Logitech has been the leader in consumer gaming wheels ever since the Driving Force Pro was released a few years back. Their latest product, the G25, borrows several features from its predecessor while bringing some never-before-seen ones to the table. Here's a quick run down of what you get with the G25:

• 11" leather-wrapped steering wheel

• 6-speed gated or sequential shifter

• Dual-motor force-feedback

• 2 paddle shifters located behind the wheel

• Three stainless steel pneumatic pedals

• Carpet grip system

• USB connection

• Supports PC and Playstation 2

When unboxing the G25, you'll immediately be stunned at how much stuff there is inside the box. Between the AC adapter, the pedals, the shifter module, and the wheel itself, there's a lot stuffed in to the box. Setting up everything takes about 10 minutes, and installing the software is probably another 5. You'll want a solid desk preferably with no lip of any kind in order to get it mounted properly. The shifter and steering wheel each uses adjustable clamps on either side that doa great job of keeping them in one place. Just make sure to tighten them more than you think you have to. My first quick shift I nearly sent the module flying across the office. The wheel base has some space tucked underneath it where you can hide any excess cord length that would otherwise be loose on the desk.

How does it work?

Just as it's listed in the features above, the G25 has several unique aspects that set it apart from the competition. The dual-motor force feedback mean that you'll feel exactly what's going on in your racing game. If you cut a turn too tight, you'll feel those gator backs as your tires roll over them. It also means that driving feels much more natural, as the wheel will try to pull itself back to the neutral position. The gated shifter is a first on the peripheral market, which replaces the sequential shifters found on all previous models. Instead of only being able to select "up" and "down" with your stickshift, you now have 6 individual gears to choose from, as well as reverse (located at the 6th gate, by pressing the stick down). If the game you're playing doesn't support the gated shifter, with a flip of a switch the stick changed to a legacy sequential mode, that allows you to simply click up and down through gears. Never before has controlling the engine in a racing game been this precise. We can't forget the pedals either. The pedals utilize a new pneumatic system that provides the perfect amount of resistance to depression, while also including a new grip system that does a great job of keeping them from slipping. Heel-toe shifting is still a little tough, but that's mostly due to the locations of the pedals themselves.

Setting up the G25 in your favorite racing game is fairly simple. Most racing games should support wheels, though you'll have a hard time finding ones the support a clutch and gated shifter. The newest simulations like GTR2 support them, and that's what I used primarily to evaluate the setup. The shift gates act as buttons, so any game that supports individual buttons for each gear should be compatible with them. The clutch is another story, as it's seen as a joystick axis. Only games that support a clutch axis will be compatible with the clutch pedal. In practice, it's not that much of a loss. More on that later.

Time to hit the road

Driving in GTR2 with the Logitech G25 was an absolute blast. The complete power control offered by the gated shifter is something you'll wonder how you lived without. The wheel is accurate and responsive, and the force feedback is noticeable, but not overpowering. My biggest complaint is with the pedals, for several reasons. First, they're way too close together. There's no reason for the pedals to be this cramped. I constantly found myself hitting the wrong pedal or taking an extra with me whenever I would go for the brake. Logitech definitely should have spaced them out more, since anyone that spends $300 on a wheel is going to make sure they have room for the pedals. The clutch is also pretty much dead weight on the system. Some games support it, but there's a reason we haven't seen clutch pedals in gaming. Driving a manual transmission requires feedback of engine pull and weight transmission. Without being able to feel the friction point of the engine, the clutch really serves no purpose. Gran Turismo 4 was originally going to incorporate a clutch before they realized there was no way to simulate the sense of momentum required to control it properly. It is for this reason that the clutch pedal is effectively pointless. Sure it feels new and different when you're flying down the straightaway using the clutch and shifter to fly through gears, but it just doesn't feel natural. I found myself usually disabling clutch control and using the sequential shifter, which leads me to my next issue. The sequential shifter is a novel design, but it isn't perfectly executed. It lacks a tangible click when shifting up or down that can make it difficult to determing if your gear change registered - that is of course until you see your RPMs jump to the red line.

The G25 also works with the Playstation 2 and is compatible with any games that worked with its predecessor, the Logitech Driving Force Pro. In our short time testing it with Gran Turismo it worked flawlessly. For kicks, I hooked it up to the Playstation 3 to test it out with Gran Turismo HD. For input, it works just the same as the Driving Force Pro. There's just one kicker: there's no force feedback. This isn't the fault of Logitech but rather Sony, as they've been caught up in a rumble-related lawsuit that has them ignoring force feedback on all games for the PS3. Let's hope Forza for the Xbox 360 comes out with support for the Logitech G25, because it's clear the Playstation 3 will not be the ideal system for racing fans.

I'm really torn about the G25 wheel. The wheel itself is probably the best out there. The force feedback system is second to none, and it easily has the best feel/ergonomics over of any of its competitors. Its largest shortcomings stem from the shifter module and uncomfortable pedals. For $300, the G25 is too expensive for the casual player to consider purchasing. Their target market is obviously the hardcore racing fans. The only problem is that for $300 you expect perfection, and the G25 doesn't quite deliver on that promise. Racing fans may learn to love it, but we're left waiting for the next iteration of this fantastic technology and better software support.