In the summer of 2000, Logitech introduced a new model of force feedback wheel, called the Wingman Formula Force GP, and discontinued the original Wingman Formula Force which I reviewed here in August 99 (see Logitech Force Feedback Wheels) and liked so much.
The FF GP version appears to be markedly inferior to the original Wingman FF, and I do not recommend it. Read on for details. However, at least one reader likes his new Wingman Formula Force GP a lot. Go here for details.
Logitech's second FF wheel - and the first with gears rather than steel cable - was the Wingman Formula Force GP (note the "GP" suffix tacked onto the end of the name). The cost is lower (street price about $100 as of September 2000), and it works only on USB ports (the original Wingman Formula Force works on either USB or serial port).
I have only tried this model briefly, but I am distinctly unimpressed. The quality of materials is lower than on the original model.
The original Wingman Formula Force wheel was an engineering masterpiece: tough, ergonomically correct, aesthetically pleasing, cost effective, and functionally superior to competitive designs. The pedals were poorly engineered from an ergonomic standpoint, but other pedals can be substituted. I felt the wheel was a superb design and of excellent quality, especially considering the price. All things considered, it was the best wheel you could buy for GPL.
Compared to the original model, the "GP" model looks and feels cheap.
Its base is tiny, and the buttons are tiny and very stingy-feeling. The original model had terrific shifter paddles which were effective and very realistic; they felt and worked great. Instead of paddles, the GP model has relatively miniscule rectangular buttons on the backs of the spokes.
The pedals are the least downgraded part of the ensemble, but they repeat the ergonomic flaw of the original pedals. Just like the originals, these new pedals have a brake pedal with a moment arm that is so short that it's impossible to properly regulate the braking applied in GPL.
Worst of all, the new model abandons the excellent I-Force steel cable-operated force mechanism in favor of a geared design, similar to the Microsoft FF wheel. This geared mechanism was the thing I detested most about the MS FF wheel, and now the Logi has it too!
In fact, the new Logitech wheel seems like a cheap knockoff of the Microsoft wheel, a wheel that itself is markedly inferior to the original Logitech wheel. I don't know what Logitech was thinking, but it looks to me like some product management dweeb decided that increasing market share and maximizing profits was more important than upholding the Logitech tradition of superior quality.
Said dweeb should be kicked out the back door, IMHO. In fact, from what I could see, Logitech's failure to compete with Microsoft in terms of market share was a distribution problem rather than a product design and price problem. Microsoft FF wheels have been everywhere from the moment they were released; in my area it's always been hard to go to a volume store which sells computer products and not find a stack of MS FF wheels.
By contrast, it's always been extremely difficult to find even a single Logitech wheel in any retailer within 50 miles of my home. Even stores which had a Logi FF wheel constantly on display (Best Buy, for example) never seemed to have any in stock and had no idea when they would be getting some - and they wouldn't sell the display model. But I digress.
I'm strongly recommending that anyone interested in trying a force feedback wheel try to get ahold of the later version of the original Logitech Wingman Formula Force model. This is the model that has proper shifter paddles and has its clamping knobs on the bottom. The later - and best - version of this model says "Made in China" on the bottom, though the earlier "Made in Taiwan" model is also quite good.