Fans of playing racing on a PC or in some serious racing simulator are well aware that the keyboard is not always suitable for the most convenient control of a virtual car - it is best to use the steering wheel. However, there is a problem - quality products are expensive and not everyone can afford it, but there is still a way out. In today's review, we will talk about the Defender Forsage Drift GT steering wheel, which is inexpensive and will allow you to enjoy all the delights of racing simulators. Let's look at it soon!
Contents of delivery
So, to begin the review of the steering wheel is primarily with the delivery. The steering wheel is sold in a relatively small cardboard box. The packaging contains images of the periphery, as well as all the main features and characteristics. There is a plastic handle on top of the box for easier carrying.
Inside the package itself is the following kit: Defender Forsage Drift GT steering wheel, pedals, user manual, warranty card, several useless brochures and leaflets, mounts, cables for connecting and, in fact, everything. In some versions of the steering wheel, a disc with a demo version of some kind of "racing" is also included, but judging by the reviews, not everyone starts the game, so it can be considered a useless addition.
Appearance
We continue to review the steering wheel Defender Forsage Drift GT and now look at the appearance of the periphery. The steering wheel looks pretty good, but it is still noticeable that this is a fairly budget model. Everything is completely assembled from plastic, the quality of which is approximately at an average level, but the good casting quality is good, without any "burr", and the assembly is very good.
The number of buttons on the steering wheel is amazing. On the steering wheel itself are elements like a gamepad. There is a standard crosspiece, as well as 4 buttons on the Sony PlayStation’s DualShock. A little higher on the “rim” are two “shifts” L2 and R2.
The central button with the word Defender plays the role of a beep in games. Also around it you can see the rim with screws, of which there are only 8 pieces. 4 of them are also buttons, and the remaining 4 are just cogs. Two of the four buttons are responsible for the Start and Select functions, just like on a gamepad. The remaining 2 buttons L3 and R3 do not have a default command, because they are intended for the user to put some functions on them.
On the reverse side of the steering wheel is also a pair of “shifts” L1 and R1. They are made in the form of gearshift paddles, in the game with their help you can change gears. This "trick" came to the world of gaming peripherals from real sports cars, where a similar technology is implemented for those who like to switch speeds manually.
If the paddle shifters seem uncomfortable, then next to the steering wheel is the familiar gearshift switch in the form of a small handle. It works simply - moving up increases speed, moving down decreases. It is worth noting that a similar type of gearbox selectors also takes place in real life. For example, the same type of gear changes in manual mode on Porsche cars.
On the lower part of the steering wheel, you can see the places for fastening two clamps, as well as many suction cups, which are designed to ensure high stability of the steering wheel on the table. Looking ahead, I want to note that suction cups and clamps cope with their task 100%.
As for the connectors on the “torpedo” of the steering wheel, there is an input for a USB cable, as well as an RJ-11 connector, through which a unit with pedals is connected. By the way, a similar RJ-11 connector can be found in the unit for a telephone socket, so the presence of this port on the game steering wheel is very original.
Steering wheel
Now I would like to dwell in more detail on the Defender Forsage Drift GT game steering wheel and consider the steering wheel and pedal block separately in turn. Let's start with the first one.
As already mentioned above, the steering wheel is made of plastic, and there are no separate rubberized inserts on it for a more comfortable grip. In fairness, it is worth noting that there are still some separate areas with supposedly soft-touch "spraying", but such a coating, as you know, is very quickly erased.
The unpleasant moment of the "steering wheel" is a strange vertical play. The assembly seems to be good, without any complaints, but it’s not clear where the backlash came from. It, in principle, does not interfere and does not affect the gameplay in any way, so the drawback can be called uncritical.
The steering wheel rotates 270 degrees, which, in general, is a good indicator and is more than enough for most games. The only thing, in some car simulators close to real conditions, this, maybe, is a little not enough. The diameter of the steering wheel is 24.5 cm, which by the standards of the gaming periphery is considered an average indicator - there are models with an even smaller size. The steering wheel is far from real automobile analogues, but nevertheless it is very convenient to operate it.
Well, in the end, a few words about the buttons. All of them are pressed quite easily, although some have a slightly stiff course. The drawback is the "cross", or the so-called D-pad. At first glance, it may seem that the cross works in eight directions, like on gamepads, but this is not so. Pressing is possible only up, down, left and right. In addition, when you click on the "cross", it slightly "falls" into the body.
Also to the minuses can be attributed the central button of the beep. It is pressed very tight due to the stiff spring, so it is extremely inconvenient to use it.
Pedals
Now let's move on to the steering pedals of the Defender Forsage Drift GT. The pedal block itself is quite compact, but it is convenient to use. The case is also made of simple plastic. The assembly is good, no complaints.
On the pedals themselves, which are two according to the standard, there are no rubber pads - only "bare" plastic. The surface has a "ribbed" texture, which, as it were, copies the pedals of a real car. There is no particular benefit from this “texture”.
There are some problems with the stability of the pedal block. If you play more or less calmly, then it stands "dead", but if the game is active, the block can very easily budge.
On the back of the unit comes a cable with an RJ-11 plug, which is connected to the appropriate port on the steering wheel itself.
As for the pedals, they are pressed easily, but not without effort, which is good. Which pedal will be responsible for what, the user will decide - this is also a plus that the developers did not begin to program the pedals only for certain functions.
Specifications
Now is the time to briefly go over the steering characteristics of the Defender Forsage Drift GT. In order not to write a huge amount of text, we will present all the characteristics in a list. There he is:
- Type - game steering wheel.
- Connection is wired.
- The connection connector is USB.
- Compatibility Support - PC, PlayStation (PS).
- Case material - plastic.
- Rubber coating - is, in the form of separate inserts.
- Type of fastening - clamps.
- The diameter of the steering wheel is 24.5 cm.
- The angle of rotation is 270 degrees.
- There is a vibration response.
- The pedal block is.
- The number of pedals is 2.
- Gearbox - there is.
- Paddle shifters - yes, 2 pcs.
- Handbrake - no.
- Feedback is not.
- Weight - 2.4 kg.
Actually, in this section with the characteristics you can close and go to the next paragraph.
Connection
It's time to talk about connecting the steering wheel Defender Forsage Drift GT. Drivers for peripherals as such are not required, but it’s better to go to the manufacturer’s official website, download and install them. For owners of game consoles, driver installation is not needed, where the steering wheel works completely properly right out of the box. It’s easy to connect the steering wheel, just plug the USB plug into the appropriate port on the computer or “curling iron” (PlayStation).
Here, in general, and everything about the connection. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this procedure, and absolutely anyone will cope with it.
Customization
Further, it would be nice to talk about how to configure the steering wheel Defender Forsage Drift GT. There is no special software or software for tuning at the helm. The user has to use what is available. However, not everything is as bad as it might seem. Nevertheless, the steering wheel has one very useful contraption, which was not mentioned earlier - this is a small switch on the back side. What is he doing? Well, with its help, you can adjust the sensitivity of the steering wheel, which is a very useful function, because far from every game the steering wheel behaves adequately.
This can be compared with the same DPI adjustment on the mouse, which helps to choose the optimal level of mouse sensitivity and the speed of the cursor over the entire area of the monitor.
The steering wheel switch has several adjustment positions, starting from the smallest and ending with maximum sensitivity to control - whoever wants it.
If we talk about changing the functions of the buttons, the angle of rotation, reassigning the pedals, etc., then all this is configured in a separate menu. In order to get into this menu, you must install drivers for the steering wheel. Then after installation, go to the control panel and find there a new appeared icon "Steering wheel" or "Game steering wheel". Click on this PCM icon and select "Settings" from the list. In the window that opens, there will be several tabs, as well as various parameters that the user can change. Everything is simple!
Steering wheel games
Now a few words about the games for the steering wheel Defender Forsage Drift GT. The list of supported games for the device is quite large; listing it completely makes no sense. It is worth saying that when you try to play some kind of "race" like NFS, there will clearly be no problems. Moreover, when starting the same Need For Speed, the game correctly determines the manufacturer and model of the steering wheel, which is nice. The settings in the game, however, will have to be set independently, but this is a trifle.
In games of the Colin McRae series, the steering wheel also performs very well. As you know, in these games the control and physics of the car’s behavior on the road are quite realistic, and the car easily goes into a skid on corners, drift, etc. The Defender Forsage steering wheel gives you the opportunity to experience all these game pieces to the maximum and plunge headlong into rally atmosphere. The only thing worth saying: for Colin McRae, a player will often have to change the sensitivity of the steering wheel, because depending on weather conditions and the type of track, control may be different.
As for more serious simulators, for example, "Driving Simulator", then the steering wheel behaves quite adequately and realistically. However, there is one drawback in such games - you can not choose a manual gearbox. Rather, you can choose it, but you have to put the clutch on the "automatic". Why? Because the steering wheel has only 2 pedals: brake and gas. Anyway. In the game itself, there are no problems with the handling of the car. In general, this simulator paired with a steering wheel is a great practice option for driving a car, albeit in a virtual world, but still.
Reviews and price
Reviews steering wheel Defender Forsage Drift GT in most cases positive. Users note excellent functionality, a large number of buttons, good mount, rotation angle, price and much more. As for the shortcomings, there are few of them: the pedal block is not too well attached, cheap plastic, a rubberized coating that quickly erases, large "dead zones" when cornering, the inconvenient location of the L2 and R2 keys, as well as paddle shifters and gearshift lever have the same functions.
You can buy a Defender Forsage Drift GT steering wheel at the moment for 2700-3500 rubles, which, in general, is a pretty good price. Better competitors with a similar "arsenal" of functions are much more expensive, so there is a clear advantage in favor of the hero of this review.