Somewhere, tucked away in the North Hall behind some smaller exhibitors, Logitech showed off its brand new peripheral called the Logitech Driving Force GT steering wheel, compatible with Sony's forthcoming PS3 racing opus Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. The company was kind enough to give us a test drive, and we came away very impressed.

Like previous Logitech peripherals, the Driving Force GT feels like a solid device. Featuring strong feedback in the steering whee,l you can actually feel the struggle of your car going into a turn or spin. The wheel jutters back and forth when you slam into a wall or come out of a spin, or even when you collide with another car. In a neat little modification, it also rights itself when the wheel is spun too far, so that it's centered and ready to go back into racing action. The pedals are quite reactive and the gear stick works well, with simplistic up-and-down motions to move up and down rather than complicated slotted motions (like a real stick shift).

What's new about the Driving Force GT, however, is the new modification dials. There are two buttons on the left side of the wheel so that you can select upwards and downwards on menus, along with an adjustable dial on the right side. During a race, you can adjust several things in real time with these add-ons, changing the effect on your ride almost immediately. Brake bias, damper and traction settings are all adjustable, giving you better (and sometimes more complicated) handling of your vehicle. It's really neat, especially if you love simulation racers such as the Gran Turismo series.

The Driving Force GT is specifically built for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, but it also works with other Gran Turismo games, such as the downloadable Gran Turismo HD and previous GT games for the PlayStation 2. Logitech stated that the wheel will also work with other PS3 driving games, although it won't react as strongly with them as it will with Prologue. The company is set to release the steering wheel for $149.99 when it ships this May, a month after the game's U.S. debut.

It's a hefty price to pay, but the Driving Force GT feels like the most realistic Logitech steering wheel to date. If you're a GT nut, it's worth the cost.

Thanks to Logitech for giving us a test-drive! We apologize for all the collisions with the wall. It's just part of the test process, gang.

Related Links

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Game Guide

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