iDigitalTimes first got to test the latest G29 flagship wheel by Logitech back in June (click here to read the early review). However, because our editor Mo Mozuch's racing skills are more of the Mario Kart variety, and because he only had a brief 60-minute session during E3, Logitech graciously gave us a second chance. This time, it'll be iDigitalTimes' resident driving ace behind the wheel. That'll be me, obviously.
Essentially, the Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel is to the Sony PlayStation 4 what the longstanding G27 was for the PlayStation 3. The principle intent of the new G29 wheel is to deliver all the new PS4-specific controls from the DualShock 4 onto the face of the wheel. While the new Logitech G29 wheel definitely looks fussy at first glance, especially for driving sim enthusiasts that have been using the simple 6-button G27 for the past five years, the buttons are well placed and clearly marked. Blue buttons highlight L2, L3 and R2, R3. Below the PS4 controls are additional buttons and dials designed to toggle racing settings with plus/minus buttons and fine-tune your driving with a precise 24 point red dial. In contrast, the G27 featured six red buttons that you would have to program and memorize as well as additional buttons located on the shifter module. Over the new PS4 controls is an LED shift light bar that looks to be more or less a carryover from the G27.
So what about the Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel itself? The perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel and anodized aluminum spokes are bolted to a steel steering shaft for maximum durability. Behind the G29 steering wheel are also two brushed stainless steel flappy paddle blades. Of course, the Logitech G29 rig comes with a floor pedal unit, which continues to offer the preferred three-pedal layout that was introduced in the G27.
Despite the plastic cover over the steering mechanism and the plastic base under the floor pedal, the tactility of the G29 steering wheel is arguably the best in the industry. Although the diameter of the steering wheel is comparatively small, the thickness is as close to perfection as steering wheels get. Just like the G27, Logitech carries over 900 degrees lock-to-lock of steering rotation in order to emulate the most realistic driving characteristic. The G29 also features hall-effect steering sensor, dual-motor force feedback, and an overheating safeguard.
As one of the pioneers and innovators in race sim steering wheels, Logitech’s latest G29 wheel is a culmination of everything they’ve learned over the past decade. Surprisingly, as good as the wheel feels, the pedal box feels even better. The stainless steel pedal faces offer great durability while polyoxymethlyene thermoplastic pedal piston sleeves boast stiffness yet low friction. The throttle, brake, and clutch pedals are extremely well tuned and mimic the resistance and pedal travel that you would experience from a real street car. Particularly, the resistance from the brake pedal is immense and feel surprisingly confident under hard braking loads. The level of precision, quality, and durability of the Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel looks to be unmatched.
So we know it feels great, but what about how the Logitech G29 handles in practice? I mostly utilized the G29 wheel on Project CARS. The wheel works with a lot of other games too, but I believe Project CARS most closely interprets realistic driving physics of all the games currently available on PS4 (sorry, not sorry, Driveclub). What’s more, the wide array of cars available in Project CARS also gives me an impression on how the steering wheel changes its behavior, if at all, when I go from a modern Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 to a savage Lotus 98T Renault.
On the SLS AMG GT3, the G29 wheel complements the car remarkably well. The flicking of the shifter paddles behind the steering wheel are immensely satisfying and the stability of the pedal box was never questioned even under strong left foot braking followed by full throttle slams around technical courses like Laguna Seca and Bathurst.
When it was time to give the Lotus 98T a try, the G29 wheel revealed what a chameleon it can become. With the Logitech G Driving Force Shifter installed, which is sold separately for $59, moving from the sequential gearbox SLS AMG GT3 to the H-pattern manual Lotus 98T can be done with ease. There’s no settings menu that has to be opened. Simply slide your hand over the shifter and put your left foot over the clutch because the transition is literally that seamless.
That said, the G29 did not feel at home with the Lotus 98T Renault. More to the point, the shifter is a major letdown to the overall high-quality feeling of the G29. The shifter feel is too light, sloppy, and completely cancels out the accuracy and performance that the G29 wheel and pedals represent. The plastic shifter rattles into gear and even the H-pattern cap on the top of the shifter could be pried off with just my nails. It just feels so disappointingly cheap and I certainly hope that Logitech is working on a shifter upgrade very soon.
The second flaw discovered while driving the Lotus 98T came from the wheel, which is unable to increase steering resistance to mimic the absence of power-steering in older cars. On the other hand, the G29 is able to change the steering ratio to imitate the sharp reflexes in F1. In addition, force feedback from the G29 is capable of recreating the equally entertaining and terrifying snap torque steer that occurs when the massive turbos of the Lotus 98T kick in at high RPM (short shift until 3rd gear and you should be able to manage the overwhelming turbos just fine). As difficult as it was to tame the Lotus 98T, I know that the G29 could only represent a fraction of how scary these 1980’s turbo era F1 cars are in real life.
Overall the Logitech G29 is one of the finest racing wheels ever made, even though its steep $399 price point makes it a difficult investment for most. However, look at it this way: becoming a good driver requires practice, just like the piano or learning a new language. If you wish to get better at racing, be sure to choose the right equipment and to practice your craft in a safe environment. Unfortunately, it's even more expensive to maintain a dedicated track car and commit to attending the limited track days in a year. In that regard, the Logitech G29 Driving Force Racing Wheel for the PlayStation 4 is a no-brainer.
