Logitech has recently released the Pro Racing Wheel. But how does this compare to the G923? This guide runs through the differences between these two wheels in detail.
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Logitech’s new Pro Racing Wheel is their first direct drive racing wheel. This is their first entry into the more premium sim racing market. Technically, the wheel outperforms the older G923 and G29, but that may not mean it is a better wheel for your requirements. Read our comparison below to find out which Logitech racing wheel is right for you.
With the introduction of the new Logitech Pro Racing Wheel, Logitech has moved out of the budget sim racing wheel market.
But it begs the question, what is the difference between the Logitech Pro Racing Wheel and the G923? After all, the Logitech G923 and G29 have been the go-to racing wheel for many sim racers for years. Should you now be looking towards getting a Logitech Pro Racing Wheel, or stick with the G923?
The Logitech Pro Racing Wheel is Logitech’s first direct drive racing wheel. This is the company’s first attempt at a more premium wheel, having spent the past decade and longer releasing exclusively entry-level affordable racing wheels.
Direct drive technology is a large step up in terms of strength of force feedback and quality when compared to gear and belt-driven wheels such as the Logitech G923. Direct drive wheels include a larger motor that is directly mounted to the wheel shaft.
This large motor produces stronger forces and is capable of generating more detailed force feedback. You won’t feel any defects that can be found in gear and belt-driven wheels, as the gears and belts are simply not present in direct drive wheels.
The Logitech Pro Racing Wheel differs from the all-in-one packages of the past. Rather than including the racing wheel and pedals in one bundle, they are now available to purchase separately.
The Pro Racing Wheel includes a wheel base along with a steering wheel and a table clamp.
Then, Logitech also sells the Pro Pedals which are an individual set of three pedals.
The decision to separate the product out and sell each part separately allows sim racers to choose which part of their racing setup they wish to upgrade first.
As well as a large direct drive motor, the racing wheel also includes a quick release allowing for the steering wheel to be detached. This leads us to believe that additional steering wheels will be available to purchase in the future.
The improvements to the wheel include the 11Nm direct drive motor, the addition of magnetic shifters and a true analogue dual-clutch, and additional inputs on the steering wheel itself.
These improvements elevate this racing wheel far beyond the older G923. And these improvements allow this wheel to compete with other professional-level sim racing products.
TrueForce makes a return with this new racing wheel, and has been vastly improved compared to the last time we saw it in the G923.
It now feeds right into the game’s physics engine, extracting various cues to present to the driver. These are then translated into additional force feedback in the form of vibrations and rumbling.
You will feel a vibration or jolt every time you pull a shift. You’ll notice when you are revving your car, even when stationary. And you can feel the tyres slipping across the track surface when you start to break traction.
All of these changes add to the overall immersion, allowing you to feel more at one with your car.
The pedals have also seen a large upgrade when compared to the older G923 pedals. The pedals themselves are constructed from metal and feature a wide range of customisation. This customisation allows you to change the position and layout of your pedals.
The headline change though comes with the inclusion of a 100kg load-cell brake pedal. This detects the force you apply to the brake as opposed to measuring the distance that the pedal moves.
This is a much more realistic approach and allows for much-improved braking and extra consistency each lap. The 100kg load cell is stronger than most other pedals within this price category. But if it is too strong, you can turn down the strength to suit your own preference.
Now we have looked at the new Pro Racing Wheel, let’s refresh ourselves on what the Logitech G923 offers.
The G923 has been around for a couple of years and is the improved variant of the older G29 and G920. It is a wheel that I always recommend as one of the best budget-friendly sim racing wheels.
The Logitech G923 is designed as an entry-level sim racing wheel. And it is often the first wheel many sim racers purchase on their sim racing journey.
For that purpose, the G923 is ideal. It includes everything you need to go racing including the wheel itself and the pedals. All you need to do is mount it to your desk or sim rig and you can start racing.
This gear-driven force feedback produces around 2.4Nm of torque. It is powered by a relatively small motor that is connected to the drive shaft via a series of gears.
With the introduction of Logitech’s new racing wheel, does this mean that the older G923 is being discontinued? Well good news, the G923 is not being discontinued. Both the G923 and the Pro Wheel are being sold moving forwards, as both offer vastly different products.
With all of the different names being very similar, it can be a little confusing which variant of the entry-level Logitech wheel you should look at.
Essentially, the newest version is the G923. There are two versions of this wheel, one for Xbox compatibility and another for PlayStation. Both versions work with PC.
The G29 and G920 are very similar and are the older model of racing wheel that the G923 replaced. Much like the G923, there are two versions, one each for both Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
The Logitech G29 is the PlayStation and PC-compatible racing wheel. And the G920 is the Xbox and PC version.
The G923 bought a few improvements over the older G29 and G920 wheels. It added TrueForce to the tried and tested gear-driven force feedback that was found in the G29.
TrueForce in the G923 allowed the wheel to vibrate based on in-game audio. If you revved your engine, the steering wheel would vibrate accordingly. This has since been improved further with the Pro Racing Wheel. But it is a feature that wasn’t found at all on the G29 and G920.
The G923 also altered the design ever so slightly. It also included a rotary encoder and rev lights on both Xbox and PlayStation versions of the wheel.
Now we have taken a look at both the Logitech Pro Racing Wheel and the G923, it’s time to compare the two. Hopefully, this side-by-side comparison will help you decide which wheel is best suited for your preferences.
I’m going to start this comparison by looking at the force feedback, as that is without a doubt one of the most important parts of any racing wheel. Below you’ll see how the force feedback in both wheels differs.
The introduction of direct drive technology to the Pro Wheel allows the new racing wheel to be much more powerful than the older G923. The internal motor that generates the forces is much larger than the one found in the G923.
This allows the force feedback to be much stronger, as well as being more detailed. The motor is directly attached to the drive shaft, whereas in the older G923, the motor is connected to the drive shaft via a series of gears.
The gears work to increase the power output of the smaller internal motor. However, by including gears, you can sometimes feel the gears turning and moving. This generates a strange grinding sensation and at times you will feel the gears interlocking.
The Best F1 24 Racing WheelsThe use of gears in the G923 also means that some of the finer force feedback details can be lost in translation. In comparison, the nature of direct drive force feedback means that you are receiving the crispest and most detailed force feedback possible.
In this category, the direct drive Logitech Pro Racing Wheel wins the battle of force feedback detail and strength.
In terms of design, you can immediately see that both wheels have been designed by the same company. Both steering wheels feature similar characteristics.
However, the Pro Racing Wheel is slightly larger. This is designed to more closely replicate a real-world steering wheel. The G923 in comparison utilises a smaller form factor, giving it a more toy-like aesthetic.
The one downside of the introduction of a large direct drive motor to the Pro Racing Wheel is that it increases the wheel’s overall size. The wheel base is much larger than the G923. This is simply a consequence of using a larger motor and requiring additional internal structure to support the improved technology.
Despite being a legacy of the G29 which was released well over five years ago, I still believe that the G923 is one of the nicest-looking budget racing wheels available to buy. In fact, I actually prefer the overall design of the G923 over the newer Pro Wheel. I mentioned this in our Pro Racing Wheel review, which you can watch here.
Along with the redesign and the introduction of direct drive technology, the price is also vastly different between the two wheels. The Logitech G923 is very much a budget-friendly racing wheel that can be found for under £350 / $350.
In comparison, the Pro Racing Wheel costs from £849 / $999. And that price doesn’t include the pedals, whereas the G923 does.
This will possibly be the biggest point of difference when sim racers are shopping for a sim racing wheel. The G923 is much more accessible, whereas the Pro Racing Wheel is very much targeted at those who are after more premium equipment.
Both the G923 and the Pro Racing Wheel come in two versions, one for each console. But both wheels do work perfectly with Xbox and PlayStation consoles, as well as PC.
One difference though is that the Pro pedals that are sold separately can be used without the Pro Racing Wheel if desired. They can be connected directly to your PC, and don’t need to be connected to the wheel base. Although, if you are racing on a console, unfortunately, the Pro pedals only work when connected to your wheel base.
You can see that both the Logitech Pro Racing Wheel and the G923 represent two completely different offerings. The older G923 remains one of the best budget-friendly racing wheels available to buy. While the Pro Racing Wheel enters the market with a much more premium offering.
The products sit at different ends of the sim racing scale, making a decision on which to purchase a fairly easy one. Based on your budget, you can quickly choose between both wheels. And rest assured that both the G923 and Pro Racing Wheel are both extremely good wheels.
You can purchase the new Logitech Pro Racing Wheel directly from Logitech’s online store using the links below.
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Rich is the co-founder, and one of the main F1 setup creators and content writers for SimRacingSetups. With over a decade of experience as a graphic designer, marketing director, competitive sim racer and avid motorsport fan, Rich founded SimRacingSetup.com to share his passion and knowledge of sim racing and Formula 1 with other sim racers. Regularly writes for sim racing website SimRaceReviews.com
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