Review: Logitech DriveFX™ Racing Wheel

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Microsoft isn’t providing third-party peripheral manufacturers with the SDK to give you true Force Feedback, preferring to keep that card close to their vest. Logitech is offering something called Axial Feedback instead. The electric motors clamp down on the wheel’s axis, providing the feedback by tightening the compression, loosening it, or causing it to shake wildly. Sounds a lot like Force Feedback, right? I really couldn’t tell the difference between it and my Thrustmaster wheel for my PC.

Underside

Let me give you an example. Say you’re in a high-G, tight, accelerating turn. The motors clamp down to give you the impression that your wheels are on rails and you will over- or understeer at your own peril. Should you oversteer, the motors relax slightly, giving the sensation that you’re no longer in control of the turn and you should either slow down or otherwise reverse the slide to regain control. One really cool moment came when I caught air in PGR3 and there was NO resistance to the wheel as it correctly interpreted that all four wheels had slipped the surly bonds of Earth…and me headed for a concrete divider.

On Track

It really is essentially a PC wheel design adapted for Xbox 360 use, which will appeal to the adult gamer wanting to crush those squeaky-voiced ten-year-olds he hears over the voice comms. The 360 headset is capable of being plugged into a connector on the top of the wheel so that when driving you can feel free to snort with smug superiority as you suck the moonroofs off those little two-door tuners with your Porsche’s wake turbulence when Forza 2 gets released in time for Christmas.

Headset Plug

One thing that really irritated me about the 360’s software and how it ‘talks’ to some peripherals, it is so proprietary that it prevented the DriveFX from being used on my PC and making it a one-stop shop for all my racing needs and I would have been perfectly comfortable using it in GT Legends or GTR. While there’s very little Logitech can do about this, it would have been a nice bonus and a money saver for those who want to race around and not have to have two separate wheels.

But enough about that. How does it work with games?

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