Logitech RS50 Review: Perfect For Beginners, But Not For Everyone

For years, Logitech has been the go-to recommendation for anyone looking to get into sim racing. Its belt-driven, beginner-friendly wheels stretching back to the G25 and right through to the modern day G923 have always traded on excellent value for money, wide compatibility and ease-of-use.

As direct drive wheels have taken the market by storm, though, with more and more manufacturers entering the niche market of sim racing hardware, Logitech has been strangely slow to catch up. Although it has offered the high-end G Pro for a couple of years now, it hasn’t yet offered a more affordable direct drive. That changes with this, though, the RS50.

Worth of consideration, or too little, too late? We’ve been hands-on.

Setup and software

Logitech hardware has long set a standard for working out of the box without much tweaking required, and that’s the case with the RS50, too.

In our testing across iRacing, Assetto Corsa Rally and F1 25, its initial settings were perfect for jumping into the game with only minor tweaks needed for personal preferences. Handy if you want to get straight into racing, whereas Fanatec and Moza rivals tend to need more tweaks to get a good feel.

That said, its software and settings are pretty limited in scope beyond setting a steering angle, overall force feedback, and Logitech’s Trueforce intensity. You can fiddle with a few more things through the built-in small LCD screen, but it’s not the most in-depth range of choices. If you’re the type who prefers tinkering with every detail to maximise your settings, the RS50 may disappoint.

Force feedback

The Logitech RS50 is said to offer up to 8Nm of peak torque, putting it alongside boost kit versions of the Fanatec CSL DD/GT DD and right on the coattails of the Moza R9. Worth pointing out, a Thrustmaster T598 can leapfrog that with its overshoot tech, but falls short much of the time at 5Nm.

The detail of that feedback is key, though, and it’s certainly on par with the competition and didn’t appear to suffer with any thermal-related drop off in power through sustained use in our testing.

The RS50’s party trick is its Trueforce tech, which, in supported games, uses data taken from the games’ physics and audio to amplify existing feedback. In the case of the RS50, it’s a must-use, bringing out so much more detail and heightening the immersion.

With Logitech’s existing deployment of the tech in its popular G923 as well as the G Pro, it’s widely supported too.

Ecosystem

If you want to tinker with your rig, you may be feeling a little short-changed by Logitech’s offerings for the RS50. It’s compatible with the Racing Series add-ons introduced last year, with an RS Hub and Round Wheel included in certain packages, but the scope of options there is still limited.

Whereas Fanatec, Moza and Thrustmaster have several rim options, both self-designed and licensed with real car manufacturers, Logitech has very little of that right now and has been slow to introduce new kit. You can stick with a Round Wheel or go for a formula-style Track Wheel, as well as Momo versions of the two, but that’s about it for the time being.

There is a McLaren formula-style wheel in the works, too, but it’s a little underwhelming from what we’ve seen.

Price

At an RRP of £249.99 for the RS50 base alone (or £339.99 for PlayStation compatibility), it’s a keenly-priced thing. That’s generally £50 cheaper than a 5Nm Fanatec CSL DD or a Moza R9, although you will need to factor in the costs of a wheel and pedals if you don’t already have those.

Official bundles are pretty limited at the moment, with the sole option of the ‘RS50 System’ adding a wheel and hub, at a total of £599.99 for either Xbox or PlayStation compatible versions (both of which work on PC). Throw at least £119.99 for a set of Logitech RS pedals too, which you’ll need for console compatibility.

Verdict

If you’re a bit of a sim racing newbie with a good budget to spend, or fancy dipping your toes into direct drive without needing to faff around too much, the Logitech RS50 is a fantastic piece of kit. Its Trueforce implementation is a genuine stand-out feature, too.

What if you want a bit more customisation and control of your settings, though? We’d be looking towards Moza and Fanatec for a little more diversity.