Force sims: which is better...?

I'm about to buy a driving sim to go with a P-III 450Mhz, 16Mb video & 64bit sound on-board Intel Sunriva board, 128Mb RAM, 17" screen (should be faster than my current 486 with 16Mb RAM and 2Mb Diamond Stealth!). What would be the better buy: Logitech's or MS's Force simulators? Seems there are quite a few *** drivers on this NG - I'd much appreciate your prompt advise. Martin Castilla

Let me put it this way. I purchased both wheels and kept the Logitech. -- Header address intentionally scrambled to ward off the spamming hordes. cisko [AT] ix [DOT] netcom [DOT] com >I'm about to buy a driving sim to go with a P-III 450Mhz, 16Mb video & 64bit >sound on-board Intel Sunriva board, 128Mb RAM, 17" screen (should be faster >than my current 486 with 16Mb RAM and 2Mb Diamond Stealth!). What would be >the better buy: Logitech's or MS's Force simulators? Seems there are quite a >few *** drivers on this NG - I'd much appreciate your prompt advise. >Martin Castilla

I just got the Logitech FF wheel too, after comparing it to the MS wheel. ACT Labs sounds good, but isn't to be found retail anywhere near me, and I like getting hardware stuff local. I'm quite impressed with it. Nice feel, it looks spectacular, and the control placement is great. I still have a new $70 Mad Catz Andretti wheel (non-Force Feedback) that I was trying out. I liked that wheel, but the pedals have really weak resistance, and a lot of travel, and in combination were hell for me to drive with after using a Thrustmaster Nascar Pro wheel for the last year, which was much stiffer and had good travel. Plus, the lack of dual-axis support was a bit too difficult for me to get used to. It was a digital wheel, and was very smooth and precise - with some better pedals it'd be about perfect. My other choices were the more expensive FF wheels, Logitech and MS. After a weekend with the Andretti wheel, I figured I'd give one of the more expensive options a shot, and the Logitech seemed to be the choice between those. In comparison to the Logitech, the Andretti wheel doesn't feel nearly as solid - good, but noticeably not as "tight" as the Logitech. While I was used to the shifter on my TM Pro and liked having that on the Andretti wheel, I LOVE the shifters on the Logitech - a big plus in it's favor vs. the Microsoft. The are big and easy to reach from many hand positions. The Andretti wheel had nice buttons behind the wheel in addition to the stick shift, but they only were usable with hands at "9 and 3" - very similar to the MS FF wheel. I just tooled around a bit after hooking it up in GPL, and really don't have any problem with the Logitech pedals. No, they don't have much travel, but seem to be about right in resistance, and I found myself locking up the brakes much less than with the Andretti wheel, about the same as I was doing with my TM Pro setup. With some practice and maybe some tweaking, I think they'll do fine. Based just on this, the Logitech is staying and the Andretti wheel is going back. Not a knock on the Andretti, if someone is looking for a sub $100 wheel they really can't go wrong with it if they like the pedals. But the Wingman Formula Force is extremely nice even in non-force-feedback games, now for some force feedback in Viper and SCGT to really impress me :-) -- Ken's Sig 3.0 "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi Go #43 and #44! volksy (at) geocities (dot) com volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com >Let me put it this way. I purchased both wheels and kept >the Logitech. >-- >Header address intentionally scrambled to ward off the spamming hordes. >cisko [AT] ix [DOT] netcom [DOT] com >>I'm about to buy a driving sim to go with a P-III 450Mhz, 16Mb video & >64bit >>sound on-board Intel Sunriva board, 128Mb RAM, 17" screen (should be faster >>than my current 486 with 16Mb RAM and 2Mb Diamond Stealth!). What would be >>the better buy: Logitech's or MS's Force simulators? Seems there are quite >a >>few *** drivers on this NG - I'd much appreciate your prompt advise. >>Martin Castilla

The feel and response of the Logitech is my choice but this is really a personel one. Try em out yourself is the only way. Most decent stores have one or the other on display. > I'm about to buy a driving sim to go with a P-III 450Mhz, 16Mb video & 64bit > sound on-board Intel Sunriva board, 128Mb RAM, 17" screen (should be faster > than my current 486 with 16Mb RAM and 2Mb Diamond Stealth!). What would be > the better buy: Logitech's or MS's Force simulators? Seems there are quite a > few *** drivers on this NG - I'd much appreciate your prompt advise. > Martin Castilla

Try it with Colin McRae Rally. Brilliant!

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> I just got the Logitech FF wheel too, after comparing it to the MS wheel. > ACT Labs sounds good, but isn't to be found retail anywhere near me, and I > like getting hardware stuff local. I'm quite impressed with it. Nice feel, > it looks spectacular, and the control placement is great. > I still have a new $70 Mad Catz Andretti wheel (non-Force Feedback) that I > was trying out. I liked that wheel, but the pedals have really weak > resistance, and a lot of travel, and in combination were hell for me to > drive with after using a Thrustmaster Nascar Pro wheel for the last year, > which was much stiffer and had good travel. Plus, the lack of dual-axis > support was a bit too difficult for me to get used to. It was a digital > wheel, and was very smooth and precise - with some better pedals it'd be > about perfect. My other choices were the more expensive FF wheels, Logitech > and MS. After a weekend with the Andretti wheel, I figured I'd give one of > the more expensive options a shot, and the Logitech seemed to be the choice > between those. > In comparison to the Logitech, the Andretti wheel doesn't feel nearly as > solid - good, but noticeably not as "tight" as the Logitech. While I was > used to the shifter on my TM Pro and liked having that on the Andretti > wheel, I LOVE the shifters on the Logitech - a big plus in it's favor vs. > the Microsoft. The are big and easy to reach from many hand positions. The > Andretti wheel had nice buttons behind the wheel in addition to the stick > shift, but they only were usable with hands at "9 and 3" - very similar to > the MS FF wheel. > I just tooled around a bit after hooking it up in GPL, and really don't have > any problem with the Logitech pedals. No, they don't have much travel, but > seem to be about right in resistance, and I found myself locking up the > brakes much less than with the Andretti wheel, about the same as I was doing > with my TM Pro setup. With some practice and maybe some tweaking, I think > they'll do fine. > Based just on this, the Logitech is staying and the Andretti wheel is going > back. Not a knock on the Andretti, if someone is looking for a sub $100 > wheel they really can't go wrong with it if they like the pedals. But the > Wingman Formula Force is extremely nice even in non-force-feedback games, > now for some force feedback in Viper and SCGT to really impress me :-) > -- > Ken's Sig 3.0 > "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan > Kenobi > Go #43 and #44! > volksy (at) geocities (dot) com > volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com > >Let me put it this way. I purchased both wheels and kept > >the Logitech. > >-- > >Header address intentionally scrambled to ward off the spamming hordes. > >cisko [AT] ix [DOT] netcom [DOT] com > >>I'm about to buy a driving sim to go with a P-III 450Mhz, 16Mb video & > >64bit > >>sound on-board Intel Sunriva board, 128Mb RAM, 17" screen (should be > faster > >>than my current 486 with 16Mb RAM and 2Mb Diamond Stealth!). What would be > >>the better buy: Logitech's or MS's Force simulators? Seems there are quite > >a > >>few *** drivers on this NG - I'd much appreciate your prompt advise. > >>Martin Castilla

The LWFF was my choice back in November, and I'm still happy with it, although last weekend, I finally gave in and switched the wiring harness from the Logitech pedals to my old CH pedals. I've only been able to put in a couple of hours in different sims, but I'm very happy with the switch, brakes are easier to modulate, wheelspin easier to control. The biggest plus is that I don't think about the pedals any longer, allowing me to focus on the fact that I still can't drive worth a damn<g>. -don

Does anyone care to recommend a sim? What do you guys use? How do you feel about it? Any bad comments about either one? >I'm about to buy a driving sim to go with a P-III 450Mhz, 16Mb video & 64bit >sound on-board Intel Sunriva board, 128Mb RAM, 17" screen (should be faster >than my current 486 with 16Mb RAM and 2Mb Diamond Stealth!). What would be >the better buy: Logitech's or MS's Force simulators? Seems there are quite a >few *** drivers on this NG - I'd much appreciate your prompt advise. >Martin Castilla

With my few days with my Logitech Formula Force wheel, the best of my games with force effects is Viper racing, Sports Car GT (SCGT) isn't quite as good but still good. I have Need For Speed 3 (that came with my video card) and Formula 1 Racing Sim that I haven't tried with it yet. Since you said your current PC is a 486, I doubt you've played much of the recent sims, so I'd say start out with something a bit easier - and SCGT or Viper (or both!) would fill the bill nicely. Both have good force feedback effects, good gameplay, and a range of adjustability so you can make it easy til you get used to it, then make it harder down the road. My preference is SCGT, but if I were starting out and wanted to really show off the force feedback wheel, and would only pick one, I'd probably give the nod to Viper. -- Ken's Sig 3.0 "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi Go #43 and #44! volksy (at) geocities (dot) com volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com >Does anyone care to recommend a sim? What do you guys use? How do you feel >about it? Any bad comments about either one? >>I'm about to buy a driving sim to go with a P-III 450Mhz, 16Mb video & >64bit >>sound on-board Intel Sunriva board, 128Mb RAM, 17" screen (should be faster >>than my current 486 with 16Mb RAM and 2Mb Diamond Stealth!). What would be >>the better buy: Logitech's or MS's Force simulators? Seems there are quite >a >>few *** drivers on this NG - I'd much appreciate your prompt advise. >>Martin Castilla

180 difference here :) -Larry > Let me put it this way. I purchased both wheels and kept > the Logitech.

For Force Feedback? Viper and Monster Truck Madness 2. Nascar Revolution (with 1.02 patch) if you can keep from blowing chunks in reference to the rest of the game. -Larry > Does anyone care to recommend a sim? What do you guys use? How do you feel > about it? Any bad comments about either one?