To all people arguing about the "innacuracy" of this test, you are missing some points of the video. 1- This test *isn't* only about the absolute performance of both steering wheel and controller. 2- This test wants to show the *ease of driving* of both supports *in few laps*, so which one is the best to drive. 3- I have 20 years of experience with controller and 5 with steering wheel. Just in the 1st case I was faster with controller, but it's just a particular case. In the other examples I was faster with steering wheel: that proves even if I have more experience with controller, the car is easier to drive (and faster) with steering wheel. 4- I think there should be a mutual respect between pad drivers and steering wheel drivers. Just because someone prefers to play racing games with pad, doesn't mean he's a "noob". Of course, racing sims, are meant to be played with steering wheels because they want to simulate the reality. But for some people, the steering wheel represents an important investment that they can't afford for economic reasons. This is the main reason why I called this video "the (in)famous battle". 5- I like critics, since they help me to make better videos for your entertainment, but please: don't be that superficial on analyzing this test. Thank you for your comprehension.
viperconcept Thanks to you to have explained the true sense of the video. P.S. Non per criticare, per l'amor di dio, so che sei multi etnico e quindi mantenere le lingue al loro posto risulta un problemaccio ma ti consiglio di rileggere i testi che scrivi, prima di pubblicarli,..A Volte la tua grammatica inglese Vacilla.
@@ensirinsey6871 dude I wud think mouse sensitivity for steering would beat some ass. I always wondered if that was allowed. Take a first person shooter for example... A mouse dominates. Flick of the wrist...or as ACDC says flick of a switch lol
The reason I bought the G29 was to improve my laptimes and have a better experience while playing. Actually I wasn't able to beat all my laptimes with the wheel, but it feels way better. I can feel the handling of the car now. And for the first time I can handle cars like the Red Bull Prototype from GT6 for example. I couldn't controll them with the pad. PS: I really like your videos, viperconcept. I've seen your footwork on an other video. Could you explain in a video what you are doing there and what it's for?
ChilloutEDM Hehehe speaking of using g29 on Red Bull X2010, heh! that was way too hard and the feedback looks like my wheels going to crack up or BROKE
With a wheel you can hold a racing line way more easily and you don't accidentally bump into other Cars because of constant corrections on a stick. It's a lot more natural movement.
Like many, I've used both, for years at a time, and I can say, unequivocably, that the combination of wheel with paddle shifter and pedals, increased my lap times considerably, at times as much as 10%. The difference was that more precisely graduated handling gave me a more accurately controlled turn and let me ride the proper apexes much easier, tire wear was massively reduced because I wasn't jogging the stick, the paddle shifter was faster than the stick with zero mis-shifts, and I was always in the correct power band with the manual transmission for maximum acceleration exactly when and where I needed it. Maybe some people do better with controllers, but when it comes to performance, for me, the winner is the wheel and pedals.
If you want to compare A to B you need more data. Do 100 laps with PAD with the same car on the same track, then another 100 laps with Wheel. Take the average of both and then you can have a somewhat decent comparison. What you did is completely pointless since it's normal to have a difference in lap times from one lap to the next. But bottomline is, if you're an expert with playing with a PAD and also an expert with a Wheel, the wheel will beat the PAD. But if you compare 1 player with wheel and a second player with PAD, there's no way to tell if their time difference is due to what device they are using or if simply player A is better than B, so again pointless.
You have no mercy lol Btw, before the test I did 3 laps with both configurations (with each car) to see the car reactions/grip limits, then I did an undetermined number of laps (sometimes 10, other times more than 20) to see which configuration is the best. The test isn't pointless, because for exampIe, on qualifications, you don't count the average time, *but the best time.* I know the test accuracy is important, but what you've said (100 laps) is a bit exaggerated. ahaha I'm not comparing 2 different players: I'm driving in both screens! I've an experience of 18 years with pad and 4 years with wheel, so, basically I should drive better with pad. But finally, the test showed I'm better with wheel.
When you have tried steering wheels, you will never come back to pad. There is no big différences in terms of speed and control, but a steering is way more immersive.
simpler if you're a kid that plays video games and don't drive cars. try putting an adult who doesn't play games to drive a pad then a wheel, see which is simpler for him.
+Sassy The Sasquatch disclaimer - i play LFS not AC - but the whole setup was install driver and map buttons and axis (because the wheel is old and isn't) plug and play. Not sure what lengthy setting up you're talking about
A wheel will always be faster. Your steering input can be much more gradual and smooth allowing to better choose your line and better control the car's weight transfer. The Clio lap was just a question of getting used to the car and setting up your sensitivities to match the Clio's driving style. Fortunately the general level of play in Project Cars online racing is not high enough to let the difference be substantial, from personal experience I can say that a pad is a perfectly reasonable alternative.
Peter Timowreef Wheel will always be faster if you lack input discipline. It's very game-dependent. For a game like Forza or Gran Turismo, a wheel will likely produce minimal, if any, advantage. For ultra-realistic sims, a wheel will produce marginal benefit -- But marginal is what separates 1st place from 5th place.
Adeum Deus input discipline or not, the space that a joystick can move in is just small and any human error will make you fuck up. there's a reason pro counter strike players use a very low sensitivity instead of a very high one. it compensates slightly for human error.
For me it is the space.. i have no space in my room to study on my desk when in have a wheel mounted. Plus the fact i need a good chair otherwise it is moving around alot when braking.
@DESTROYER67732 yes that makes sence. I used to do that with towels and then put heavy boxes around the wheels so my chair wouldnt move. do you know if there are racing chairs that you can connect to the ground so it wont move all the time?
the thing about using a wheel is that its easier to follow the racing line as it offers much more precise control over the vehicle, whereas a controller, you have to make very small inputs which is difficult enough. However it is also made worse by the size of ones hands, dexterity in their fingers or even the controller vibration.
1.) you were faster with the wheel in all 4 races, you just ran off the track in the first one 2.) car control is a considerable advantage in racing. The easier a car is to control the faster you can go. Nutshell: I agree that you can beat a steering wheel gamer on a pad because I’ve done it. But the advantage IS clearly steering wheel because you have better car control not because of a clutch or shifter, you were still faster in the first race with the sequential gearbox w/ auto clutch. It’s all on car control, the wheel gives you better feel and control as opposed to an analog stick. That’s kinda why they made racing wheels. Not just so you could feel like you’re in a real race car
p.s a lot depends on your setting... a powerful car and no traction control and abs will hurt when doing it with a pad and steering is smoother then because of the better control of the throttle
The difference is the length of travel between a wheel and a pad. On a pad one has around 90 degrees of travel not incl in game steering ratio. On a wheel one has up to 900, again, not including in game steering ratio. Rule of thumb here is - at high speeds you don't want small inputs to have big consequences. But it's your choice. My opinion is - If the pad was that good, they'd be using it in the real world. There is a reason why we use the wheel.
Andy Miller i was just about to write the same. try to imagine a f1 driver or just a person in your city driving the car with a pad. so if cars are driven with a wheel it has its reason
The thing with controller Vs wheel on most sims is that a wheel allows you to take off all the assists and still have a super easy learning curve because the openness of the wheel means that you don't have to move in micro movements to make the same adjustments you would have to make on a joystick.. and the pressure on the brakes have a lot more give than triggers on a controlller.. So the room for error is much bigger on a wheel than it is on a controller if you turn all assists off... and you usually find that racing on a controller with all assists off is just so ridiculous that 99% of the playerbase cannot do it, whereas any clown can go fast with assists off on a wheel. So wheels end up being 4 seconds a lap faster than the majority of controller users, because the majority of controller guys are still racing with assists on due to the ridiculous difficulty of using a controller with assists off.
It is very important to be able to say that you have your own steering wheel and know how to handle it well, not just having tried it a few days. This is because the steering wheel mainly conveys unique sensations, and the pad does not. In terms of times I think they are the same, even playing with the keyboard in many games gives equal times. But what really makes a difference are the sensations.
I qualified for GT Academy in 2014, using the gamepad. On the final day of qualifying......i thought i'd give the wheel a shot, at my cousins place. I ended up being 1.5 secs slower. But in 2015.....i got myself an entry level DFGT wheel and with some getting used to......i was able to destroy every gamepad lap record i had set on GT6. Not only did i qualify for the GT Academy nationals that year, but also made it to Race Camp (Silverstone). A few things that i noticed along the way, was that the different between the pad and the wheel depends on the kind of car you choose and the number of driving assists that are enabled. U might not notice a huge difference when driving an R35 on Racing Softs, with all assists enabled.......but switch to a RUF BTR 86 on Sports Hard, with everything disabled and you will realise the potential of a wheel. Gamepads can be competitive......but only under certain conditions.
idem for Forza 7,thinked and developped for analog gamepad(xbox one controller to have rumble force on analog triggers),but prefer my wheel on Project Cars,Dirt Rally,F1 series all years,R07 ect...
i think the main diference is that with the whell the driver could be constante,setting lap times almost identical every lap...and also less tire wear than the pad! and when the tires are in bad conditions with the whell its more easy to fell and control the car,thanks to the force feedback... so,this combo wins races...a pad could do same good laps,with short races,with good tires,but in medium range races or up,the whell destroys! ive experienced that in gt6 for example!
Renato Vieira De Miranda what a load of crap, been league racing for over 5 years, and I can easily say that with a pad you can be consistent, quick and have good tyre wear if you actually know how to race.
CDSMProductions Yeah I remember an Assetto Corsa world record set with a pad one time. It's all down to the driver understanding the car's behavior then he/she can be quick no matter the input device.
With practice the wheel is much better. You have a half inch of thumb stick on a controller. The wheel is much more precise allowing far greater consistency in lap times. There really is no comparison. Plus, the wheel gives you feedback on what the the car is doing as far as traction and suspension wise.
It`s near impossible playing without driving aids and a gamepad...the cars are twitchy as fuck. Steering smoothly through a corner with (for example) a GT3 car a BMW Z4 or Aston Martin, just forget it I gave up on it to be honest ^^.
***** GT6 is the only "simulation" optimized for gamepads...PCARS is not. Which is a huge problem of PCARS because only a handfull can play it properly.
That did make me laugh, but then I thought that if I was to lose an arm, it may well be the only way I could play games. Most other games would be out of the question, so a game with just 4 buttons would probably be good.
***** lmao always stay positive. honestly when im too lazy to play i just usw WASD + space + shift and play with only my left hand and i dont mind it. only for arcade racers tho. there are point and click adventures tho and old RPGs like fallout
srba filipovic That is very true. I know it was quite a random thought, most people don't think of losing an arm lol. I have seen some cool controllers for disabled people though, even so far as movement using their mouths with modified controllers. Pretty cool that people do make things so they can continue to play games.
Wheel would have won the first one as well, but you decided to overdrive just about every corner... Really an inaccurate test since some of the cars were over driven A LOT!!! Get two clean laps and then we will talk
first of all. Project cars is a game made for pad (xbox like). Other things. you comparing h+clutch shifter vs seq? its like comparing analog music vs digital.
Looking at the driving styles, id suggest a combination of lack of familiarity (on the fwd) that caused a mistake on the wheel, and potential conformation bias/self fulfilled prophecy. Having driven both controller (pad) and wheel (and even keyboard) on console and pc, in different games, i can tell you neither is dominant. if the physics was designed around a controller (pad), i tend to be faster on said pad. For games where the wheel is correctly optimized, i am smoother, not faster, but more consistent and showing better tire and fuel usage. Most of my leaderboard times on games such as forza come with a hand controller, while most of my best events and scores drifting is on a wheel. Even ps vs xbox has different responses, as i cannot be competitive on a playstation with the controller, yet on xbox im stronger with the controller then with the wheel. Whichever one wins is the one any individual is most comfortable with, and as such, this comparison is useless.
I can't afford to get a wheel. It's just not my priority, there are other things I need to buy/pay for. I know people take sim racing very seriously, but it's just a videogame to me and I treat it as such. So yeah, pad is more than enough for me to have fun.
But if you dont take it really seriously you dont need super expensive wheel. G29 or g920 if you play on xbox are not super expensive. I bought g920 for 190€ and few months later H-shifter for 40€ and that is much better than playing on gamepad. Off course it also depands of country you live, because if it is not expensive for someone who lives in UK or Germany it can be super expensive for someone from Ukraine or White Russia.
@@sarenrap Electronics here in Brazil are extremely expensive. A G29 costs about the same as my PC. Not a price I'm willing to pay for something I play like twice a month
@@ElShogoso Ok as i said it depands on where you live. Im from Poland so its not very bad, but also not very good. I have 800€/month from my job, and i as i said i paid 230€ (with h-shifter). But then people in UK have 2000€/month so for this people is super cheap. I dont know too much about south america, but i can imagine for Ukraine people is almost impossible to buy it because they are very poor country (150-300€/month when 300€ in Ukraine is only if you have very good job, i think most of them have something like 200€ in Poland there is a lot of Ukrainians so i know it because they said me why they want to work in Poland)
@@sarenrap I'm not really gonna disclose my monthly income but let's just say, I *could* get a wheel if that was something I considered important, but for me, it isn't. I have other bills to pay, and other things and hobbies which I'd rather spend money on. Whenever I see a Logitech wheel, I also think of sound or musical equipment I could get with that money instead, or hell, stuff for my real car, which are all things that are going to entertain me more in the long run. So again, pad is enough for me. I have fun playing with it.
I think it's clear to anyone with a working brain that with enough practice playing with a pad can match performance of playing with a wheel. The difference is in the amount of practice needed, with a wheel (especially if you drive IRL) you can jump in an unfamiliar vehicle after just a few minutes of practice whereas with a pad you'll need to practice much longer to get that smooth control that you need if you want to go fast. The biggest thing is that a wheel allows much more precise and consistent control. So in longer races drivers that are using pads will gradually fall back or crash out - because it's easier to make a mistake when your lock-to-lock travel is an inch instead of 14+inches, all those tiny millisecond delays and mistakes add up eventually. If you just want to occasionally race around with some friends a pad will do fine, it's when you're looking for a higher level of performance or realism that you will need a wheel.
one thing the wheel adds is a higher level of immersion, like playing a shooting game with a controller or a gun, bot fun but one feels more real. anyway good vid
Dude, I tried playing with a wheel, it's awkward and dull, the wheels also have problem with the axis rotation. This is from a guy that played with both (me).
In all cases except the Bentley, with the wheel you seemed better able to stay on top of the car when it started fighting you, meaning you were better able to approach its limits and recover from mistakes. Pad driver was more cautious.
The best comparison would be to run an actual race with each controller. Time trials are fine but you're the only car on the track. Put 30 other cars on the track with you and it totally changes the dynamics and I think the wheel will prove superior.
I've absolutely destoryed racing wheel users on many games with my assists turned off. I think it's down to personal preference more than anything. I have better control over my entire car using a controller.
Smooth=Fast Wheel=Smooth I've played racing games all my life with gamepads. I KNOW that the sticks get flicked to make turns. Long sweepers are a bitch. The only way to negate this flicking tendency is to have greater micro-movement control of the sticks {{less sensitivity or a taller stick}}, practice, or get a wheel.
Exactly. Viperconcept states that he's had 20 years of experience with using a controller and only 5 with a wheel, but he still uses the controller as if he weren't so skilled with it. It's easy to micro-manage your inputs on the joystick, you just gotta git gud. (Plus, I can't use a steering wheel in racing games. I've driven too much in real life, it's just so unrealistic even in games like Project CARS and Gran Turismo 6.)
It very much depends on the game. Set aside the gearshift, which is a separate issue. If the game is an actual simulator, and thus simulates the contact of the wheels with the ground, the steering wheel has to be faster, because any jerky movements caused by usage of a pad of keys should slow the car down. Now, some games (notably GT, Forza) will smooth out the jerky action for you, because they value common gamer's satisfaction more than realism, so the issue becomes much more complex there.
flashpeter625 There is the fact that a full steering wheel, pedal and shifter setup are quite expensive. I would hardly fault anyone for playing on a gamepad.
the steering wheel is always going to be better than the controller because of one reason you can drive a lot smoother and a lot cleaner which allows you to get faster lap times simple
A pad or a wheel is just a input device. The driver has to create the inputs. I would say whatever device you as a driver are more comfortable with will be faster for you.
A wheel provides greater immersion, especially when coupled with VR, but I think a skilled pad user can compete just as well but it won't 'feel' like you are driving, it will feel more like a game. If you enjoy a pad then fine, if you want ultimate immersion use a wheel. I like using the steam controller's giro and VR, it's good enough!
Xirpzy ikr, of vourse its important what lap times you do online because ypu want to grow and shit, but in the end its a game. and a game is about fun.
Its always going to be personal preference. I've always used a controller until April when I bought a G29. I'm definitely MUCH better on the wheel, and faster than I was with the controller, but it depends on the game, too. I don't think anyone should bother with comparisons, try both and see what works for you.
People say the pad is better than wheel cuz they can't afford a wheel. In conclusion the wheel is highly expensive, but the pad or controller is good to start with. Boom, there u go.
This is a no brainer. If you are playing a sim the wheel will always be superior. If it wasn't superior manufacturers would check steering wheels out of cars and just have you plug in a control pad every time you sat down in your car. A game like Need For Speed or Asphalt thats geared towards the arcade is a different story.
The joystick is the clear winner. It cost far less and you get similar lap times without getting tired. I personally think that people who buy a racing wheel (like me) don't simply want to race, they want the satisfaction to feel the car, to have an immersive experience.
What do you mean with "it costs far less" in my country at least a PS4 controller costs a bit more than a cheap wheel, sure, it's not as good as a g29, but after I bought mine and practiced with it for almost an hour i was already beating my previous records, it's way more precise even for a 90 degree cheap steering wheel
I’d recommend you use the thumb sticks when you drive. For me personally, I use (on PS4) L3 to steer and L4 to accelerate/decelerate. Shifting, I use L2/R2 to shift. Using the thumb sticks makes it easier for you to fine tune your steering (maybe not as much as a wheel) and the same for acceleration/deceleration.
I have never really played racing video games with a steering wheel (maybe once when I was a child.) But I'd assume that a steering wheel would really be easier (and more fun) to play with simply because it gives you the feel of driving an actual car.
I'm using a pad right now, but will switch to steering wheel in a week. Not because of this video and not because I think pad is bullshit. Assetto Corsa made incredible fun even with a pad. I just think it makes even more fun with a wheel. I don't buy it because it's better and I finally will be able to roast pad users. I just buy it, because I think it will be more fun. And I just didnt bought it yet, because of my financial situation. What I want to say is, that it doesn't matter if one drive with wheel or pad as long as one have fun doing it. We are all here because we love racing games. Don't hate on eacht other because ones use different input devices !
I don't know exactly. I downed the sensitivity a little bit to make the car more stable/be more precise with the stick...but thats it. Everything else is just default. :)
Different strokes for different folks... BUT, I will say in my own experience, the wheel is much more enjoyable and adds that extra element to your game. The cars will respond bettet if you can keep them balanced (smooth) and I find this much easier on a wheel. However, one area I think the pad does hold a slight advantage is through tight chicanes. Lock-to-lock is faster on a pad.
@@madwarrior3771 yeah it's like OSU but the Cursor has a mind of it's own Edit : when you play keyboard and mouse switch to a more OSU control scheme (A is downshift, S for upshift, then mouse button as acceleration and brake)
imo forza is really the only racing game I'd say feels great to use a gamepad. all other racing games are just to damn stiff or squirmy making constant little adjustments with a stick.
Make your clutch button between the two shift buttons on pad for faster-then-steering-wheel-with-clutch shifts. On my Xbox, A is clutch, and I shift with X and B. To shift, I use my thumb to press both buttons at the same time. Fastest shifts.
I'm an old fart and new to gaming consoles but I can tell that the future is VR. That means the subject motion has to be as smooth and linear as it can be to avoid motion sickness. Those jerky movements of the pad will be magnified on VR and will be problematic.
Project Cars is hella hard on the controller and isn't really designed to be played with it. Forza would've been better, it works wonderfully with the pad.
Rum Donkey project cars is fine for me with pad. its the only thing i have but im able to make the car do what i want. except long corners (kinda straight) where i gotta steer 10% in that case i give the stick small taps
What the fuck .. Assetto Corsa can be thrown in the dumpster with a Pad, configuration of the pad there is utter bullshit. Really good game but I wish they would have made it similar to Project cars
I heard someone complain about the lack of mouse steering support in the early access of Assetto Corsa Competizione. Mouse. Steering. Why does no one talk about that?
To see the real diferences you should had use manual on the pad. On automatic the gear shift are make before the right point. I used to have a group on PS3 and we race on Gran Turismo, there was one guy faster as hell, no matter the car or track (he use pad), even overtaken by drifting
I've been gaming for 38yrs with pad only. I got a thrustmaster t150 3 days ago & across all my driving games I'm so much faster. definitely smoother in corners. I don't drive in real life so I literally have no comparison. I think the message really is use what u feel comfortable with that gets u the results u want but the main thing is to make sure your having fun either way. We all play different & have different driving styles just don't be afraid to test settings. I used to drive auto shift now I only use manual cos I find it better for me but not everyone is the same. drive fast & keep it on the road :)
In order to make test results more accurate, do at least 5 laps on each around the same track with the same car and the same setup. Show the best of those 5 and then the average of these 5 and then you are left with results best laptime (avg laptime)
You know what, even if I ended up slower I'll always play racing games with a wheel. Simply cos it feels better, and it's more involving. Because I'll never get to drive real GT3 cars, racing sims are the closest I'll get, so I'm damn well gonna use a wheel.
I'm stuck with a controller for now due to a bad herniated disc. I can sit for half an hour to an hour a day otherwise I'm stuck on my back. I still want to pick up a wheel for that short period of time but I'm pretty sure any kind of FFB would fuck my back so hard. One day though after surgery I will have a sim rig.
A good wheel with force feedback provides more information about what the car is doing, and that should be enough to reduce lap times, unless the player is unable to interpret the information and react accordingly!
i think it's exactly the opposite way. I played PC1 on controller only, PC2 few hours with controller, then switched to a wheel. it's more precise and you have more control in general. the bigger steering lock makes tight corners easier and faster
You also have to take into account wheel settings and wheel itself. Some people spend thousands on their setup. Some spend under 100. Also, some games, like forza 6, don't support all wheels. So in that case pad or controller is definitely better. It really comes down to preference. It doesnt matter what is faster.
I was playing GT6 with one of my friends that is a G29 driver. We drove on comfort soft tires along a PP restriction. We drove the same cars. There is not much difference in driving style but the way we execute and perceive the Green Hell is different. He was thoroughly shocked when I told him I was using the DS3.
