The G29 Hands-On: Taking Logitech’s Latest Racing Wheel For A Spin

[Guest]

Logitech showed off its new racing wheels at E3, and we finally spent some time tinkering with the G29 wheel for the PlayStation 4 and PC.

The G29 Hands-On: Taking Logitech’s Latest Racing Wheel For A Spin : Read more

 

[moogleslam]

No offense intended, but I think a review like this should be left to someone who has a lot of experience with not only sim racing, but also other wheels, and preferably, the G27 from which to make a comparison. The issues you mentioned are not really issues; they're just you not being familiar with certain aspects of sim racing, or the settings of the Logitech Profiler or in-game wheel adjustments. The only real issue with this wheel, which you do correctly mention, is the price.

 

[10tacle]

^^What he said.

"However, it seemed that I didn't brake hard enough, bringing the contention for the first place to an end with the car smacking into the wall. Even when it's fully pressed down, the brakes aren't at 100 percent. You have to actually slam your feet into the pedal to stop the car....Unfortunately, the game or the wheel didn't provide a set of detailed instructions for what each setting actually does in terms of performance, so I only changed a few obvious settings."

That is not a problem with the brake pedal itself. That is an issue of the software setup in the profiler and in my opinion more of the in-game settings of the brake axis and sensitivity. There are very complex settings in Project Cars with brake settings down to individual cars. Driveclub has very little in the way of in-game pedal axis settings. You did not look into all that is required to make full setup use of the brake axis in PCars. Was this a time-sensitive review?

I have a G27 and a Thrustmaster T300 (using my G27 pedals with an adapter) and thousands of hours in racing sims and simcade hybrid racers like the Grid and Dirt series between my PC and PS3/PS4. I have used the G29 wheel in a Fry's demo kiosk using Driveclub on a PS4 and it feels inferior to my T300 on Driveclub, just like my G27 feels inferior on PCars on my PC (I have two copies of the game, one for the PS4, one for the PC, and I use the T300 for both...the G27 is put away). The direct gear driven wheel design is inferior to a belt driven wheel in every way, from centering feel down to feeling bumps and when the car's front wheels are breaking loose in understeer. Also, the direct gear drive is more jerky with the Logitech design.

The only thing I can possibly see that makes the G29 better than the T300 is the pedals. The T300 comes with cheap pedals that are worthless. You need to spend money to buy the better 3-pedal setup from Thrustmaster. If you have a G27 like I have, then just buy an adapter and use those pedals and get the superior wheel, the T300. The G29 is just a G27 with a new face plate and rim and only slightly improved G27 pedals for better tactile feel.

 

[scolaner]

^^What he said.

"However, it seemed that I didn't brake hard enough, bringing the contention for the first place to an end with the car smacking into the wall. Even when it's fully pressed down, the brakes aren't at 100 percent. You have to actually slam your feet into the pedal to stop the car....Unfortunately, the game or the wheel didn't provide a set of detailed instructions for what each setting actually does in terms of performance, so I only changed a few obvious settings."

That is not a problem with the brake pedal itself. That is an issue of the software setup in the profiler and in my opinion more of the in-game settings of the brake axis and sensitivity. There are very complex settings in Project Cars with brake settings down to individual cars. Driveclub has very little in the way of in-game pedal axis settings. You did not look into all that is required to make full setup use of the brake axis in PCars. Was this a time-sensitive review?

I have a G27 and a Thrustmaster T300 (using my G27 pedals with an adapter) and thousands of hours in racing sims and simcade hybrid racers like the Grid and Dirt series between my PC and PS3/PS4. I have used the G29 wheel in a Fry's demo kiosk using Driveclub on a PS4 and it feels inferior to my T300 on Driveclub, just like my G27 feels inferior on PCars on my PC (I have two copies of the game, one for the PS4, one for the PC, and I use the T300 for both...the G27 is put away). The direct gear driven wheel design is inferior to a belt driven wheel in every way, from centering feel down to feeling bumps and when the car's front wheels are breaking loose in understeer. Also, the direct gear drive is more jerky with the Logitech design.

The only thing I can possibly see that makes the G29 better than the T300 is the pedals. The T300 comes with cheap pedals that are worthless. You need to spend money to buy the better 3-pedal setup from Thrustmaster. If you have a G27 like I have, then just buy an adapter and use those pedals and get the superior wheel, the T300. The G29 is just a G27 with a new face plate and rim and only slightly improved G27 pedals for better tactile feel.

Thanks for the feedback folks. We love to hear from readers who are familiar with the tech we're working with.

To be clear, this is not a review -- it's a hands-on look. That's why it's in the news feed and not in the article review carousel at the top of the homepage. But still, your points are well taken.

 

[TeamColeINC]

In case anyone was in the market for a racing wheel and wondering which to get, just get the G27. Its essentially the same product just with a wheel tailored towards Playstation users and a few other near-irrelevant changes for twice the price as the G27 AND it doesnt come with a shifter like the G27, sold separately for another $60.

 

[Guest]

If you've been driving a car where the brake pedal has the same travel as your accelerator pedal then you need to get your brakes checked.

Why would you want to use the clutch with the paddle shift? If you've ever driven a car with paddle-shift (any VW/Audi DSG box, Nissan GT-R, etc) then you'd know that you don't have a clutch. Paddle shift and clutch pedals belong together like fish and bicycles.

 

[10tacle]

In case anyone was in the market for a racing wheel and wondering which to get, just get the G27. Its essentially the same product just with a wheel tailored towards Playstation users and a few other near-irrelevant changes for twice the price as the G27 AND it doesnt come with a shifter like the G27, sold separately for another $60.

FYI the G27 does not work on the PS4 or XBone, only the PS3 (and PC). And yes, it is a good bargain for a complete wheel package (decent wheel, very good pedals, decent side shifter). I believe I paid $320 originally for mine back in the late '00s and they can still be had for around $230-$240US while they last in stock. It's a great advanced "starter" wheel and definitely worth the price over the cheap $100-$150 wheels.

 

[jigawatt]

Glad to see that there is a new model out. Hopefully Logitech's quality assurance has also improved. A little background to why I say that: I'm on my 3rd G27. What often happens is that force feedback would "slip". It would give the sensation that of a belt driven wheel skipping/slipping. This is extremely troublesome when in a race, especially when reputation is on the line (iracing). However, due to realizing that this issue is inevitable with the G27, I now race without the force feedback (most pro racers in iracing don't use it either). Other than this issue (which can be rather large for those who actually rely on force feedback), the wheel has been pretty stout for me.

From a PC racer's point of view, it is a shame to see how console oriented it is. No separate shifter would be a deal breaker for me. I'm not digging the button layout, either. Even with the problems that I've had... G27 is what I'll stick with, although, I'm a PC guy and not a PS4 guy (ymmv). And yes, I'm aware the G29 is PS4 oriented, and that the G920 is XBone oriented. It is a shame there isn't an updated/improved option that is more PC oriented.

 

[jigawatt]

If you've been driving a car where the brake pedal has the same travel as your accelerator pedal then you need to get your brakes checked.

Why would you want to use the clutch with the paddle shift? If you've ever driven a car with paddle-shift (any VW/Audi DSG box, Nissan GT-R, etc) then you'd know that you don't have a clutch. Paddle shift and clutch pedals belong together like fish and bicycles.

The stick shifter is available as a separate accessory. Not everyone will opt for the shifter.

 

[bit_user]

If you've been driving a car where the brake pedal has the same travel as your accelerator pedal then you need to get your brakes checked.

This is especially true of racing brakes, or any high-performance brake kit with stiff calipers and steel-reinforced lines. There's much less spongyness in the brake pedal than the typical street car. Much of the brake modulation happens within a small range of travel, and it's a lot more to do with how hard you step than how far the pedal moves.

I applaud Logitec for making the brakes more realistic. Now, it's up to the software - you should be able to lock up the wheels (or engage ABS) without an unreasonable amount of force.