From Controller to Steering Wheel: Gran Turismo 7 and Logitech G923

We received a series of posts from our contributor Roberto about how switching from controller to steering wheel might affect the juice in a game like Gran Turismo 7.

Why Should the Logitech G923 Steering Wheel Replace the DS4?

My roots

I’ve always had access to some form of machine that allowed me to play video games for as long as I can remember. When I say “machine,” I’m not just saying that. Looking back, I had a lot of fun with multiple “Game and Watch”, a blue screen MSX computer, the Sega triple, a Wii, several Playstations, and, of course, everything I discovered in what looked like heaven to me as a kid: my town’s arcade.

Not in vain, my brother and I just purchased Micromania magazine, in which we flipped through the pages to see which games were available for MSX (there were none for Amstrad or Spectrum). Some games cost 395 pesetas, while others cost 700. But the good ones made it all the way to the 1.200 pesetas (around $7). When the economy arrived, we ordered one, it arrived by mail a few days later, we put it on a cassette with the code RUN”CAS, and we started playing after a while.

As you might expect, this experience includes a number of racing games and their various versions spread across several generations: Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, Colin Mcrae Rally, Aspar GP, Super Mónaco GP, Continental Circus, OutRun, Skitchin’, Road Rash, various Formula 1, Micromachines, Super Skidmarks, Racer, Wipeout, and so on.

The Change

I’ve played all of these games with a joystick or a controller (except for OutRun in its recreation mode), and I’ve had a lot of fun with them, despite the fact that I’d never considered playing in a different way.

But, after a while, I noticed a friend playing computer games with a flying machine. I thought it was strange at first: did you really buy a platform with a seat to put the steering wheel and pedals on? And where are you going to put it? Despite this, I decided to give it a shot because I was bored.

I was playing the PC game iRacing. For those who are unfamiliar, it is a subscription-based simulation game with a high level of driving realism. I must admit that such a high degree of realism does not pique my interest, but the sensation of being behind the wheel in front of the screen was quite satisfying.

In my situation, I don’t have a PC, but I do have a PS4 (which will most likely be replaced by a PS5), on which I’ve been able to play games such as Need for Speed and Gran Turismo Sport. Something clicked in my brain after testing out the steering wheel, and I felt like playing racing games on the console again.

That being said, I tried playing Gran Turismo Sport using the controller again, using the crosshead to maneuver the vehicle, but it wasn’t the same after that. The sensation is vastly different from that supplied by the steering wheel, so I experimented with the PS4’s motion sensor. The automobile is operated in this mode by spinning the controller as if it were a steering wheel. The impressions may be intriguing if the controller was stationary, but twisting it while “flying in the air” leaves the feeling of control over the automobile wanting.

So, knowing that the experience with the controller was considerably inferior to what I had at my friend’s place, I decided to take the risk and get a platform and a steering wheel to play Gran Turismo 7 from my sofa.

After much deliberation, I chose the GT Omega Classic Steering Wheel. The major reasons are that it is stable enough and that its proportions are ideal for storing it in the closet once folded. Aside from that, I must state that its reasonable pricing had a role in my decision.

In contrast, I received the Logitech G923 steering wheel. According to several evaluations, starting on PS4 is strongly recommended, and it is also completely optimized for PS5. It is regarded as one of the best in its price range, and while it is more expensive than other models, the investment may be worthwhile.

After ordering the steering wheel and platform, and after a few days of waiting, I received the entire package, I was ready to begin.

Logitech G923

Both parts were simple to install. In fact, the steering wheel comes with instructions on where to place the screws. When you attach it to the PS4, it immediately identifies it, and you only need to click the PS button to utilize it as the primary controller. After that, I began playing, but not in Gran Turismo Sport, but in Gran Turismo 7, which had recently been launched, to catch up with the well-known driving tale.

It was difficult for me at first to manage so many motions at once, which is ironic given that I’ve been driving for quite some time in real life (as an example, my car has more than 375,000 kilometers). However, after a few races, the innovation began to operate.

The first choice was to experiment with manual gears. The gears are handled via the rear paddle shifters because there is no gearshift (it may be purchased separately). Adaptation was swift, and I was quickly able to shift gears with ease. This, for example, was something I never performed with the controller: I always used the automatic gearbox, so just by doing so, I added some realism to the game.

While playing, I was thinking about another advantage of utilizing the steering wheel: the ability to tailor different parts of driving to each curve. The controller is really too sensitive. The crosshead does not enable you to adjust the steering angle since it operates on the all or nothing principle. Adjusting the turn with the R3 or L3 buttons, on the other hand, has always looked overly hard to me, as the sensitivity, unlike the crosshead, is far too high. Furthermore, as is clear, a car is not operated with a joystick, therefore the improvement is substantial.

This improvement was also noticed in the accelerator and brake. With your feet, you can operate both pedals with better accuracy, responding fast to the race’s circumstances, which was impossible to do with the controller’s L2 and R2 buttons, or, worse, the X and O buttons. As a result, I continued to improve my realism.

Finally, with the G923 steering wheel, I can feel everything that happens during a race much more clearly: skids, oversteer, understeer, bumps, bumps, and so on. This is due to the vibrations produced by the steering wheel and the many obstructions that develop in it, which do not exist with a controller (the vibrations are much more uniform).

These steering wheel reflexes appear to be pretty successful, at least for the time being, but I can’t yet compare them to other models. Nonetheless, the more I play, the better I understand what is going on when the steering wheel reacts in one way or another.

Conclusion

Overall, I’ve achieved a level of realism using the steering wheel that would have been impossible with a controller. When I play Gran Turismo 7, I can come closer to the true experience of being on the track, navigating the many turns and contending with opponents. Now I feel like every aspect is important in order to acquire that tenth or that location that will enable me to earn a few more credits or access the next menu of the Gran Turismo Café.