LOGITECH G923 TRUEFORCE WHEEL UNBOXING
Overview
I recently unboxed and gave my impressions of the Logitech G920/G29 Driving Force wheels. Afterwards Logitech has been nice enough to send out the G923 for me to make content around. I’m fairly new to Sim Racing. Over the last couple of years I’ve moved from playing mostly Sim-Cade titles on controller and sending everyone in the lobby to the shadow realm. To using a wheel and pedals in more hard core simulators like iRacing, Assetto Corsa Competizione and Project Cars 2. I’ve been refining my skills and knowledge about racing and motorsport. Trying to learn more about racing lines, balancing the car, racing wheel to wheel with others and only occasionally ruining other people’s races. So hopefully I can provide a fresh but well informed perspective on this and other Sim Racing gear.
The Logitech G923 TRUEFORCE is an iteration on the G25, G27 and most recently G29/G920 Driving Force wheels. It has many sim racers going “WTF Mate? What’s Different”? It has a sexy new blacked out color scheme but the form factor is unchanged and it has essentially the same Dual motor FFB configuration. Getting your hands on the G923 and trying TRUEFORCE Force Feedback in a game using the new SDK makes it clear what’s new with the G923 and whether it’s a wheel you should consider. But that’s difficult for many especially considering the current social-distanced world we live in. So I’ll try to explain why I think the G923 and TRUEFORCE are worth considering
General Info
Both the Xbox and Playstation version of this generation are called the G923. And Good news! The new wheels and the previous gen wheels will work on the next gen consoles. So you can get punted in T1 of Monza on the first lap in 4K on your Series X, S or the PS5 with your Logitech G wheel. Both versions of the G923 still work on PC as well.
The G923 has an MSRP of $399. This is the same launch price as the previous gen wheels launched back in 2015. Logitech has dropped the MSRP of the G29 and G920 to $250 on their website. This should be reflected in retail stores as well. There’s been a lot of inflation, price gouging and scalping of Sim Racing gear in the last year due to COVID. The design goal for this new gen wheel seems to have been taking arguably the best entry level sim racing wheel and improving it. While also creating a 2 tier product offering in that same segment of the market. So even if you don’t agree with the initial pricing it’s more choice which is generally good.
Biggest improvement to previous generation of wheels is the TRUEFORCE Force feedback system. It is likely what’s gonna drive a lot of people’s choice between the new and older wheels. TRUEFORCE is a combination of some hardware changes as well as a new SDK for game developers. Together these allows the wheel to provide improved FFB.
New Features Overview
I’ll go into great detail about TRUEFORCE in a second. But let’s touch on some of the smaller changes first:
New progressive brake pedal spring
Firmware based Dual Clutch launch system
Works on Console and PC
Increased in functionality of the Xbox version
New buttons to put it closer to the PlayStation Version
TRUEFORCE Hardware Improvements
I was able to speak with the guys at Logitech about the new changes. They graciously answered all my questions about it. There are 4 Main Hardware changes:
New Motor Drivers
Higher Polling rate
Upgraded processor
Pulling all of this together is new firmware to take advantage of all the hardware improvements
New motor drivers
These new drivers deliver voltage and current to the motors, optimizing the torque and getting effects to your hands more effectively. I liken this to my experiences building and customizing 3D printers. You can improve print quality, speed and less the noise of the printer motors by upgrading to higher quality stepper drivers. Same motors, but better performance. It seems to be similar to they did here. Same dual motor FFB. But the same helical gear driven syst. But better.
Higher polling rate
A higher 1Khz poll rate means getting data from the sim much more frequently. The TRUEFORCE SDK is also sending more information so the total bandwidth of data is increased. Previous gen were limited in this regard. Communicating in the same way wheels have been for the last 20 years. Logitech believes this increased amount of data means more information in the user’s hands.
4Khz processor
Once the data from the game reaches the wheelbase an upgraded ARM microcontroller processes the data and convert it to FFB. So higher frequency, more data, better data, improved processing, more effective motor driving and new firmware. That’s TRUEFOCE. It ideally allows for the Haptic vibrations as well is physics based FFB all aimed at more immersion and helping determine what the car is doing.
Other Changes Detailed
Xbox Functionality
I touched on the new Xbox functionality. That includes a total of 5 more inputs:
Plus/Minus buttons
Left/Right Dial
Return button
The Xbox version still has 2 less than PlayStation Wheels (G29/G923). Those wheel have 2 extra PlayStation specific system buttons required by all PS controllers. The Xbox version also has an RPM gauge like the PlayStation wheel. The LEDS on the G923 do have a new color scheme. It still uses the same outside-to-inside LED array to show the RPM. It also blinks to indicate when to shift.
Talking with Logitech they noted the G920 was limited by the Xbox One’s controller and peripheral specifications when that wheel launched. They’re now able to support the extra buttons and RPM gauge so they added them to make the wheels more on par with each other. This is great for Xbox users of course. Xbox that also have a PC might also consider the Xbox wheel. With the previous generation a lot of people in this group chose the G29 for the extra buttons and RPM gauges.
Sims like Assetto Corsa, F1 2020, Project Cars and ACC can definitely benefit from having more inputs for changing things on the fly without having to move through their multi-functional displays.
Black-on-Black colorway
I… LOVE… this… color scheme. #MatteBlackEverything! It looks more aggressive and Motorsports-y to me. The only touch of color is the metal center indicator ring. The ring is now a Logitech G blue for both the Xbox and PS4 version. The G920 has a silver indicator ring. The Xbox version also has colored ABXY buttons.
Leather Stitching
The G923 still has that real hand stitched leather. But, it has a new stitching pattern. The G29/G920 had a baseball stitch which protruded out more. G923 has a lower profile pretty much flatter stitch similar to what you see on higher end wrapped sim racing wheels and real race car wheels. Could help people with sensitive hands.
And the Rest
The rest of the specs are pretty much the same as the G29 and G920. Same materials and general construction. Should hopefully be as sturdy as all wheels have been back to the G25. Some people are still using and winning races with G25’s which is crazy. The G923 still has 900 degrees of rotation. It uses the same hall effect sensor for the wheel rotation. And finally it still uses the same overheat safeguard.
Setup
For the most part setup of the G923 is exactly the same as G29/G920. For the wheel there’s a recess for plugging in power, pedals and optional shifter connectors. The Driving Force shifter is compatible with the G923. It will be continue to be sold and supported for this generation. Many people hoped that Logitech would develop and release an e-brake peripheral, but unfortunately they haven’t.
There are some 3rd party handbrakes out there with USB passthrough that can work on consoles. I don’t have experience with any of them. Checkout r/SimRacing and search YouTube for people that have found ones that seem to work.
There’s still the same cable management wrap in the bottom recess with channels for not pinching cables. The mounting options are the same as well. The glass filled nylon clamps for your desk to table are the same system we’ve seen since the G25. You can remove the spacers on the end of them to fit thicker tables. There’s also still the same 2 hard metal mounting points for rigs. They take M6 screws
For the pedals after you have plugged them into the wheel base (they don’t work stand-alone without a 3rd party adapter) you can flip down carpet gripper if you’re on carpet. There are rubber feet for other surface and 6 metal hard mounting points for rigs
There is some adjustability as each pedal face can be adjusted to 3 different positions to get the right spacing for your feet and driving style. The stock spacing is pretty good for me to be able to heel-toe downshift and switch between clutching and left foot braking depending on the car.
After mounting the wheel and optional shifter you plug in the power and connect the USB to your PC or console. The wheel will auto calibrate every time it connects to a device and when the device powers on. So keep your hands out of the way.
The wheel was recognized by 3 different systems I tried it on as well as every game I tried without any advanced setup. So completely plug-and-play.
GHUB
For PC you can use the standard HID software but you won’t get the benefits of TRUEFORCE. So you’ll need to install Logitech G Hub. The old Logitech Gaming Software will not recognize the G923. That software is reaching end-of-life. Most of Logitech’s gaming peripherals for the last few years have required G Hub. There’s a new release of G Hub which added support of the new wheels and TRUEFORCE. I’ve been using it since then it came out and have been pleasantly surprised. So far it’s been more performant than previous versions. G Hub allows you to change settings, map controls, and it auto switches profiles for games just fine.
Feel & Construction
Wheel
The wheel feels familiar in the hands for obvious reasons. I THINK it might be a bit smoother without any effects coming through. That’s hard to judge because it’s newer than both my G920 and G29. I definitely notice a difference in the spring force and torque delivery pretty immediately. It feels punchier and possibly faster. That could be good for drifters. It might mean that you don’t have to throw the wheel as much as with the G29/G920 when changing directions.
I think the new motor drivers are likely the difference in the punchier feel. The wheel isn’t tremendously stronger but the power might be getting delivered better like Logitech says. I did notice Logitech was able to dial out most of the dead zone near the middle of the wheel rotation. That deadzone has been present since the G25. This means you’ll be able to get more FFB and information when in this zone of the rotation. That’s really useful in high speed corners and kinks where before you wouldn’t get info about how the car is loaded up in that range.
The paddle shifters and buttons feel is all pretty much exactly the same as the G29 and G920. This unfortunately means the greyish RSB/LSB buttons. They’re the same as on the G29/G920. 7They work. You can tell you pressed them they just don’t feel as premium as the rest of the wheel. They kind of rattle and wiggle around
Pedals
The pedals are again very familiar with no changes to the main form-factor. The gas and clutch feel pretty much identical to the G29/G920. Will from boosted media did a tear down and noted these are pretty much exactly the same and use the same springs as last generation.
Now for the brake pedal. A major change is the new progressive spring. The “real feel” rubber spring was a big point of contention for many people on the G29. Many people thought it was too stiff and they preferred to take it out. Especially drivers that drove at a desk setup or small table.
I think this is one place I’ll diverge from a lot of others reviewing this wheel. I actually like the “real feel” rubber compared to it not being there at all. First, taking out the stopper creates a deadzone at the end pedal stroke AND can mess up the non-linear mapping of the pedal.
Second I HATE a much brake pedal. So I think the new progressive spring is a step backwards both in realism but also braking performance. Generally think modulating pressure is preferable to trying to threshold brake based on distance. In iRacing for instance there are cars that will lock up if you go above 60-70% braking. While the rubber stopper wasn’t perfect and didn’t at all replicate a Load Cell, I think it did a good job at helping me find 50% braking and modulate consistently without locking up.
The G923’s new progressive spring does increase in stiffness but doesn’t do as good of a job in my opinion. If you look load cell pedals and generally more expensive pedals they are usually a lot stiffer than entry-level pedals. They also tend to have much less travel or and be adjusted to have less travel. A load cell brake literally measure the amount of pressure you’re applying meaning you can increase brake pressure without moving the brake pedal at all in some cases
The G29 brake pedal was potentiometer based and didn’t measure pressure but I thought it emulated a real feel and allowed for modulating better than the new spring. All that said Logitech listened to what the majority of people seemed to be saying. I think they recognized that many of their customers were probably not on a rig and they made a change to address it. You you get a pedal that increases in pressure a bit as you push in but is easier to use at a desk setup with a rolling desk chair.
TRUEFORCE SDK
The Trueforce SDK allows Game/Sim Developers to feed audio and physics engine info more directly to the wheel so the wheel can interpret it as force feedback. It in a way bypasses the typical method PCs and consoles communicate FFB information to the wheel. The aforementioned hardware changes make this possible.
I’d like to talk to some Devs about this. But I imagine it could make implementing detailed force feedback easier for them. Using and a feature rich SDK they might have to spend less time figuring out how to turn complex physics and audio information into canned effects.
TRUEFORCE is designed to deliver both Kinesthetic effects and Vibrotactile effects. Information like tire grip, bumps, curbs, crashes, understeer and oversteer are communicated to the wheel and it figures out how to pass them on to the user. The same is true for audio like engine notes, gravel and other fine details.
Games
At launch TRUEFORCE was supported by 4 titles
ACC
Grid
GT Sport
iRacing
More of the Codemaster lineup of games will be getting support. Specifically F12020, and Dirt Rally 2.0 were mentioned by Logitech. The hardware manufacturer seems pretty confident most new driving games will have TRUEFORCE support on day one as they come out. Logitech wheels are some of the first wheels added to most games. If it is in fact straight forward for devs to implement the SDK this seems logical to me.
Games are developed on frameworks and engines which are iterated on and reused in subsequent titles. The F1 series of games for instance comes out every year. If TRUEFORCE support is added to one of the titles it seems likely it will be included in every subsequent iteration. Also I believe devs generally want gamers/racers to have the best experience possible when playing their title. So if TRUEFORCE allows them to do that then they likely will.
ACC
The TRUEFORCE implementation in ACC uses both Audio and Physics to drive Kinesthetic and Vibrotactile FFB. Based on my time with it I believe it’s the best implementation out of the three titles I tried.
The G923 was recognized immediately with button layouts and presets working without any configuration. There was a new setting in the UI for TRUEFORCE which obviously wasn’t present for the G29. This was set to on by default. There was also a setting in the UI to control Volume of the effects. It defaults to 100 Gain.
TRUEFOCE FFB was REALLY noticeable immediately in the pit lane. I could feel the engine start, idle and rev. I could actually hear the engine through the wheel. I knew what it expect from this but it still surprised me a bit and made me smile. It seems like the gear driven system is what is allowing for these very high frequency vibrations. So even though the gear driven system is seen as a fault to many, Logitech is leaning into it with TRUEFORCE. A belt driven wheel CAN’T easily produce these high frequency FFB effects like engine notes. The rubber belt dampens these type of effects. That became clear to me shortly after experiencing the wheel for the first time
Taking it out of the pit and onto the track for the first time I could feel the road effects A LOT. Like everything! Bumps in the road. Pavement changes. Curbs. Everything felt enhanced compared to my experience with the G29
Oh and I could feel Dirty tires - Yes dirty tires! The first time I went off track into some gravel, which let’s be honest was my first lap. I came back on track and was surprised to noticed through the wheel that I could tell the tires didn’t have as much grip. They felt grainy. I could also feel when they start to clean up as I picked up speed in the next straight. That was pretty surprising to me. I didn’t hear anyone else talking about it. The combination of the visual dust, audio of the rocks hitting the chassis and the feeling coming through the wheel was a really nice bit of immersion.
The next effect I really started to notice was the Traction Control. TC in ACC actually cuts power to the engine like in a real car. And since engine notes are coming threw the wheel I could feel when TC was being enabled. Similarly the Ant-lock Brake System in GT3 cars was quite noticed. When it kicked in I could feel the pulsing as the simulated game system pulses the calibers in the virtual car. I also tried turning off ABS to see what a complete lockup was like and it felt almost violent.
In terms of the physics based effects I do feel like I get more feel for how the car is loaded. The spring force and general torque feels better delivered. And you have less dead zone in the middle. So when driving down a straight and sort of weaving a bit you get a bit more sensation of the weight and load transfer.
This continues as you get into actual cornering. There are subtle cues to let you know that you’re understeering or oversteering. Instead of just going light you feel shorter and longer slight pulls at the wheel. Maybe like the wheels hopping scrubbing in understeer. Or the rear of the car kicking out and trying to center the steering. I’m not sure. But it was subtle and didn’t interfere with the ability to steer. But another interesting layer of FFB
All of this Definitely adds to immersion. I don’t think it will necessarily help everyone be faster alone and immediately. What matters the most is how you respond to the feedback. You’d have to learn what the TC cutting the engine feels like, what the ABS pulsing feels like, and figure out how to adjust to it.
I can see some people not liking this and maybe consider it too much. There’s definitely an increase cognitive load at first as you’re trying to figure out what’s what. I dialed the TRUEFORCE Gain down from 100 to about 55 in my initial testing.
Eventually I started to learn how to feel TC and ABS through the wheel. I could match up the sensations in the wheel with the audio, visuals and even UI elements like the TC/ABS bars. I could get a slightly earlier indication of the cars balance and adjust my inputs. So no it didn’t immediately make me faster but it could potentially help someone maximize there, well, potential.
iRacing
Current iRacing implementation has changed with the recent patches
Originally you had to enable things in the App.ini file
A recent patch has exposed most of these settings in the iRacing in game interface
You basically have to choose between physics based effects or audio based effects
These two options are essentially tied to which iRacing Audio engine you choose
The newer XAudio 2 engine will utilize physics based effects
The DirectSound engine will utilize audio based effects
You do still have to use the app.ini file to change the overall volume of the effects
By default this is set to 10db
I thought this was too low
I’m not really sure of the min and max
I tried 100db and it was extremely intense
Remember decibels increase by double every 10 dB
I ended up settling on around 45 dB
This differs from the ACC implementation which blended both
I hope iRacing will eventually get that type of implementation
Regardless of which you choose you’ll still benefit from the increased frequency and processing of Trueforce
Audio with DirectSound
Again noticeable immediately in the pit
Engine start, idling and revving can be felt and heard through the wheel
Actually differs depending on the car
Like ACC does increase immersion
Helps fill the gap between more major FFB events
Curbs
Dirt
Bumps
Slides
Physics
Made a much bigger difference in the time I spent with it
Provided more information about what the car was doing in terms of grip and balance
Feels punchier
Curbs more intense
Lock ups and abs more noticeable
Could feel thinks like the clunk of a gear shift
Car balance
GT Sport
I spent the least amount of time in this of the 3 titles I tried. The FFB is improved with the G923. I noticed that immediately. At launch of the wheel there was no G923 specific controls scheme shown as an option in the menu. I was, however, still able to change the button mappings using the G29 wheel options. But it was recognized as the new wheel and the game was using TRUEFORCE from what I can tell. I’m told that in subsequent patches for GT Sport there should be a specific entry in the menu for the G923.
In terms of settings there is a way to control the strength of TRUEFORCE effects by adjusting the “Controller Vibration” setting. This can be adjusted from 0-150. I definitely noticed a difference between the G29 and G923. In addition to the force feedback feeling punchier I believe the game is using less canned effects and passing more information to the wheel.
Based on my short time playing it felt like it was mostly using audio information. Again, I thought this wasn’t as good of an implementation as Assetto Corsa Competizione but they can improve the implementation down the road.
Overall, like everything with TRUEFOCE the wheel is putting out more information.
G923 vs G29/G920
For all these titles I switched back and forth between the G923 and G29. I had the G29 mounted to my dedicated rig which should give it the upper hand in terms of getting the most out of it’s force feedback. It was honest kind of weird switching between the two wheels. I become very aware of how much isn’t being done by the G29.
The G29 felt duller and void of information between obvious normal FFB events. I could still feel, curbs, bumps in the road, ABS and some other effects. But they were way less intense and less punchy. The G29 goes light when you slide and rumbles when you go over stuff. That’s definitely an enhancement over a non force feedback wheel and a basic controller.
But the G923 has a lot more going on all the time. In between those major force feedback events you’re getting engine notes, more road feel and things like rocks building up on your tires from going off road
And that seems to be what TRUEFOCE is about. That extra level of immersion and information.
Dual Clutch Launch
I wanted to talk about this in it’s own section. I tried this out mainly in iRacing on PC as it is the Sim I play the most and has standing starts in some series I race.
And TL;DR - It works! And it works pretty well!
Talking with Logitech it’s another feature that’s only possible with the new version of the wheel. It won’t be coming to the G29 or G920. It seems like the new firmware, upgraded processor and increased communications with the PC/Console is what makes it possible.
Using it I was able to get consistent launches in standing starts without a huge amount of practice. Since most clutch pedals don’t have any indication of a bite point or feel or for the clutch slipping it can be hard to find that perfect ratio of clutch percentage and revs.
Even harder to maintain and adjust it as you get going when launching. This feature lets you go into a special firmware based mode. You Then:
Assign a dual clutch button
Adjust the bite point for the specific car (keep the revs up while moving the bite point until the car starts moving)
Then set the bite point and leave the mode and it’s stored at the hardware level
That’s it. I’m guessing in some type of EEPROM to store it. But this way of doing it let’s it work on console as well. You don’t need software like G Hub to set the bite point.
It works by mapping the clutch pedal to work from 0 to the bite point. The double clutch button then works from the bite point to fully clutched in (100%). To launch you press in the clutch pedal, and the double clutch button and engage first gear. Rev the engine to the ideal launch RPM. And when the lights go out or green you release the double clutch button.
This quickly but smoothly goes to the bite point to get the car moving without too much wheel spin. You then use the regular clutch pedal to release the rest of the clutch to maintain a smooth and fast launch.
I want to test with more cars and in more games but initially it’s seeming like a very nice feature to have built in to an entry-level wheel. Especially on console. There are more complicated ways to achieve this type of functionality on PC with things like Virtual Joysticks. But this is built right in
There’s also much more expensive sim racing gear which has actual dual clutch paddles and bite point adjustment potentiometers or separate software. But we’re talking about probably $400-1000 for just the wheel rim to get those features.
Overall Impressions
So for my initial impressions I have to say I am impressed. This is a good iteration on the G29 and G920. While many Sim Racers wanted Logitech jump into the deep end of the Sim Racing hardware scene to compete feature for feature with Thrustmaster, Fanatec and more boutique brands that’s not what they’ve done here. They’ve chose to take one of the best entry level starter wheels and improve it.
Logitech did note that they won’t be discontinuing the G29 or G920 so we do have the start of an ecosystem. As I noted they’ve also dropped the MSRP of the previous gen wheels. So you can choose to pick up the G923 with TRUEFORCE if you value the features enough to merit it. But If not you can still buy the older wheels which are continuing to be supported.
Prices for all sim racing gear has been in very weird state recently do to higher demand during the COVID lockdown. But prices have stabilized and will hopefully get back to normal. I imagine prices will get back down towards $200 as stock increases and demand returns to normal.
MSRP for the G923 is $399. That’s higher than what some people wanted because they see it as the same wheel as the previous gen. But MSRP does not equal street/retail price. Prices in stores will change based on sales, basic supply and demand along with a lot of other factors. That’s somewhat out of Logitech’s control
They’ve produced an iteration on the last generation of wheels with new features and priced it for release at the SAME PRICE five years later. Given inflation that’s technically providing more value for less money.
Again whether it’s worth it for you is up to you. I HIGHLY encourage you to try this wheel out and feel the difference yourself. Find out if a local store has it to try out. Be as safe as possible. Wear a mask of course. Take a pair of gloves and rub yourself down in sanitizer before and after.
Logitech mentioned they’re doing a lot to try to get demo units into all the typical big box stores like Best Buy and MicroCenter. But the current situation will make it difficult for people to get their hands on it.
This wheel improves on the force feedback of the last gen wheels and addresses the issue people had with the brake pedal as well as offering new functionality like the launch control. You have to decide whether that’s worth it for you.