I don't see it in my future. As it stands, I am lucky my girlfriend even let's me play for the little amount she does and all space in our living room is taken by my 2 year old's toys and furniture. When the boy is old enough to play though, then I can maybe get one "for the kid" and then "borrow" it for gran turismo lol. Until then I soldier on as a ds3 user and do my best to have fun with what I have.
 
I have always just used the standard playstation controller from gran turismo 1 until now. I would obviously love to have a wheel and pedals for better immersion and more precise inputs but I don't see it in my future. As it stands, I am lucky my girlfriend even let's me play for the little amount she does and all space in our living room is taken by my 2 year old's toys and furniture. When the boy is old enough to play though, then I can maybe get one "for the kid" and then "borrow" it for gran turismo lol. Until then I soldier on as a ds3 user and do my best to have fun with what I have.

That's a good attitude to have. My life would've been a lot different if Gran Turismo didn't take up a big chunk of all the free time I've had in the last 17 or 18 years since GT1 came out in the USA when I was 14. I've been using the standard dual shock controller the whole time except for the 6 months that I owned a G27 and Obutto cockpit in time for GT5's release in November 2010, but had to sell due to lack of space in my apartment. As soon as my girlfriend and I get a 2-bedroom place in a year or two, I'm getting my wheel setup for GT7. Probably a T300RS, though the G29 does sound quieter.

This is a great comparison for those preparing for GT on the PS4:

 
I use both, for some things a controller is better and for others a wheel is better.

I like drifting with the controller, because I can use the e-brake. I'm not handy enough to wire up a makeshift e-brake handle. If only Thrustmaster or Logitech would produce one.
 
I usually never drift, but for countersteering and taming tailhappy cars the controller is godly and much easier than the wheel.

"Godly" and much easier? That's not a fact mate, you should add the words "for me" or "i think"... i can't do anything with the pad anymore :lol:
 
Yeah, sure... Thats MY opinion. But, whats quicker and requires less effort... turn the wheel, or move the controller stick?

Hm by your question i can see why you think that... a good wheel can be set with a low turning angle and give extremely fast response, when required, as well as a bigger one for a much (MUCH) better drift control. Well, to use my own approach, I THINK it offers better control and i'm more confortable with that...

Move the stick quicker and less effortlessly has nothing to do with being faster on the track, i guess you'll use what suits you better, and that's fine.
 
Hm by your question i can see why you think that... a good wheel can be set with a low turning angle and give extremely fast response, when required, as well as a bigger one for a much (MUCH) better drift control. Well, to use my own approach, I THINK it offers better control and i'm more confortable with that...

Move the stick quicker and less effortlessly has nothing to do with being faster on the track, i guess you'll use what suits you better, and that's fine.
Well, I can only say that all my life I've been playing with the controller in GT and I can control any car in any circumstance, dry, wet, or any tire, with no problem, unlike with the wheel, that in certain cars and circumstances its completely painful to do so. Try a stock Stratos with stock tires in the wet
 
Well, I can only say that all my life I've been playing with the controller in GT and I can control any car in any circumstance, dry, wet, or any tire, with no problem, unlike with the wheel, that in certain cars and circumstances its completely painful to do so. Try a stock Stratos with stock tires in the wet

lol trust me, i tried that many times, and i have a blast doing those things. i look like my 6yo son with the pad, can't read the reactions, can't control the throttle anywhere near as well as with the pedal, heel and toe is obvisouly out of the question... i guess i drive better than i play games so that probably becomes very noticeable in GT and other sims :lol:

i'm always impressed with the times i come by in the rankings from pad users, it's quite a skill
 
lol trust me, i tried that many times, and i have a blast doing those things. i look like my 6yo son with the pad, can't read the reactions, can't control the throttle anywhere near as well as with the pedal, heel and toe is obvisouly out of the question... i guess i drive better than i play games so that probably becomes very noticeable in GT and other sims :lol:

i'm always impressed with the times i come by in the rankings from pad users, it's quite a skill
Skill, that usually comes with time and practice, like usual. But of course some people have more "quick fingers" than others.
 
@RodolphoPNeto - Of course, you're right about the wheel being able to provide more exact control. It's really just simple math; most wheels these days have 900+ degrees of rotation, giving you the ability to wind on just the right amount of lock for any particular situation. Even if one were to restrict it to 270 degrees for racing, that's still quite a lot of distance to work with. With the DS3 stick, there's what, a centimetre or two of travel either way? Sure, it's faster to go from lock to lock on a thumbstick, but there's no way someone will be as accurate. The stick approach requires a lot of constant adjustments – not bad, really, as it's up to user preference, but it's a much different feel.

As someone who uses both – or at least, used to, before my wheel crapped out on me – I can say that both have their benefits and drawbacks. It's not surprising that the fastest people in GT6 use a wheel though, and it's also not surprising to see that some controller users have absolute confidence in their ability to smack a little thumbstick around.

P.S. Please use proper grammar (punctuation and capitalization) when posting. 👍
 
I have always just used the standard playstation controller from gran turismo 1 until now. I would obviously love to have a wheel and pedals for better immersion and more precise inputs but I don't see it in my future. As it stands, I am lucky my girlfriend even let's me play for the little amount she does and all space in our living room is taken by my 2 year old's toys and furniture. When the boy is old enough to play though, then I can maybe get one "for the kid" and then "borrow" it for gran turismo lol. Until then I soldier on as a ds3 user and do my best to have fun with what I have.

Get a Fold away Wheelstand plus http://www.wheelstandpro.us/Thrustmaster-Wheel-Stands/, and a Thrustmaster FFB wheel, or a Non-FFB Wheel T80 from Walmart, you 15 days to see if you like it, if not return it. You have to be happy too bro, your lady should understand, or give her no choice. or nag about her favorite hobby or passtime until she caves. Give women A little taste of their own medicine, it works for me.
:cheers:
 
Ok, i have read the first page of votes, but i ask you this. Have any of you who have the wheel driven a real car? Not one of you has mentioned a clutch, which is crutial to the type of driving we do here. if any of you DO have one please respond because i would like to know how the car reacts compared to a real car if you have had the opportunity to experience that pleasure, to the simulation in gt6. Just want to know if the develepors are really going the extra mile/km. Also, if you have driven a real rafe car/rally car, how real are the physics and does the GT experience realistically simulate the tracks you have been on?
 
Ok, i have read the first page of votes, but i ask you this. Have any of you who have the wheel driven a real car? Not one of you has mentioned a clutch, which is crutial to the type of driving we do here. if any of you DO have one please respond because i would like to know how the car reacts compared to a real car if you have had the opportunity to experience that pleasure, to the simulation in gt6. Just want to know if the develepors are really going the extra mile/km. Also, if you have driven a real rafe car/rally car, how real are the physics and does the GT experience realistically simulate the tracks you have been on?

I sometimes use a clutch and my H pattern shifter to play the game.

GT5 Shifter 1.jpg


Unfortunately the clutch model in GT6 is not good (it was also poor in GT5) so not many people play the game with a clutch, but there is (or was) a "Clutch Club".

The problem is that the throttle has to be fully off and any mis-shift does not result in a delayed or scrappy shift as it would in real life, but results in the car going into neutral with the consequent loss of a lot of time as you have to re-shift. If you make the shifts very accurate and unrushed just as you would in normal road driving there is no problem with the clutch model, but it is not good for racing.

I only use the clutch offline - I am already only average in speed and if I used the clutch as well for racing online it would be too much of a handicap.

I find the physics good enough for the game to be entertaining, but it is a game and should be enjoyed as such - it cannot replicate the g forces and my wheel and pedals do not replicate the heavy forces from a real car. The shifter for instance has no resistance whereas some gearboxes are quite heavy.

Real racers do sometimes practise tracks in GT6 and other driving games. The only track in the game which I have driven in real life is Brands Hatch and it feels very accurate, but the track is much scarier in real life.

To get a detailed answer on the physics you would need to ask someone with a lot more track experience who is also an expert tuner such as @Motor City Hami

I suggest you search for previous threads on physics and read the contributions by Motor City Hami (probably the best tuner on this site with real world race experience). This topic has been discussed in depth previously on this site so it should be easy to find other threads.
 
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I have to disagree. I think a wheel with small degree of rotation would be better. You know that ZINTEI guy that nails most of the drift seasonals, he supposedly uses a 200 degree wheel (That's what the leaderboards said last I checked, anyway)*. The wheel offers more control, but a normal 900 degree wheel would take more steering. At least that's what I think, I'm not much of a drifter.
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I don't have a wheel. It bugs me and I'd like one, but I know it would be a hassle. I really don't have the space in my living room for a stand, etc. It's not even about being faster, there are just some cars that I feel like I need the wheel to enjoy, like Yellowbird, or the WSR car; I can't even bring myself to really use the 2013 NSX, it just feels wrong with a controller.

*I just checked the leaderboards, and he actually swaps between the 200 and 900 degree wheels, but seems to prefer the 900.


Friends who drift tell me that it is much harder to drift with a wheel than a controller and takes a long time to learn.

I strongly reccomend that you get a wheel if you can as it increases your sense of immersion and hence massively increases your enjoyment of the game. However you also need to invest in a proper stand. If you get a Wheelstand Pro it folds and therefore can easily be stored in a closet for when you have a girl round and don't want the wheel seen.
 
I have to disagree. I think a wheel with small degree of rotation would be better. You know that ZINTEI guy that nails most of the drift seasonals, he supposedly uses a 200 degree wheel (That's what the leaderboards said last I checked, anyway)*. The wheel offers more control, but a normal 900 degree wheel would take more steering. At least that's what I think, I'm not much of a drifter.
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I don't have a wheel. It bugs me and I'd like one, but I know it would be a hassle. I really don't have the space in my living room for a stand, etc. It's not even about being faster, there are just some cars that I feel like I need the wheel to enjoy, like Yellowbird, or the WSR car; I can't even bring myself to really use the 2013 NSX, it just feels wrong with a controller.

*I just checked the leaderboards, and he actually swaps between the 200 and 900 degree wheels, but seems to prefer the 900.
I said I dont drift and I talked about countersteering.
 
@Frenzyhero with less steering rotation you actually have less control. Also getting a wheel and setting it to 200 degrees seems like a waste of money and defeats the purpose of even having one, in my opinion.

Here's mine, pretty sloppy wheel work as I had been awake all the night before.
 
I use a G27 for all types of driving. I never use the DS3 because, well, it isn't as fun. Even in racing I can hold my own even though I'm too stubborn to not use the clutch or have ABS on.
 
I use both, there are a couple of tracks I cant seem to drive better with a wheel, by better i mean in terms of lap times especially Monaco where I'm always at least 2 seconds slower using a wheel.
 
Wheel all the way. Develops muscle memory and hand eye coordination.

Upgraded from a 10 year old G25 (which served me well) to a G29 and loving it. Also have a DFGT which is for the kids.

The G29 brake is better even without the GTEYE spring. Dual pressure, which is great for no abs trail braking. Smooth steering with plenty of torque. Running 7/7 to keep the corrugation vibes down.
 
Ryk
What will be faster?
First go with the big wheel and foot pedals
or a try with a DS3 using the D-Pad to steer and X and O to speed up / slow down. (Proper GT1 style!)

Good luck
That is exactly how I play.I'm old school and use d-pad for steering and x and square for gas and brake.
 
I've been using both since a month ago. Feels like two different games, really... the cars steering capacity with a wheel is so much higher, its ridiculous.

So for understeering and mostly neutral cars i use wheel, and for tailhappy oversteering cars I prefer to use the controller at the moment, the cars can be controlled much better, otherwise It can be a real pain.
 
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WELL I KNOW FOR MYSELF THE CONTROLLER AFTER TEN YEARS HAS BECOME THE STEERING WHEEL BELIEVE IT OR NOT IT TAKES MORE SKILL AND CARE FULL ATTENTION TO DRIVE FAST AND BREAK RESPONSE AND INS AND OUTS OF THE VEHICLE TRAVELING THAN SIMPLISTIC STEERING WHEEL
 
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