Fanatec wheel

I finally took the plunge and bought a Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 wheel: It is the only wheel to support PC, PS3 and XBox360. Aside from that it is also a fantastic wheel, particularly in combination with the advanced pedal set (FFB on the brake).

The FFB was always an issue on the XBox and they addressed this somewhat: Forza 3 is fun, but it is not close to what you get from GT5. Still with this wheel Forza 3 is enjoyable enough to be played.

What is also absolutely brilliant is the way they hid the button markers: They are all "under the skin" and once you define what console you are playing with, the appropriate markers are lit and appear shining through showing you the buttons. That way the wheel while turned off looks exactly like it came from a Porsche (including the Alcantara leather) and while gaming you don't get confused what button to play.

I highly recommend it to anybody who likes to use more than one console.

 

Clubsport

They feel so much like the real thing. And look the part. And they're strong.

On the XBox they act like regular passive pedals but on the PS3 they already give you feedback. I played F1 2010 and could tell the cars vibrations through the pedals (as well as the steering wheel).

I haven't set up the PC yet, but I'm sure it will be even more fun there when certain games have explicit support for the wheel and pedals.

What's also nice is, that on XBox and PS3 I didn't have to do anything. The games recognized the hardware instantly (or my old settings from the Logitech wheel were still valid).

Wheel and pedals cost a fortune (about $ 450 together) but they are clearly the best engineered unit I ever had. In quality, design and functionality. Gotta leave it to the Germans...

 

While my club sport pedals have a clutch pedal, I don't think I'll ever get the shifter: The cars/sims I race are mostly for cars with wheel mounted shifters.

BTW: You can combine the Club sport pedals with a G25 or other steering wheel. It connects via USB.

I had a G25 once and it didn't impress me much. I installed it, played a game and then put the Logitech GT wheel back on.

That link is very cool but I'm kinda done with all the DIY stuff: By the time you get it to work for one game, the next game is out and you'll start fiddling all over again. Been down that route too many times.

 

Your wish is my command. Well, at least in this case.

Hard to take good shots, but anyway. Under the table are PC, PS3 and XBox360.

The pic of the wheel is with the XBox360 activation. The "buttons" illuminate in XBox style and nomenclature. In PS3 mode they disappear and PS3 "buttons" appear. When turned off, none of that is visible. If a game supports it, the red LED above the wheel shows information like e.g. gear.

The wheel feels nice and solid and the Alcantara leather is for real. Smells great.

PS: Forgot to mention: You can also buy a stick shift for the wheel if you like to clutch etc. While I drive a stick (Ferrari) IRL I don't feel the need for it in games (hey, it's all about being fast and competitive!) so I prefer the paddles, but if you like, the pedals have that 3rd pedal for the clutch. Speaking of paddles: I'm happy with the buttons on the backside of the steering wheel, but you can attach bigger metal ones (part of the package) or even replace them with carbon fibre ones.
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