Are the Logitech G29 and G920 Still Worth it in 2021?
Before we get started, I want to mention that I have been using the Logitech G29 for over 6 months now and it has been my main sim racing wheel & pedals up until December of 2020. I will talk about both the G29 and G920 because they are pretty much the same but I'll get more into that in a little bit.
For the simplicity of this review, I will split it up into three main parts. The positives, the negatives, and my final thoughts and recommendations.
Everything I like about the Logitech G29 & G920
Coming in at the relatively low price of around $250 give or take, the Logitech G29 and G920 are accessible to most who are interested in getting into the sim racing world. And for the price, you get a pretty fancy wheel. The wheel itself is made out of genuine leather which feels very nice and relatively grippy on the hand. The g29 features an led indicator that tells the driver when they should upshift and when they are redlining. It is important to note that the G920 does not include this indicator.
And on that note, let me discuss the differences between the two real quick. The G29 is compatible with the Playstation 4 and the new PlayStation 5. In terms of internal specs, it is identical to the G920. As you would imagine, the G920 is compatible with the Xbox one and the new Xbox Series X. Both of these wheels are compatible with PC. The main difference between the two is the design. Here is a photo of them side by side. In my opinion, the G29 looks so much cooler than the G920 so that's why I went with it. I have heard that as a result of it looking nicer, it is slightly more desirable and therefore generally a little bit more expensive than the G920. This largely depends on where you're looking however as they both sit at around the $250 mark.
In terms of the wheels specs, they are pretty good for the price. The wheel can rotate up to 900 degrees and it has dual-motor force feedback with an overheat safeguard. The force feedback gives off around 2.1-newton meters of torque which is decent but is nowhere close to some other higher-end wheels. From my experience, the force feedback has been fine but is not nearly as fine-tuned or realistic as other higher-end wheels. But again, you're looking at a relatively low-cost entry wheel so it's not too bad.
Another great thing about this wheel and pedal set is that it comes with 3 pedals. It features a gas and brake pedal as well as a clutch pedal for those who like to drive manuals. I'm not a big fan of the pedals which I will talk about soon. Being a mass market and popular wheel, it's pretty much compatible with any racing game you could imagine. So there's no need to worry about that.
The wheel also features an abundance of buttons which is great for more complex racing sims where you need to bind a bunch of things to different buttons. The buttons do feel like any regular cheap controller so don’t be expecting some motorsport grade reliability out of them.
Mounting the wheel and pedals is also relatively simple. For those who are going to be using it on a desk, the wheel features desk clamps that will accommodate most desks. If you are mounting it on a cockpit, there are plenty of mounting holes at the bottom of the wheel which make this incredibly easy. Being a popular wheel, nearly every cockpit works with it. In terms of the pedals, they feature a retractable carpet grip that does a decent job at maintaining them firmly in place. If you are putting these down on regular wood or tile surfaces, you will need to put something behind them to prevent them from moving. The brake pedal requires quite a bit of force to fully push down so you will definitely send them flying if you don't.
The wheel features brushed stainless steel paddle shifters which have a nice click to them but are not nearly as tactile as newer and slightly higher-end models. From my time using them, which is nearly every time I play a racing game, I have always had a good experience shifting through the gears with them and they have always done the job.
Let’s move on to the things I do not like about this wheel
To be completely fair, there aren’t that many negatives when accounting for the wheel's price and mass-market availability. But there are still some things to keep in mind, especially when looking to get serious about sim-racing
In my opinion, the biggest negative has been the pedals, particularly the brake. Though the pedals themselves are stainless steel and look decent, the plastic body takes away from the feel and look of them. The brake pedal is a potentiometer based which means it measures the amount you want to break based on how much the pedal has traveled. This is not accurate to how a real car feels. In a real car and higher-end “load cell pedals”, braking is measured by the amount of force you lay down on the pedal. This means that the brake pedal will feel unrealistic and it will take a while for you to get used to especially if you drive in real life. As I said, I've been using these for about 6 months, and I've never felt confident with my braking which is the main reason I am upgrading to a load cell pedal set. I'm not saying you can’t be fast with these pedals, it will just take a lot of practice and it will lower the immersion overall.
The force feedback of this wheel is also not great. At times, it feels jerky and can be extremely loud depending on if you hit a curb or something like that. If you spend a little bit more, you can find other wheels with far superior force feedback capabilities.
Another thing to note and something that is a little annoying is that this the G29 and the G920 do not come with the Logitech shifter included. If you want to get the true manual experience you have to purchase it separately for around $60. If you are interested in that, I have a short review of the Logitech shifter as well.
As I touched up earlier, the buttons within the wheel do not feel tactile nor high quality in any way. They all do the job fine at the end of the day but it takes away from the immersion. I have the biggest problem with the red dial which being completely honest, sucks. It is not precise at all and you never get a good feel of how much you are dialing up or down. I have this set to my traction control and whenever I go to move it, I can never get it to perfectly go where I want. This dial is pretty much just for looks.
My Final Thoughts and Recommendation
Overall, the G29 and G920 wheel and pedal set are not bad for the price but they will not meet everyone's needs.
I would recommend this wheel to any child or young adult who wants to play Forza, GrandTurismo, or any similar sim-cade game in the market with a wheel. Those games do not require immense precision and this wheel will allow you to get a solid entry into online racing without requiring too much sacrifice.
For those like me, who want to take sim racing more seriously, value immersion and realism, and play more realistic racing games where every millisecond matters, I would look into higher-end Thrustmaster gear which will up both the realism and the feel of the game.
If you don’t know whether you will like sim racing and have a slightly higher budget, I would recommend looking at other slightly more expensive gear which will drastically up the immersion and feel of the game. And trust me, once you get into sim racing you will never go back to playing Call of Duty or CS:GO. I know from experience…
If you are a parent and want to give your child a super cool gift, go right ahead! This is perfect for them! But don’t be surprised once they fall in love with sim racing and are asking you for upgrades in a few months…
If you are interested, here are the links to all the items mentioned in this post:
Logitech G29 (For PlayStation and PC)
LOGITECH G920 (For Xbox and PC)
Logitech Driving Force Shifter (Compatible with Logitech Wheels)
