Forza Motorsport 5 Review (XBox One)

[TCrouch]

I like the sun glare, but only because it does a great job of mimicking the difficulty seeing that you get from on-board cameras in races you watch on TV.

I finally got my TX Racing wheel in last night for this game, and it's a completely different experience (naturally). The FF in the game is jaw-droppingly incredible. You can actually feel the front tires chatter and lose traction in a corner, and it gives you some really subtle cues on how far past grip you are--so pushing it a bit further and allowing the rear end to break loose becomes doable, as you can feel exactly when to stab the gas again and shoot the car off out of the corner.

I was absolutely stunned how much cooler it made the game. I know that wheels always work better with racing games, and I'm sick of buying them, but at least my wheel-aholic issues helped here--the default pedals that come with it work alright, but the big T500RS pedals connected directly to it, so now I have a TX wheel with a triple-pedal setup even though their "T3PA" pedals are "Coming Soon".

I'd highly recommend that TX racing wheel if you're on the fence. I've read various reports on the wheel with deadzone issues and whatnot, but I think people just didn't do the firmware update that is required (or didn't do it properly). There are zero issues with the wheel's dead zones or anything else that I experienced.

[doubledeuceR6]

@TCrouch

Have heard lots of positive feedback on the Thrustmaster wheel. Only complaints being rather soft springs on the pedals and no chat functionality yet.

I've always been a pad user myself, my hands cramp up fairly quickly now though so I may take the plunge on a wheel this generation.

[TCrouch]

The chat issue is legit. I wondered about that last night, but if they have a wireless solution like the old Bluetooth headsets of last generation, that's all I'll need. My CSR Elite had a weird buzz sound when I would plug in a wired headset on 360, so I'm used to that part.

And yeah--pedals with springs for a brake are very outdated. They have more tension than most spring-based pedal sets I used in the past, and are perfectly serviceable. But obviously a modded T500RS with a clutch pedal is greatly preferred, and even though it doesn't have the load cell of my CSR Elite pedals, the Basher Brake mod gives it much of the same feel. So I think Thrustmaster went a bit skimpy on the pedal unit, but it's better than their trash pedals that come with their non-FF wheels currently.

There's no substitute for a beefier set, though, to be sure.

[doubledeuceR6]

Quote: Originally Posted by TCrouch

The chat issue is legit. I wondered about that last night, but if they have a wireless solution like the old Bluetooth headsets of last generation, that's all I'll need. My CSR Elite had a weird buzz sound when I would plug in a wired headset on 360, so I'm used to that part. And yeah--pedals with springs for a brake are very outdated. They have more tension than most spring-based pedal sets I used in the past, and are perfectly serviceable. But obviously a modded T500RS with a clutch pedal is greatly preferred, and even though it doesn't have the load cell of my CSR Elite pedals, the Basher Brake mod gives it much of the same feel. So I think Thrustmaster went a bit skimpy on the pedal unit, but it's better than their trash pedals that come with their non-FF wheels currently. There's no substitute for a beefier set, though, to be sure.

Supposedly there may be a workaround for the chat soon, one of the guys I race with has contacted them, he was using the headset through the controller. This was the response he received:

Hi, sorry for the inconvenient caused. Well for the moment, there is a conflict between the gamepad & the steering. Our recommandation is to turn off & not use the gamepad.
We hope that after Forza 5 second update (mi-december), it will be possible to use headset on the gamepad simultaneously with the wheel

[franch1se]

ROABS your driveatar is really beginning to piss me off hahah…he always takes me out on turns

[burnwood]

Quote: Originally Posted by TCrouch

I like the sun glare, but only because it does a great job of mimicking the difficulty seeing that you get from on-board cameras in races you watch on TV. I finally got my TX Racing wheel in last night for this game, and it's a completely different experience (naturally). The FF in the game is jaw-droppingly incredible. You can actually feel the front tires chatter and lose traction in a corner, and it gives you some really subtle cues on how far past grip you are--so pushing it a bit further and allowing the rear end to break loose becomes doable, as you can feel exactly when to stab the gas again and shoot the car off out of the corner. I was absolutely stunned how much cooler it made the game. I know that wheels always work better with racing games, and I'm sick of buying them, but at least my wheel-aholic issues helped here--the default pedals that come with it work alright, but the big T500RS pedals connected directly to it, so now I have a TX wheel with a triple-pedal setup even though their "T3PA" pedals are "Coming Soon". I'd highly recommend that TX racing wheel if you're on the fence. I've read various reports on the wheel with deadzone issues and whatnot, but I think people just didn't do the firmware update that is required (or didn't do it properly). There are zero issues with the wheel's dead zones or anything else that I experienced.

TX racing wheel eh? Never heard of it until now and boy is it expensive! I already have alot invested in my CSR gear so it's really hard to justify another wheel.

About that sun glare. Yeah it's good for tv watching like you say, but I feel that I'm driving instead of watching so it doesn't simulate the driving aspect. I'd just put on a pair or shades if the sun was in my face.

Of course, this could be remedied if there was a time of day setting. Isn't this next-next-gen?? lol

Still enjoying the game.

[TCrouch]

I heard you there. I already have a Fanatec CSR Elite, CSR Elite Pedals, the CSR Shifter, a couple of wheel stands, the Thrustmaster T500RS, etc.

But none of them worked with the XB1, and I love racing...so I had no choice but to get a TX also. And boy, was I happy I did.

[ODogg]

How do you buy more cars and tracks? I read on the net that they said they'd sell a pack of 10 cars each month. Where do I go??