PS2 Driving Force Gran Turismo review:5 stars (If your wife cannot drive a stick..) - I had a feeling my wife would never let me have Mustang with a stick, or for that matter any car with a stick. This is the next best thing to the real stuff.

I don't feel like writing too much about this, as I know for sure I would run out of superlatives. I'd say this much, if you have GT4, please do not try to drive with that controller, get a steering wheel. And if you have to get a steering wheel, get this - sure it's pricier, but you get what you pay for. Incredible road feel, and the paddle and stick shifters work oh so well.

Look no further.1 stars (Not Recommended) - Mine broke in 4 months, logitech send me another one, it last 3 months. Now they say my warranty expired so they can do nothing. And there's a lot of customer with the same problem. Not a good way to deal with a faulty design.4 stars (Ask Not Whether This Is the Best Wheel. . .) - . . .but whether or not you are truly a "wheel person" at all. The Logitech Driving Force Pro for is a highly-regarded accessory for the PS2. Many serious enthusiasts of racing games will tell you that it's the only acceptable controller for the ultra-popular "Gran Turismo" and "Need for Speed" series. I'm not here to dispute any of that - this is far and away the finest wheel available on the market today. However, given the number of impracticalities that come bundled with any wheel controller, anyone who's not a purist should honestly consider whether or not they'll get enough return on this hefty investment.

The chief impracticality is that any wheel must be anchored to something absolutely immovable in order to get the full effect out of it - and how many among us happen to have a chair directly in front of the TV that is angled like a car seat AND a table in front of it that's oddly enough taller than a coffee table but shorter than a dining table? Exactly - almost no one. Why do you think that stands custom-made for the Driving Force Pro sell on EBay for $80 and entire steel-framework cockpits with pre-set mounts are available at $500+ per? Your only other alternatives are to cook up a half-solution yourself. I've read how other reviewers have crafted lap desks out of boards or modified TV tables to be sturdier, but again, it raises my chief concern with any wheel controller: will you use/enjoy it enough to put in the extra money and effort necessary to properly use it?

The easiest solution is to sit on the floor and bolt the wheel to a coffee table, but that eliminates the possibility of using the pedals, which severely limits the realism. Plus, you'll feel more like an old lady hunched over the wheel about an inch from the windshield rather than a highly-skill professional guiding a performance vehicle toward the finish line. Finally, even this watered-down option won't work without cutting some foam to fit the base of the wheel; otherwise, its hard plastic will almost immediately scratch your tabletop.

The second issue is with gameplay - the wheel has a very steep learning curve in the beginning. I consider myself an expert-level player in GT3, but making the switch to the wheel with GT4 almost took all of the fun out of the game for the first several days. It was difficult to even drive in a straight line, much less execute the maneuvering necessary to succeed in any worthwhile driving game. The purists will say that once mastered, it becomes second-nature just like riding a bike and that's true; however, the road to achieving that level of mastery is a frustrating one, and if you're a casual gamer who enjoys more of an arcade racing experience, the Driving Force Pro may simply be too demanding for you.

The third issue is that when you consider the wheel, the pedals, and whatever mounting apparatus you choose, it's going to eat up a lot of storage space. The pedals are even too tall to simply slide under the couch when you're not playing, so no help there. And given the number of cords (AC power, wheel-to-PS2, pedals-to-wheel) that are required, just leaving it around when not in use looks pretty sloppy and would be easy to trip over.

Once you've finally gotten your physical setup in order and gotten acclimated to using it, the wheel is excellent. It is solidly constructed and the force feedback is a real treat. The 900-degree mode offered in select games like "Gran Turismo 4" creates a new standard in realism; however, given the stoutness of the resistance in the motor and the relatively compact size of the wheel (other reviews have hit it right on the head - it's sized like an Indy car, not a street car), your hands, wrists and/or forearms can get fatigued pretty quickly playing that way. Its motor is also pretty loud, which will be annoying to anyone else in the room not interested in hearing a never-ending symphony of mechanical grinding sounds.

It's not really advertised, but it's also no secret that the Driving Force Pro comes ready-to-use on a PC via a USB port, and this extra usefulness may make the decision a lot easier for some gamers who play both computer and console racers. As a matter of fact, the desk-and-office-chair setup that typically surrounds a PC is very well suited to anchoring the wheel in pretty comfortable proportions (maybe a little high for younger/shorter players). It's not exactly plug-and-play, but the drivers are available from Logitech's main site. The company also has a site dedicated to their gaming controllers at www.wingmanteam.com, which contains lots of useful information on game compatibility, recommended wheel configurations by game, etc.

The Driving Force Pro represents the best of the wheel controllers for both console and PC gaming. However, all but the most avid racing gamers would be hard-pressed to justify the undertaking of mounting, configuring and learning how to use the wheel on top of the steep price tag.

PROS
* Solid construction and nice rubber wheel wrap
* 900-degree turning really immerses you in the driving experience (for the handful of games that support it)
* Also compatible with many PC driving games via USB port

CONS
* Absolutely needs to be mounted in order to use to its fullest, often requiring a weird work-around or expensive add-on solution
* Creates a messy maze of cords when in use; very bulky to store when not in use
* A steep learning curve may frustrate more casual gamers who prefer an arcade racing feel
PS2 Driving Force Gran Turismo Features:
Game Controllers (Controller, Joystick, Joysticks)
Game Controllers (Controller, Steering Wheel, Wheels)
Video Games
PS2 (PSX2)
Sony Playstation (Play station) 2
Playstation2 (Play station2)
Controller
Sequential stick shifter, wheel-mounted paddle shifters, and a full set of PlayStationÂ# buttons give you all the control you need
Comfortable, full rubber wheel realistically turns 2-1/2 times lock-to-lock. See a list of games that support 900 Degree Steering mode.
Automatically switches to 200 Degree Steering compatibility mode to work with other racing games
State-of-the-art force feedback technology lets you feel all the action
Textured floorboard features responsive gas and brake pedals and exclusive no-slip carpet grip system

PS2 Driving Force Gran Turismo is the Electronics version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 109.99USD.