Affordable Racing Sim Gear Review: Logitech G923 Wheel and GTR GTA Pro Simulator
Here are a couple of fun, excellent ways to maintain your driving edge this winter, without breaking the bank.
As difficult as it may be to believe, take a look outside from your work-from-home space: it's already November 2020. For much of the country, that means cold temperatures, and plenty of rainy, snow, and ice in the near future. Those conditions conspire with the pandemic to bring a big slow-down to the track-day and autocross events we enthusiasts love, at least until next spring. If you read our previous guide to sim-racing wheels, you'll know there are some affordable options to get you started. Here, we take a closer look at the new Logitech G923 gaming wheel, and the GTR GTA Pro simulator rig, two potentially key components of an affordable sim-racing setup for home use. While they may not provide as complex an experience as the multi-hundred-thousand-dollar pro-grade setups used by professional racing teams, they're still advanced enough to give plenty of thrills from the comfort of your living room. And be sure to check out our compilation of the best sim-racing games to decide which is a good option for you.
Logitech G923 ($399): A Gaming Wheel That Doesn't Break the Bank
Take a look at gaming-wheel options in the affordable sim-racing category, and you get a couple of impressions. The cheapest, sub-$200 gaming-wheel setups on the market are simply not very realistic, while the highest-rated wheels often come with four-digit price tags, or close to it. What's a budding, budget sim-racer to do? First, let's recap the three primary wheel types on sale today.
Typically when you're looking to purchase a sim-racing wheel, you're looking at gear-driven wheels at the low end, belt-driven wheels in the middle ground, and direct-drive wheels at the high end. True to their name, direct-drive wheels operate directly off of a powerful electric motor, and they typically offer the fastest response time and most realistic (and strongest) force-feedback feel. Belt-driven wheels often use twin rubber belts driven by electric motors for smooth and powerful feel, but they also might deliver a minuscule amount of lag between inputs. The most affordable wheels are motor-driven through helical gears, like the new Logitech G923 ($399 retail).
Logitech is one of the most popular manufacturers of gaming accessories; it's no surprise its longstanding series of Logitech G gaming wheels is widely chosen for sim racing. The Logitech G923 is the latest update of a product lineage that goes back to the Logitech G25 we tested way back in 2008.
Since then, the wheel has evolved through G27, G29, and G920 specifications, each adding small, evolutionary updates. The new G923 wheel is the best yet, with its key new feature being TrueForce technology which adds more realistic haptic sensations to games that support it. At the moment, such games include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Gran Turismo Sport, Grid, and iRacing.
The Logitech G923 is nicely constructed, and while the wheel base's casing is made from high-strength plastic, the wheel itself is constructed of real metal and leather, just as you'd find in a premium sports car. Buttons on the spokes allow for easy navigation through menus and options inside most games without the need for an additional controller. These functions can also all be modified through free Logitech G Hub software, while settings like force feedback strength and degrees of wheel rotation can also be custom set.
For its $399 MSRP, the Logitech G923 also includes a set of steel-framed pedals with stainless-steel faces. A clutch pedal is included for the optional manual shifter available separately (around $60 retail). While these pedals don't utilize a more expensive load-cell system that measures your braking inputs by force rather than pedal travel, the G923 pedals do have a non-linear brake input which gives a more realistic sensation. It's important to mention that while all Logitech G923 wheels work with PC, there are two different models for either Xbox or PlayStation, so be sure to order the correct G923 for your console, if applicable.
