Logitech DriveFX Racing Wheel is a licensed Xbox 360 steering wheel for the Xbox 360 game console from Microsoft, which combines high-quality materials and what Logitech call advanced axial-feedback technology.
The wheel which is black all over features two rubber grips for a secure and comfortable grip, and also accelerator and brake pedals on a base which is nice and heavy to stop it moving, it has two paddle shifters, and a full set of Xbox 360 buttons for menu navigation and game setup.
In reviewing the Logitech DriveFX Racing Wheel one reviewer gave the Xbox 360 steering wheel an overall rating of 8.4 out of 10, and concluded that “the Logitech DriveFX Wheel is a pretty nice piece, but for its price doesn’t really grab our fancy that much more than the MadCatz 360 wheel.”
You have to pay about £50 more to get the Logitech DriveFX Wheel over the MadCatz 360 MC2 unit, so it’s hard to give the “must buy” award to the Logitech DriveFX Wheel. If the Microsoft Xbox 360 steering wheel ends up having major problems, then the Logitech DriveFX Wheel will be a the next best thing, along with the MadCatz 360 MC2, and whatever Fanatec may have up their Nomex sleeve.
If you’re looking for a solid performing wheel with a good feel, you won’t be disappointed with the Logitech DriveFX Wheel, but you may want to wait until you have read the Microsoft Xbox 360 steering wheel review, or tried one out.
If you’ve never played a racing game without using a regular console controller, you would be as well to search through Ebay for someone else’s cast offs first before you go spending your hard earned cash on full retail priced kit that you might never use. We found several such as the Mad Catz MC2 Xbox 360 Steering Wheel for just over £20, a potential bargain!
The first thing we noticed about the MC2 wheel is that it’s got quite a small wheel circumference, you might be expecting something a bit bigger, say like a real car steering wheel,but if you’ve never used another wheel you might think it is the standard size. Ignoring the size though (as any good girlfriend will do 
), the wheel looks great with a swish white design and has great grip thanks to the rubber covering so you won’t find your hands slipping from the wheel which is always helpful when you’re driving (hmm could do with that in my real car!)
Due to the wheel being fairly small, you might find you tend to play with it with just one hand as using both feels like you’re driving your baby brothers’ ride on tractor! The MC2 wheel has a good degree of turn at 270 degrees and doesn’t feel gritty when you turn it like some Xbox 360 steering wheels do when they have seen some extended action and have consumed nearly as much of your food as you have!
So often a second hand unit is like fast forwarding the lifespan of a new one because it lets you see what they will look in a few years time, a bit like the old saying if you want to know what your partner will look like in years to come, just look at her mother!
There are the customary shallows on the underside of the unit to allow the Xbox 360 steering wheel to fit snugly on your legs whilst you play. This is how the majority of wheel owners will play, but it can get a bit uncomfortable after extended periods of intense driving action especially as your legs have to be quite close together to fit the design. The real way forward with an Xbox 360 steering wheel is to get a stand for it or a chair or both, but more about that on the other pages. The Xbox 360 steering wheel review describes how this unit has two suction cups on the underside so it can be mounted securely onto a desk or table with the pedals underneath.
This is highly recommended as it gives the wheel that solid feeling much like a real car but alas this is not always ideal because coffee tables are low and you end up with an arched back, not recommended for hours of intense racing! A desk is just about the right heath but the other challenge is that most desks don’t have TV’s on them! The initial setup of the Xbox 360 steering wheel is pretty simple, you just plug all the bits together with the provided cable, and then connect the wheel to your Xbox 360 with the USB cable. Turn on your Xbox 360 and it will recognise the wheel right away and you can get straight into the racing action!
The MC2 is a great price as far as Xbox 360 steering wheels go, but for once in life cheap doesn’t mean low quality and it feels like quality. It feels really solid and well put together and is a nice weight without being too heavy. All the buttons and controls on the look exactly like they do on your regular 360 controller and they feel the same too.
On the wheel there are all the usual Xbox 360 controls – A, B, Y, X, LT, RT, Start, Back, and Guide buttons. The left and right paddles are located behind the wheel in the form of triggers which are used to change your gears up and down, like on a real sports or racing car. You can of course take the easy option still, and select the auto box still.
The package comes with impressive quality foot pedals. There is a brake and an accelerator pedal, and they are great to use. Some reviewers had a problem with the pedals slipping or being pushed away across the floor on other units, but these appear to stay firmly in place like you would want them to.
There are two different styles of MC2 wheel on the market one with a gear lever on the side and one without, I have read elsewhere that the gear level model is great too.
The MC2 wheel also has connectivity for your Xbox 360 live headsets, so shouting offensive remarks at your friends whilst you’re racing is possible too. Get that road rage out of your system before you get back on the real road!
If you’ve played a driving game like Forza Motor Sport 2 using a standard Xbox 360 controller and found yourself coming in about 3rd or 4th place when you start using an Xbox 360 steering wheel you’ll suddenly find that your skills will equal the greats like Lewis Hamilton and you start winning!
It’s so much easier playing with an Xbox 360 steering wheel, because it feels so much more real and responsive. Accelerating and braking is awesome too, if you push down on the accelerator your car will accelerate on the screen just like a real car, the same with braking.
Part of the improvement from using an Xbox 360 steering wheel is that it forces you to play in a more upright position and concentrate more. It’s far more exciting racing your mates with a wheel rather than using the same Xbox 360 controller that you’ve been using for all your other games.
Driving at high speeds is great too as you try to keep control of your car using quick hand movements on the wheel, and even more exciting is playing on Need for Speed in the drifting events – that is amazing, drifting on a computer game has never been more fun than it is with the –Xbox 360 steering wheel you get a real sense of achievement when you pull off a high scoring drift.
The MadCatz MC2 Xbox 360 steering wheel is a fantastic piece of kit for the price you pay and should definitely be considered a purchase for those of you that have never used a racing wheel before and can’t afford the much more expensive wheels on the market.
The MC2 Xbox 360 steering wheel is extremely responsive, looks great, feels great, and is very enjoyable to play with, so try it out for yourself and make your racing games even more exciting.
