Thrustmaster T150 Force Feedback wheel and pedal set is compatible with the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC and brings a price tag of £169.99.
Officially licensed for PS4 and PS3, the T150 is “designed with players in mind” and includes a PS4-certified embedded software allowing it to be automatically recognized on the console, as well as a built-in PS4/PS3 sliding switch so you can easily move from one system to another.
The wheel is 11″ in diameter and an emphasis has been placed on ergonomic design, “with quick and easy access to the 13 action buttons, the D-Pad, the official PlayStation 4 buttons, and the two large, 100% metal wheel-mounted sequential paddle shifters (5″ tall).” For the pedals, each includes an adjustable angle of inclination, as well as progressive resistance on the brake pedal.
The technical specs are;
- 1080° Force Feedback featuring Immersion TouchSense technology
- Rotation angle adjustable from 270° to 1080°
- Optical position reading with 12-bit resolution (4096 values on the wheel’s steering axis)
- Mixed belt-pulley and gears transmission system
- Metal ball-bearing axle
There is obviously a market out there for an entry level, force feedback wheel that has the features of the higher end wheels but will not cost a small fortune to acquire. Thrustmaster took this challenge to heart and developed the T150 Force Feedback Wheel. The company laid out a solid wishlist for the wheel, and worked to develop a product that would not break the bank. This of course has lead to design decisions that help to reduce the cost of the product, but know that the functionality matches that of higher end products.
The steering wheel has electric Playstation blue rubber grip panels that not only look good but feel really comfortable in hand. One of the issues with previous racing wheels can be after a period of time racing your hands begin to build up a sweat issue and this can be a major issue whilst racing later on. A key feature that Thrustmaster have designed this time around is a simple switch to allow PS3 and Ps4 owners to slide over. The price tag of £169,99 is a lot of money, but Thrustmaster have made sim racing fans able to purchase a wheel that is on par with any other racing wheel even with a £400-500 price range bracket. The steering not only works well but feels very realistic when using with games like Project Cars and Driveclub.
Attaching the Thrustmaster T150 force feedback to a desk or table is very simple. The clamp is easy to tighten and offers a lot of grip. You do not have to worry that the control shifts suddenly. The pedals are rubber strips mounted on the underside in order to keep things in place. The pedals do not have a certain resistance that you would have in a real car, but are easy to press to the end point.
The pedal is easy to connect to the wheel. It is a matter of the cable into the appropriate slot on the back of the handlebar plugs, and you’re ready to go. If you look closely at the standard of the Thrustmaster T150 Force Feedback, then you notice that the racing wheel supports two ports.
That’s because Thrustmaster steering wheel made compatible with some of the accessories available. So you can replace the standard pedals by T3PA and T3PA-PRO pedal sets, also next to the gas and brake add a clutch pedal. This in combination with the TH8A-shifter, the Thrustmaster T150 Force feedback is suddenly a very professional package.
Thus T3PA (-PRO) pedal adds a clutch pedal, which you can bet so to make even more realistic experience. The TH8A-shifter there than actually belongs. This is namely a gear lever which you can attach to your table, and replaces the gear flaps on the steering wheel.
Plug and Play – Connecting on both consoles is simple. You turn the wheel in the correct mode (PS3 or PS4), plug the USB cable into your console and steering wheel calibrates itself automatically. After this the control to be used as a controller in the game. Even then there are no problems, because all the games recognize the wheel without problems Testing the wheel with the PlayStation 4 was easy and quick, we tried Driveclub and Project Cars which proved to start with no issues at all. Impressed? we sure was.
The wheel can be completely calibrated, the angle of the handlebar can be adjusted (with a minimum of 270 degrees and a maximum of 1080 degrees), and the force feedback feel different with each car. It’s like you’re dealing with real cars, and that really plays super cool. This feeling you get of course at all tested games, but Project CARS brings this feeling most strongly upwards.
The Thrustmaster T150 Force Feedback is all in all a great set for the price at which it is offered. You get a steering wheel house that feels solid for 180 euros, giving a good force feedback, is to set their own desire, and above all, easy working with PlayStation consoles. Unfortunately, the T150 Xbox gamers need to pass it by.
But every race fan with a PlayStation 3 or 4 should achieve this control in your home. The pedals are perhaps not the best on the market, but you can always upgrade to the T3PA (PRO) set. Throw additionally a TH8A-shifter in, and your simulator setup is complete. With the T150, you create a solid foundation for your racing career, you can build in the future.
To purchase this wheel please visit Thrustmaster Direct
