Logitech G25 Racing Wheel Review

Unboxing
As soon as I pried the G25 from the box I caught a whiff of the real leather that Logitech used to wrap the wheel, there is enough leather on the G25 to make a dominatrix envious. I was quite impressed by the quality of the materials Logitech used for the construction of the G25 Racing Wheel. The aromatic leather and brushed stainless steel set against the matte black plastic they used for the casing of the wheel looks fantastic and the quality of the materials is simply top notch.

The shifter is large and feels very realistic as you shift gears and move through the shift gates. The shifter also has a large dial that allows you to change the shifter from gated mode to sequential mode. Above the dial, you get a D-pad and eight buttons that you can map to various game controls. The gated shifter goes along with the first inclusion of a clutch pedal on a racing wheel giving a new dimension to race driving when gaming with the Logitech G25.

The G25's wheel...

The G25's shifter...

Logitech has implemented an improved retention system for the shifter and the wheel over what they previously used on the Momo Racing Wheel. The new retention system keeps the shifter and wheel securely attached to the desktop even during hard driving. Both the wheel and shifter have two clamps on each side that screw down with knobs that recess into the wheel and shifter body so they don't get in the way and clean up the look of the G25. The shifter also has a single larger clamp further back on the bottom of the shifter than helps add more stability and further secure the shifter to the desk since you will be banging through the gears.

The wheel itself has the sequential shifters behind the wheel for those looking for a more F1 style driving experience. On the steering wheel spokes you also get two buttons you can map to different game controls. Underneath the wheel is where the shifter, pedals and power supply connect to run the wheel. To keep things tidy and to ensure the wheel sits flat on the desktop, Logitech comes with a built-in cable management system with the four cables running in and out of the wheel that keeps them secured in their own individual grooves.

Logitech's pedal choice is fantastic and not just for the inclusion of a clutch pedal, the feel each of the pedals has is the most realistic of any racing wheel I have ever used. Each pedal has its own unique resistance level making them very responsive and greatly increasing the realism in your racing games.

On the bottom of the pedals, Logitech used a strip of short spikes that holds the pedals to the carpet, helping to keep them in place during use. I wish that the carpet spikes would lock in place as they would fold back up on occasion and allow the pedals to move. Those that will use the pedals on hard floors will be glad to know that Logitech used some gripy plastic pads to help keep the pedals in place with hard floors. The pedals are arranged perfectly to allow heel toe shifting allowing you to drive just like a real racing car.

For testing of the Logitech G25 I used the rFactor demo and the full version of GTR2, both games support all of the G25's features. I played lots of GTR2 using the G25 and the force feedback was phenomenal. I also used the G25 in some games that aren't necessarily best suited to a wheel like Need for Speed Carbon.

Inside Force Feedback
Logitech used a dual motor force feedback system that is much quieter than the system in my Logitech Momo wheel. The force feedback is highly accurate in the way it reproduces the feel you get from the wheel of a car as it drives, the movement is smooth and just fantastic. I have never used a racing wheel integrating force feedback that worked as well and as realistically as the Logitech G25 wheel.

Blasting down the straights slamming through the gears in the gated shifter at redline with the 5.1 surround sound blaring all around me with all the lights off was almost surreal. The inputs from the G25 allowed me to feel every ripple and groove in the pavement. I could feel when the tires began to loose grip or when I pushed to hard and ended up on the curb on the corner. Sublime is a great word to describe the experience, the only way to get more realistic is to book a weekend at the track with a real racecar.

The centering spring Logitech used has adjustable strength. At default settings it didn't offer much feel and was generally weak feeling. You can change that in the drivers by increasing the force, which I sat at 100%, and this greatly improved the feel the wheel gives and makes the vehicle easier to control as the wheel centers more swiftly and with more force like you get in a real car.

Though no fault of the G25 I simply couldn't play NFS carbon with the G25 or any other wheel for that matter. NFS Carbon lacks any settings for dead space, which means even a slight change in wheel direction results in a large change in car direction on screen. I found the vehicle simply impossible to control with any accuracy. I had the same problem with past Need for Speed titles and steering wheels as well.

Button Placement
The button placement on the wheel itself is good and well suited for use with game settings that are commonly used like boost buttons or similar. The shifter has the majority of the buttons available with the G25 but they are best suited to functions that aren't used often, as they require you to take your eyes off the road. In rFactor I found mapping the start button and pit speed limiter to the shifter worked well.

The buttons themselves are quite tactile in feel with a nice solid click so you can hear when the buttons on the wheel are activated sine you won't be looking down typically when those are activated. The buttons on the shifter have a similar but mushier feeling and don't offer the audible click like the wheel mounted buttons do. This isn't really an issue because as I mentioned you will most likely be looking at the shifter buttons when you use them.

Recap
Overall, I just can't get enough of the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel. The only place for improvement would be a better way to keep the pedals in place during hard driving. If not for this one small point, the G25 would be perfect. If you are a fan of racing simulations, the Logitech G25 is the only wheel to own.