First of all, I have been avid gamer for over 20 yrs and have had a wheel for almost every system out.
Currently I own DFP-PS2, Pelican-Xbox, DriveFX & MS-360 (I have played with both a lot for a little over a week (Forza2), tweeking options etc.  I see a lot of people in here asking what wheel to buy and when the demo came out I went through the same situation and here is what I came up with to help those that are still debating; PIC of Wheels side-by-side.

    Category                   Logitech DriveFX                MS wireless                         DFP(PS2-PC)
1. Price-                       49.99 (EBGAMES)             129.99 (new low price)        100.00
2. Feel-                        feels like a real wheel            more like a flight simulator     like a real wheel
3. Look-                      great black, just like dfp        ok, kind of cheap                  black GT
4. Force Feedback-     not hard enough, axial           great forcefeedback              great forcefeedback
5. Paddle shifting-        ok, small behind  wheel         great, very realistic             ok,behindwheel+stick
6. Handling-       little loose, but turns are smooth      tight, but have to fight FF       900 degrees
7. Fun-        something about this wheel is just fun     this is fun, just more serious    fun and serious

Conclusion- If all that is confusing then I will explain.  Bottom Line- If you are going to play once in a while as a stress relief, save money get the Logitech DriveFX.  If you are looking to get serious into racing especially online, the MS will be a better investment, due to the FF and tighter control.  For those that have the DriveFX and are having problems keeping a straight line then make sure you cycle through the little black button just left of center for tightening control up.  I believe that I have found 4 different options.  I took the first  wheel  back and this one seems  better, but it may have just been that  I didn't fully test the little black button enough.  I bought the second wheel for my wife and kids  when we get together at night  and play together.  First, we have a blast laughing and playing.  I  have  actually found myself , my wife, and daughters liking the DriveFX better and choosing it over the MS.  Second, make sure you bolt this things down, including the pedals, makes everything so much better.  When nothing is slipping you will have much better control and less frustation. Wood TV trays make quick setups and cleanup.  Also, the MS wheel is truly not wireless, so both wheel have a lot of wires, and with kids things get unplugged so clean up wires so no one gets kicked off while playing.  And yes, if you father or husband is a gamer either wheel is a great gift for father's day. 

                                                        Wheel Times
Test #   Section           Track              Logitech/M$                  Notes
  1           TT    Nissan Speedway     48.080/48.033     Total 30 laps-M$ FF holds tighter line    
  2           TT    New York             1:01.874/1.02.602  Manual (M$ wheel shifts a little cleaner)
  3           TT    Tsukuba Long           56.912/57.400     Fun but hard track to test.
  4           EX   Nissan Speedway   1:28.793/1:28.302  M$ barely won, but clean laps avg. 1/5
  5

No Assists on all races, except for ABS.  Manual shifting.
Test #4-wrecked alot more with the M$, also controller scored 1:29.190.
Test #3-Too much vertical movement with M$ wheel on this track, need more rigid clamp.
Test #2-the Ford GT is not easy to drive, probably like most RWD.  I may also add in some controller scores later

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Good review!  I wish the 360 had a 900* wheel, as I had the DFP when I had my PS2 and loved it.  I'm leaning towards the MS wheel.

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Keep it clean

Thats why I added in the DFP in the comparison, it is such a great wheel and so many people have used it.  I still use it on my PC and eventually when I get a PS3 for GT5.  I just can't believe that Logitech didn't think about this and basically replicate the DFP  for the 360, would have killed the  MS  wheel, or just make their new  G25  compatible and  everyone would love  Logitech.

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campun123:

or just make their new  G25  compatible and  everyone would love  Logitech.

Except that stupid price tag. 

I got my MS wheel for $60, I think that plays a huge factor in the decision. 

Yes, you are correct $300 is a lot for a wheel, but I believe there are a lot of enthusists that would pay if it worked for the 360 and PC.  I got my MS wheel for $52, so I'm right there with you, I wouldn't even pay the 129.99 for it. 

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Thanks for the review, but how did you 2 get it so cheap?

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I bought the Logitech at EBgames sale they have going on now for 49.99 from 79.99 and had 40 credit from some trades.  The MS wheel I got off Ebay on a late night bid when I guess everyone was asleep, it was used, but compared to the other horror stories I have heard with other reviews (centering, etc.), it  was a steal and has worked perfectly.  The only item it didn't have was the software (PGR3 w/FF), but after I found out they had already updated that through Xbox Live, it works great. 

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How about the lack of teeth on the pedals for sticking to carpet on the XBox wheel?  I find that very annoying. 

 

The instruction manual says to use your foot or put it up against a wall.  I find those two options to be very unorthodox.  Sure it has that useless "foot hook" (if you wanna call it that) to use and unless you have a flat screen and don't mind playing two feet away from it then you really don't have many options. 

 

I find my self using a jack stand to keep it from moving around.

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Keep it clean

It is slick and originally I put it against my entertainment center, but after modifying an old printer stand, I put four nails on the inside of the hole they provided (not sure why) in a piece of wood I attached on the bottom of the stand, now  I  can push as hard as I  want.  Now, I am thinking about  doing the sponge or spring  mod on the pedals to stiffen them up.  ...and the pedals on the Logitech are just as slick. I tried swapping my DFP pedals (has the carpet stopper), but found out even though the connector is exactly the same they are wired completely different and didn't work at all.

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Can anyone tell me where or what kind of sponge or spring they used for the pedal mod?

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Nice review man!!! You helped me make my decision...I will definately get the logitech. For 2 reasons,
1. With the shaky feedback as far as issues for the ms wheel, I'd be wary of getting on Ebay
2. This will be my first wheel so with that pricetag "If I can find one at EBgames" is alot easier to take the hit if racing wheels aren't for me.

Also if your local Ebgames or Gamestop doesn't have this wheel Amazon right now the price is 77.85 with a 20 dollar mail in rebate with free supersaver shipping. Then on top of that if you want to open a amazon card you can get a addt'l 30 dollars off...I would go that route but would like to avoid opening credit card... I would rather trade in a couple of items to get it cheaper.

Also I would like to work with a wheel before I build a cockpit....After all I will be getting forza 2 and Nascar 08 LOL

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Keep it clean

I read an review (SimHQ.com) of the Logictech wheel and quote:

"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."

It concerns me that the Logitech wheel doesn't have "true" FFB.  With full collision simulation on, when I damaged my car's right drive shaft, my official MS wheel had a distinctive pull.  My wheel was no longer pointing straight (almost 90 degree left) and it was wobbly as I tried to make it to the pits. 

I wonder if the Logitech wheel can simulate similar effect if they don't have the code for true FFB the way  Forza 2 was programmed.

 

Glad to help, when I started my research on this I only found very few reviews of the Logitech and a ton on the M$ wheel, so I was in the same boat.   Also, make sure you use the little black button just to the left of the center of the wheel to get the steering just right, you can't believe the difference between the settings, its amazing, from tight to driving an old car without power steering.  I believe I found four settings.  Side note-the manual for the Logitech was awful, very small doesn't even talk about the button, and I could not find it on their website either, terrible.  But to reiterate, played again last night (every night since F2 release) with kids (building double cockpit for side-2-side wheel racing), I hate the bottom of the M$ wheel, and you will love the feel of the DriveFx, it feels like a real wheel (grip, circular, etc.).

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As I said in my review the FF of the M$ is much stronger than the Logitech, but not always the most accurate.  I noticed the Logitech does a better job when going over the red&white side bumpers, almost
makes me jump sometimes.  If there was a way to mod the Logitech to increase the FF it would be awesome. 

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I actually just picked up the Logitech Drive FX, and I must say it is a very impressive wheel, with a nice pricetag.

Seeing as I've never used the MS wheel, or the other Logitech, I can't say for sure which is better, but the axial feedback is VERY impressive. You can feel the difference from car to car, and if you've made a mistake and spun out or something comparable, you better believe it will pull pretty violently, yet still easily manageable. I paricularly like the fact that the wheel will realistically straighten out when you're not applying pressure. You could even tell on tracks like Nissan Speedway when you pulled slightly left, it would recorrect itself. The only downside to that is it isn't a smooth motion, but more like a series of ticks. It still doesn't make that much difference, since you usually will not be in that type of situation.

Also, the shifting feels very awkward at first, and still hasn't really felt smooth or natural, but I don't think even the MS wheel will replicate that, since it's almost essentially, from what I can tell, the same, except the Logitech is under the wheel. Still, you do get much more accustomed to it with practice. I think the only way to truely replicate that feeling is with a seperate shifter.

It isn't lap friendly, however. I won't say it's not possible, since I haven't tried it, but looking at it, it seems the only option is to use the table clamps.

My final gripe, and again, a minor gripe, are the pedals being a bit too close together, and the soles of your shoes easily stick in a bad way. My feet are slightly larger than normal, but even then, ya know?

All that aside, it is a great wheel, and very cheap, considering you could pay a lot more for the same.

Last night I spent a while with the exhibition races with the M$ wheel and drove well had fun unlocked cars, tonight I decided to use the DriveFX wheel with an Integra for a C race, I have to admit this wheel is just more fun to play with, and I have to go back to the way it feels, like an actual wheel, not like something that should belong in a cockpit.

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Hi campun123, I have the Logitech aswell (since it went out on the market) and it's very good with FM2. But, I have a problem with the R / L buttons; not the gear ones, but the other two in metal grey on top of the wheel front panel. When I enter in the car setup mode, or also in the replay telemetry mode, or in the painting mode too, i just can't switch in the left/rigth menu. . . do you have the same problem? Thanks for answering. Giando Italy

Hi, this thread is a good thing, I thought M$ wheel was the only one with "feedback" (wether force or axial), anyway, I wasn't going to spend like 130 euros on a wheel wich is known for horrible reliability.

And then I see this thread about the logitech, and like 5 minutes later I find some for 35 euros on ebay (brand new, off an ebay shop).

I used to have the fanatec wheel wich was the official forza 1 wheel, a really nice piece with great sensation and strong build (german stuff). And I really wanted a wheel for FM2, I was kinda hoping for a decent MS one even for some extra bucks and I see this one with apparently good reviews and happy users.

so I have a few questions for those who could compare the MS wheel with the logitech, or better, the logitech with FM1's fanatec.

I used to have the wheel for hotlapping on FM1, as well as online racing, it had a great feedback and alot of info about the car's behaviour. How does the logitech perform in those areas ?

I can't quite get the bad points of this wheel, but compared to the MS wheel, can you tell the difference in terms of laptimes when you compare the MS with the logitech ?

thanx !

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Giando,
Yes, I have the same problem and I think it is because you can turn the wheel also to get through the menus.  I find you have to get the wheel just centered then the d-pad works fine, but yes if you plan on just working on cars the controller works much better, but a pain to swith back and forth.  I think there is another thread on that with the M$ wheel. 

Hadoq,
First, I love the Logitech over the M$ hands down, as I said in other posts, it feels more like a real wheel and it just more fun to play with, but I am in the middle of testing different cars with each wheel so I can get some lap times hopefully up this week to compare just for curiousity.  Probably start with Nissan Speedway. 


Pic of wheels side-by-side
http://img375.imageshack.us/my.php?image=f2setuppd3.jpg

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Oh!!!!! So i just have to turn the wheel left and rigth to get through the L/R menus????? I'm a silly boy, never even thought about it!!!

Thanks a lot, i was very disappointed thinking i was loosing the possibility to fully control the game with my Logitech wheeel.

Yesterday i had a great 3 hours session by my own and the wheel it's awesome, this game really rocks and put you on total control of the car, and never forgive an error!