Unboxing
I eagerly unpacked the G920, took the obligatory unboxing photos and promptly attached it to the desk of our MSI X99S Gaming 7 Test Bench. I’d hoped that the installation wasn’t going to take too long and wasn’t disappointed – we were up and running in minutes. The test bench already had the Logitech Gaming Software installed due to the G310 Atlas Dawn keyboard so we saved about 10 minutes there. The setup is incredibly easy with well thought out cable routing channels under the steering wheel unit and well-marked ports for plugging in the power, pedals and shifter.
Branding on both the wheel and the shifter is subtle and you can tell it’s a Logitech peripheral just by looking at it without the need for excessive logos or slogans. The pedals actually have the word Logitech on the base unit. In terms of aesthetics, the steering wheel housing does represent the front of a car but it isn’t tacky or like a toy. There are vents on the front of the wheel unit, presumably to ventilate the dual motors inside. Whilst the wheel did get mildly warm after extended use, it didn’t get hot nor did it emit any odour/electrical smell.
Initial impressions were really positive and the packing is up to the job of protecting the G920 during the convoluted journey from the factory via a distributer, then retailer to your gaming den. Our review unit came out of the box in pristine condition thanks to some sturdy cardboard dividers and plastic wrapping. Whilst the G920 looked exactly as it does on the box, I was pleasantly surprised by both the weight of the wheel unit and the motion resistance when un-powered. It was free turning and there was some resistance but it felt smooth albeit ever so slightly ‘ratchety’ in that the gears inside were allowing the wheel to turn. When gaming, this changes and the racing games we tried seemed to have great control over the resistance level in effect.
- Power to an AC Adapter
- USB cable to the PC
- Cable between the steering wheel hub and the pedals
- Cable between the steering wheel and the optional shifter
All of the cables are thin, of a sensible length and easy to route through the designated channels in the head unit. Depending on your desk setup, it should be easy to group these together with some Velcro or twist ties.
Noise
On boot, the wheel does a couple of rotations as it aligns itself. It was a little disconcerting the first few times and it does make a little bit of noise. The easiest way to describe the noise is ‘knocking’ and obviously it’s louder and more aggressive depending on how you are driving. On some tracks, the G920 was pretty quiet but on others where the track had lots of sharp turns or if the other cars stayed bunched up, the feedback had more work to do and thus made more noise. When the in-game sound was playing through either the Logitech Z533 speakers or the Kingston Cloud headset, the ‘knocking’ of the G920 didn’t take away from the gaming experience one bit.
Software
The Logitech Gaming Software is one of the most stable, intuitive peripheral management interfaces around and we tend to consider it the benchmark for other peripheral manufacturers. One of its strengths is that everything is in the one application so when we plugged in the G920, there was no further installation required as we were already using LGS with the G310 Atlas Dawn keyboard. The configuration options are limited but this didn’t impact on how it worked in our chosen games – for the most part, the configuration of the G920 is actually in the games.
Force feedback
Despite the awesome build quality and the easy to use software, the hero of this product is still the force feedback. The G920 maintains variable tension on the wheel whilst still being able to deliver the jerks and bumps that come from skids, leaving the track and collisions. The ability to ‘feel’ oversteer and understeer when racing provides a real advantage if you can detect it earlier and adjust your driving. There is no comparison between the force feedback of an Xbox controller and the G920 beyond the term for the technology as the G920 delivers an experience so much richer that does change the game. The motors don’t just deliver knocks and turn the wheel, they apply the appropriate resistance in a consistent way that emulates a true driving experience.
Compatibility
After using the G920 for racing games I could never go back to a controller without the feeling that something is missing. This is where the key limitation of the G920 raises its head – compatibility. The games that currently work with the G920 are:
- Assetto Corsa
- F1 2015
- Project Cars
- DiRT Rally
- iRacing
- EuroTruck Simulator 2
- Live For Speed
- Distance
- American Truck Simulator
- Need For Speed 2016
That’s a fair selection of titles right? Well, it is but there are a lot of older titles that I’d love to have re-played with the G920 so it does feel like a bit of a shame in that regard. On the positive side, the selection of current titles is solid and growing.
Build Quality
Over the duration of the road test (pun intended), we didn’t notice anything negative about the build quality, durability or functionality of the G920. The finish of the leather is also what you would expect in a real car with impressive stiches and joining. Approximately 2/3 of the wheel has a perforated leather wrap for grip and the lower third of the wheel is smooth leather. Aesthetically, this looks great but it is practical as well for a stable grip. Some people had a firmer grip on the wheel than others and the pedals took their fair share of punishment yet at the end of the review period, the whole set still looked brand new.
