Logitech Zone

 The Logitech Driving Force GT comes in two parts, the first being a fully-fledged steering wheel with gear-stick base unit. The wheel itself is a generous 11 inch wide (28cm), a perfect size, in fact, that sits easily between your sweaty gripping paws. A rubber golf ball like texture wraps itself around the left and right sides of the wheel – this helps maintain your grip during those tournaments of intense hot laps – whilst the top and bottom section carry with them a soft, mat rubbery texture.

There is an array of buttons poised for your immediate attention on the face of the wheel. Firstly, you have the standard PlayStation controller buttons, from the D-pad, with face buttons located either side, to the Start, PS and Select buttons located on the middle column. During the most intense racing moments these buttons are easily accessible, although unfortunately the shoulder pads haven't been given the same careful consideration. You'll discover the round L3 and R3 buttons located at the top of the front-facing centre portion of the wheel, whilst poised on top of the adjoining arms are the elliptical L2 and R2 buttons. To render it truly comfortable these four cast-off buttons are somewhat out of reach, and when views, or certain functions in games, require the use of these buttons, it can prove a little bit tricky on occasions. Thankfully, racing titles with remapping options will help overcome this little niggle!

The Force GT wheel also goes the extra mile by adding some bespoke buttons to the wheel; these have been designed specifically for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Apart from the large glowing centre "horn" button which carries the GT livery, perhaps the most obvious feature on the wheel, this being mainly due to its size with its bright red coat of paint, is the "24-position real-time adjustment dial." This dial with its centre switch allows you "Fine-tune brake bias, Traction Control System (TCS), plus other settings on the fly for unprecedented control over your car's performance." This game is made for such a great addition and, although it must be said this is only currently used in GT5, I just hope future racers make use of the wheel's additional functions, and that they don't become redundant and exclusive features.

For those who love full control over their gears, such as the Pro-gamers amongst you, the Force GT offers two options from which to choose: the paddle L1 and R1 shifters, which you'll find located around the back of the wheel, or the sequential stick shift which is poised on the right side of the wheel. However, suffice to say, both of these options provide the virtual driver the ability to provide a full hands-on or hands-off approach to their gear selection. Or, if you're like me, you can remap control to the stick shift and utilize it as a handy handbrake in dirt racing/rally titles.

The pedals remain the second part of Logitech's set-up. Although a solidly built unit, the pressure and abuse that racing pedals endure confirm the Force GT doesn't meet the grade, or cut the mustard, since I found it to be sliding further away from my feet on every braking moment. In order to rectify this problem you have to pin them by positioning them in front of something more heavyweight. What is the solution to this? Well, I had to sit closer to the screen, and wedge the pedals up against my AV unit which sits between the display and me. I must say that the pedals themselves are high quality, equating firm distance and feedback to them, especially the brake pedal, which when depressed upholds a realistic sponge effect.

But in a gaming world of wireless controllers, unfortunately, the Force GT uses the traditional wired approach. A serial cable connects the pedals to the wheel which then connects into the rear of the wheel. This sits alongside the power connector that then powers the force feedback motor. Finally, a third USB wire connects the entire set-up to the PS3 once plugged into the console's USB port.

If you're a virtual racing fanatic then a wheel set-up should be a serious issue and consideration in respect of your gaming den, and to be honest you will not go wrong in choosing the Force GT. Although it was manufactured specifically for Polyphony's racing simulation game – Gran Turismo, I found Race Driver: GRID the most thrilling experience as far as the wheel was concerned. It will be one I will continue to play for many months, until, that is, F1 2011 and the like, hit our consoles this year.

With the Logitech Driving Force GT Wheel gamers will be in for a real treat, with its solid build quality, superb force feedback and carefully placed pedals. The low points with the wheel would be as far as the cables are concerned, the lightness of the pedals and the slightly cheap looking face buttons plus the location of the L and R buttons also.