Logitech’s G-series of racing wheels have long been the entry level for gamers keen to take their virtual racing more seriously.
The latest spec – albeit a few years old now – is the G29 for PS4 and the G920 for Xbox 1, with both playable on PC.At a retail price of £330 – but widely available for quite a bit less – it’s an investment which signifies a commitment to racing on a regular basis. But for the price, you get an attractive leather and metal wheel that offers full 900 degree rotation and decent force feedback that opens up a world of control and immersion that a gamepad can simply never offer.
Designed after the modern steering wheels found on open wheel and GT cars, the face buttons can be programmed as you like and allow you to activate DRS or a pit limiter easily with your thumb. On the G29, specialist plus and minus buttons are perfect for adjusting ERS or fuel mappings with the touch of a button, while the rotary dial can be set to quickly scroll through pit setting menus while on the straight.
Gear shifting is achieved by clicking in the sizable metal gear paddles behind the wheel itself, which offer a satisfying tangible feeling to punching through the gears under acceleration or aggressively downshifting during a heavy braking zone. If you want the full H-pattern shifting experience, however, be prepared to shell out another £45.
The force feedback offered is decent, giving you that tactile feeling of grip that can only come through a wheel. However, it doesn’t quite have the same depth and nuance of feedback that some of its more expensive alternatives.
The G29 and G920 also come with a set of three metal pedals, designed for braking, clutch and acceleration, respectively. Each offers solid resistance to give you a better feel for judging your braking and throttle balance, although many will find the braking pedal to be excessively stiff, making it difficult to hit maximum brake pressure. A common workaround for a lot of players is to use the clutch pedal instead. You can also modify the resistance yourself, but it is unauthorised DIY.
As an entry level wheel for sim racing, the G29 and G920 are certainly worth considering – especially if budgets have to be taken into account. However, it’s true that the more expensive alternatives do offer superior experiences, while the Xbox 1 G920 model lacks a fair few of the features of its PlayStation sibling, which is a shame.
If you’re looking at making the most of racing games on your console, such as Codemasters’ F1 series, Dirt Rally, Project Cars or Gran Turismo Sport, you’ll find your immersion greatly enhanced by one of these wheels. However, if you’re serious about getting into PC simracing at a competitive level, you might have to be prepared to shell out a little more for something more specialised.
RaceFans rating
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
supernicebob (@supernicebob)
3rd May 2020, 19:35
Ha! Haven’t got much use out of my G29 as I was generally being slower than using the gamepad due to the stiff brake pedal. Whilst I’d had a go at using the clutch as a handbrake for DiRT, it never occurred to me to have it as the actual brake instead. Cheers for the tip!
Elgsdyr
3rd May 2020, 19:57
I have the Logitech G27, which AFAIK has pretty much the same internals as the G29. It’s a decent beginner wheel at a reasonable price. Its biggest problem though IMHO is the use of gears between the motor and the wheel which causes rattling with vibrations and not the smoothest FFB. Supposedly, the Thrustmaster T300 GT Edition (the one with 3 pedals) is a much better solution with belt drive (much smoother FFB) if you’re willing to pay 30-40% more.
Balue (@balue)
4th May 2020, 11:16
Yes but if you’re like me who don’t need a strong FF it’s fine. The G27 has been very durable for me overall, so the G29 should be the same.
For those who only race formula cars and don’t have the need for a clutch, I recommend to use the leftmost pedal as a brake, and in order to get it as hard as possible so as not to overdo braking (IMO braking is really the key), to switch the springs around. (then use your big toes on the pedals for max feel)
Not sure how it is with the G29, but if the throttle pedal slams the base with a nasty sound as the G27, open it up and glue on a strip a strip of nylon or something similar in between (something that will take abuse).
Kenny Schachat (@partofthepuzzle)
3rd May 2020, 21:31
“However, if you’re serious about getting into PC simracing at a competitive level, you might have to be prepared to shell out a little more for something more specialised.”
Could you provide info/reviews of some of these products? Thanks!
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
3rd May 2020, 21:43
@partofthepuzzle Coming up soon…
Elgsdyr
3rd May 2020, 22:06
There are loads of sites and YouTube-channels talking about and testing simracing gear. Sim Racing Garage on YouTube comes to mind a one of these.
The simple gateway to a series of very serious products at different price levels would be to look for Fanatec (pronounced like ‘fanatic’). Their cheapest packages start at about 2½ times the price of the G29 but if you have a full Uncle Scrooge money tank they also have very serious direct-drive wheels.
anon
3rd May 2020, 22:38
@partofthepuzzle as Elgsdyr notes, the next step up would generally be the belt driven systems – the Thrustmaster T300 RS GT is a bit towards the cheaper end, whilst the likes of Fanatec are there as well (again, a step up in price, but also tending to have more powerful motors and more advanced pedal set ups as well.
The top end would see you going for a direct drive wheel – Fanatec do also offer that, along with the likes of AccuForce or SimXperience, and you then have the pedal sets by the likes of Heusinkveld. By that point, though, the sort of money you are talking about is pretty hefty – those direct drive wheels can easily set you back $1000, whilst the top end Heusinkveld pedals can cost over €1300.
The real high end kit often requires a fairly strong rig as well, as that is the heavy duty end of the spectrum – some direct drive wheels, for example, are up in the 30Nm torque range. By that point, you’re beyond what any F1 driver has experienced and approaching the extremes of any race driver – that’s matching Group C cars in sprint configuration in terms of the physical effort required (the upper end pedal sets, which are designed to take over 100kg of pedal force, are also in that region as well). However, the price tag means that is a pretty exclusive club and one that I suspect most would not be prepared to spend that much money on.
Sim Racing Garage is one, and Chris Haye is another guy who covers sim racing and has touched on different types of wheel – there are quite a few different sources you can find.
Luke Longnecker
3rd May 2020, 22:01
I used my G29 yesterday for the first time in while. Coming from my usual direct drive setup, it was astounding how cheap it felt. I used to love my Logitech and Thrustmaster wheels, but they would be really hard to go back to.
Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
6th May 2020, 19:28
A bit unrelated device wise, but i find Logitech are building things like PC mice and keyboards and other hardware very cheaply now compared to what they used to be 10 – 20 years ago. If they can get away with building any parts that are designed to last just over their warranty period, they will. I still have logitech stuff from over 10 years ago which feels far better built despite being on their budget end. And that is comparing it to a pretty advanced mouse that I’ve just recently bought that already has issues.
I think I would only now give anything by Logitech a good review if you’ve have had it at lease several years, especially if it is a premium device. Based on my experience, I have little confidence in their newer devices lasting.
Aussie Rod (@aussierod)
3rd May 2020, 22:48
In addition to the recommendations above, Boosted Media has a great sim channel and recently ran a series of videos on setting out in sim racing, including one on wheels.
David Beverley
3rd May 2020, 22:54
Mine broke after a couple months. Seemed to be a defect that others had dealt with. The feeling of the wheel wasn’t great & the pedals were terrible, but not too bad for the price. Dealing with Logitech customer service completely put me off from replacing it. Decided to upgrade to a Fanatec CSL Elite. Haven’t had a problem & the wheel/pedals are a vast step upwards.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
3rd May 2020, 23:04
I have this and its always seemed pretty good to me. Got it in the 2019 January sales for £260, with the H-shifter thrown in free (and still never used). The force feedback is pretty strong – pretty loud, so always turn up my TV a bit louder to compensate (wouldn’t be great for late night if you had room mates too In!)
In strangely timely fashion, I’ve just today finished building a better rig. My old set-up was literally a table. Now i have a custom built wood frame that fits me perfectly and is actually comfortable to sit at. Still pretty basic, but feels nice.
Currently waiting on arrival of a motherboard and processor to complete a new PC build, then gonna migrate from PS4 to PC.
Commodore477
3rd May 2020, 23:48
Been using a G29 since it’s release on GT6/Sport and Assetto Corsa + Competizione and it’s been very good. Compared to the G27, the brake pedal spring is the only really noticible difference. Much stiffer on the G29 where it actually feels more like you’re pressing a real brake pedal on hard braking applications. The G29 wheel is a touch stiffer on the force feed back but I always end up adjusting it on AC. I find that the main difference between any racing sim is the tyre physics. Get used to any particular one and it will be what you get used to.
G29 certainly does the job if you put time into understanding its feedback per game. I enjoy racing sims and games such as BeamNG and I really don’t see a benefit of the higher priced wheels for a casual user such as myself who doesn’t have any sort of driving experience as a professional.
Billy
4th May 2020, 0:32
I wish I pulled the trigger on the G29 when the pandemic began. It was $220 and available everywhere. Now if you can find it you have to shell out over $550…but all the retailers are sold out
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
4th May 2020, 6:33
I have ona and it is great fun. Got it on sale for 240€ with H-shifter.
Like everyone says FFB is a bit lacking, but you have the tools to simulate some of the driving sensations.
Maisch (@maisch)
4th May 2020, 7:47
Remember if youre not aiming for the top you dont need to spend thousands of dollars just to have fun in iracing leagues. I race on the dining table on an old laptop with a logitech driving force GT wheel, and can be pretty competitive. Its 90% training anyway(which i dont do enough though :) ). Of course the experience is better with better equipment, but its not mandatory for having great racing experiences.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
4th May 2020, 9:07
This is what I had before, and it was quite fun aswell. The main difference is 900° steering range, and the clutch pedal.
Elgsdyr
4th May 2020, 10:31
Stoffel Vandoorne was doing quite well with a G29 until recently.
GeeMac (@geemac)
4th May 2020, 10:01
I’d be very surprised if anyone with a family could justify shelling out £330 for a wheel if they were just going to use it occasionally.
Chris (@altitude2k)
4th May 2020, 10:06
£330 is an appalling price, tbh. Granted it was Black Friday week, but I picked up the G920 with F1 2019 and the gear shifter for £150 last year.
Rambosven
10th May 2020, 8:23
That’s how much they are now. Profiteering? Or maybe because there is no stock and lots of demand. I will sadly have to wait until they bring back a package for around £200 which was only earlier this year.
Sloppy Shades (@sloppysmusic)
4th May 2020, 15:59
I have 2 of these and have always switched clutch and brake over. I simply add some packing bubble wrap secured with rubber bands wedged between pedal and base to provide the perfect amount of resistance. Yes it sounds ‘ghetto’ but it works fast and well and won’t invalidate any warrantees! Enabled me to raise the max brake pressure considerably in all racing games as well as providing much more travel than than the rather poor brake pedal itself.
petebaldwin (@)
4th May 2020, 18:25
I recently got a brake mod for this – GTEye. It’s a progressive spring to replace the one that comes with the set – it gets harder to push the further you press on the brake. It makes it much easier to find the sweet spot without locking your brakes.
It’s not cheap (£15) but it’s made a huge difference.
petebaldwin (@)
4th May 2020, 18:26
I also swapped the clutch spring so it’s now on the throttle and the old brake spring onto the clutch. All feels miles better now.
John
25th December 2020, 2:17
I have a question, I really want to buy this to play f1, but it is too big, can i remove the leather part of the steering wheel without affecting its performance? Or is there any wires through that part of the steering wheel? My goal is having an f1 size steering wheel, with just the plastic and buttons part, like an xbox controller with rotary perception.