Console/wheel recommendations

[massiveCoRbyn]

As above really.

Thinking of buying a console and wheel, mostly to play Dirt 2.0 to be honest. I'm leading towards an Xbox, purely because that's what most of my mates have, but is one particularly better than the other?

What wheels do people use? I'd really like one that you can add bits to, so I could add a handbrake and shiz later. Is that possible?

I have literally no idea about this sort of thing, so be gentle.

 

[SharkyUK]

Do you have a budget in mind? For a starter I would recommend the Xbox One X console and build from there... It can get pricey depending on which wheel / pedal set you go for.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

I don't really have a budget to be honest, more because I have no idea what I am looking at 😂

I was recommended to get a Thrustmaster T300rs by a guy who works at Codemasters, but I couldn't find it on their website anymore.

A mate has a Logitech that he got second hand. It has three pedals and an H-pattern shifter, which is pretty cool but it's clearly not top of the range judging by the feel of it.

I quite like the idea of buying something a bit modular, so I don't necessarily have to buy it all at once, and the nerd in me likes the idea of eventually being able to alternate between an H-pattern and sequential shifter, as well as having the handbrake.

 

[Pauleds]

Im using a PS4 with the logitech g29 wheel and pedals. I also bought a frame for it off ebay.
I got the new Colin Mcrae add on today and its ok with fwd cars so far, but im struggling with the rwd sierra.
I also did #thesolbergrace last night too.
All good fun.

 

[Darren S]

You've picked a difficult game there. DIRT Rally 2.0 for me is absolute dog-turd with a wheel - when using standard settings. If the force feedback was made for American Truck Simulator, it would be far more realistic. It's that far off the mark, that I really don't know what the devs or testing team were thinking. For that reason alone, I simply use an XBox pad for that and Wreckfest - every other racing game I use the wheels and pedals for.

If your budget can stretch that far, I'd 'kind of' recommend Fanatec. When it works - it really does work well. The ancient CSR Elite v1 pedal set I have literally pisses all over my Logitech G920 pedals..... but they can be flakey. Worse, Fanatec's customer support is beyond dreadful and every item that is shipped from them gets smacked with a crazy delivery fee - try 19 Euros for a USB adapter and then nearly 17 Euros bloody delivery fee on top.

I know I'm on borrowed time with the Fanatec pedals - but while they continue to work, they are my go-to preference. That said, I much prefer the Logitech G920 wheel itself, rather than the hefty and significant Fanatec one that I've tried before. It is possible at times to have too much of a good thing - and I don't think I put in either enough time into racing games or am serious enough about them to warrant Fanatec's premium pricing for their wheels. However, nothing that I've used surpasses their ClubSport Shifters - those make you want to change gear, simply because of the involvement you have with it.

At the minute, my setup is a Logitech G920 wheel, Fanatec CSR Elite v1 pedal set and a Fanatec ClubSport Shifter, all bolted onto this... https://www.nextlevelracing.com/products/next-level-racing-wheel-stand/

I am on PC however, so the G920 wouldn't be relevant as you'd need the G29 as per @Pauleds above. Not quite sure (if at all possible) that you can mix and match components as easily on the consoles either?

 

[JB21]

Logitech G29/920 is decent. Recently sold mine for £100 on ebay.

 

[adamlstr]

After a bit of reading the Power PC thread etc. on here I just ordered:

G920 with shifter on Amazon for £180.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LSKDGVA/?tag=cliospnet01-21
(Seems to have gone back to £212 already)

GT Omega stand on Amazon for £130.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MS7W5EG/?tag=cliospnet01-21

I'll be hooking this up to my PC for Project Cars 2, and to my Xbox for Forza.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

I'm not using a PC

You've picked a difficult game there. DIRT Rally 2.0 for me is absolute dog-turd with a wheel - when using standard settings. If the force feedback was made for American Truck Simulator, it would be far more realistic. It's that far off the mark, that I really don't know what the devs or testing team were thinking. For that reason alone, I simply use an XBox pad for that and Wreckfest - every other racing game I use the wheels and pedals for.

If your budget can stretch that far, I'd 'kind of' recommend Fanatec. When it works - it really does work well. The ancient CSR Elite v1 pedal set I have literally pisses all over my Logitech G920 pedals..... but they can be flakey. Worse, Fanatec's customer support is beyond dreadful and every item that is shipped from them gets smacked with a crazy delivery fee - try 19 Euros for a USB adapter and then nearly 17 Euros bloody delivery fee on top.

I know I'm on borrowed time with the Fanatec pedals - but while they continue to work, they are my go-to preference. That said, I much prefer the Logitech G920 wheel itself, rather than the hefty and significant Fanatec one that I've tried before. It is possible at times to have too much of a good thing - and I don't think I put in either enough time into racing games or am serious enough about them to warrant Fanatec's premium pricing for their wheels. However, nothing that I've used surpasses their ClubSport Shifters - those make you want to change gear, simply because of the involvement you have with it.

At the minute, my setup is a Logitech G920 wheel, Fanatec CSR Elite v1 pedal set and a Fanatec ClubSport Shifter, all bolted onto this... https://www.nextlevelracing.com/products/next-level-racing-wheel-stand/

I am on PC however, so the G920 wouldn't be relevant as you'd need the G29 as per @Pauleds above. Not quite sure (if at all possible) that you can mix and match components as easily on the consoles either?

A bit surprised by that. They had a couple of rally drivers that were part of the consulting team and apparently put a lot of effort into making it feel as realistic as possible.

Yeah I'm not sure how much you can mix and match on console. Want to keep it as simple as possible really.

 

[adamlstr]

and to my Xbox for Forza.

I'm not using a PC

Don't make me quote myself, massivewonger.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Don't make me quote myself, massivewonger.

Oh shut up 😂

 

[Darren S]

A bit surprised by that. They had a couple of rally drivers that were part of the consulting team and apparently put a lot of effort into making it feel as realistic as possible.

Yeah I'm not sure how much you can mix and match on console. Want to keep it as simple as possible really.

Maybe it feels right in the hands of a pro-driver - but to mere mortal gamers, it's not good at all. Not without tweaking the settings a LOT.

At first, I thought it might have been me - but two others have tried DIRT Rally 2.0 with the wheel and literally cannot for the life of them drive in a straight line. Quit back to the main menu and switch to the XBox pad and away they go. It has this strange dead mid-zone around the straight ahead - nothing.... nothing... adjust a bit more input, BAM - it's like you've put it on full lock. As such, you appear to be forever fish-tailing along rather than making any attempt at going straight.

The big plus point with the game itself for me though is that the stages feel (and are) massive compared to the previous DIRT games. You get into a rhythm and some cars you gel with - others feel like a right pig. I personally prefer the older/slower cars where you're wringing out every bit of RPM, rather than the super-modern quick machinery.

If you fancy a change and want a switch to circuit racing more than rallying - Assetto Corsa Competizione is amazing.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Can you add handbrake or a sequential shifter to the G920 on Xbox?

The G920 is what my mate has I seem to remember.

 

[Pauleds]

Its taken me a while to get the settings somewhere where i like them on Dirt but WRC8 on the other hand I am still having arguments with it. I just cant get it to feel right.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Maybe it feels right in the hands of a pro-driver - but to mere mortal gamers, it's not good at all. Not without tweaking the settings a LOT.

At first, I thought it might have been me - but two others have tried DIRT Rally 2.0 with the wheel and literally cannot for the life of them drive in a straight line. Quit back to the main menu and switch to the XBox pad and away they go. It has this strange dead mid-zone around the straight ahead - nothing.... nothing... adjust a bit more input, BAM - it's like you've put it on full lock. As such, you appear to be forever fish-tailing along rather than making any attempt at going straight.

The big plus point with the game itself for me though is that the stages feel (and are) massive compared to the previous DIRT games. You get into a rhythm and some cars you gel with - others feel like a right pig. I personally prefer the older/slower cars where you're wringing out every bit of RPM, rather than the super-modern quick machinery.

If you fancy a change and want a switch to circuit racing more than rallying - Assetto Corsa Competizione is amazing.

That's really interesting. I mean I have virtually no experience with gaming, so I'm the last person to comment Definitely keen to give it a go though. I'm not too fussed on circuit stuff. Forza Horizon appeals, just so I can race my mates really!

 

[Pauleds]

Yes you can get a vertical handbrake for the G29 off ebay. I could have really done with one for the solberg race

 

[Darren S]

Can you add handbrake or a sequential shifter to the G920 on Xbox?

The G920 is what my mate has I seem to remember.

Looks like it. Some clever stuff out there and MUCH cheaper than Fanatec, lol.

G27/G29/G920 T300RS Logitech PS4 + PC USB Handbrake+Clamp for Racing Games | eBay

Find great deals for G27/G29/G920 T300RS Logitech PS4 + PC USB Handbrake+Clamp for Racing Games. Shop with confidence on eBay!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Darren S]

That's really interesting. I mean I have virtually no experience with gaming, so I'm the last person to comment Definitely keen to give it a go though. I'm not too fussed on circuit stuff. Forza Horizon appeals, just so I can race my mates really!

A shame you're not nearby. Shitty virus aside, you'd be more than welcome to have a go with mine.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Got a link? The only ones I can find seem to specify PS4, rather than xbox?

 

[Twingo 1??]

I downloaded dirt 2 and it was crap on a xbox controller it is probably good on a wheel set up. Forza is ok for fun I suppose but boring. I love driving but hate driving games.
Some of the videos on YouTube of d2 with a good wheel set up look realy good.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Looks like it. Some clever stuff out there and MUCH cheaper than Fanatec, lol.

G27/G29/G920 T300RS Logitech PS4 + PC USB Handbrake+Clamp for Racing Games | eBay

Find great deals for G27/G29/G920 T300RS Logitech PS4 + PC USB Handbrake+Clamp for Racing Games. Shop with confidence on eBay!

www.ebay.co.uk

Is it really just plug and play? It's been a long time since I touched a console. Things must have come a long way

 

[Darren S]

Is it really just plug and play? It's been a long time since I touched a console. Things must have come a long way

I suspect so. It will have a driver to download once connected via USB. Again, not really sure about the console side of things.

I mentioned the G29 earlier - that's PS4 & PC specific. But you mentioned XBox, so you'd be looking for the G920 instead as that's XBox and PC specific.

 

[TRB182]

+1 For a g920. That's what I use with xbox and a wheel stand pro. I prefer Assetto Corsa to the likes of forza. Find the handling a lot more realistic and it's a more focused game however you are much more limited car choice wise.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Yeah I think Xbox makes more sense if my friends have them, though someone did tell me that it doesn't actually matter for playing certain games online anymore. Not sure how true that is.

Would be nice to figure out the add-ons thing really. If I can add the handbrake to the Logitech, as well as have a sequential shifter option, I would go for that, but not 100% sure it's possible on console.

 

[Rojer]

Thrustmaster TX is supposed to be good, otherwise G920 or Fantec stuff.

 

[Darren S]

Yeah I think Xbox makes more sense if my friends have them, though someone did tell me that it doesn't actually matter for playing certain games online anymore. Not sure how true that is.

Would be nice to figure out the add-ons thing really. If I can add the handbrake to the Logitech, as well as have a sequential shifter option, I would go for that, but not 100% sure it's possible on console.

If you can stretch to this, I'd recommend it highly. It's actually the newer model of mine that has a 7-gear + Reverse H-pattern, with the optional ability to switch it to sequential if needed. My version is strictly H-pattern only, though I don't mind using the paddle-shift on my G920 for games that use it. The cherry on top is that the thread on the shifter knob itself is standard size - so you can unscrew it and replace it with any alternative that you like.

They occasionally come up on eBay - but the recent ones I've seen still went for north of £200 and are highly sort after.

ClubSport Shifter SQ V1.5

The ClubSport Shifter is entirely made of metal, which equates to mean: built-in quality, durability and reliability.

fanatec.com

 

[Rojer]

@Darren S Can you mix match pedals/shifters/wheels?

 

[adamlstr]

Getting there, just waiting for the wheel to show up tomorrow!

Glad I took the seat out the car, the bloody thing is cracked so it’s written off and confined to being a play seat forever more now.

 

[Darren S]

@Darren S Can you mix match pedals/shifters/wheels?

I have done on PC - but as said earlier, I'm not sure how 'friendly' consoles are like for mix & matching. I've got a screenshot that shows how well Assetto Corsa copes with several input devices all being 'on' at the same time.

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Yeah the console question is the big one for me. I don't know if I can justify the cost of the PC for what I'm going to use it for.

View attachment 1461109

View attachment 1461110


Getting there, just waiting for the wheel to show up tomorrow!

Glad I took the seat out the car, the bloody thing is cracked so it’s written off and confined to being a play seat forever more now.

Nice. I've got an old Ford Motorsport Motodrive than I'm going to use for mine. Need to get a rig too.

 

[Darren S]

Thinking of buying a console and wheel, mostly to play Dirt 2.0 to be honest.

Are you sure you want to do this?

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Are you sure you want to do this?

All the way. Rallying is where it's at.

 

[Darren S]

All the way. Rallying is where it's at.

Got to admit - I love the attention to detail in it. Did a 5-stage historic rally in the Fiat 121 and binned it not long after starting stage 1.

Buggered up the nearside front which made turning right tricky, though with each stage, the engine (and gearbox) was getting worse. I spent all my time allocation in the service slots trying to fix bits, but some simply couldn't be fixed. Even the co-driver interrupted at one point and asked if we were down on power. Got the stuttering power delivery sorted, but simply didn't have the pace to match even the midfield runners - let alone the top lot.

Finished 27th out of 30 - lol.

 

[adamlstr]

Does work!

Looking forward to a proper go tonight.

 

[djp66]

I have the G29/pedals/shifter plus the same stand as you but not such a cool chair though and I need a bigger screen. One thing about the G29, it has the benefit of shifter lights on the wheel. I've found if I fold down the stand a notch it fits under my desk for storage too.

I have seen mods for the H-shifter that limits it to simple back/forward (3rd & 4th) that with config, if your game allows it, means it acts like sequential shift.

I'm using it for F1 2019 on PC - oh a little tip for everyone. CDKeys.com, bulk reseller of legit product codes at a discount.

 

[adamlstr]

I have the G29/pedals/shifter plus the same stand as you but not such a cool chair though and I need a bigger screen. One thing about the G29, it has the benefit of shifter lights on the wheel. I've found if I fold down the stand a notch it fits under my desk for storage too.

I have seen mods for the H-shifter that limits it to simple back/forward (3rd & 4th) that with config, if your game allows it, means it acts like sequential shift.

I'm using it for F1 2019 on PC - oh a little tip for everyone. CDKeys.com, bulk reseller of legit product codes at a discount.

You've got a lot less 'toddler crap' in your office though, fancy chair or not.

Looks great though, I've never really been a fan of F1 games. Prefer road-car types, but then I've only ever been using a game pad until (later) today.

First thing I'm going to do is take an Evo 6 round Silverstone, as that will be most familiar to me.

 

[Rich..]

I have the G29/pedals/shifter plus the same stand as you but not such a cool chair though and I need a bigger screen. One thing about the G29, it has the benefit of shifter lights on the wheel. I've found if I fold down the stand a notch it fits under my desk for storage too.

I have seen mods for the H-shifter that limits it to simple back/forward (3rd & 4th) that with config, if your game allows it, means it acts like sequential shift.

I'm using it for F1 2019 on PC - oh a little tip for everyone. CDKeys.com, bulk reseller of legit product codes at a discount.

View attachment 1461332
View attachment 1461333
View attachment 1461331

I had the same setup, even the same chair, but got fed up of flying backwards when braking so bought the fixed chair for it.

 

[adamlstr]

Had a bit of play with XBOX/PC2 last night, did the first couple of career races in the Ginetta G40, what a fun distraction this is going to be! The wet is a real struggle because you use the seat, G, and your bum to sense grip, and that's completely missing. It's very different to any driving games I've played before. It took a little while to get used to the setup, and it was much easier on the paddles than full clutch and H pattern. It was like I'd forgotten what to do with my feet first of all.

I can do ~2.32 in the Evo around Silverstone and in the VI TME on the game I got to 2.35 in a few laps with clutch and H-pattern, until I realised what time it was and that I needed some sleep.

 

[steviekyle13793]

I've got a G29 wheel/pedals/shifter for sale 😏

 

[just-that-ek]

I've got a G29 wheel/pedals/shifter for sale [emoji57]

How much? Mine is playing up.

 

[Waitey]

I've been looking into this more and more.

Will probs go the PC route for it. Mainly so I can add cars into Assetto Corsa.

Looking at a G29 with pedals. Then doing the load cell conversion to the brake pedal (about £100), and moving the brake spring to the clutch and the clutch spring to the throttle. That seems to make the cheap pedals drive pretty well.

Then it'll be a case of saving like f**k for a DOF Reality H3 sim base!