Amazon.com Review: If you've been waiting for a force-feedback wheel that's worth its salt, the wait is over. Logitech's WingMan Formula Force is the perfect driving system for casual and hardcore gamers alike.
Based on Logitech's I-Force technology, the WingMan Formula Force doesn't feel gimmicky like other force-feedback wheels. Where other devices add effects that are strong but unrealistic or inappropriate, the forces experienced with the Formula Force are decidedly subtle and apropos. And herein lies the difference. As it stands, it's impossible to perfectly simulate the experience of driving a car while sitting in front of a computer. You get the feeling that Logitech was less interested in making us think that we were actually driving a car and more concerned with enhancing the experience of playing a driving simulation.
We tested the Formula Force with two games that support force feedback: Electronic Arts' Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed and Colin McRae Rally from English developer Codemasters. We played both games with and without the feature turned on. Driving on Need for Speed's varied courses, the Formula Force did a good job of giving us the sensation of driving on cobblestones or across wooden bridges. Likewise, driving on gravel in Colin McRae Rally caused consistent vibrations that really gave us the feeling we were driving on the rough surface we saw onscreen.
Most force-feedback wheels are absolutely horrible with games that don't support force feedback--but not the Formula Force. With the force feedback turned off, the Formula Force was a great, standard driving system.
The Formula Force boasts two European-style paddle shifters and four buttons, all six of which are customizable. The Formula Force also has a shift button, thereby doubling the number of programmable buttons to 12. The wheel itself is rubberized and sturdy as hell, and the mounting system locks on tight. This all came in handy while sliding off the course in Colin McRae Rally and holding on for virtual dear life.
If you're in the market for a racing wheel, Logitech's WingMan Formula Force is great. With its easy-to-use USB interface, getting the wheel up and running takes a matter of minutes. There's one caveat however: while the Formula Force is decidedly one of the best wheels we've tested, force feedback is nowhere near a perfect simulation of real driving. --Julian Strate
Pros:
USB interface eliminates need for a game port
Rubberized wheel is sturdy
Pedals feel realistic
Mounting system is intuitive
Cons:
Footrest is bulky
Requires power supply
Amazon.com Product Description: With WingMan Formula Force, the most realistic PC racing system available, you can drive onscreen like you really drive a car. In a car, the first place you feel a patch of ice on the road or your tires losing traction (slipping as you turn a corner) is in the steering wheel. But with most PC racing sytems, you don't realize what's happening until you crash. WingMan Formula Force lets you feel the road in time to make a difference.
Immersion's revolutionary I-Force feedback steel cable-drive technology is based on the same exacting technology used for medical and military simulators. You feel the bumps, the grass, the water, and the gravel. You're able to cut your reaction time because WingMan Formula Force responds immediately, smoothly, without slop or jerkiness.
The gas and brake pedal give you the realism you need for fast driving. A dead pedal footrest keeps your left foot near the brake for fast corners and emergency stops. This pedal system is designed to be comfortable while you sit in your normal desk chair.
Race like a pro with two wheel-mounted European-style paddle shifters. They're in easy reach of your fingers at all times, so you can change gears without slowing down. If you prefer to drive in automatic, the paddles are programmable as buttons.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - longitech wingman formula racing wheel
Received in good shape and on time.
Easy to hook up.
The only drawback is to hook on top of desk interferes with the keyboard need to remove to use the keyboard.
Only tried it one time so far and had a blast getting use to the wheel.
D Rhoads
Rating: - Not worth it
Right now, my logitech wingman wheel is collecting dust. The reason? It performs way under par. It feels nothing like an arcade wheel at all. The FF is out of sync, leaving me with little choice but to turn it off. I have not compared this wheel to other wheels yet because I am detered from buying another wheel after using this one. I also hate how you can't turn the wheel left/right after spinning it 90 degrees. I keep hitting that steering edge and it limits my turning on many of my games.
Rating: - Great!
Logitech has always made good products and this driving wheel is no exception!
Setup/Installation- It took no more than five minutes to install all software and get it working. It has two clamps on the bottom of the wheel to lock onto your desk, and I've never had any problems with it slipping off.
Reliabilty-
I've had it since November of '99 and NOTHING has gone wrong. It's extremely durable and has taken many beatings from my inexperienced driving.
Performance-
When taking turns, this wheel is so precise, you really feel like your actually driving. It's amazingly lifelike and performs just like a real car.
Force Feedback Effects-
In a word...INTENSE! You feel every little vibration on the road, the resistance when going around turns, and the rev. of the engine when speeding through streets.
I use it for a number of racing games and it hasn't let me down once...much better than what I could do with a joystick. My only complaint is that there are only 6 total buttons, making it difficult to configure them.
I recommend you buy this wheel, for it is the BEST of the best that anyone will ever experience!
Rating: - Feels like you are in the cockpit!
The Wingman Formula Force Wheel is awesome! I fell in love with this wheel on my first "test drive"! Having a steering wheel enhances driving games, and having the force feedback effects increases the enjoyment infinitely . The wheels feels great, it has a contoured shape and I like the rubber grip over the entire outer part of the wheel. This wheel doesn't plug into the game port, instead it can use either a serial port or a USB port. A definite pro is that Logitech used the pedal base as the cable hub. Therefore you don't have several cables cluttering the desktop. The power cord stays on the floor. The steering wheel attaches to the pedal base with a split cable, the split end of which plugs into the serial or USB port. I highly recommend this wheel!
- longitech wingman formula racing wheel
- Not worth it
