For the most part, we’ve all been really excited for one thing while growing up. No, I’m not talking about being able to get into an R rated movie without your parents or finally not having to hear that dreaded phrase “I’ll tell you when you’re older”. I’m talking about being able to hit the open road in your very own car! No more asking to get dropped off at Susie’s for a sleepover. No more asking your older sister for her car keys! Total freedom…although the idea of driving was one of the most exciting things for most of us, being taught by parents not so much. Especially if you learned how to drive a stick shift like I did. It’s always a good skill to learn but man grinding first gear always scared me. I thought the car somehow was just going to break down right then and there. Good times, good times.

Which finally brings me to today’s hardware topic! I’m going to be talking about Logitech again. But this time we’re looking into a gear shifter for racing! Just in case if you were lost so far, a gear shifter is the knob that helps you put your car into gear. You can only shift between gears when you have the clutch pressed down though. If you want more info on this and more on how to work a stick shift car you can subscribe to the advanced course where I go into an explanation of what downshifting is. There’s a lot of us who really do appreciate the realism of a race in our video games. Sometimes just pushing down on a few buttons doesn’t quite have the feeling of immersion as let’s say one of those rigs that you would see at your local Dave And Busters or another local bar/video game arcade for big kids. The Logitech G Driving Force Shifter screams more towards the racing game fan who is looking to set up a racing sim rig or might already have a racing sim rig set up with Logitech Driving Force Wheels.

(Logitech G Driving force Shifter)

Price: $59.99

Getting In Gear

Let’s start with aesthetics. Just with a lot of other things in gaming, if you’re looking for the best immersion you want your hardware or equipment to not only act a certain way but look a certain way as well. In the case of the shifter, we’re talking about realism to its real life counter part.T he realism for this piece of hardware is really on point. When it comes to racing gears you have more than just three gears. I know, arcades from our childhoods lied to us! I am happy to report the Logitech G Driving Force Shifter comes equipped with 6 gears and a push down reverse. Right there they get a lot of points for putting reverse on the actual stick and not making it a separate button. From there you can see the gear pattern is a traditional “H” gearbox where second gear is right below first. This will help out racers shift gears a lot easier and more efficiently just like IRL.

Complimenting the realism of the shifter is the solid steel gear shaft. You won’t find this bad boy with a cheap plastic shaft that could lead to a broken shifter really quick. When you’re trying to pull off a tight turn and need to get back into gear really quickly, it’s a good thing knowing you won’t break the shaft because of the knee-jerk shift. Now, around the knob, you’ll also notice it’s wrapped around with hand-stitched leather as well as the boot cover (the thing that’s wrapped around the shaft). All of these details might seem minor to some but they add that extra sense of realism which as I said before is really crucial if you’re looking to get immersed in your game. Every little detail counts. Think about playing DDR, would you rather play on a mat that is plain as hell or would you rather play on a mat that resembled a dance floor with some party lights flashing? One last feature doesn’t add to the realism but it does help make using the thing a little easier and that’s the mounting clips it comes equipped with. You don’t have to put this Driving Force on the table and pray it stays still instead you can use the mounting clips that have ridges to better hold onto surfaces on your table or you can use them on a rig you might have already set up. Either way, you want to use it, you’ll be able to hook right in and shift until your heart’s content. Or until your rig or table breaks, depending on how hard you shift between gears.

If You’re Not First, You’re Last

We just touched on how the Logitech G Driving Force Shifter looks the part, that’s a big part down. So far, we’re looking really good for presentation purposes but what about actually using it? Of course, There are some things to go over in that arena as well. The good thing about this shifter is that it is multi-platform. You can hook it up to your Play Station 4, Xbox One, or your PC. Besides the way, the Driving Force looks this is one of the best parts about the hardware. You don’t have to go around buying all these separate shifters if you have a specific game on each platform. This not only saves you a giant headache but a decent amount of money in the long run as well. If there were to be a point where points might be deducted would be the fact that the shifter was designed to only work for Logitech’s wheels the G29 (for PS4 and PC) and the G920 (for Xbox and PC). So you can use the same shifter to from each console to the PC but you have to have at least the two Logitech Driving Force racing wheels to play on all. Any other wheel the shifter will not work, so you will have to get used to that if you have a certain wheel that you love that isn’t one of the aforementioned. That might not be such a big deal to most people because you can just buy one or the other and play specifically on the one console, at least they both work on PC!

For those who like more of a detailed breakdown, here’s a summary of the things I went over and some extra info for good measure straight from Logitech.com:

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Designed to work with G29 and G920 Driving Force Racing Wheels

Six speeds with push-down reverse gear

Steel and leather components for comfort and durability

Mounts securely to a racing rig

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Height: 8.13 in (206.5 mm)

Width: 6.94 in (176.4 mm)

Depth 5.76 in (146.4 mm)

Weight without cable: 1.59 lb (0.72 kg)

Weight with cable: 1.66 lb (0.76 kg)

REQUIREMENTS

Logitech G29 or G920 Driving Force Racing Wheel

Games that support Logitech Driving Force Shifter

PlayStation®4, Xbox OneTM, Windows® 8.1, Windows 8, or Windows 7

The Finish Line!

Overall if you’re looking for something that you know will not break after putting it through some punishment, you will not go wrong with the Logitech G Driving Force Shifter for the Xbox, Play Station, and PC. I am not happy that you have to own two wheels in order to play on every platform but I will get over myself eventually. Head out and buy yours today for yourself or a racer/gamer you know and love today. Or you can click on one of the above links or pictures and pick one up without leaving the chair, have to save those driving skills for the big race when you get your new toy!

Thanks for checking out my article about the Logitech Shifter. I would love to know what you thought about it, do you own one or know someone who owns one? I would love to hear from you. Until next week everyone. take care and enjoy the weekend.

– Aj