Back in 2023, I discovered the irresistible gaming combo equivalent of chicken 'n' chips with a Coke—the Logitech G Pro Steering Wheel, a PS VR2 headset, and GT7. The TL;DR takeaway of my findings: it's a delicious union of expert peripheral craftsmanship, white knuckle force feedback, and heightened sense of there-ness I've been happily consuming on a daily basis. (Mostly because I'm addicted to Polyphony Digital's circadian mileage bonuses.)
After much waiting for Logitech to pull its finger out, we now have a new range of swappable wheels that have renewed my love for the G Pro ecosystem. Dubbed the RS Range, these premium clip-on / clip -off steering solutions provide a range of expected benefits—greater comfort, extra RGB flair, more ideal form factors, etc. But also, to my sheer and utter delight, some huge advantages in cross-platform compatibility.
If you know which specific pieces to buy, you can effectively turn what was once a PC / PlayStation 5 only Wheel Base into a Franken-peripheral that supports the holy trinity of Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PC. To say I'm pleased with that turn of events would be quite the understatement; it's a game-changing feature that lurches Logitech ahead in the (now) highly competitive space of DD wheels.
We'll drill down on the details of that in a second. For now, though, let's address the barrier of entry that may cause some of you to reach for your reverse gear: price. You can, of course, skip the window shopping by clicking here to jump right to my words instead.
Our Logitech G Pro Setup
The RS Wheel Hub & Round Wheel
So, let's assess the largest bit of our new test bed first—the Round Wheel. What we're bolting on here is a 291 mm wheel that's a jack-of-all-trades—perfect for hand-over-hand drifting, rallying, GT, and/or Formula racing, which makes me prefer it over the slightly less adaptable default G Pro wheel. Thickness-wise, it's a 35mm grip all the way around; the wheel also weighs in at 662 g (before being bolted into 758 gs worth of Hub).
That being the case, the old boy wheel was heavier at 1.5 kg and wasn't made with the RS's silcone leather, which, I think, finds a slightly better sweet spot of comfort and grippiness in your mitts. It also had a darker and more understated "centering band" compared to the much more preferred white strip on the RS. It's also worth noting that this young blood attachment will bolt into any platform RS Hub you choose via six bolts and an alan key. It feels as premium as its price—robust, rock solid, and still comfy after my standard Paris-Dakar endurance test.
As for the RS Hub itself, like I said in the intro, I have a PS base but went with the Xbox variant, purely to iritate my whingy roomate, whose brain can't easily switch from one "X button" position to another. Much like the Round Wheel component, there have been some worthy upgrades to this wheel face. The most visually obvious is the inclusion of a rainbow-tastic LED rev light and the ability to adjust or remove the gear paddles.
Speaking of inputs, it's worth noting that the original G Pro wheel only had ten face buttons; the RS Hub sprinkles on two more (to provide for your rightstick/leftstick functions). I also appreciate that the two new rotary wheels are identical, as I prefer the underslung setup as opposed to one forward-facing one jutting out. Technically speaking, the RS Hub uses the same quick-release system as before—albeit with some extra squeezing required to attach now—though I didn't detect that change introducing any additional flex or other drawbacks.
Before I head off more laps with this brilliant wheel, I should probably talk about the road I needed to travel in order to achieve triple-compatibility. For starters, if you're a purebred console gamer who's never plugged your Logitech G Pro into a PC before, you're gonna need to find a way to do it. My RS Hub refused to be recognised by my Xbox SX / PC/ PS5 without a new firmware update to both the original G Pro Wheel Base and the Hub.
Once that pain-free, five-minute process is done, magic is allowed to happen. With a wheel bristling with A, B, Y, and X in a different position, plus a bloody big Xbox logo at centre stage, I went bombing around in Gran Turismo 7, and then, after a quick unplug/replug, some laps of Forza Motorsport. Flawless stuff. Zero problems. Great force feedback.
I must say, as an owner of all the major DD wheels on the market—Thrustmaster, Moza, etc—having "one wheel to rule them all" is a very attractive feature. DD wheels are heavy and cumbersome to move on and off any table or racing cockpit frame. And the hassle is exacerbated by some brands not being universal with drill holes / screws / clamps. Basically, I can see my Logitech G Pro is going to get much, much more track time than it ordinarily would thanks to sheer convenience alone.
Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler and was provided an RS Hub + Wheel test units. He also plays practically everything, often on YouTube.via How the Logitech G RS Range Can Bolt in Triple-Compatible Bliss, Best Prices, and More!
by Adam Mathew
Comments
Post a Comment