I briefly had the USB MSFF but with FF turned on, it slowed down GPL so much
(about 25% frame-rate hit in demanding conditions like race-starts) that I
had to take it back for a refund. It also displayed the same behaviour on
the PCWorld computers when they tested it in the shop with Sports Car GT.
The FF is a little sudden and jerky compared with the smooth Logitech, and
the MSFF is also quite noisy.
I also have the old Logitech and the Ferrari. I've heard it said many times
that the old Logitech and Force RS are of similar quality, so hopefully that
will give you a frame of reference for my opinions of the Ferrari, which is
in my opinion not as good as the Logitech. The Ferrari has very
light-weight tacky pedals. For some reason the top surface of the pedals
pivots on it's support, like helicopter pedals, but unlike helicopter pedals
the supports still move like normal pedals, so you're left with 2 axis of
movement. This makes the pedals difficult to use precisely, and I ended up
modifying mine to stop the top bit pivotting. Also the pedals feel like
they could break easily.
Other things wrong with the Ferrari are the clamping mechanism, which never
feels really secure even when fastenned impossibly tight. If you use the
badly placed stick shifter the whole unit rocks about. It also takes an age
to remove from your desk, and the wires are badly organised. Also the
button placings are a bit awkward.
I've never seen or used a Force RS, but from everything I've heard it sounds
better than these two wheels. The MSFF would have been great if it didn't
use so many CPU cycles generating it's effects.
I'm actually using a non-FF MS Precision Racing Wheel now, which is
basically just a USB MSFF with the FF removed. The pedals are enough better
than the Logitech to make me happy without FF.
