Wheels vs Controllers?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by w4nn13, Apr 1, 2016.

  1. w4nn13

    w4nn13 Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2016
    Ratings:
    +28 / 0 / -0
    OK I know this game is best played with a wheel or even better a simulator, but how many people on here play with a just wheel, controller or simulator?

    As it kind of seems to a new player like me that I wont win many races against people in simulators or just really good wheels.

    Be interesting to know if there is any stats on this...
     
  2. Christian G

    Christian G Topological Agitator Beta tester

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2015
    Ratings:
    +2,411 / 0 / -0
    You can go check out my leaderboard entries, 100 % gamepad times, always with as little aids as possible.
    With enough practice you can be quite competitive with a pad, not alien-like I guess, but it's enough to get me into the top 20 or even top 10 regularly.
     
    • Informative Informative x 1
    • Love it! Love it! x 1
  3. Pr3t3nd3r

    Pr3t3nd3r Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2015
    Ratings:
    +19 / 0 / -0
    I play with the pad and I must say I love it :)

    You can be competitive with any rig with some practice :)
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. nasportscar

    nasportscar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2015
    Ratings:
    +102 / 0 / -0
    I prefer the wheel, but use the pad primarily because my wife made me take down my rig (for the time being). I use a XBox 360 pad w/ my Alienware Alpha and can put down some pretty good lap times. We just bought another house w/ more room than our condo, so my rig will be going back up shortly :)
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  5. w4nn13

    w4nn13 Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2016
    Ratings:
    +28 / 0 / -0
    [​IMG]
    This is my only option so I trying to order one
     
  6. Christian G

    Christian G Topological Agitator Beta tester

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2015
    Ratings:
    +2,411 / 0 / -0
    I have no experience with that.
    I'm very pleased with my Rumblepad 2. You can get used ones in good condition on ebay.
    The only thing you have to be aware of is that it doesn't have analog shoulder buttons, so if you want to use those for throttle/brake you have to look elsewhere.
    I'm using the right stick for throttle/brake and it works a treat.
     
  7. Raaf

    Raaf Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    Ratings:
    +30 / 0 / -0
    I have that controller, but I was disappointed. Too small for my hands, and so-so triggers.

    Later I bought an Xbox 360 controller, and I liked it much better. Should be cheaper as well, when you take shipping costs into account.

    Note: I use a DFGT wheel normally for driving. I only use the controller on my laptop on the couch, not for real racing.

    Second Note: I am slow.

    Third Note: I never used a controller before.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  8. Holger53

    Holger53 Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2015
    Ratings:
    +7 / 0 / -0
    See my signature - playing Raceroom almost 100 % with gamepad.
    Using both analog sticks for throttle/braking and steering which works very fine for me.
     
    • Love it! Love it! x 1
  9. Metalogic

    Metalogic Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2016
    Ratings:
    +234 / 0 / -0
    I'm a sim racing newbie, would love to have a wheel but have limited space issues so am just using an XBox One Elite controller, using the paddles for gear shifting and the longest left thumstick option for greater control over steering. Am starting to get the hang of it and is certainly usable, though the lack of force feedback makes it harder to know how the car is behaving, the sounds become even more important to pay attention to.

    BTW I'm using the XBox One controller settings that Paradox Ali listed on page 9 of the controller profiles thread: https://forum.sector3studios.com/index.php?threads/controller-profiles.883/

    The analog triggers on the XBOne Elite controller are good, so am using them for brake/throttle rather than the right thumb stick
     
    • Like Like x 1
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2016
  10. pixeljetstream

    pixeljetstream Well-Known Member Beta tester

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2015
    Ratings:
    +412 / 0 / -0
    would order a 360 controller rather than "specialized" controller as the RR one, much more usable across many games. if you go with specialized hw, go for a wheel. Started with a friend's really basic cheap non-ffb wheel, then got one of the entry thrustmaster ffb ones, now on T300, basically each time "doubling" the costs, but every time it was really worth it (although might save money longer and skip stuff). The downside is that once you are on that track, there is no way back ;) leading to higher spendings hehe
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  11. rd.king

    rd.king Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2015
    Ratings:
    +36 / 0 / -0
    For me it's a FFB wheel all the way.
    It's the only way to enjoy fully the tremendous amount of detail being rendered in this game and others like it.
    If simple competition and eye candy are enough then a key board is all you really need.
     
    • Informative Informative x 1
  12. Metalogic

    Metalogic Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2016
    Ratings:
    +234 / 0 / -0
    I tried with just a keyboard, but it was hopeless, as you have no analog inputs, a gamepad is much more usable, a wheel is better, but not everyone has space for one
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  13. ElNino

    ElNino Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2015
    Ratings:
    +475 / 0 / -0
    Yup, a guy that just got his wheel is going to be much worse than someone experienced on the controller. I think at the end of the day 90% of it comes down to how good of a racer you are, regardless of the input device (aside from keyboard).

    But for sure, a wheel is just more immersive and fun once you get the hang of it. With ffb, its fantastic.
     
    • Useful Useful x 1
  14. Ouvert

    Ouvert Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2015
    Ratings:
    +42 / 0 / -0
    Wheel only... Haven't held controller for 16 years...and that was only for 15 minutes... Almost controller virgin...
     
    • Funny Funny x 1
  15. w4nn13

    w4nn13 Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2016
    Ratings:
    +28 / 0 / -0
    I have a 360 controller but I thought the raceroom one would be better? your saying it was not as good as a the 360?
     
  16. w4nn13

    w4nn13 Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2016
    Ratings:
    +28 / 0 / -0

    I have a friend in UK who has a spare wheel going cheap for 30 quid has rumble but no FFB so not to much difference from a controller then but better for driving so I might go for his.
     
  17. Metalogic

    Metalogic Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2016
    Ratings:
    +234 / 0 / -0
    I have some doubts about the quality of the Raceroom gamepad from what I've read elsewhere. A wired XBox 360 controller is probably your best bet and is cheap and the most compatible with other games/sims.

    I already had a (more expensive) XBox One Elite controller, so am using that, but the 360 controller is all you really need
     
    • Like Like x 1
  18. Raaf

    Raaf Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    Ratings:
    +30 / 0 / -0
    In my opinion - which is from someone not good with controllers - no.

    The triggers, used for acceleration and brake, are not really analogue, but more like 2 or 3 point switches, and are tiring on the fingers, it is very small, and the rumbling is just disturbing, and disrupts the smooth operation. And I don't think the 'wheel'-like joystick is much better than an ordinary controller stick, as you need your right thumb for buttons anyway.

    It also regularly crashed my PC, so I don't trust the drivers.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  19. Ernie

    Ernie Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2015
    Ratings:
    +304 / 0 / -0
    I think the idea with this small "steering wheel" is quite good, but this controller definitively needs analog triggers for gas & brake.
    So if Raceroom would think about making a V2 of this controller: Give it analog triggers!
     
    • Like Like x 1
  20. Metalogic

    Metalogic Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2016
    Ratings:
    +234 / 0 / -0
    A gamepad similar to this would be nice, but sadly is only a concept currently: http://news.xbox.com/2015/11/05/forza-motorsport-6-inspires-ford-gt-controller-concept/

    [​IMG]

    My Xbox One Elite controller has paddles, which I think are nicer to use than buttons for changing gear, through the shape of the paddles above would be better, also whilst I am able to switch in a longer thumbstick for more control over steering, a clip-in limiter for left/right movement would be nice, I guess it's possible SCUF could produce this, as they are officially licensed to produce 3rd party accessories for the Elite controller, as they were involved in the development of it. Would also be nice to have a better shaped thumbstick surface, though I'm using Grip-Its on my thumbsticks, which do help with drip, so my thumb doesn't slip any more when steering.

    It's a pity the impulse triggers don't work in most PC games, as would be nice if these gave some feedback when the tyres are losing traction or wheels locking-up.

    BTW the build quality of the XBox One Elite controller is fantastic, the buttons all feel reassuring and the rubberized grip is very nice to hold. It's expensive, but when you use it, you can see why. If you have space for a wheel, though, that would be a better buy.

    EDIT: BTW this is what the paddles on the XBox One Elite controller look like, you can assign them to any buttons on the XBox controller, though they just mirror them, so you don't gain any extra buttons. They're removable, I just have them on the right for gear shift up (nearest to me) and down (furthest away) - I tried having a left paddle as shift down, but found was too much to do with steering and brake on the left hand side too:

    [​IMG]
     
    • Like Like x 1
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2016