Close Topic Options

I am looking into buying a steering wheel for myself, after wanting one forever. Obviously one of my main concerns is compatibility with initial d.

I do not have a PS3 yet, so as far as home versions go I'm still playing Special Stage. Basically I am looking for the wheel that will work best with this (as well as other games such as Enthusia and D1GP on ps2, or Live for Speed on PC) and possibly still be good on the ps3 when I eventually pick one up. I'm assuming that there's no way to get the Logitech wheels working on Xbox360, but I'm not horribly worried about that since there are so many games I would like to play on ps2 and ps3. Should I expect any support for ps1 titles like Ridge Racer?

So what is my best choice? I definitely want something with 900 degree for certain games, but need to have something that can also be locked to 200 degree for Initial D, as well as having good force feedback support. I was also a little worried about how strong the shifters are, since Initial D can be a little hard on them.

Edit: Dammit, I somehow completely missed the Wheel thread directly below this x.x Feel like an ass now.

Still, as far as compatibility with other games goes, maybe I could still get a little feedback? :/

This post has been edited by TakeshiSkunk on Jan 2 2009, 04:43 PM

Well I have both G25 & DFP at the moment.(planing to get rid of my DFP).

The main difference between the DFP & the G25 is the Wheel in itself. The bad thing about the G25 is indeed the H gear stick which feel incredible cheap & clearly doesn't feel sturdy. The paddle are very good on the G25 & feel very professional.

The pedal too are a lot better on the G25, the brake is more stiff & all made of metal, while the DFP is just made of plastic with the same resistance on both brake & accelerator pedal.

Here 2 video of the same game & car with both wheel. The video were created by a godly player called Mr Deap.

DFP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aothCcCERrY

G25:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMeR2rU9jkQ

The DFP is very noisy & you really have to push the wheel to get it countersteering which is sometime frustrating.

The main advantage of the G25 is how the wheel follow the tire in the game where the DFP fail at it. You will notice that Mr Deap leave the wheel do the job for him each time he exit the coner.

The main problem is that the G25 is nearly twice more expensive than the DFP. Though both wheel are sturdy which the DFP ain't a bad purchase.

I will add more later, because I wonder how G25 wheel work with PS2 games that only support 200 degree?... >_>

So is the shifter on the G25 bad enough that you would rather go with a Driving Force GT? I really don't like paddle shifters at all..

And yeah, ps2 compatibility is really a big issue for me.

Thankyou for the input so far!

I've had a G25 for the last 2 years.

Played alot of games heres what I know:

Initial D Special Stage:
Works but only for the first 200 degree (Which works perfectly fine). The game feels great. Problem is the G25 wasnt aroudn back when this game was released so it doesnt detect the shifter, basically you can only play in automatic.

There is no wheel that locks at 200 degrees, when you turn the 900 degree wheel you just need to be aware turning it any further then 200 degrees in initial d special stage wont have any affect on your car.

Initial D Extreme Stage:
Everything works, even the H shifter mode

Gran Turismo 4:
Everything works but the gear box can only be used in up/down arcade mode, not H mode.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue:
Everything works

I'm not sure about the DFP but it might work fully with Initial D special stage(Including shifter), however if your looking to invest in a great wheel and eventually upgrade to PS3/Extreme Stage, I recomend you go with G25.

This post has been edited by Jehuty77 on Jan 3 2009, 08:48 AM

Would the DFGT be identical to the DFP in terms of compatibility?

I bought a DFPGT (the PS3 rendition of the driving force wheel) and I love it for extreme stage. however, coming from an extremely low sensitivity setting in arcade stage ver 3 to the new physics engine of what is technically arcade stage ver 4 was a shock with this wheel. unfortunately, there seems to be no way to adjust the sensitivity of how much the wheel needs to be turned to negotiate full turns. the most i am ever steering in one direction is 90 degrees, and that's in countersteering hairpins only. most other turns can be completed by turning the wheel all of 10 degrees. in the arcade, i'm used to constant 360 degree wheel rotations for drift-heavy courses.

I just discovered the "clutch kick" function of the game (punching the gas pedal in turns will act similarly to a clutch kick, netting you a loss of traction.) this makes the sensitive steering almost preferable. just takes a little getting used to -- arc into a turn, then punch the gas and begin countersteering while drifting. sure, it'd be more exciting if the game required more forceful steering, but it's still worlds better than playing on dual shock.

the PS2 wheel (driving force pro) is 100% compatible with extreme stage, but if the PS3 one offers the same compatibility with special stage, i'd recommend that one. the wheelbase is larger and some physical components have been improved. the wheel is nowhere near as loud, and has a better feel to it when turning. i've owned both.

This post has been edited by enojy on Jan 5 2009, 05:00 AM

PS2 compatibility-wise u are better off with either a DFP or a DFGT. the G25 is abit wonky when it comes to PS2 support, especially for the Kaido series of games

You just sold me a DFGT, Touge no Densetsu is one of my favorite racing games

This post has been edited by TakeshiSkunk on Jan 5 2009, 08:45 AM

Since you owned both DFP & DFPGT, what difference is between them in term of hardware feature, such as how noisy & how you hold the wheel?

EDIT:
Oh well, never mind, I think this youtube video speak for itself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFuvEAEdLns

It's easily noticeable when he countersteered. He had to pull the wheel to countersteer.

Here what the G25 do from 2:23 in the video that differ a lot from the DFP & DFGT.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35TDBWzYWbM

The G25 returning speed is pretty handy during drift & corners exit.

This post has been edited by Mr Deap on Jan 5 2009, 10:58 AM

sorry, sold my DFP years ago so i cannot accurately compare and contrast the two. however, i do remember the wheel being mildly unpleasant to turn, and sounded like... i don't know, maybe one of those old ass printers from the 80's. it was unnecessarily loud, but on the positive side, that prompts you to crank up the volume and enjoy the sound of racing :-)

aside from the minor shortcomings of the wheel in extreme stage, it really shines in GT5: Prologue. much better than the DFP with gran turismo 4.

You are right indeed, the DFGT do seem to be a hell lot less noisier than the old DFP.

DFP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aothCcCERrY

DFGT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFuvEAEdLns

G25:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35TDBWzYWbM

I heard on several forum that the DFGT wheel size is bigger than the DFP & the G25.

If you plan to drift & countersteer a lot, I would recommend the G25 over the other without contest. If you"re low on money, I would go ahead with the DFGT.

Will GT4 feel better with the GT than the Pro? And I do plan to drift a lot, but I think the GT is my better bet with all the ps2 games...it's not a huge pain to drift with it is it? Just happens to be easier with the G25?

I find the DFP force feedback way too strong and rough, while the G25's force feedback is smoother and you can actually find a difference that you will get a smoother entry and exit on turns.

i'd get the G35, me and my other friend have it and we love it, its compatible with both PS2 and PS3

It's not easier, but rather feel better with the G25. The DFP in the other hand offer good training for first time user of a 900 degree wheel, but with time you'll end up wanting to switch due to the noise & the poor of the centering speed. With the DFP you always force the direction with your own hand.

The more skilled you get at drifting in 900 degree, the more loud is the squeeling sound of the DFP. The DFP may do some harm in your personal life, especially if you have a girlfriend. That squeeling sound is loud & huge like if you would harm a wuss, .

good luck finding a G25........

I just tried a couple of PS2 games with the G25. It actually auto adjust the angle(180 or 900) for all the games without relying to the gearing switch like the Driving Force Pro.

Well it's pretty much been decided, looks like I'm going to have DFGT in the next week or so. Really excited about this thing, ready to tear it up in GT4 and LFS, and it's going to be fun actually having Initial D at home, arcade perfect or not

Yeah, because Amazon totally never stocks it. Oh wait.

i finally ordered a new wheel... now i can get back to playing initial d lol... i wonder how much slower i have become after not playing for months

they have a whole bunch at Best Buys and Future Shops in Canada all the time, the G35 is super rare and the new G35 GT is always in stock

Anyways i don't understand how the noise making a wheels causes is an issue, when your on a real track you hear more louder noises

The difference is much more than the sound. The sound is an issue if it's loud like the DFP.

Try both DFGT & G25 with Enthusia or any racing sim. The difference is like night & day on both wheel & pedal feel.

Got my DFGT and I'm having a great time with it

Only problems so far are that my drifting ability has just about gone to zero in GT4, and I am having a hell of a time just getting my car down the mountain in Kaido Battle TnD.

Initial D SS is much more fun with the wheel so far, I just wish I could use something other than the dpad to shift :/

lol yea i hate the dpad to shift... i broke off the dpad on my old wheel by shifting too much.

i might get a g25 then coz i dont wanna get a wheel and it brakes easily.