Thrustmaster T300RS GT Version: One-minute assessment
The Thrustmaster T300RS GT Version is a belt-driven racing wheel designed for PlayStation and PC. Contemplating it’s a GT Version, this isn’t probably the most auspicious wanting racing wheel. Its quite plain design isn’t helped by the dearth of coloration. Nevertheless, the leatherette materials provides a contact of sophistication and seems to be hard-wearing.
The pedals additionally really feel sturdy, and have loads of changes. Nevertheless, the bottom can slide round on clean flooring, so rugs and carpets are finest.
Putting in the wheel base on a desk is considerably of a problem, owing to the stiff fastening screw (at the very least on the unit I had), requiring some lubrication to make it simpler. It’s additionally fairly heavy, which suggests you’ll have to carry it in place whereas fixing it to a desk. The clamping mechanism can also be fairly clunky, because it’s liable to shifting out of place whereas putting in, and will get in the way in which of the deal with on the fastening screw.
As soon as put in, it’s best to be careful for the self-calibration process that takes place as quickly as you energy it on, because the wheel spins rapidly and forcefully. Fortunately, that is the one type of setup when utilizing the T300 RS GT Version with a PS5 – as you’ll anticipate from an formally licensed PlayStation product.
Issues have been a little bit tougher on PC, although. The software program instrument doesn’t really feel probably the most fashionable, and it took a number of restarts to run accurately and replace the firmware efficiently. Nevertheless, it does provide the settings and tweaks you’ll anticipate of one of many best racing wheels, together with quite a few pressure suggestions choices.
The T300RS GT Version performs effectively in sure areas, however not so effectively in others. The steering is exact sufficient, and the pedals provide sufficient resistance with out being too arduous. There’s an optionally available conical cease you may set up behind the brake pedal to lend a special sense of suggestions, however I discovered this restricted journey an excessive amount of – which I discovered a tad too brief to start with.
The wheel also can really feel very notchy, particularly initially of rotations; most noticeable when making the gradual, gradual actions you may when taking part in extra sedate driving sims. The paddles aren’t damped effectively sufficient both, feeling a little bit harsh in use.
Whereas the button choice is nice for PlayStation customers, it’s a disgrace there are not any rotary knobs for typical on-the-fly racing changes. And on PC, some buttons didn’t work in my expertise, though fairly the place the blame lies on this entrance isn’t precisely clear.
All of those are disappointments for a wheel of this worth. The Thrustmaster T248, for example, is significantly cheaper, but we predict it’s one of the best racing wheel general because of its glorious performance-to-price ratio. You possibly can in fact spend much more on a racing wheel, such because the Thrustmaster T-GT II, however we predict that is one of the best premium racing wheel round, because it rivals direct drive wheels – the zenith of racing wheel expertise.
Thrustmaster T300RS GT Version: Value and availability
- $449.99 / £379.99 (about AU$725)
- Obtainable now in a single coloration
- Some rivals are cheaper
The T300RS GT Version prices $449.99 / £379.99 (about AU$725) and is out there now in a single colorway. It comes with a pedal set however not an exterior shifter, though one could be related.
This makes it fairly much more costly than the Thrustmaster T248, our decide as one of the best racing wheel general. This wheel gives equally good pedals and we favored the pressure suggestions with sure video games, however once more we had some points with the steering really feel.
If you need a extra luxurious belt-driven expertise, then the Thrustmaster T-GT II is without doubt one of the finest on this class, and comes near rivaling state-of-the-art direct drive wheels. We nonetheless discovered the rotation wasn’t as seamless because it might be, although, and it’s significantly dearer than the T300RS GT Version.
Thrustmaster T300RS GT Version: Specs
| Value | $449.99 / £379.99 (about AU$725) |
| Weight | 20lbs / 9kg |
| Peak torque | Not said |
| Options | Fast launch wheel, three-pedal base |
| Connection sort | USB-A |
| Compatibility | PS3, PS4, PS5, PC |
| Software program | Thrustmaster Management Panel |
Thrustmaster T300RS GT Version assessment: Design and options
- Plain appears
- Violent self-calibration
- Helpful software program
The T300RS GT Version cuts a quite bland determine, with a monochromatic colorway and a lackluster wheel design that fails to encourage or excite. Contemplating that is the variant formally licensed by PlayStation and the Gran Turismo collection, I used to be anticipating one thing a little bit extra particular.
The pedals are equally plain, though the steel heads do lend a component of sophistication. There’s additionally an optionally available conical cease, which could be screwed in behind the brake pedal to supply a special stage of resistance.
The wheel has a passable really feel to it, being neither too thick nor too skinny. The leatherette end feels hard-wearing however gives little in the way in which of padding. There’s additionally some perforation to assist with grip, and I had no situation dealing with it securely.
Thrustmaster doesn’t give a weight for the wheel base alone, but it surely’s fairly heavy with a bias in direction of the entrance, which may make set up a little bit tough. The pedal base, however, is far lighter, which is usually a drawback for these with low-friction flooring, as I did discover it was liable to sliding until I had a carpet or rug beneath.
Set up wasn’t probably the most seamless expertise. The wheel attaches to the bottom comparatively simply, requiring a number of turns of the Fast Launch ring earlier than tightening a small screw to safe it in place. Nevertheless, attaching the bottom to a desk is extra awkward. The fastening screw within the unit I had didn’t thread easily, requiring some lubrication to get it working accurately.
You need to maintain the wheel up whilst you connect it, as it would fall forwards in any other case. This implies tightening the fastening screw one-handed, or utilizing your chest to prop it up whilst you flip it with each palms, which is the tactic I most well-liked. The deal with for turning the screw saved getting in the way in which of the attachment system used to clamp the bottom to the desk, which is an annoying design flaw. What’s extra, this attachment system is liable to rotating out of place while fastening – one other irksome fault.
The pedals do have a delightful variety of changes, made simply utilizing the included Allen key. You possibly can regulate the peak, angle, and spacing, though I might’ve favored a wider vary for the latter, as I discovered my legs have been all the time too shut collectively, however this might be a private gripe not shared by others.
The self-calibration for the wheel begins as quickly because the T300RS GT Version is powered on and plugged in, and it took me abruptly: it’s sudden and fairly forceful, so be certain that to maintain your palms fully away from the wheel.
In an effort to regulate varied calibration and pressure suggestions settings, the Thrustmaster Management Panel for Home windows is required. This failed to put in on first strive for me, though a few restarts appeared to repair the difficulty. The identical was true of a required firmware replace, however this was profitable in the long run.
As soon as up and working, the Thrustmaster Management Panel gives lots of the regular customization choices you’d anticipate of a racing wheel. You possibly can set the utmost rotation angle and make a number of pressure suggestions changes, with static settings for the fixed and periodic forces, in addition to dynamic ones for the spring and damper results. All these are simple to make because of the essential structure of the UI.
I had no drawback connecting the T300RS GT Version to a PS5, making it as simple to make use of because the best PS5 racing wheels on the market. The button structure on the wheel can also be just like a controller, which makes navigation easy. It’s a disgrace, nonetheless, that there are not any rotary dials, helpful for adjusting widespread racing settings reminiscent of traction management and brake steadiness.
Thrustmaster T300RS GT Version assessment: Efficiency
- Balanced pedal really feel
- Notchy steering
- Overly robust pressure suggestions
The T300RS GT Version gives a combined efficiency. The steering feels correct and exact, though the paddles have been too clicky for my liking, missing the satisfying motion higher damped switches provide.
The pedals present sufficient resistance to allow you to really feel how your inputs translate in-game, but gentle sufficient to make them simple to press with out fatigue. The clutch pedal gives simply the correct amount of journey; whereas I might’ve most well-liked a bit extra for the brake pedal, it nonetheless gives sufficient management. It’s additionally reassuringly weighted, though I discovered the optionally available conical cease added an excessive amount of resistance, and additional decreased the already-wanting journey.
Nevertheless, my chief grip with the T300RS GT Version is the notchy really feel of the steering wheel. It doesn’t matter what you do with the settings within the Management Panel, that is all the time current. I discovered it notably noticeable when making small actions near the middle of the axis, which you’re more likely to do in slower-paced driving sims, versus outright racing sims.
The opposite settings out there within the Management Panel do make a distinction to efficiency. There’s loads of scope throughout the pressure suggestions for many avid gamers to search out the precise setup. The utmost setting was far too robust for me, with the wheel being too arduous to show and flailing wildly when dropping traction in-game. Because of this, I most well-liked having the general power setting fairly low, at about 15%.
The buttons on the wheel all carry out effectively sufficient, however don’t match the premium really feel of these on the best PC controllers. I did have a difficulty with the POV hat failing to work with some PC video games, however this might’ve been a fault with the sport quite than with the enter itself.
Ought to I purchase the Thrustmaster T300RS GT Version?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Additionally contemplate…
If the T300RS GT Version would not sound best for you, then check out these glorious options.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Thrustmaster T300RS GT Version | Thrustmaster T-GT II | Thrustmaster T248 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $449.99 / £379.99 (about AU$725) | $799.99 / £699.99 (about AU$1,211.99) | $129.99 / £129.99 (about AU$249) |
| Weight | 20lbs / 9kg | 29 lb / 13,150 g | 6 lb / 2,700 g |
| Peak torque | Not said | Approx. 6Nm | 3.5Nm |
| Options | Fast launch wheel, three-pedal base | Removable wheel, three-pedal base | Three FF modes, on-wheel show, three-pedal base |
| Connection sort | USB-A | USB-A | USB-A |
| Compatibility | PS3, PS4, PS5, PC | PlayStation 5, PC | PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC |
How I examined the Thrustmaster T300RS GT Version
- Examined for one week
- Used on PC and PS5
- Plentiful racing sim expertise
I examined the T300RS GT Version for a couple of week, throughout which era I used it on PC and PS5. I put in it myself and made positive to regulate as many {hardware} and software program settings as doable, reminiscent of pedal positioning and pressure suggestions. Sadly, I wasn’t capable of check the T300RS GT Version with an exterior shifter.
I performed Gran Turismo 7 on PS5 and Assetto Corsa on PC – two two-tier racing sims on their respective platforms. I additionally performed American Truck Simulator to check the wheel for slower, extra managed steering and pedal actions.
I’ve been gaming for over 25 years, with racing sims being one among my favourite genres. I play quite a few titles throughout varied sub-categories reminiscent of F1, touring automobile racing, and rallying.
First reviewed January 2025
Source link
