Web Site: Logitech's Product Information
Cost: $49
Availability: Now
The
Wingman Formula GP is Logitech's answer to people who want a racing wheel, but don't want to spend $100 on a game controller, and it can best be described as being "no frills." The only thing you'll find in the box is your wheel, the pedals, and the necessary cables. Don't expect any free games nor demo CD's nor anything else. But given the $49 suggested price, it's hard to complain about a lack of a bundle. While $49 might be the price of a relatively feature-filled gamepad, it's only half the price you'd pay for a higher-end wheel, like Logitech's
Wingman Formula Force GP.
The tradeoff is that, of course, is the fact that this wheel is strictly a controller; it's not going to rumble on bumpy roads nor resist on sharp turns. What it will do, though, is give you a great deal more control in your driving games than you've likely ever gotten out of a gamepad. This 10" wheel's rubber grips give it a good, comfortable feel in your hands; and the pedals feel and respond as we'd expect them to. And the 4 buttons on the face of the wheel, along with the two shifters on its rear, make it easy to assign needed game controls to the wheel, limiting the need to also make use of a keyboard for additional game functions.
The Wingman Formula GP clamps onto the edge of your desk, with its dual clamping system, and plugs into the midi/game port just about everyone has on their sound cards, something of a disappointment to those of us who have come to like the convenience of USB gaming devices. But on a more positive note, Windows detects and recognizes the Wingman Formula GP as it would any other game controller, pretty much universal compatibility with any PC driving/racing game you play.
The Wingman Formula GP is not going to knock your socks off, as it does what you expect a wheel to do and not much else. But it will enhance your driving/racing experience and let you finally make those sharp turns in games like Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed and Nascar 4. And at only $49, it will do so without making you have to choose between driving your virtual car and fixing your real one.