Logitech Wingman Formula Force

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Review: Logitech Wingman Formula Force

That sleek grip is connected to a compact housing and, like the MS wheel, it takes up very little space on your desk. The built-in clamps hook onto the edge of the table and operated beautifully with no hassles (just hook and twist until tight, that's it). The Formula Force presented four configurable buttons and two underside flippers for shifting action. The only thing that took away from the rock-solid looks is the fake center cap; it looks like it's bolted down (now that would've been cool), but in fact it's just a plastic emblem. While the pedals themselves look and feel a bit on the cheap-plastic side, the base was a large platform that included an area for a foot rest on the left side. It also came with full versions of Motorhead, F1 Racing Simulation, and game-profiler software.

The first thing to do is recommend that Logitech give raises to its cable-connection design crew. The power and plug-to-PC cords plug into the pedal base, with a single wire going to the wheel. This really cut back on cords flowing from your desk, to the PC, to the outlet, to the pedal base, etc., as with the other wheels. That great steering wheel is molded in a non-slip padding, reminiscent of the Thrustmaster NASCAR Pro-Racing wheel's. This stuff works really well and the wheel is sized just right so your hands don't get tired after long stretches of racing (re: ACT Labs review). The buttons are intuitively placed near your thumbs (when you grab the wheel at the usual 9 and 3 o'clock positions) and they stick out so you don't have to hunt for them.

Those "European-style paddle shifters," as they are referred to, are long, flat pieces of plastic that are placed correctly (unlike the Interact V4), easily utilized, and seem durable. The pedal base is a great performer. We like the foot rest that's built into the large pedal base, and the whole thing worked superbly and didn't slide around except in the most extreme cases. While we complained about the pedals looking a bit on the cheap-ish plastic side, we couldn't complain about their functionality, nor their performance.

The Formula Force has a decent motor. The FF we encountered was acceptable, if a bit on the light side. It never failed to deliver the FF, but it felt like built-in shocks were dampening the chaos from that pothole-filled road (on a Lexus that would have been a good idea, but here...). When the FF kicked in it also rattled a bit, but not anywhere close to the racket put out by the Interact -V4--just enough so that you notice it's there.

What the Formula Force excelled at is delivering very accurate driving. Turns seem more solid and crisp than the other wheels, and the package yields a sensation of an excellent driving wheel with FF as its secondary objective. Overall, that concept is not necessarily a bad thing. What you get with the Wingman Formula is an excellently designed wheel/pedal combo with acceptable FF to boot. (Colleagues commented that sometimes too much unrealistic FF can actually ruin the driving experience.)

It is a bit on the high side in price, but if you do decide to get the Wingman Formula Force you won't be disappointed. Just make sure you also save enough to pick up some shades before sitting yourself in front of that ultra-cool steering wheel.-- Danny W. Lam / GamePro