Costing £550 and with Ferrari branding to boot, is the Thrustmaster T500 F1 the ultimate gaming wheel? We go hands on with a number of gaming titles to find out.
Product On Review: Thrustmaster Ferrari F1 Wheel T500Street Price: £550 from Amazon
Last year, Codemasters obtained the rights to produce a Formula One racing game, and in September 2010, F1 2010 was released to the general public – going down a storm. However, there was a massive gap in the market for an F1 style wheel with which the game could be played. A few, smaller outfits produced bespoke G25/G27 F1 add-ons, but these were expensive and tricky to fit.
So with the launch of F1 2011, Thrustmaster obviously thought it was about time something was done about this. Based in Italy, home of arguably the most famous and globally recognized F1 outfit, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the wheel was modeled on that of the 150 Italia – Ferrari’s 2011 entrant into the Formula One World Championship.
A gaming wheel isn’t all about the looks though – performance is a massive talking point too, and this wheel certainly doesn’t disappoint. With the back end and pedals taken from the highly rated T500RS, it should have all the tricks of the trade required to keep even the most avid racing fans satisfied.
Here’s a little snippet on the Thrustmaster Ferrari F1 Wheel:
– Full size replica of the Ferrari 2011 F1 racing wheel, the “Ferrari 150th Italia”.
– Designed to provide unmatched realistic F1 simulation to the most demanding gamers.
– Replica wheel manufactured with brushed metal and rubber textured handles for improved comfort.
– Authentic brushed metal F1 sequential gearshift levers allow smooth gear changing controls.
– Features 2 rotary knobs, 3 metal switches, 8 professional action buttons and 2 responsive D-pads.
– Allows two available games modes for compatability with Playstation 3 and PC.
– New Hall Effect AccuRate Technology (H.E.A.R.T) steering provides precise in-game movements.
– Magnetic sensor technology elminates friction and mechanical wear allowing for longer product life.
– Wheel features realistic Force Feedback with powerful industrial motor and quick responding mechanism.
– Designed to provide unmatched realistic F1 simulation to the most demanding gamers.
– Replica wheel manufactured with brushed metal and rubber textured handles for improved comfort.
– Authentic brushed metal F1 sequential gearshift levers allow smooth gear changing controls.
– Features 2 rotary knobs, 3 metal switches, 8 professional action buttons and 2 responsive D-pads.
– Allows two available games modes for compatability with Playstation 3 and PC.
– New Hall Effect AccuRate Technology (H.E.A.R.T) steering provides precise in-game movements.
– Magnetic sensor technology elminates friction and mechanical wear allowing for longer product life.
– Wheel features realistic Force Feedback with powerful industrial motor and quick responding mechanism.
Of particular note is the PC/PS3 compatibility, which could be very handy for owners of both systems. The H.E.A.R.T feature also sounds interesting and will hopefully lead to an impressive performance.
So without further ado, lets take a close look at the wheel itself…
In the flesh
The Thrustmaster arrived in a weighty box, full of goodies. Moving from left to right, top to bottom we have: The pedals, wheel, power cable, desk clamp (piece 1), power adapter, realistic brake mod, desk clamp (piece 2), instruction manual and literature.
First impression of the wheel: heavy. It’s all incredibly sturdy and clearly built to last; there’s absolutely no flex in the wheel whatsoever. It’s a shame that a few of the knobs on the wheel are imitation, but on the whole it looks and feels just like (I’d expect) the real version to be. The rubber grips fit the hand extremely well and the wheel is very comfortable to hold.
On the face of the wheel there is a total of 8 buttons, 3 momentary switches, 2 D-Pads and 2 scroll wheels. There is also a further 2 buttons on the motor housing. All of them have a nice, solid feel to them, in particularly the scroll wheels which have a nice ‘notchy’ action. My only (minor) gripe is that the buttons can twist – meaning that their labels are not always upright.
From behind we can see two sets of paddles – one set for the original T500RS wheel (not included), and the second set for the F1 wheel. Both can be individually programmed and used simulataneously. I’m a big fan of the F1 paddles, as both sides are connected/are a single piece. This means you can shift down/up by pushing/pulling a single paddle. They have a nice, positive action; with a noticeable click informing you the motion has been registered.
Moving onto the pedals – and what an impressive piece of kit they are. The pedals come floor mounted, but can be inverted, so they hang ‘GT style’. For the purpose of todays review though, we will be using them in the stock, floor mounted flavour.
Metal has been used all over, and not the flimsy kind either – this is all properly thick and rigid. There’s absolutely no sideways movement present in the pedals and all 3 are easily adjustable for different distances between them.
In the flesh – Continued
The ‘Realistic Brake Mod’ is also included in the box, and is a clever contraption. As the brake pedal doesn’t use a load cell, the pressure required throughout the pedals motion is the same, making it hard to tell exactly how much braking force you are applying. The brake mod changes this, and by using a spring/rubber pad combination creates a pressure variation. For any G25 fans out there, they will know this is very similar to how the Nixim brake mod works.
The included desk clamp is very simple to install and serves its purpose well. A single thread is used for adjustment which pulls in two arms, holding the wheel nice and securely to the desk.
Side-by-side with the G25, you can see the extra size of the Thrustmaster. It’s not noticeably bigger in any single direction, but overall it is a much chunkier unit.
It’s a similar story with the pedals. Compared to the plastic of the G25’s pedals the Thrustmasters look very industrial and a lot more solid.
Test Setup
As an avid motorsport fan since my early years, I’ve been buying the top gaming titles for years. From Colin Mcrae Rally 2.0 to rFactor, there’s not many I haven’t tried.
For a couple of years now I’ve been a G25 user, an extremely well regarded and popular choice within the gaming community. Not content with how the wheel is as standard, I’ve performed the Nixim Brake mod and installed a Leo Bodnar DFP Pedal Controller. These mods both add to the realism of the setup, and mean it should give the Thrustmaster some tough competition.
I will primarily be testing the wheels in F1 2011, as that’s would appear to be the intended market for the Thrustmaster wheel. However, most would expect a £500 wheel to also perform in other titles, so I will be giving it a thorough going over in Race07 (with all the latest track and car packs), rfactor and Ferrari Virtual Academy. The test rig for the gaming will be as follows:
Hardware:
AMD Phenom X6 1090T @ 4GHz (water-cooled),
8GB Corsair Dominator RAM @ 1600MHz – 8-8-8-24,
120GB OCZ Vertex SSD,
Asus Crosshair IV Formula (water-cooled),
2x Asus Radeon 5870’s in Xfire (water-cooled),
1000w Cougar PSU,
3x Dell P2310H Monitors in Eyefinity 5760×1080.
AMD Phenom X6 1090T @ 4GHz (water-cooled),
8GB Corsair Dominator RAM @ 1600MHz – 8-8-8-24,
120GB OCZ Vertex SSD,
Asus Crosshair IV Formula (water-cooled),
2x Asus Radeon 5870’s in Xfire (water-cooled),
1000w Cougar PSU,
3x Dell P2310H Monitors in Eyefinity 5760×1080.
Wheels
Logitech G25 w/Nixim Mod & Leo Bodnar Pedal Controller
Thurstmaster Ferrari F1 T500
Logitech G25 w/Nixim Mod & Leo Bodnar Pedal Controller
Thurstmaster Ferrari F1 T500
Installing the software for the wheel was a simple process, and only took a matter of minutes. The software package isn’t quite as polished as its’ Logitech counter-parts, and lacks the ability to set individual game profiles – but all the fundamentals were there.
Testing
Firing the wheel up for the first time, something became immediately obvious – the drive system is a lot, lot quieter and smoother than that inside the G25. It’s far less intrusive, and was unnoticeable in-game (unlike the G25, which often can be). However, due to all the power going through the Thrustmasters drive system, things do get hot. A fan activates after a while, which isn’t the quietest fan I’ve ever heard. It brings the noise level of the wheel up quite considerably, and would certainly cause annoyance if you were trying to game quietly/late at night.To start off with, all the forces were left at their default setting and the power of the wheel was mightily impressive. Piling into the wall on Race07 nearly took my thumb off – clearly something needed to be adjusted. After a few hours of tweaking and playing around, I found some that I got on with and began testing.
It didn’t take me long to get to grips with the feel of the wheel, and in no time I was setting times close to what I had achieved with my G25. After a few more hours, I was fully adjusted to the feel of the wheel and boy was I impressed. As expected, the overall effect of the force feedback is the same, but it’s in the smaller details that the Thrustmaster really shines.
Smaller forces with the G25 aren’t particularly great – the geared nature of the internal drive makes it a little rattily, reducing the immersion and feel you get from the smaller motions, such as going over a curb. With the Thrustmaster, everything is handled perfectly, massively increasing immersion and making it so much more rewarding when you hook up a corner, feeling the slight bump of the curb beneath.
The power of the unit is also beneficial. You can really fight the car/force feedback. Don’t get me wrong, the G25 is still pretty powerful, but going back to it having used the Thrustmaster, makes it feel a bit like a kiddies toy. The weight and feel of the steering forces just isn’t there.
There’s also all the buttons and F1 style layout of the Thrustmaster that really lend it to F1 games. I can’t tell you how nice it was to have so many controls at my disposal. Using KERS and DRS in F1 2011 and Ferrari Virtual Academy was so simple and easy. I managed to bind every single control I needed in the test games to a button on the wheel – with buttons to spare. It doesn’t just have a lot of buttons; it has a lot of usable buttons, making it a real joy to use. The wheel is incredibly comfortable and easy to grip – even after a few hours of use I had no problems whatsoever.
Pedals
To begin with I used the pedals without the realistic brake mod installed. The movement of the pedals is incredibly smooth, and they’re all firmly held in place, with no movement side to side to cause annoyance.
In games, I’d put the pedals on par with stock G25 pedals in terms of precision, but slightly behind the Leo Bodnar modded G25 set I was comparing too. The difference is fairly minimal, but with the Leo Bodnar set I just felt there was a little more precision.
Having tried the pedals without the realistic brake mod for a while, I thought it was about time I installed it and gave it a go. In terms of feel, it’s almost identical to the Nixim brake mod I had installed on the G25 Pedal Set. Considering how bulky the pedal set is, it probably comes as no surprise that they handled the extra load being put through them without a fuss – no squeaks or strain-related noises were omitted.
The pedals were incredibly comfortable, with the spacing between them working well for me (although they can also be adjusted). I have large feet (size 11), but again, the pedals were pretty much spot on height wise for me.
Conclusion
Overall then, the Thrustmaster T500 F1 wheel is a very, very impressive piece of kit. It’s got powerful, precise force feedback, far superior to anything I’ve used before. It’s also very comfortable, looks the part, is solidly built and highly customisable.My only real gripes are that the knobs on the face of the wheel are only imitation (and a poor one at that) and that the fan is pretty noisy. Whether a future firmware update will address that I don’t know, but it was more intrusive than I would have liked.
But how much does this actually affect the gameplay, and is it worth the £550 asking price?
Well, as with anything, it depends on the scenario. If you’re a first timer to the world of sim racing, I would suggest you start off with something like the Logitech Driving Force GT or maybe even a Logitech G25. These wheels are more than capable of satisfying even the most dedicated sim racer.
If however, you’ve got the money, have been sim-racing for a number of years and perhaps feel you’ve out grown your current wheel and are looking for something special, then the Thrustmaster is an excellent choice. As with many things, if you want the best then you have to pay a premium and the Thrustmaster is no different, but if you take the plunge you won’t be disappointed.
In summary then, the Thrustmaster T500 F1 is an awesome wheel, which if you can stomach the price, is worth a very serious look. It’s my pleasure to award it the Vortez.net Gold award.
Pros:
+ Excellent Build Quality
+ Highly customisable
+ Powerful, Precise Force feedback
+ Looks amazing
+ Makes gaming even more immersive
+ Thoughtful inclusion of ‘Realistic Brake mod’
Cons:
– Price
– Fan noise
– Some of the switches are imitation
+ Excellent Build Quality
+ Highly customisable
+ Powerful, Precise Force feedback
+ Looks amazing
+ Makes gaming even more immersive
+ Thoughtful inclusion of ‘Realistic Brake mod’
Cons:
– Price
– Fan noise
– Some of the switches are imitation
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Thrustmaster for providing today’s review sample.
