I think we would all love the experience of barreling out our front gates, handbrake turning onto the highway, and pushing the pedal to the floor in a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport.
The likelihood is that none of us will ever come remotely close to experiencing anything like that in real life.
But you’d be surprised how close you can get to that experience with a great racing game, a next-gen console or gaming PC, and a premium gaming steering wheel setup.
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Is A Gaming Steering Wheel Worth It?
A gaming steering wheel is worth it if you have a good racing simulator and a quality racing wheel. With force feedback, natural friction in the turns, and racing pedals with realistic resistance, a gaming steering wheel is fantastic and truly immersive. There are cheap knock-offs that just don’t hold up but that’s always the case, regardless of the device.
Racing wheels are definitely worth the money but the keywords here are, “worth the money.” It’s a case of getting exactly what you pay for. A solid, quality racing wheel has a lot to offer, including the realistic feel of racing, a whole new way to play the game, and an increased learning curve.
It’s not like hitting up Gran Turismo with a controller. As fun as those games are and as good as the Dualshock controller is, it’s not the same thing as sitting behind the wheel of a Ferrari. Of course, neither is a gaming wheel, but it does push you a surprisingly large step closer.
What Advantages Does A Steering Wheel Offer Over A Controller For Racing Games?
Advantages may not be noticeable right off the bat. It’s a huge difference in jumping from a controller to a steering wheel with pedals. The advantages are certainly there. They just come in time, with your own improvement.
It’s when going from a steering wheel back to a controller after a few months that you will notice a massive difference and major lack of immersion.
A Racing Wheel Creates a More Immersive Experience
A gaming sim wheel allows you to feel far more connected to the car. You feel every bump and change in surface texture through the wheel. Your inputs to control the car are much more accurate and true to life when compared to using the sticks on a controller.
The increased immersion is the first thing that truly jumps out at you when the light turns green and you’re off. This is even more obvious if you invest in a solid, premium racing wheel, like the Logitech Dual-Motor G29 Gaming Wheel.
When you turn the Logitech, it delivers the resistance you expect when turning your wheels fully stopped, and flying down the highway at 159mph. It includes a shifter and a clutch, so if you’ve never learned how to drive a stick, you’ll get something more than just a fun game out of it.
The force feedback is also incredible, almost as if you can feel even the tiny pebbles your front hood eats up as you’re flying down the blacktop at breakneck speeds. Now, this isn’t an advertisement for the Logitech G29. But it is an example of the immersive experience you can have with the right setup.
More Precise Braking and Throttle Control Using Pedals
This is true on so many levels and if you choose the right steering wheel and pedals, you’re going to have to learn how to throttle down in the turns, double clutch, and burn your way through the gears without redlining your RPMs.
It’s truly immersive when it’s done right. Sometimes, that has very little to do with the wheel and a lot to do with the game and how well it supports a gaming steering wheel. Put quality and quality together and you can far outdo those arcade days in your own house.
Easing off the throttle just enough to maintain maximum speed through the corners makes the racing experience unbelievably realistic. Braking is crucial as well. Coming off the brake pedal too late while going into a tight bend will send you careering off the track. Learning these techniques with a wheel and pedals is more realistic and precise.
There are three-pedal versions and two-pedal versions. For the best immersion, do yourself a favor and get a three-pedal version so you can experience the glory of the clutch and brake. Newbies will find themselves slamming on the brakes when they should clutch and vice versa.
It’s a blast to get used to but only if you have a good system with realistic braking resistance that translates well in-game.
It’s Much Easier to Counter Oversteer and Understeer with a Gaming Wheel
You may disagree, but only at first. You see, gamers are almost hardwired to play any game, regardless of genre, with a controller or a keyboard and mouse. Introduce a steering wheel and it’s suddenly an alien universe for a little while—but only for a little while.
Once you get used to a wheel, you’ll find yourself oversteering into the wall on a simple, 10° turn far less frequently than when using a controller. Before you know it, you’ll realize your steering and correction measures are far more accurate than with a controller or a mouse and keyboard.
You also have to keep in mind, most people aren’t able to go outside, hop in their Corvette, burn out of their drive, and hit 100mph in a blink. You’re used to doing this with something other than a steering wheel but your instincts will tell you differently after a few races with a wheel and pedals in front of you.
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Using A Precise Gaming Steering Wheel Setup Can Make You A Better Driver
That’s no joke. Professional drivers use simulators all the time. It’s no different than flying in the military. It costs too much money to burn that much jet fuel for training. Enter the world of flight and race car simulators.
There is already an established correlation between gaming and improved hand-eye coordination. That doesn’t change just because you switch to a racing wheel, stick shift, and pedals over traditional controls. In fact, it’s even better.
While no simulation can truly match the real deal, some can come pretty close, especially with an awesome wheel and pedal setup, like the Thrustmaster T300 RS GT. Granted, Project Cars 2 is not going to prepare you for a trip to Winn Dixie for Honey Buns and Cheerios, but it will make you a better driver all thanks to improvements in hand-eye coordination and situational awareness.
On-Wheel Controls To Adjust Feedback And Game Settings On The Go
These steering wheels don’t just come with a wheel and pedals. There are typically a ton of controls built into the wheel as well. These controls allow you to share content and change the feel of the game on the fly.
Increasing force feedback, braking levels, steering sensitivity, and more are all on offer. Some wheels lack some controls that others don’t, however, don’t forget that a lot of what a steering wheel can do is dictated by what the game supports.
In general, you’ll be able to make changes as you go along. One good thing about a video game is if you T-bone a wall at 220mph, you get to try again—perhaps with a slight adjustment to the steering sensitivity.
Even Poor Racing Games Become a Lot More Enjoyable with a Steering Wheel
This is one point that’s difficult to argue against. Even a garbage game is improved by a little immersion. It’s better to stomp on an accelerator and go from 0 to 60 in 2.4 seconds with a gamine wheel than it is to press and hold the X button while playing a garbage game.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is far from a garbage game but realistic racing it is not. However, slap a steering wheel on there with some racing pedals, and it’s like playing the game again for the very first time. As unique and innovative as Nintendo Switch controllers are, it’s just not the same.
While we’re not recommending you go out and get a $2 bargain bin racing game, a steering wheel and pedals can sure make it a lot more fun.
When Might A Gaming Steering Wheel Not Be Worth It?
If you play a racing game once in a blue moon, you probably shouldn’t waste your money. A quality gaming steering wheel setup is going to set you back at least $200. It’s pointless if you play maybe once a month.
It’s also not worth it without a gaming library full of good racing games or if you just don’t have enough room to bother with the thing. Most of them come as two separate pieces and the more expensive ones are a single piece. However, either way, it takes up a good deal of space.
You also shouldn’t make the leap unless you’re going all in. Getting just the steering wheel is like paying for a rollercoaster ride and you get off halfway through. You should go in all or nothing. Get the whole setup. Three pedals, a steering wheel, and the associated, built-in controls.
Conclusion
A good gaming steering wheel is more than worth the money if you use it regularly and have at least a couple of good racing games to play.
But, it’s just like purchasing a game that turns out to not be all that great. There are garbage steering wheels out there as well.
You get what you pay for and if you want a truly immersive experience, it’s worth spending a little extra money to make it worth your while.
