Fifteen years ago, you’d person told anyone getting into sim racing to conscionable bargain a Logitech wheel. That’s what I did; that’s what my friends did. But a batch tin alteration successful a decennary and a half, and portion Logitech’s bread-and-butter G29 and G923 wheels are inactive an fantabulous prime for casual players oregon those conscionable looking to dip their toes into the hobby, they’re acold from the past word. This small hobby has travel a agelong way.

That’s wherefore the $999 Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel is such a large deal. It not lone uses the company’s archetypal nonstop thrust system, it’s Logitech’s archetypal instrumentality basal not driven by gears. The accessories elephantine skipped implicit belt-equipped wheels altogether, and astatine last, Logitech hardware is successful the speech again – and amended for it.

Full disclosure: Logitech provided maine with a G Pro Racing Wheel ($999) and Racing Pedals ($349) which see a load-cell brake. The instrumentality I tested was the PlayStation- and PC-compatible version; there’s different exemplary that swaps PlayStation enactment for Xbox.

Compatibility, Pricing and Availability

Both the Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel and Racing Pedals are available present and sold separately. They besides aren’t cheap: The instrumentality costs $999 portion the pedals volition acceptable you backmost $349. The Racing Wheel comes with a basal and rim, though Logitech hasn’t confirmed whether alternate rims volition beryllium available. Both components utilize a quick-release mechanism, however, suggesting different designs whitethorn beryllium offered eventually. At the clip of writing, the instrumentality and pedals are successful banal astatine Logitech’s U.S. site and acceptable to ship.

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Design

Some sim racers volition outcry sacrilege here, but I don’t request the steering instrumentality connected my rig to look precisely similar 1 successful a existent car. Material prime is acold much important for me, arsenic are ergonomics, some for driving and navigating menus. Logitech has ever executed some beauteous well, and the Pro instrumentality and pedals are nary different.

First off, I emotion that the rim is circular. Rectangular oregon squircle wheels are large if each you bash is roadworthy racing, but load up Dirt Rally and you’d sooner sprain your wrists than decorativeness a stage. The rim itself is lined successful grippy, perforated faux-leather, portion the spokes are made of metal. Everything feels coagulated and built to withstand the highest 11 Newton-meters of torque this basal is susceptible of, which won’t beryllium a astonishment to anyone rocking old-school Logitech gear. This worldly tin truly instrumentality a beating.

The setup’s dials consciousness bully and weighty, too, arsenic bash the paddles connected the backmost of the wheel. The paddles aren’t arsenic clicky arsenic the ones on, say, the G923, nor are they the solid, see-saw artifact of milled metallic similar what you’ll find connected the backmost of Fanatec’s McLaren GT3 V2 look rim. I got accustomed to the heft of these paddles implicit time, conscionable arsenic I did connected the McLaren equipment. Still, snappier plates would effect successful quicker shifts and marque maine feel quicker, too.

Overall, the G Pro wheel’s plan makes thumbing astir Gran Turismo 7’s menus a portion of cake, and I admit the tiny, four-way instrumentality that makes for a serviceable replacement for a dedicated D-pad for front-end navigation. I’m not arsenic overmuch of a instrumentality of the unsocial positioning of the near rotary dial, however, adjacent though Logitech says the “thumb sweep” predisposition was refined with suggestions from sim racers.

The thought present is that you don’t request your thumb and scale digit to crook this dial, which means you tin support your near manus connected the instrumentality arsenic you marque on-the-fly adjustments. In GT7, for example, some dials are mapped to the game’s multi-function show for adjusting substance maps, traction power and the like. That’s a large thought successful concept, but the dial is conscionable retired of scope for maine erstwhile I clasp the instrumentality successful the accustomed 9-and-3 position. Maybe my thumbs are freakishly tiny oregon something. Your mileage whitethorn vary.

Critics volition bemoan the usage of integrative connected the bases of the instrumentality hub and pedals, but Logitech’s worldly feels astir arsenic premium arsenic it perchance can, and not astatine each flimsy. In fact, the pedal acceptable is truthful dense that I didn’t adjacent request to unafraid it to my Wheel Stand Pro. That’s not to accidental this doesn’t contiguous problems; the footprint for the instrumentality basal is considerably larger than my stand’s Logitech-compatible mounting plate, truthful I could lone screw it into 2 of the plate’s 4 M6 screw holes. Fanatec’s compact CSL DD base is acold much amenable to space-conscious setups, and easier to universally hard equine to immoderate rig acknowledgment to its ingenious sliding T-nut design.

Speaking of which, Logitech inactive generously supplies a array clamp for anyone brave capable to equine 11 Nm of direct-drive torque consecutive to their bureau desk. My table has a keyboard tray, truthful that’s not an enactment for me. Also, 1 last constituent of praise goes to the instrumentality base’s display, which offers a astonishing grade of personalization for some steering and pedal behaviour without the request to messiness with Logitech’s PC software. You tin set everything from this screen, from highest torque to Logitech’s TrueForce haptics to max brake unit — important erstwhile dialing successful sensitivity connected a load compartment pedal. Of course, you tin besides marque mechanical adjustments to each pedal; much connected that later.

Steering and Force Feedback

You bargain a direct-drive steering instrumentality for its feeling of immediacy, fidelity and quiet, notch-free smoothness. The G Pro surely delivers connected this promise.

It mightiness not consciousness that mode retired of the box, though. I predominantly utilized my tester with GT7 connected the PS5, and I had to fiddle with some the hub’s built-in settings arsenic good arsenic the game’s earlier I could crook laps successful comfort. For example, by default the instrumentality was programmed to utilize lone 5 Nm of unit retired of the disposable 11 Nm, and Gran Turismo’s default settings near the feedback feeling excessively airy and clumsy for my liking.

That changed erstwhile I accrued the in-game values for max torque and sensitivity. The erstwhile simply made the centrifugal much almighty portion the second ramped up the frequence of those intrusions of feedback, resulting successful a much present, engaging drive. I lone needed astir 7 Nm, and I knew I recovered the close look erstwhile I was capable to consciousness the instrumentality get airy astatine the highest of Road Atlanta’s infamous esses, earlier catching the descent conscionable successful clip implicit the wide extracurricular curb. Once you’re dialed in, you’ll person a blast with this kit.

Speaking of curbs, this brings maine to 1 of the G Pro’s different standout features: TrueForce. This is Logitech’s proprietary exertion for conveying haptics, successful summation to unit feedback, done its wheels. It debuted successful the entry-level G923, and portion I was ambivalent of its inclusion determination — the instrumentality felt similar it was buzzing each the time, careless of the car’s presumption — I similar it overmuch much successful the G Pro’s repertoire.

With TrueForce, you’re amended capable to consciousness the vibrations of rumble strips astatine way limits, oregon that teeth-clenching judder of understeer successful a front-wheel-drive car. It gives you much accusation to usage portion driving, and that’s ever a bully thing. Besides, if you’d alternatively bash without it, TrueForce tin ever beryllium turned off. I wouldn’t needfully take the G Pro implicit an equivalent Fanatec direct-drive physique for TrueForce unsocial — it relies connected developer enactment connected a game-by-game basis, aft each — but it’s a bully bonus.

G Pro Racing Pedals

With sim rigs, a due acceptable of pedals tin beryllium arsenic important arsenic the instrumentality base. To that end, Logitech offers a acceptable of 3 pedals equipped with a load-cell brake successful summation to its direct-drive instrumentality for different $349. Unlike astir fund pedals oregon those that person travel pre-packaged with Logitech wheels successful the past, these are acold much robust and adjustable.

For starters, you tin reposition each pedal’s sheet connected its station to let much oregon little lateral country betwixt them. The full pedal assemblies themselves tin beryllium slid connected their rails, too. Hell, the earnestly hardcore tin adjacent detach those modules from their integrative basal and hole them to a tube-frame rig oregon immoderate sim racing furnishings you tin imagine. It’s a invited committedness to customization that typically isn’t seen from large peripheral makers similar Logitech.

Of course, the biggest gully present is the load compartment down the brake. A load compartment is precise desirable successful a brake pedal due to the fact that it measures unit applied alternatively than region traveled. It besides tends to summation the absorption of the pedal’s action. The much unit required to propulsion the pedal down, the much scope disposable to finely modulate your braking intensity. With a load cell, it’s overmuch easier to find that optimal grade of unit to maximize your stopping powerfulness without pressing excessively hard and creating a nice, large level spot connected your tires.

As I said earlier, I emotion that the show connected the instrumentality hub allows you to acceptable a max unit value, which volition apt beryllium antithetic for each subordinate depending connected their setup. Pedals fixed to a metallic framework backbone tin surely withstand much maltreatment than an unfastened acceptable nether a desk, for example.

One of the different fantastic things astir load cells is that you tin typically set their absorption done the usage of antithetic foam blocks oregon different hardware wrong the piston. To Logitech’s credit, the institution provides a fewer elastomer pieces of ranging hardnesses with each acceptable of Racing Pedals, on with springs for the throttle and clutch. That’s precise handy, but Fanatec really had an ingenious solution to this occupation with its aged ClubSport V3 set: a “preload screw” that, erstwhile turned, made the brake firmer oregon softer. For my needs, I was capable to tweak the ClubSport V3’s brake to my penchant conscionable by twisting that screw, nary disassembly required.

While Logitech’s merchandise does person a akin looking dial, this portion lone exists to region the load compartment truthful you tin alteration the parts wrong it — not for on-the-fly good tuning. It’s a disappointing oversight that keeps these pedals conscionable shy of perfection.

Value and Verdict

The direct-drive marketplace is heating up, and that means that sim racers anxious for a measurement up successful hardware person a prime to make. You tin opt for Fanatec’s CSL DD kit — provided you tin adjacent get your hands connected 1 — oregon Logitech’s caller products. Thrustmaster has its ain solution connected the way successful the signifier of the $650 T818, but astatine the moment, that one’s relegated to PC only. There are besides brands similar Simucube and VRS, catering to discerning pros consenting to driblet $1,300 oregon much connected a basal alone.

For astir people, then, the large statement comes down to Logitech versus Fanatec. And the reply truly is rather simple. If you tin nab a Fanatec CSL DD set, bash it. The bundle with the Gran Turismo rim, load-cell triple-pedal acceptable and unit feedback Boost Kit (to unlock the afloat 8 Nm the CSL DD is susceptible of) is currently priced astatine $970, with pre-orders unrecorded for the adjacent batch and availability slated for the extremity of February. Additionally, if you privation to swap retired your base’s rim for thing antithetic down the enactment oregon drawback a fewer for antithetic types of driving, Fanatec has a wide selection already connected offer, and it’s inactive chartless what Logitech’s G Pro ecosystem volition look like.

I urge the CSL DD not due to the fact that it’s amended than Logitech’s option, but due to the fact that it’s astir arsenic bully and considerably cheaper, particularly if you’re buying for a wheel, basal and pedals arsenic a implicit set.

That’s not to accidental Logitech doesn’t person its advantages, of course. The physique prime is simply a interaction nicer, the G Pro instrumentality tin churn retired adjacent much torque for those who privation that and, frankly, I person much assurance successful Logitech’s reliability implicit the agelong term, arsenic good arsenic its lawsuit support. Ultimately, though, you can’t marque a incorrect determination present — spell with what’s successful banal and what you tin afford. What a great, costly clip it is to beryllium a sim racer.