No logitech wheel release in 4 years? WHY?

[rhin0z]

Such a long silence from the giant....................................

 

[BlacqueJacques]

Because of the competition I would guess; or waiting for PS4

 

[Energizerrr]

I think I know why...
I was looking to buy a wheel since June and initially I had my eyes on G27. Searched for it in my whole city and even country and yet I couldn't find it.
I got in touch with store owners, importers and what I heard was that allegedly Logitech is giving up on that branch of equipment, as in not focusing on it anymore - and many facts make this statement true.

Logitech was the company to make the first real FFB wheel (Driving Force);
Logitech always partnered with PD/Sony;
Logitech was always at the top end with their wheels (G25, G27 were all top back when they were released).

Now what?
Newest wheel by Logitech was G27 back in 2009 (I think);
They aren't teamed up with Gran Turismo anymore, G25 and G27 aren't even supported;
They hadn't released anything to compete with T500RS or Fanatec wheels.


They just stopped focusing on this branch of gaming equipment, I know it sounds sad but I'm afraid it's true (or the official importer for my country was lying to me ).

 

[ibuycheap]

G27 was err august 2009 is that too long?

 

[occasionalracer]

I think it's simply the fact that at this point in the wheel market, everything is iffy. We're in the middle of two relatively new wheel manufactures putting out licenced products, so for Logitech it's a little bit of a wait and see game, to see where they could fit in. The thing is they're still selling their 2 wheels well amidst these new products and I think they want to keep their position for a while longer.

If what Energizer says was true to completely drop the wheel market, then it's unfortunate for them, cause they do have all the resources to bring out a new revised lower end wheel in the future that's sure to sell to the beginner and casual racers out there.

 

[tribolik]

At least one more year before Logitech releases a new wheel... and they released the DFGT in 2008 and the G27 in 2009 so that makes it 2 years not 4...

 

[Coxis]

Because Logitech draws its largest profit margins from all the other stuff they sell, mice, webcams, keyboards, remote controllers, etc.

Wheels are targetted at such a niche market that they don't bother much.

 

[cwbetb]

Has the technology changed that much in a few years for them to even bother making a new wheel? I dont think so, they might as well wait till the next gen systems

 

[AGP5000]

I think I know why...
I was looking to buy a wheel since June and initially I had my eyes on G27. Searched for it in my whole city and even country and yet I couldn't find it.
I got in touch with store owners, importers and what I heard was that allegedly Logitech is giving up on that branch of equipment, as in not focusing on it anymore - and many facts make this statement true.

Logitech was the company to make the first real FFB wheel (Driving Force);
Logitech always partnered with PD/Sony;
Logitech was always at the top end with their wheels (G25, G27 were all top back when they were released).

Now what?
Newest wheel by Logitech was G27 back in 2009 (I think);
They aren't teamed up with Gran Turismo anymore, G25 and G27 aren't even supported;
They hadn't released anything to compete with T500RS or Fanatec wheels.


They just stopped focusing on this branch of gaming equipment, I know it sounds sad but I'm afraid it's true (or the official importer for my country was lying to me ).

This makes a LOT of sense. This reminds me of HP now pulling itself out of the PC market, literally all together. I JUST purchased back in March, right before the announcement a sweet desktop on sale @ BestBuy for $850. Has a 6-core AMD processor, Dedicated 2GB ram to an HD graphics card. I am not techy, so sorry for not being more knowledgeable on the comp. It was an HPE-510y for those who care. Mainly use it for iRacing. I have a touchpad for browsing.

The G27 is a GREAT wheel for its price. But, as what you said above, no wonder you can get them for 150-210 right now with discounts and whatnot. Maybe they are simply just trying to liquidate stock, and move on. Makes no sense since they provide a quality and profitable piece of machinery. But, like HP, who knows really.........

I personally have a Fanatec GT2, but considered getting the G27 due to its deal. And still might if I can get it for $150.

 

[Mr. S]

This makes a LOT of sense. This reminds me of HP now pulling itself out of the PC market, literally all together. I JUST purchased back in March, right before the announcement a sweet desktop on sale @ BestBuy for $850. Has a 6-core AMD processor, Dedicated 2GB ram to an HD graphics card. I am not techy, so sorry for not being more knowledgeable on the comp. It was an HPE-510y for those who care. Mainly use it for iRacing. I have a touchpad for browsing.

The G27 is a GREAT wheel for its price. But, as what you said above, no wonder you can get them for 150-210 right now with discounts and whatnot. Maybe they are simply just trying to liquidate stock, and move on. Makes no sense since they provide a quality and profitable piece of machinery. But, like HP, who knows really.........

I personally have a Fanatec GT2, but considered getting the G27 due to its deal. And still might if I can get it for $150.

That's pretty much correct - apart from the fact that HP said they'll reconsider the withdrawal from the PC market now that Leo Apotheker is gone. Meg Whitman knows about the tremendous monetary profit for HP so it's unlikely that they'll really withdraw from the consumer market. That was actually one of her very first statements made after taking over the job from Leo Apotheker.

Yet, I'm not sure if Logitech even wants to release a new wheel right now. Lots of cool stuff coming out now, they might just wait and see.

 

[RReed43]

It is reported that GT5 Spec 2.0 will include support for the G25/G27 wheels. That certainly will boost interest in them for use with GT5.

 

[mikekhel30]

Well most of the time the G27 are sold out from Logitech itself and many online stores. If they do release a better wheel, then they might not be able to raise the price too much as the G27 is already $300 and from people opinions, it is already priced highly.

 

[SC Juggernaut]

I hope what I'm hearing here is not true. I for one wouldn't mind seeing Logitech step to the forefront once again with a new wheel offering that will truly up the game. We've seen a few good game changers so far this year.

What ever happen to that Frex Type G stuff?

 

[LogiForce]

Well I think OP his story can be true. I've got their top of the line G19 gaming keyboard and had to wait about 1.5 to 2 years before they released an update for the software which was and still is buggy.
So I think there isn't much left of the once so great company. The development team seems very small when I look at update frequency of different devices and their software from them.

Could they be another company about to go under in these bad economic times, I wonder?

 

[SC Juggernaut]

It seems Logitech has been dealing with some serious financial deficits this year. Until things pick back up for them, I doubt they would even consider developing a new wheel for the market. It's not their bread and butter type of stuff.

 

[Simmpa]

One logical explanation: Logitech is releasing a new wheel every 3 years.

2003: Driving Force Pro
2006: G25
2009: G27

There might be a new wheel in 2012. I hope so becuse competition is necessary. Hope Logitech will release a new wheel that can be compared to T500RS.

 

[Rusty*]

One logical explanation: Logitech is releasing a new wheel every 3 years.

2003: Driving Force Pro
2006: G25
2009: G27

There might be a new wheel in 2012. I hope so becuse competition is necessary. Hope Logitech will release a new wheel that can be compared to T500RS.

Yeah your right, it is not until next year that we should be getting worried guys. If we don't see anything from Logitech by the end of next year...then there will be reasons to wonder. I really hope that Logitech does come to the market sometime in the future with a wheel still based on the shape and style of the current G range wheels. Right now its hard to think of any major changes you could want to the G27...changes that are not going to make it to crazy expensive.
R*

 

[lemansfanatic]

Its really smart what thrustmaster and fanatec are doing with interchangable wheels like the f1 style, nascar, etc. This makes the ablility to capitalize increased profit margins by selling not just the one time purchase for a wheel, but the ACCESORIES (which we of course love). This keeps their products fresh and will ultimately be able to extend the lifespan of their wheels by simply introducing new accessories like F1 wheels, or clubsport pedals that interchange with their other products. Even if a customer can't afford the high end wheel with all the bells and whistles, they can upgrade ala carte components until they feel satisfied. What a great marketing strategy, lets hope that they continue this trend and keep the ungraded steering wheels and pedal sets backwards compatable. I say this because I hope that logitech is simply waiting to see sales figures on these accessories before adopting their own me-too stategy on a future wheel.

 

[NLxAROSA]

They aren't teamed up with Gran Turismo anymore, G25 and G27 aren't even supported;

They still have the DFGT (also official GT wheel, like the T500RS). Also G25/G27 will be officially supported in Spec 2.0. 👍

One logical explanation: Logitech is releasing a new wheel every 3 years.

2003: Driving Force Pro
2006: G25
2009: G27

There might be a new wheel in 2012. I hope so becuse competition is necessary. Hope Logitech will release a new wheel that can be compared to T500RS.

You forgot the DFGT (Official GT wheel), released in December 2007.

I agree with the bad/limited wheel support by Logitech though. Try getting a part for a wheel that is no longer current (like DFP or G25), like a power pack or cables. They simply don't sell them. As long as you have a current wheel, their support is great though. 👍

 

[fatkrakr]

Well even if you have a new wheel logitech still doesnt have spare parts. They will just replace the whole wheel. Cant even get a power cord from them.

 

[SkateNj]

Nah i dont think they are removing themselves from the wheel market. Its just that the g27 is still a top of the line wheel. and why spend millions to develop a new wheel when the newest wheel still sells a lot.

 

[richyo]

Well even if you have a new wheel logitech still doesnt have spare parts. They will just replace the whole wheel. Cant even get a power cord from them.

As with a lot of all their other products such as a Z5500 control pod or whatever else you can think of. Probably why they are losing so much money at the expense of customer satisfaction (with sometimes unreliable/inconsistent products)

 

[logoster]

well, 2013 now, still nothing new about steering wheels, so that sucks, as was kind of hoping they could come out with a new wheel, for the g27 prices to hopefully drop :/

 

[Youngun]

Out sourcing and lack of futuristic design. Belt or gear, done and done. Only so much you can do, and with T500R a pretty good bit of hard where, they would need to do the same, on a larger scale, for a small fee. It's not that theres no market but a market that has everything thus far i believe. Yes Fanatec is very "Porschy" and Thrust is expensive for average gamers, G27 is still around......maybe it just needs a redesign and upgraded bits.

 

[Gunstar]

Old thread, but I think it still comes to this... You can't really do better for the money, and Logitech rules the under $300 range with an iron fist. If they wanted to risk it and go upmarket I'm sure they would have years back.

 

[Aiobhill]

One aspect that hasn't been mentioned: they brought out a new HOTAS, the G940. After good test results initially, quality problems became obvious and word of mouth sunk it quite unceremoniously. They might just have decided niche PC gaming peripherals are not worth the R&D budget.

Or we are lucky and they simply wait for the new console generation, rfactor 2 and pCARS to spark demand.

 

[raptoronwheelz]

They have such a winner in the G27 that there's really no competition in its price bracket. From a straight business standpoint, it makes sense to just keep pumping out G27s from the factory.

 

[bumer]

They have such a winner in the G27 that there's really no competition in its price bracket. From a straight business standpoint, it makes sense to just keep pumping out G27s from the factory.

Exactly. You can't do much more at that price point. Next you should step up your game and do something similar to T500RS.

One thing I don't get is why G27 still costs that much. Back in a day at the beginning of 2007 when I bought G25, I paid almost 100€ less than I have to pay for a G27 now from a cheapest place I could find in my country. Beside shift lights and helical gears minus sequential shifter, there shouldn't be much difference. What makes it so expensive compared to G25?

 

[pooioo]

I don't see the problem about not release a new wheel. More they produce the same model, more this model will be reliable and well built. And if the company is honest and raw materials price don't increase, price of the wheel will be lower. Imagine the price of DFGT decreasing if they decide to keep the same model years after years, everybody will be able to have easily a wheel and developers would almost be not forced to create racing games especially for pads but I keep dreaming.

 

[daan]

Old thread brought back for no apparent reason when this thread is more relevant.