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- 27 Aug 2012
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Ok, so I've had a chance to give the new T300RS a bit of a shake-down test and here are my impressions so far:
Having had a range of wheels through my hands over the years Thrustmaster's brand new T300RS is the latest and has come into my possession due to all my other wheels not being supported by the PS4. Prior to this I have been running a lightly modded Logitech G27 on both PS3 and PC.
To me, the T300RS is a bit of a mongrel, a high end wheel paired, as standard, with a set of lack-lustre pedals. The wheel itself is definitely a great bit of kit - it's belt driven, so nice and quiet, combined with a brushless motor which gives strong and responsive feedback. Also, I've been particularly impressed with the quality of the shift paddles, they are really crisp and positive compared to those on the Logitech G25 & G27. That goes for all the buttons and controls on the wheel, they all live up to the feel and build quality we have come to expect from Thrustmaster. It is a shame the wheel rim is finished in plastic as opposed to alcantara or similar but it does still feel nice in the hand and is not slippy. Being PS4 compatible, all the buttons from the DS4 are present with the exception of the touchpad which means you can set up and load your games without having to reach for the Dualshock.
I've used the wheel in Driveclub on PS4 and GT6 on PS3 and as long as you remember to switch mode on the wheel before connecting up there are no compatibility issues. Driveclub is actually quite good with a wheel, providing more feedback than I expected from a rather arcade sim. In GT6 though there is definately more going on with the wheel chattering constantly helping you to asses grip levels and traction.Weight is good without having to max out in the settings, though I do run Feedback Sensitivity at it's maximum.
So far, so good then. At least on par with the G27, that is until you look at the pedals. As alluded to earlier, they are decidedly basic alongside such a quality wheel. Firstly, there's only two of them, though few make use of a clutch so not a disaster perhaps. What worries me more is the build quality. Being a bloke I had to open them up and have a look (mainly with a view to modding the brake pedal to provide more/progressive feel) but once inside I was not impressed. These pedals have been build very much to a cost and I worry a little about how well they would put up with regular heavy use. There is next to no metal used in their construction and the thickness of the casing in places is definitely borderline to handle the potential stresses involved in their use. This need not be a problem for the more serious/deep pocketed gamer as the whole Thrustmaster range of accessories available are compatible with this wheel including T500 pedalsets and the new T3PA pedals though you will be forking out another £90 on top of the initial £300 that the wheel is available for if you shop around.
So, in conclusion, you get a fantastic wheel bundled with entry level pedals for your £300 starting point but you are then able to upgrade the whole system over time should you wish, from pedals with adjustable pressure through alternative rims including a replica Ferrari design and one of the best H pattern gear shifters on the market which is basically a good thing in my book. It's just a shame you can't (yet) buy the wheel on its own and choose the pedals you want from the start. For many casual racers, the standard pedals will be fine (they are better than some of the lower spec Logitech offerings), they just clearly don't match up to the quality of the wheel itself.
Wheel 4/5
Pedals 2.5/5
