I’ve recently got back into Forza Motorsport, having stopped playing since 2013.
I’m really enjoying FM7, and I’ve been thinking…
Look, I’m a nut for specialist controls in my video games. I own two HOTAS units for example, for flight games, including a model I specifically got for the Xbox One & Elite Dangerous.
I’ve also had the good fortune to sample several racing wheels in my time. This is where my question comes in.
Does anyone have a list and/or recommendations on steering wheels and pedals for Xbox One? Additionally, are there any stick shifters supported by the system?
There are wheels, though Forza’s physics/FFB feel makes the cars quite weird to control in certain situations such as sliding. - That can be helped by an upcoming external modification to the FFB system though thanks to the Data Out stuff.
Wheels I know of that work and are particularly worthwhile:
Fanatec wheels with actual steering wheels that make them support xbox (Such as the CSL Elite which can be purchased in a bundle with the xbox compatible wheel, or the better Clubsport wheelbase and paying for a compatible wheel) - Fanatec also do their own shifter - It can all get rather costly though!
Thrustmaster TX (TH8 shifter also available and will work)
Thrustmaster TS-XW (Th8 shifter also available)
Logitech G920 (Can be bought in bundles with everything you’re looking for, cheapest of the ones listed, loudest by a fair bit though)
There are also devices that you can purchase to allow for almost any wheel to be used but I’m unsure as to how effective they are.
I have a Thrustmaster TX wheel and just added the three-pedal T3PA-PRO, replacing the original plastic pedals after three or four years. Lucky enough to have received birthday gift cards last year, and only discovered them in a coat pocket about a month ago. LOL! Those pedals make a world of difference, though I don’t have the shifter preferring instead to use the paddles on the TX itself. You can check the Thrustmaster out here: http://www.thrustmaster.com/en_US/products
I would suggest before purchasing anything you investigate, read, and investigate again. A couple times a week, the Turn 10’s writer/content provider “johniwanna” streams from his home office, now using the {expensive!} Fanatec wheel, shifter, handbrake for drifting, etc., but started out with the Thrustmaster TX. He’s also got a racing chair setup, monitor, etc. For his broadcast schedule (he’s on vacation the rest of this week), check this thread: https://forums.forza.net/turn10_postst99214_News--livestreams--alerts--and-Calendar-for-FM7.aspx
To offer my 2 cents here, whichever wheel kit you select, don’t try to save money with the pedals.
I have used wheels in Forza for my entire “career”, and I recently upgraded from a potentiometer-based brake pedal to a load-cell brake pedal, and the difference in braking accuracy and pedal feel have shaved seconds off my lap-times. The potentiometer brake pedals measure how far you have pushed the pedal within its travel range, but the feel of the brake pedal never changes as the resistance is linear. With a load-cell, the pedal is measuring how hard you are pressing the pedal, and the resistance is progressive. The difference is night and day.
I use Fanatec CSL gear, but I think TX also offers a load-cell brake pedal, maybe as an option/upgrade.