Logitech G920 Driving Force steering wheel review

If you’re looking for a  decent steering wheel to enhance your racing game, then the Logitech G920 is a great place to start. Based on the popular G29 PS4/PS3/PC model (that itself was based on the one-time industry standard G27), the Xbox One’s G920 is very familiar, just with Xbox buttons and branding. It’s also PC compatible, so you can use it with your rig too. We’ve tested this wheel extensively to determine whether or not it’s worth the relatively high price of admission. After all, there are cheaper wheels out there (and more expensive ones too), so you need to know what you’re actually getting with the Logitech G920. Here’s our review. And if you’re looking for more, check out our guide to the best Xbox One steering wheels. And the best PS4 steering wheels in 2018.

Logitech G920 - Steering performance

The act of steering with the unit is an absolute joy. With an impressive 900 degrees of rotation, it feels like you’ve got a real car under your palms, rather than an arcadey toy. The movement is wonderfully smooth, and that’s exacerbated by one of the best mid-tier force feedback motors around. Strong forces push and pull at your steering inputs as you knock into other cars, clatter over kerbs or kiss the armco (yes, or smash into it at 200mph), giving you a real feeling of actually controlling a real car. 

The ergonomics are superb, although the placement of the B button is a little awkward when it’s your only method of applying the handbrake. An actual handbrake add-on would be appreciated, but - to date - Logitech doesn’t have one available. That said, you could map the handbrake to another button or the clutch pedal. Not ideal, but at least a usable workaround.

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Logitech G920 - Gear performance

The paddle shifters are decently made and feel really nice under your fingers if you’re advanced enough to select manual gears. However, it’s not a perfect marriage of form and gameplay. Play any game where you need severe steering movements, such as Dirt Rally, Gravel or WRC 18, and you’ll find that you often need to change gear when you’ve lost track of where the levers are. This can result in you scrabbling for the closest lever your fingers can find, then upshifting instead of downshifting because the wheel is upside down. Yes, you probably should know which way up the wheel is at any one time, but it’s much easier said than done when you’re in a 4-wheel slide.

Some G290 units ship with the gearstick adaptor, which is excellent, offering a 6-speed ‘H’ layout for manual gears. Coupled with the clutch pedal, that means you can really drive your virtual car, selecting the appropriate gear for any moment. Missing third and going into first might make you look like a noob, but learning to use a stick shift is one of driving’s most rewarding endeavours, so give it a go.

Logitech G920 - Pedal performance

Ah, the pedals. Well, the good news is that you get three very nicely-built pedals packed in with the unit, which means acceleration, braking and clutch control is all under your feet, and all offering progressive control. That means you can gently rev your engine at the startline to avoid wheelspin, squeeze the brakes like an eggshell to avoid a lock-up, or even find the biting point of the clutch in true sims like Assetto Corsa. At least in theory - and that’s where we come to the major criticism of this wheel bundle: The brake pedal has proven to be (in)famously stiff for many users. It happened to us too, on the unit we reviewed - the brake pedal is simply too hard to engage, requiring an unrealistic weight of force to get the brakes to apply at 100%. The culprit appears to be a piece of rubber designed to provide authentic resistance, but it’s simply too thick. While you can take matters into your own hands and void your warranty by taking the pedals apart, trimming or removing the rubber or even upgrading it with a third-party spring, obviously that’s a lot of hassle when it should be great straight out of the box. It does appear that some units are better than others, some say you can wear it in or even mount the pedal and just get used to it, but we say it isn’t good enough. So be warned. Not every game allows you to remap the brake pedal to the clutch pedal (Forza 6 does, Forza 7 doesn’t), so make sure you test yours thoroughly in time to return it if it’s not usable. Not everyone has a problem, so you might be lucky.

Overall - should you buy it?

This is an excellent steering wheel that justifies its hefty price tag, with exemplary force feedback, lovely ergonomic design, strong build quality and pleasant potential for expansion. But it’s also compromised by unsatisfactory pedals, and a button layout that doesn’t make every game easy to play. If you’re an arcade racing fan who just wants a great wheel, this is strong choice. But for serious sim drivers, perhaps the next step up - a Fanatec model - would be more worth your while.