Good steering wheel and joystick?

[jasper1605]

Hey all!

My third monitor will be arriving tomorrow to finish out my eyefinity set. Now I'm in need of some games to actually use them lol. I absolutely love flying games of any kind from MS flight sim to old school top gun so if you've recommendations on those that would be sweet. I'm also interested in a racing sim or two: thinking dirt2 and F1 2010 (up for recommendations as well)

What I do not have that I would like (if they are affordable lol) are recommendations on
1) A steering wheel set
2) A joystick for flying

Thanks for any and all recommendations

 

[assaulter_99]

well there are a couple of logitechs, g25 and g27 if my memory is right. Well worth the dough. (steering wheels)

 

[mdsx1950]

Best Steering wheel would be the Logitech G27. Hands down.

 

[jasper1605]

Holy smokes 250 buckaroos. The day I stepped into this whole computer gaming marked the day that my checking and savings accounts began to irrevocably dwindle...

 

[assaulter_99]

well worth it imo if you are a hardcore racing gamer. Even if you're of the casual racing type, i guess you will still find other means to spend the cash so why not...? imagine the awesomeness it'll be to game on 3 screens with a steering wheel! I always dreamed of thay ever since i played an arcade f1 racing game back in the 90's! Thinking about it, i wonder if that didn't inspire ati...

 

[jasper1605]

While I am a huge fan of logitech and that does look like a mighty purdy steering wheel I may have to wait a bit and think on it. Seeing that it supports PS3 games too is a massive plus though and may tip the scales in its favor as I will for sure be getting GT5 when that releases.

and seeing how i'm getting a $220 check from fedex for an insurance claim (a small patch of dead pixels in a monitor shipped from them) that makes this like a 30 dollar steering wheel! haha

 

[streetfighter 2]

I disagree with everyone saying the G27 is the way to go.

I investigated the matter in great detail in another thread and I found a wheel that is just as good if not better for $160 (USA style).

After investigating the following companies and their respective offerings:
Thrustmaster
Logitech
Fanatec
Thomas Superwheel
ECCI

I have come to the conclusion that the best bang per buck wheel is the Fanatec Carrera Wheel which has all the features of the G27 (including PS3 support) and a couple more (adjustable dead zone and turning radius) for $160 + shipping.

Video review. (The review starts at 25:10)

Anyway, just my two cents. I like Logitech as much as the next guy but I'm not about to give them an extra $60+ just for being nice.

 

[mdsx1950]

I disagree with everyone saying the G27 is the way to go.

I investigated the matter in great detail in another thread and I found a wheel that is just as good if not better for $160 (USA style).

After investigating the following companies and their respective offerings:
Thrustmaster
Logitech
Fanatec
Thomas Superwheel
ECCI

I have come to the conclusion that the best bang per buck wheel is the Fanatec Carrera Wheel which has all the features of the G27 (including PS3 support) and a couple more (adjustable dead zone and turning radius) for $160 + shipping.

Video review. (The review starts at 25:10)

Anyway, just my two cents. I like Logitech as much as the next guy but I'm not about to give them an extra $60+ just for being nice.

The Porsche Carrera wheel is good. But not as great at the G27. The G27 offers Dual Motor Force Feedback, 900-degree wheel rotation, you get steel paddle shifters and the pedals are made of steel and they feel just like in a real vehicle. The wheel also is wrapped in hand-stitched leather. Plus Logitech is a trusted brand. It has better support for games as well. I'd say that extra $60+ is worth it.

 

[Fanatec]

Not sure what car you have but are the pedals in your car all the same?

the pedals of the Carrera not only have a different shape but also different mechanics (not just different springs). So the clutch has a declining resistance for example.

900° rotation is standard on the PWC as well and if you like you can upgrade steel (or even carbon!) shifter paddles later.

All major game devs have our wheel and support them so there is no compatibility issue. And beside that, all our wheels have the unique Tuning funtion where you can adjust all kind of settings like FF stregth or steering angle independent from the game. In fact if you like to play GT5 P with less than 900° then our wheels are the only choice at the moment.

But of course my oprinion is highly biased as I developed the Fanatec wheels

Thomas

 

[streetfighter 2]

Not sure what car you have but are the pedals in your car all the same?

the pedals of the Carrera not only have a different shape but also different mechanics (not just different springs). So the clutch has a declining resistance for example.

900° rotation is standard on the PWC as well and if you like you can upgrade steel (or even carbon!) shifter paddles later.

All major game devs have our wheel and support them so there is no compatibility issue. And beside that, all our wheels have the unique Tuning funtion where you can adjust all kind of settings like FF stregth or steering angle independent from the game. In fact if you like to play GT5 P with less than 900° then our wheels are the only choice at the moment.

But of course my oprinion is highly biased as I developed the Fanatec wheels

Thomas

Man you got here fast! Thanks

Now I'm totally gonna shoot myself in the foot here, but what is PWC?

In fact if you like to play GT5 P with less than 900° then our wheels are the only choice at the moment.

That's what I meant to say when I said "adjustable turning radius". It did not to occur to me at the time that I was saying it completely wrong...

Oh and if anyones interested I'm not affiliated with Mr. Fanatec (Thomas) on anything more than a prospective customer basis. (Hence I have no bias.)

 

[Volkszorn88]

Thrustmaster is by far the worse hands down. I ordered 2 wheels from them. I ordered their Rally GT Force Feedback Pro Clutch Edition, 1st day I got it broke. So I RMA, k sh*t happens during shipping, have to wait for them to send me a new one, no probs.

So I get the 2nd one, AGAIN same thing, broke as soon as I got. By far the cheapest plastic ever used. Such horrible quality.

Stay away from Thrustmaster.

 

[Fanatec]

Man you got here fast! Thanks

Now I'm totally gonna shoot myself in the foot here, but what is PWC?

PWC = Porsche 911 Carrera racing wheel

 

[n-ster]

I wish I could get that Fanatec shipped to me for 160$ US... but I'm in Canada

 

[streetfighter 2]

I don't think anyone can get it shipped for $160. Fanatec isn't particularly open with their shipping prices (or time frames). Not that long ago there was some shit kicked up about multi-month long waits for ordered items.

A quick googling showed $25 being the common price for shipping to the USA and Canada.

It appears Fanatec does support their products post sale and I found Thomas's blog:
http://www.911wheel.de/?q=blogs/thomas

Also a Fanatec wheel was reviewed on TPU (quite favorably) but back in 2008:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Fanatec/Porsche_911_Turbo_Wheel/1.html

I couldn't find Fanatec on BBB or on resellerratings.com which does concern me a bit. I do like it when a company opens themselves up to second and third party critique (even though the BBB is utter BS). In that regard Logitech definitely takes the cake.

If there's dirt to be dug, I'm digging it! I don't order something till I'm sure I know exactly what I'm getting and how I'm going to like it.

 

[arroyo]

You should buy Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows. I wanted to buy steering wheel for NFS Shift and I don't regret my decision to buy Xbox controller. This thing is gorgeous.

 

[n-ster]

X360 controller is nice, but a wheel is so much better.... much more fun and realistic

 

[Benetanegia]

X360 controller is nice, but a wheel is so much better.... much more fun and realistic

There's no comparison. There's no point comparing. lol X360 controler...

As to the OP's question.

A G25 is a good alternative to the G27 or the Fanatec, if you can find one. It's exactly the same as G27 except for a few less buttons and costs a lot less. It still has the build quality advantage over any other racing wheel. Maybe it's imposible to find one now tho, but if you find one for sale it should be the best option IMO.

I have one (G25) and it's the best racing wheel I have ever used, including the ones in simulators and "arcade machines". I'd like to try one of those Fanatecs tho, but I've never seen them on stores here in Spain (?).

Regarding joysticks the best ones are either the Thrustmaster HOTAS or the Saitek Pro family. The HOTAS are usually regarded as being better, but they cost more and are usually harder to find for sale.

In descending order of price:

TM HOTAS Warthog - replica of the A-10c flight control. AMAZING joystick. Expensive. Dual throttle is nice for many aircraft.

Saitek X65-F - really cool one too. Not as many buttons and switches as the Warthog, but virtually indentical otherwise. Dual throttle too. Expensive too.

TM HOTAS Cougar - Replica of the F-16 flight control. Not as many buttons as the above and no dual throttle, but still amazing otherwise.

Saitek X52 Pro - maybe the best bang for your buck on this cathegory of joysticks.

The four joysticks above have in common a very good quality and the fact that they use top notch materials.

If your budget is limited and you don't want to pay as much (understandably, esp the Warthog and X65-F ) the Saitek X52 (no pro version) is the best one of the cheap ones IMO. I have one, which I bought when it was the only afordable HOTAS flight stick out there (the other being the Cougar which sold for almost 400 euros), and I don't regret it. It looks cheap and plasticky, but it's very durable and of good quality. It has lasted me 5 years so far, and I'm no gentle with my gear, there's no time to be gentle when you have a SU-27 or Stukka on your 6. Today I'd go with one of the above instead, probably not the Warthog or X65-F tho, but who knows.

I know most recommendations you have received are very expensive, and they may look a bad investment for someone who has never used them, but IMHO good input devices are far more important than PC components when it comes to gaming. In the end, you can lower the settings if your card is not fast enough, but nothing, NOTHING, will replace the realism and feel of a good input device, be it a wheel, a joystick or a mouse/keyboard. And they'll last you years unlike GPUs, CPUs, etc. (if not decades when properly taken care off)

My 2 cents there.

 

[chris89]

Steering wheel im not sure but i personally would love a G25/G27

Joystick though i would seriously recommend an Saitek X52 Pro use it for IL2 and is a fantastic bit of kit. One thing with that i use the 'Flap Slider' on the throttle as flaps which entitles me to use any flap combo on such aircraft as Spitfires that only have two settings being Fully down or Fully up.

I personally wouldn't recommend the X65 due to the fact it uses sensors and no form for movement in the stick. The TM sticks are very nice and i would personally love to have one. But also have a look at the Logitech G940 as it also includes rudder pedals.

Chris

 

[jasper1605]

wow guys thanks for all the input. That's given me quite a bit to chew on. I'm definitely going to look into the fanatec wheel and the logitech versions too. If you'd like to sell any of those shoot me a PM and keep an eye out on the FS thread as I'll more than likely be shelling out some coin to really enjoy some eyefinity

edit: a couple questions regarding the g27 and fanatec. Is the G27 all wired? I see the fanatec has a wireless pedal set (major minus in my book. I detest wireless with a holy passion no matter how reliable it is I just prefer wired) I'm also seeing lots of separate mount things for these. Do I need a separate mounting kit or is that just kind of a fun extra for a touch more experience? Essentially, will this be able to just get put on the desk and floor and not slide around or are the kits needed to keep it from doing that...

Thanks again all I'm quite excited about this. All that's left are two 2gb 6990s and I'm set for the next 8 months when the 7xxx start getting rumors

 

[cadaveca]

But of course my oprinion is highly biased as I developed the Fanatec wheels

Thomas

So why don't you send me one, and I can give an unbiased opinion?

3 monitors and a wheel is totally worth the expense if you are into driving games. Next I'll be trying 3 monitors and stereoscopic 3D for racing.

 

[jasper1605]

what wheel are you using cada?

 

[cadaveca]

G25, but I have a G27 as well, going into an arcade-style box. I've got a few others laying around as well; both my wife and I play driving games.

G27 and G25 are basically the same thing, but I prefer the G27's adjustable pedals, as I heel-toe alot, and have big feet.

 

[jasper1605]

Do the paddle shifts on the g27 work out for you or do you just use the actual stick?

edit: and I've contacted fanatec about their stuff. We'll see how quickly they reply which will be strongly indicative of how keen I am to buy from them I do like that porche logo on the wheel

 

[streetfighter 2]

I see the fanatec has a wireless pedal set (major minus in my book. I detest wireless with a holy passion no matter how reliable it is I just prefer wired)

I'm glad you pointed that out because I didn't even notice it. I also loathe and deride wireless.

I'm also seeing lots of separate mount things for these. Do I need a separate mounting kit or is that just kind of a fun extra for a touch more experience? Essentially, will this be able to just get put on the desk and floor and not slide around or are the kits needed to keep it from doing that...

So far as I can tell the Fanatec has three main components, the wheel, the shift knob and the pedals. The shift knob mounts to the side of the wheel and appears to have a small amount of telescopic adjustment:
http://www.fanatec.de/webshop/new_usa/obj-images/57_2.jpg
The wheel itself can be desk mounted but I've heard complaints about how securely it mounts and that it inevitably works loose and has to be re-tightened. I've heard similar things about the G27 but someone else will have to confirm that. The wheel also has screw mounting which is preferential because it provides a perfectly rigid position at the cost of portability. The fact that it has that feature is nice IMO.

Oh, and thanks for keeping us updated on whatever you decide to do!

I prefer the G27's adjustable pedals, as I heel-toe alot, and have big feet.

Excellent point. The Fanatec has a similar pedal layout to the kind I'm used to so I'm assuming that heel-toeing will feel quite natural. Unfortunately thats one of those things I can't tell unless I can get hands-on with the wheel and I'm not a small guy.

 

[cadaveca]

Do the paddle shifts on the g27 work out for you or do you just use the actual stick?

G27/G25 both have the paddles/shifter. What I use depends on what game I'm playing, what car, etc...It's nice having both options. Sometimes I use shifter as ebrake, with G25.