honest opinion. I'm not just making this stuff up to annoy you, that's
really what I think. :) I've currently got the Logitech FF and the
Guillemot FF wheel and I don't use the Guillemot. I also owned a USB
Sidewinder FF wheel but that had to go back, and i've got a MS Precision
Racing Wheel and a F1 Racing Wheel (Thrustmaster).
Every feature I criticize, I am criticizing compared to the Logitech wheel
and the Thrustmaster pedals (the combo I use for GPL).
If you think the pedal resistance is perfect you must have very weak legs.
:) The Logitech pedals have more resistance (although I don't use them).
The Sidewinder pedals have quite a lot more resistance. The Thrustmaster
pedals have about 5 times the resistance of the Guillemot. It takes
virtually no effort to make the Guillemot pedals move, which makes it
difficult to avoid locking brakes in GPL. The only acceptable set of
pedals i have ever used were on the TM F1 Racing Wheel. The pedals are
vertical, like in a real racing car, and there is tons of resistance in the
brake pedal, just like a real car. I hardly ever lock brakes in GPL with
these pedals.
My shifter are very cheap and wobble about all over the place. It's quite
possible they've been improved. They are also too small and don't sit
comfotably within range of the your fingers. Whereas the Logitech shifters
are big, durable (they never look like they're going to break) and are more
like buttons in their use. They only move about 0.5 centimetres at the end,
whereas the Guillemot shifters have about twice the range of movement. When
I mentioned something breaking in the first month it was the shifter I was
talking about.
The desk clamping mechanism is a copy of the MS one. It's got the big***
on the underneath, and a lock on the front (which on the MS wheel is a big
lever thing) just like the MS one. That's not a big deal though, I
personally don't care whether it's a copy or not. The problem is that it
takes alot of effort and time to attach and remove from the desk. Again I'm
comparing it to the Logitech clamping mechanism, which takes about 5 seconds
(literally) to remove. Also the suckers are a bad idea, since when you are
sliding the wheel into place they get caught and turn themselves
upside-down.
As for the thumb rests, instead of just being somewhere to put your thumb,
they are more like tight holes. When the wheel is at full lock you almost
have to take your thumbs out to avoid them snagging. Basically, the gap is
too small, and goes too far into the body of the wheel.
I presume you agree about the hats, buttons and software. Actually the
software is one of the biggest problems. It just doesn't do anything.
About all it can do it adjust FF levels, switch pedal modes and assign key
presses to the buttons. Even with the sensitivity in Sports Car GT on the
lowest level, its very difficult to drive in a straight line with the
Guillemot wheel. The software should have let you set the sensitivity for
all three axis. Try Sport Car GT on this wheel and you will see what I
mean.
Also the only way to switch between combined and seperate axis is to go into
the control panel and do it yourself. Theres no profiles. Again comparing
it to the Logitech, which has profiles which run automatically when you run
your game. Once you've set up your profiles with the LWFF there's nothing
else to do to be able to run your games with it.
Another small criticism is that all the wires go to the wheel unit, which
means you've got three wires ending up at the wheel unit, which makes an
awful mess. You can either have them going round the back of your desk,
which means you have to unplug two of them when you remove the wheel. Or
you can have them coming up the front of your desk, which is just a mess.
Whereas on the Logitech there is only one single wire going to the wheel and
that wire comes from the back of your computer, and not from the pedals.
Like I said, I own both these wheel, and I have no axe to grind. If I
thought the Guillemot was better I would be using it. I did afterall buy it
*after* the Logitech wheel. But yet it's packed away in it's box waiting
for me to get round to selling it. Theres not much point in me saying I
love this wheel and it's flawless, because that would just be lying.
Since we disagree so much, why don't we just recommend that people looking
for a good wheel try before they buy. :)
Simon (sorry to go on so much)