Logitech G923 Wheel & Pedal – Review

The world of Sim Racing has never quite been on our radar, we knew it was a massive group of die-hard “car game” fans that buy overly expensive rigs with pedals and wheels that are more expensive than their houses, and we kind-of left it at that.  When Logitech asked us if we would be interested in reviewing the Logitech G923 Wheel and Pedal, we were naturally intrigued to see how intense these tools really are and if they can make you THAT much better than what a seasoned controller driver such as myself, could be.  So when the box arrived we eagerly opened it and got it all set up.  While we do that, take a look at the video below…

 

 

Design & Features

 

The Logitech G923 is the successor to the extremely popular and capable G29/G920.  If you are a owner of the G29 or G920 it is understandable that you might be skeptical of making the move from your current setup for something, that at face value, doesnt seem that much different.  On the outside the Logitech G923 features all the same premium quality materials.  The extremely plush leather in which the steering is wrapped, the strong, sturdy and perfectly sized metal paddleshifters, the buttons are pefectly spaced while the inlay of the wheel is mostly brushed metal with some plastic inlay.  The flat bottom steering wheel is a nod to many sportier car brands and gives you a wonderful feel of being fast, accurate and true.

Apart from the wheel and paddleshifters, the wheel also features the standard YBAX buttons for Xbox, LSB and RSB buttons are placed on eith side of the centre of the wheel and they feel much like the “NOS buttons” that are so popular in the Fast & Furious franchise.  + and – keys are placed on the left bottom and the return button, with dial around the outside, to the right.  These two round buttons feel like they take quite alot of inspiration from a very popular german car brand, which is never a bad thing.  When turned on the new Logitech G923 also features a LED rev indicator which is a nice touch.

 

 

The Logitech G923 wheel can be attached to a counter or rig with a suprisingly strong clamp that can be clamped and then tightened and fits nearly all, reasonably shaped, tables or desks.  The cables that go to the foot peddles, as well as the gearshifter, are all loose and enters a neatly routed area where they can be fitted and closed up tight.

 

 

The racing peddles are big and solid, which is what you need, as they might take some serious beating during the course of a really intense race.  Consisting of a large, rubberized base with all three of the pedals, not only a stop and go like non-purists use.  These pedals are fully metal with rubber blobs on them to keep your favourite racing slipper ( see what I did there)  from from slipping off the brake or accelerator at the worst possible time.  Aesthetically, the pedals are identical to the G29/920 that came before it except this time around, the brake pedal now has a progressive spring that will get firmer the harder you slam on the brakes.

 

Performance

The biggest leap forward with the Logitech G923 is the addition of TrueForce.  What TrueForce is, in Logitech terms, TrueForce connects directly into the in-game engine, processing up to 4000 times per second.  This uses the actual real-time physics and audio and pushes that back as real world experiences through the Logitech G923 steering wheel.  A simple example would be, when you start up your car, and place your hand on the steering wheel.  There is a slight vibration, a little nudge from your car to tell you its there and ready.  TrueForce captures this, and when at full tilt, flying though the Scottish highlands in Dirt 2.0, pushing your Ford Fiesta rally car through its rev range, that orchestral delight of the engine singing can be felt as vibrations through the steering wheel.  With TrueForce you truly feel that the car is no longer just a object moving on a screen but you feel connected and invested.

 

 

The only slight drawback is that all of this vibrations do make a slight racket.  And a second fallback, not of the Logitech G923’s own making, is the lack of TrueForce support at this time.  GT Sport, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Grid and Dirt 2.0 is some of the very few titles to currently support TrueForce.

 

 

I found the pedals to be equisite! The clutch felt great and although I did prefer to not use it I found the fact that the clutch would take differently on different cars to be a wonderful touch, both from the wheel and Dirt 2.0.  The throttle peddle, much like expected provides the least of feedback through the actual but is the cause for nearly all the feedback throughout the rest of the Logitech G923.   The real magic comes in the brake pedal with a progressive spring that stiffens as you put more weight on it, much like the hydraulic force that builds on a real brake pedal.  This was once again evident when I took the Ford Escort or Mini for a few spins from the classic era of racing.

 

 

Once again, Logitech, with its GHUB partners wonderfully capable hardware with a very robust software.  The Logitech GHUB is very easy to to understand and setup, and the features of the Logitech G923 can easily be adjusted within it.  Keybinds can be changed and other features like TrueForce can be turned off.

Verdict

For someone who loves car racing, gaming, but weirdly, doesn’t LOVE racing games, I had mixed feeling about the Logitech G923 when it arrived at my desk.  Yes it is the next in a line of steering wheels and pedals that are revered as the best you can get, but I was not convinced that forking out a significant wadge of your hard-earned monies quite equates to the value that a steering wheel setup could bring.  I mean, surely, my controller and some skill behind the sticks could do just as well as this?  Boy oh Boy was I wrong.  The Logitech G923 is a stupendous steering wheel that will give those who are truly interested in putting their racing experiences into the next dimension.

Not only can you now see where your car is, you can now use more than just your visual senses to establish exactly where you are placing those wheels.  Are you going to hook around this corner thanks to those deep ruts from the racers before you?  The moment you dive into the corner the TrueForce will give you the precise feedback of whether or not you are going to set a new fastest sector or whether the marshalls shoulds bring the winch.

The only two downfalls that the Logitech G923 might pose is the price, which, compared to full-blown racing sims, is only a drop in the bucket, but for the casual gamer, it is still much more expensive than a simple controller.  Secondly, the lack of TrueForce supported titles right now, yes Logitech cannot force developers to use the TrueForce but they can hope, and after experiencing the wonders it can bring, I certainly hope more developers do choose to take advantage of it.

If you are a car game enthusiast that is considering getting into sim racing but not sure where to dip your toes, the Logitech G923 is the where you need to go!

 

 

Special thanks to Logitech South Africa for the review content