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\u201cThe official wheel of Gran Turismo<\/em>.\u201d That\u2019s what Logitech is calling its new Driving Force GT<\/a> steering wheel controller, and for good reason. The Driving Force GT was tailor-made to integrate specifically with the new Quick Tune functions featured in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue<\/em><\/a>, and it does so flawlessly.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve completed the first three tiers of GT5P<\/em>\u2019s main single-player mode, a bonus Quick Tune feature becomes unlocked, enabling you to customize the performance of your vehicles before a race, say adjusting power, weight, suspension and that sort of thing. <\/p>\n With the Driving Force GT, Logitech has introduced a special realtime adjustment dial designed specifically to take advantage of these Quick Tune options. It\u2019s a red knob built into the face of the wheel (right under the spiffy new glowing GT<\/em>-logo horn button) that allows you to tweak certain settings on the fly right in the middle of a race. Obviously you can\u2019t change the weight or overall power of your ride in mid-race, that\u2019d be completely unrealistic. It\u2019s mostly for fine tuning things like brake and traction control in order to adapt to what\u2019s happening on the track.<\/p>\n For the GT<\/em> layman, this is a feature that will probably go unnoticed, but for the hardcore GT<\/em> enthusiast \u2013 exactly the main demographic this wheel is targeting \u2013 it may just prove to be the difference between winning and losing an S-class event or heated race against stiff online competition.<\/p>\n The Driving Force GT is at its best when paired with GT5P<\/em>, but don\u2019t take that to mean it doesn\u2019t work well with other racers. I also put the wheel to the test with a few races each of DiRT<\/em>, the GRID<\/em> demo, Gran Turismo HD Concept<\/em> and Gran Turismo 3<\/em>, and it performed admirably across the board. I especially enjoyed it with DiRT<\/em>. The impressive force feedback technology it\u2019s got under the hood shined through while taking to the off-road landscapes of Codemasters\u2019 brilliant rally racer from last year. MotorStorm<\/em> was the only other racing game I had on hand to try it with, but it wasn\u2019t compatible. Using the wheel to steer worked somewhat, but input from the gas and brake pedals wouldn\u2019t register. <\/p>\n Ergonomically speaking, this is the finest gaming wheel I\u2019ve ever put my hands on. I\u2019ve never used any of Logitech\u2019s other Driving Force wheels to make any comparisons, but all\u2019s I know is the new GT model is so smooth and comfortable to use. The resistance of the wheel\u2019s rotation is absolutely perfect, allowing for unmatched steering precision, and the rubber hand grips feel just right to the touch. My lone complaint is the inconsistent functionality of the PS home button. In my testing, I could only get it to work while playing GT5P<\/em>. Pressing it within any of the other games wouldn\u2019t register for some reason, so in order to quit out to the XMB I had to pull out my DualShock 3. Not a huge drawback, but it did start to become inconvenient. If the button is there, I expect it to do what it\u2019s supposed to.<\/p>\n At $150, the Driving Force GT is a pricey piece of hardware and by all means a luxury type of investment. But if you\u2019re a serious racing gamer — especially when it comes to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue<\/em> and any of the other GT<\/em> games — and need a new wheel for your PS3 (and\/or PS2) gaming needs, it\u2019s totally worth the price of admission.<\/p>\n