First impressions

Steering Wheel Unit - The moment we opened the box we were greeted by the unmistakable smell of leather and as we brought out the steering wheel unit, we were simply stunned by the shimmer of the brushed stainless steel face of the steering wheel. The unit is heavier than the DFP as the G25 now uses 2 large motors for its force feedback function, and considering the amount of metal that was lavishly used in the unit. We also saw the larger diameter of the wheel as it now comes in 11 inches. The steering wheel is now beautifully wrapped in leather, unlike in the DFP which was in rubber. There are now only 2 buttons on the wheel, which resemble two car horn buttons on a real life sports wheel; and this is a refreshing sight unlike the cluttered and gamy look of the DFP where all the game buttons are available on the wheel face. The F1-type sequential shifters located at the back of the wheel are now also in stainless steel. With all those metal and leather against the matte black plastic casing, this thing is absolutely gorgeous and truly resembles a real sports car’s steering wheel.

Pedal Unit - Next came the pedals and we were all awed at the sight of a huge and heavy base platform (the biggest we’ve seen so far), and the glimmer of 3 polished, stainless steel pedals. A quick push of the brake pedal sent oohhs and aahhs as we readily felt a very stiff brake pedal which enhances realism. Then there was the imposing 3rd pedal for the clutch function which really got everybody excited.

Shifter Unit - Lastly, and with much excitement, we brought out the shifter unit. The guys at the back were already blurting out expletives in amazement and awe. It was such a beautiful sight with all the trimmings and the leather boot hugging the stick shift. A quick movement of the stick shift, though, revealed the softness and ease in moving the stick from one gear to another, which quickly raised our eyebrows. Backing up is also available as a push-down reverse just beside the 6th gear, just like in most real-life cars. The novelty of this new design is that the shifter unit has a rotary switch where you can easily change from the 6-speed (H-type) mode to a sequential (up and down) mode. There is a mechanism inside that mechanically changes and locks down the movement to up and down only. All the game buttons, like the directional pad and eight buttons that you can map to various game controls, can now be found here.

We hurriedly bolted everything on to our already waiting C-mulator X GT and when it was all done it was such a sight to behold--like a Gundam warrior having an armor upgrade. Our eyes already were experiencing diabetes from taking in the eye candy. In our biased opinion, with the G25 upgrade, the C-mulator X is the best looking racing simulator we’ve seen so far.

And now for the moment of truth, we had to test the new wheel with all the racing game software we had with the Playstation 2 and PC platform. First of course is Gran Turismo 4. We are all GT fan boys here at Highway Star and we just got to test it with one of our favorite cars to drive in the hardest racetrack available - the RUF RGT in the Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack. We thought this single test will just about give us the overall picture. So here it goes:

Gran Turismo 4 (PS2)

The Wheel Unit - The force feedback was much different; it was like driving a different car. There was more under steer this time, which we thought was more realistic because, in my experience as a racing instructor driving a real-life race car, touring cars don’t really drive point and shoot like a formula car. The force feedback was much lighter and smoother - if you keep your car on the track, that is. We felt every bump, berm, rumble strip, under steer, over steer, bump from behind and from the sides, and everything that can be felt from the steering wheel of a real race car. Now try getting off track on the grass or the sand traps and you will experience the brutal force feedback of the 2 large 540-type motors that are usually used to propel competition-type RC race cars. It was nasty and will keep you from doing off-road excursions again. The steering wheel mechanism was much quieter, unlike with the DFP, where you will be somewhat annoyed by the gnashing and whirring of the steering wheel mechanism when the going gets tough. We also really noticed the increase in size of the wheel; it was such a different feel but a welcome and refreshing change which further adds to the realism. Also, having only 2 buttons on the wheel needs a little bit of getting used to as old habits die hard; we were pampered by the DFP and kept reaching for the buttons on the wheel which can now be found on the shifter unit. Of course, the 900 degree steering radius is still there to amaze and provide realism. And lastly, the new large and extended stainless steel sequential paddle shifters made shifting very easy.

The Pedal Unit - As this unit has been issued to us for review, fresh and brand new, the pedal inputs where dead accurate. In our experience with the DFP, as it ages, the potentiometers that translate foot movements into analog inputs slowly degrade; and later it simply died on us. Considering how we use it here at Highway Star, we drive them to accelerated death. We love how the new pedals of the G25 where angled; we don’t have to use adaptors anymore just to increase the pedal angles. We also love how they increased the pedal stiffness. On the G25, each pedal has a different pedal feel and the brake pedal, like a real car, has the hardest. We used to put a rubber squeeze ball under the brake pedal of the DFP just to have this kind of stiffness. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make use of the clutch pedal in the GT4 as the game software does not support clutch and the related six shift positions in its program.

The Shifter Unit - Now we come to the most controversial part of the G25. First of all, we needed to modify our C-mulator X unit to accommodate the separate shifter unit. We also needed to position it to the average distance as with a regular car. After were done with that, our testing proves that we really can’t use the 6-speed H-type shift mode with the GT4 as it cannot recognize the gear positions. Well, anyway, how can we really practically use it when some of the cars in GT4 use up to 7 gears, even 8 for a few special cars? So we switched it to the sequential mode by pressing down a bit on the head of the knob while turning the shifting mode selector and voila! What once was an H-type shifter is now an Up-Down shifter.

Obviously, we were not satisfied with this test session and we have to find PS2 game software that would support the clutch and shifter functions. Luckily, we already had a copy of Need for Speed: Carbon. Although this is not a simulation game where we can truly appreciate the use of the G25, NFS: Carbon is new enough to have anticipated the release of the G25 wheel and supports the G25 in its program.

Need for Speed: Carbon (PS2)

As expected, the game was too arcade-like for the G25 wheel (and for us too) but we were happy to see that the shifter and clutch pedal worked for this game. Shifting from the 1st to 6th gears using the H-type mode was effective, though a bit weird as you can shift gears without stepping on the clutch. We saw the clutch work by regulating the acceleration as with a real car and we confined ourselves to using clutch only for the heel and toe (yes, you can do that) but it was not as satisfying as we expected. We needed to move to the more serious and hardcore simulations in the PC platform.

This simulation software (not a game) is the successor to the famous GTR which was dubbed as the Gran Turismo killer. When it comes to realism, yes, it is the Gran Turismo killer; but when it comes to car variety, no, it isn’t. But, nevertheless, we are also a fan of this software for its serious approach to racing simulation. First off, we needed to tackle some obstacles like steering wheel set up. It took us a long time just to do this so we searched the internet for the best set up for the G25. After we were done with that, we took off for the best simulation ride ever. Man! The G25 racing wheel was made for this game. The force feedback was sensational! You will really think that you are driving a real car. You have to respect the power of the cars and every corner that comes your way.

The H-type mode works perfectly, though, you really have to be careful with the upshifting and downshifting sequence as it is quite easy to mis-shift to a wrong gear if you are not concentrating enough. Try downshifting without the correct timing, rev-matching or a heel and toe maneuver and it will send you spinning out and careening towards the nearest grass or sand trap. Even the heel and toe can be performed very, very well. Sweet! The clutch function was very important as the engine would really die on you when you make a complete stop while in gear and forget to step on the clutch pedal or when starting the engine while engaged in gear.

Though, like in NFS: Carbon, it is possible to shift without stepping on the clutch, we stepped on it anyway just to get the rhythm. But when you overshoot a corner and get in the sand traps or grass, you will need to balance the clutch and gas to get out. It was such an immersive experience and all that was lacking were the g-forces for a complete simulated ride. In this racing simulation the G25 really shines but it will surely separate the men from the boys; the racing hardcore from the fan boys.

Formula One 2005 (PS2)

Oh, we also sneaked in one more test session and tried the G25 with Formula One 2005 in the PS2 (which in our opinion is still better than the 2006 version) and it worked perfectly. Of course, we only used the F1-type sequential paddle shifters and did away with the shifter unit. It was lovely, and the driving was point and shoot. The force feedback was spot-on and the pedal inputs were accurate. It was like driving a go-kart and the G25 added excitement to an already exciting game. We also fancied replacing the wheel with a square-type steering wheel (yes! you can remove and replace the steering wheel face) for a more realistic feel.

The G25 is the most fantastically realistic racing wheel we have ever used so far and is a must have for the serious racing gamer. The steering wheel unit performed remarkably. The force feedback was sensationally immersive. The pedal unit was exceptional. The shifter unit, though, needs some improvement. When we get our hands on our own G25 unit we will quickly put our heads into modifying the shifter unit to have some tightness when shifting and, possibly, a real 6-gate plate replacing the leather boot to guide the shaft and avoid mis-shifting. At this moment only the more serious racing games available in the PC platform can make use of the clutch pedal and shifter unit, but the rest of the wheel is simply awesome with the other racing games out there. We are eagerly awaiting the Gran Turismo 5 in the PS3 platform. What we also like the most is the inclusion of screw holes under the base of all the units so that you can screw in all the components onto a race frame to prevent slipping and for a more solid feel.

For its price, the G25 gives the best bang for the buck. It is a radical departure from its predecessor the DFP in all aspects, and at the moment, is the most sophisticated racing peripheral in its price range. With the correct software it can be a great race training tool. We can even teach driving lessons with it.

Highway Star Racing Concepts is a company that uses RC cars and racing simulators for marketing and promotional purposes. Its two main products are the Tamiya RC Racing School and the C-mulator X Racing Simulator. The C-mulator X is proudly Filipino designed and made. It is a culmination of many years of research in simulator design and experience in real life motorsports to come up with an ergonomic design incorporating the correct measurements and positions that would mimic the experience of driving a real race car. The C-mulator X experience is available for your marketing events, corporate events, and private parties.

Contact person:

Allan Colico, Proprietor

Email address: highwaystarconcepts@yahoo.com

Website: www.tamiyarcschool.com / www.c-mulatorx.com (coming soon)

Office: 824-2815