I’ve often found myself writing about problems or ideas when I need to make a decision, or think I might be making the wrong decision. I’ve been looking at the Logitech G25 racing wheel for a couple of years now… I distinctly remember when it came out… finally a racing wheel with a 6 speed shifter now THAT is appealing. I know that a lot of people in the racing simulation genre love the sequential shifter because it more closely emulates what is in the cars… That is all fine and dandy, but nothing quite comes close to the feel of a 6 speed H pattern shifter. It makes me feel more like I’m doing something worthwhile as I drive, not just slapping a stick. I’m actually glad I never got the G25 since I’ve heard the shifter is sort of a limp noodle to play with, the G27 is a little firmer which is nice, if nothing else it is a good platform to start from.
Why do I say start from? Well at some point I really want to build a full on racing simulation box/chair I’ve got it planned out pretty well… and when I get bored with the G27 or wear out the shifter I have been considering taking it apart and using the electronics of it and building another shifter box with an actual short throw shifter, pneumatic shifter release (so that it only releases the stick when the clutch pedal is fully depressed), and even a hand brake mounted beside the seat.
My problem with all of this is the question “Do I really want to spend SOOO much money on the G27 just for a six speed shifter especially when I plan on building one myself later on?” So this is where my current conundrum is… I’d like to be able to play some racing simulation games with force feedback… but at what cost? I also definitely want to build my own gaming rig… not just for racing, the seat shakers I plan to mount at the feet and seat would be fun for any game, along with an adjustable bucket seat and roll cage design. I have a trick for how to build it too! Since I don’t know how to weld with metal I was going to build it out of PVC pipe and use a PVC welder to construct most of it.
