I'm supposed to be doing a story on console racing games for Car and Driver
magazine, but it's been on hold because Sony dropped online MP from GT4 and
there are no decent steering wheels for the Xbox.
I can't get anybody at Sony to do anything but mumble when I ask about the
missing Net code, and Microsoft clammed up when I asked them about those
nice wheels they used to demo Forza at E3 last year, so I talked to a source
at Logitech. He said neither Logi nor Guillemot/TM had ever bothered to
make a decent wheel for the Xbox because it doesn't support FF (it's never
even been in the SDK), and few console gamers are willing to spend more than
$24.95 (i.e., entry-level Mad Katz) for a non-FF wheel. Hence, no market.
I had heard that there's a Xbox controller-to-USB dongle you can mail-order
from Japan (it only costs $15, but the shipping is twice that), but my Logi
guy said don't bother; the rumble FX are only loosely related to what the
chassis is doing (it does recognize curbs). He said they were all waiting
to hear whether or not the Xbox 2 would support FF before Logi would commit
to making a wheel for it.
OTOH, I have heard good things abt. the Logi DFP (Driving Force Pro), with
both the PS2 and the PC. It's a 900-degree wheel (2-1/2 turns
lock-to-lock), but it will work fine w. games that don't support all that
twirling (it defaults to 270 deg., I think). There are no PC drivers for
it...yet...but if you have Logi's profile s/w you can set it up for a PC, no
prob. Unlike every earlier FF wheel, the DFP uses neither cogs nor wires &
pulleys; it's an induction motor - no physical contact - so you don't get
gear lash or linear friction.
I've have a DFP which I haven't installed (and won't until it's time to
finish the C&D article), but I did try one on Force-Dynamics incredible
shake 'n' bake cockpit simulator. It'd been shaken-not-stirred almost to
death, so I'm not sure it's reliability is up to the original Logi Momo
Force (mine is still going strong), but it's a VERY nice wheel.
> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Well, Logitech doesn't know what they're talking about. According to
> the movie at this link:
>
> http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/driving...ort/media.html
>
> The Speedster 3 driving wheel will support FF. Granted, you never know
> until things hit the showroom floor, but it does appear that Logitech
> is dead wrong in this case.
>