Thrustmaster T300 RS (PS4 / PS3 / PC)

Physical impressions...This is the first gaming wheel I've ever owned. My first thought when taking it out the box was that the wheel itself was much smaller than I was expecting, nowhere near the diameter of a real life car - my Mercedes E-Class steering wheel is about 15 inch diameter. This T300RS wheel is approx 10.75 inches diameter. I can grip my fingers right around the rim and still touch my thumbs together in the middle! Easy to reach all the buttons, and even a child could use it no problem (despite the bizarre 16+ age limit printed on the box???) The removable wheel rim screws onto the base with a very secure locking collar and metal screw, and the wheel rotates a full 3 revolutions (1080 degrees.) The clamp underneath is completely removable, and pretty strong with vari-angle rubber feet. The jaws will open to about 8cm wide when fully loosened, but your table needs a flat front edge to mate with the "lip" under the base. It worked fine on my computer desk, but in the lounge, it was rather too low for comfortable use on my slightly wobbly coffee table, but I discovered it worked brilliantly on my Quik Lok WS/550 Spider-Style Height/Width Adjustable Large Keyboard/Mixer Stand folding keyboard stand (Quiklok WS550 = £89), as the Thrustmaster's clamp was able to tighten firmly against the 3cm square steel tube of the keyboard stand, and enjoy the benefit of 4 freely pivoting, adjustable-height legs, and therefore also could be setup sloping to any nice comfortable tilt angle for your hands, rather than just fixed onto a flat desk where the wheel slope is a fixed angle.The wheel motor spins 3 revs to self-calibrate whenever you turn PS3 on, off or start or stop a game, which does get a bit annoying, and may catch a young child's fingers - watch out! The force feedback is strong and powerful, although I'm not sure any real car actually feels as aggressive to handle as that.The pedals do slide around a bit on the floor, even on carpet, but they work well and you can hold them in place pressing your heel down. Proportional pedal activity is displayed onscreen in Gran Turismo, and brake spring feels far heavier than accelerator spring, which is good. Would have preferred 3 pedals perhaps, but I'm not gonna buy the expensive T3PA.The mains power cable to the base unit is 3 metres with a proprietary connector, and the USB cable (from base into PS3) is not even 2 metres and annoyingly hardwired into base end so cannot unplug, like the other cables. Onboard fan does make a little noise, but if you think of that sound and vibrations as the purr of your engine, it isn't bothersome, in game context.The T300RS can navigate all the PS3 menus (XMB and in-game menus) fine, and works well for playing some other games like PureChess just using this controller, although I do miss the joysticks for navigation and camera views within games. Why don't they put a little joystick on the wheel controls? There's certainly enough space!PS4I don't own a PS4. In the future, I may buy one (or the PS4 Slim?) and so I certainly wouldn't purchase any wheel that wasn't also PS4 compatible, which T300RS is. If PS4 could read all my PS3 discs, I would have bought PS4 already, but that put me off badly. Maybe Project Morpheus and better upcoming next-gen games will win me over...PS3I own PS3 and these are some games I own and have tested successfully with my Thrustmaster T300RS wheel... (Every driving game I've tried does work okay with it!)Gran Turismo 6 (PS3)Thrustmaster T300RS works perfectly, like it was made for it, with adjustable force feedback, 1080 degrees rotation and customisable button assignment in the menus. I set force feedback to 2 or 3 (out of 10 which is very strong!) and that's about right for comfortable use over long periods. Also suggest turning power steering on in game menu. GT6 has steering wheel menu options for "Thrustmaster T500RS" but that matches layout of T300RS also and everything works fine. The accelerator and brake pedals work as YES / NO buttons which speeds up menu navigation too.Gran Turismo 5: Academy Edition (PS3)T300RS works perfectly with 1080 degree rotation, adjustable force feedback (however I set this to 10 in GT5) and user customisable button assignment in the menus, with a slightly different range of functions than GT6, but the same compatible layout recognised as "T500RS" wheel in the menus. GT5 game is actually a better deal than newer GT6 version anyway, because GT5 includes 3D stereoscopic mode, and the Top Gear test track, which GT6 does not have. GT supports multiplayer vertical splitscreen racing (hand controllers or wheels or mixed) which is interesting for comparing the experience of the wheel vs the hand joystick simultaneously.Need For Speed: Shift (PS3)T300RS works for steering, pedals, and buttons so you can drive okay and enjoy the game, but force feedback does not work (is not supported by game.) Handset Controller "configuration 1" in the menus seems to work fine in default settings with the T300RS wheel. You get 1080 degree rotation, but it is heavier to turn the wheel beyond the central 180 degrees. There are no wheel specific menus, or ability to customise your buttons, and there is no reverse gear when using the wheel, but you can reset car with SE select button if you crash. Shift has amazing graphics, with more visceral realism, motion "shake" of car and scenery, better speed blur and gives me more sensation of high energy race excitement and adrenaline than Gran Turismo simulator, but the choice of cars is far less and it's only 720p rather than 1080p.Test Drive Unlimited 2 (PS3)T300RS works very well here. Force feedback works (off road vibration when you drive on the grass, etc.) and I like Force Feedback to High in this game. Rotation of wheel becomes limited to about 270 degrees instead of the full 1080 degrees, but that didn't bother me much. Steering sensitivity slider down to minimum in the game menu felt most natural on wheel, and best matched the interior view driver's hands. L2 button on hand controller does brake + reverse, but using wheel, the brake pedal only does brake, so annoyingly, you've got no reverse gear! You can always reset to the nearest road with circle button, but that's a nuisance if you're exploring deep into the countryside and you crash into a tree as the nearest road might be miles away!This is a beautiful game, the scenery is picturesque, but using the steering wheel without any camera joystick you really miss the ability to look around.Grand Theft Auto V (PS3)T300RS works as default for steering, pedals and buttons, and the brake pedal also does reverse, but force feedback does not work (not supported by game.) The wheel rotates 1080 degrees, but only the central 180 degrees seems to affect your car wheels, beyond that you're turning for no benefit. Steering feels over-enthusiastic and you tend to veer around and crash often (just like with the hand controller too!) and menus don't offer steering sensitivity. You'll need the DualShock 3 hand controller nearby to control your character on foot, to play the rest of this game, when not driving a vehicle, because you can't really do this from the wheel controller alone. Press PS button, go along XMB menu bar to Settings > Accessory Settings > Reassign Controllers and assign number 1 to the controller you're trying to use, then press X, then PS to return to game screen. This way, it takes less than 10 seconds to swap back and forth between DualShock 3 hand control, or steering wheel control whenever you like. SE select to change view works, and most buttons, so you can shoot while driving, but you can't really aim or look around with camera, so many tasks are better with hand control, so maybe the wheel is only worth it for extended driving periods. Some vehicles, like helicopter or aeroplanes, are very tricky to fly via wheel because you no longer have the Left joystick Y axis for pitch / yaw control.You can spawn a helicopter almost anywhere by tapping in cheat code: circle, circle, L1, circle, circle, circle, L1, L2, R1, triangle, circle, triangle.L.A. Noire (PS3)T300RS works as default for steering, buttons and pedals (brake also does reverse) but no force feedback in this game. Reassign the controllers to swap between wheel and DualShock3 hand control whenever you're on foot. Basically, very similar to GTA5 above (also Rockstar game) with similar LA map environment and driving experiences, except set in the 1940's, and the car steering is even more hairy - it just doesn't wanna go in a straight line! Up arrow changes view. Cool, slick, stylish game with old black 'n' white movie mode.Midnight Club LA - Complete Platinum Edition (PS3)T300RS needed customised control button re-map in the menus to eventually work, but it was good fun after that. At first, by default, the wheel's buttons work, but pedals and steering made the camera look left / right, and I found the game control menu had "Steering Wheel" options, but they remained greyed out and I couldn't select them, even with T300RS attached. However, Customize Controls for handset allowed me to re-assign steering to Left stick, accelerator to R2, brakes to L2 and it then worked fine. There is no force feedback in this game either, 1080 degree rotation is more than required for the car's wheels, but the steering touch is much more forgiving. I used the flappy paddles for camera Left / Right and holding both gave rear view. The game has very similar LA environment map to GTA5, with "Hollywood" rather than "Vinewood" on the hillside (vs "Hollywoodland" in the 1940's LA Noire) and is like a PG rated version of GTA5, without the swearing or the body count, as pedestrians just run out of your way.Motorstorm Apocalypse (PS3)T300RS works for steering, pedals, and buttons but force feedback does not work (is not supported by game) and there is considerable turning resistance all the time, so the steering feels very heavy, but you can still drive okay using it. Nice game in 3D, it's rather repetitive but quite addictive race game, and supports side by side or vertical splitscreen multiplayer modes, and allows wheel vs hand controller racing too.Other games...Red Dead Redemption - Yes folks, I can steer my horse with the steering wheel! Yee haw."Uncharted" Series, 007 Legends, etc.There's occasional bits of car driving in these games, but I'd just stick with the hand controller, rather than keep swapping over, to be honest. You'd need to keep reassigning buttons and it gets too complicated to remember everything.Summary - Is it worth buying T300RS...?Mmm, it's very expensive, but you do get PS4 and PS3 compatibility, powerful force feedback (for the few games that support it), full 1080 degree turning, 16 bit position tracking (very smooth and accurate) and solid build quality. For parents, looking for an economical wheel for kids to play with occasionally, maybe Thrustmaster T80 Driveclub Edition Racing Wheel (PS4/ PS3) is better deal at £69 - it lacks force feedback, and only turns approx 90 degrees left or right, but gives 95% of the essential fun factor for a fraction of the cost and is PS4 and PS3 compatible. But if you're seriously considering buying a nice luxury £299 wheel like this for yourself, chances are you've played hours of Grand Turismo, and you'll enjoy getting far more hours of quality use out of this gadget than spending 2x or 3x times the money, on say, another expensive lens for your DSLR that you'll only use once in a blue moon!First time using the wheel, the whole game feels totally new and different to everything you know on the thumb joystick. You cannot instantly go full-lock left to full-lock right, like you can with your thumb, because it's now 3 complete wheel revolutions, and you can't lay back and relax in sofa like a lazy couch potato, you have to sit upright and move your arm and leg muscles, and after a few hours, your ankles get a bit uncomfortable on the pedals, etc. but the sheer immersion into the game and the hands-on feeling of "I'm in control" is unsurpassed. It utterly transforms driving simulator games, if that's what you play a lot of, but for games like GTA5 you could live without it and just use the hand control, but it's nice to know it does work anyway - in fact, it's worked on every single PS3 game I've tried.It's a big ugly lump to store in your home when you're not using it, but everybody you know who sees it will want to have a little go! Even your wife / girlfriend / parents who always hated Playstation games before can now easily steer round the track accurately and enjoy the fun, instead of crashing all the time. It makes a great second controller for 2 player racing as well. I just wish it had a thumb joystick built in for the camera views. Essential purchase, no, but gallons of fun, yes! This is my personal experience / opinion, so as for any user review of driving accessory, your mileage may vary...!!!

Having never owned one of these wheels (and wanting one since I was a teenager!) I decided to take the plunge but was sceptical how good the force feedback would be. The feedback is quite strong and gives brilliant accuracy when played F1 on the PS4. The build quality of the wheel is solid. The buttons feel good but only tiny gripe I have is the clicking of the paddle shifters is a bit loud. Even being gentle with the shifters doesn’t help as it seems like the switch mechanism itself is making the loud clicking noise.The cooling fans aren’t too noisy and I would advise leaving the wheel on when you’re finishing gaming until the fans have stopped. This will help prolong the life of the motors.The controls are accurate straight out of the box and I didn’t have to do any configuration at all. For playing F1 games the feedback definitely helps improve your times as you can feel if you’re about to lose grip on the track and save yourself from a nasty spin!

The wheel is fantastic, Really versatile with how users wish to set them up dependant on the purpose you intend to use it for. I have it clamped to my university desk currently and the clamping system is fantastic, solid and really easy to apply (Video's are on YT). In my case I'm currently using it for PC Sim racing until my Project Cars LE comes in March. The firmware updates were easy to do and the profiler is a really useful base level introduction as to how the wheel feels with the opportunity to test how the FFB feels dependant on the settings you have.Then in the sim I'm using the calibration was easy to do with the wheel and the freedom to choose how heavy you want the wheel to be (Damping) and FFB was easy however does take some fine tuning as every car is different and of course also relates to the settings you have in your T300RS profiler as well as the in game options so beware on that! It also gives a bar for clipping which is where the FFB is being over worked so allows you to know where the optimal ranges are and of course that's for every individual taste and specification. I hope it shall be a similar process for the PS4 & Project Cars when that's released.The problems: - Pedals:I'm a disabled driver using an automatic so for me I only use my R foot to alternate between the two pedals. The issue as many T300RS users would I'm sure of experienced by now is the brake is not progressive. so in order to apply even a little brake it requires to be pushed down a lot and I felt the pedal was rather heavy for a brake. Also unless mounted it can be very difficult to use with regards to the base lifting up especially when fully pressing down on the pedals I have experimented with options to try and secure them but have yet been unsuccessful in finding a good method. I'm going to look at alternative pedals for this system given these issues I experienced but everything else was second to none I have owned wheels in the past and I don't think there are better options available for this price in the market at this time.Asides from the pedals the system is a great purchase and whilst alternatives are available I'm very pleased with both the product and Amazon service I received during the ordering process.

Awesome wheel upgraded from my Logitech dfgt because of ps4 compatibilityThe pedals,Took some getting used to as they are a lot stiffer and feel more realistic but there was a slight dead-zone about 10-15% travel of the accelerator pedal did nothing. I tried to adapt but could ne get to grips with this issue on f1 2014 ended up taking the pedals apart and resetting the cog. This was easy to do and fixed the problem 100%. Also a good thing is the wire from the pedals and be channelled underneath and exit from left or right of the base plate. There is also mounting holes to bolt them in place.The steering wheel,The feel of the wheel is awesome the paddle shifters feel like quality when shifting making a lot better that my Logitech homemade paddle shifters, the force feedback is awesome quite strong and silent compared to the dfgt. The clamp could be better as the clamp would occasionally flex and the wheel would lift up slightly when fighting the feedback (only on driveclub on 100% feedback very minor) The wheel can be bolted down with 2 M6 machine screws I have a gamepod gt2 race chair and its bolted to that nicely.The wheel and the pedals are good Yeah I guess they are expensive but atm without an alternative force feedback wheel on the market a defo worthy upgrade on my Logitech dfgt and I am happy with my purchase

What can i say!! Ive had and used a few different types of wheels over the years but nothing comes close to the performance this beast delivers, ive probably played 6hrs on drive club and my arms n wrists n legs are done!! what a workout compared to sitting there with a controller...The force feedback is awesome quite strong so strong it could break a kids arm or wrist but hey kids stay away from a mans gaming wheel full stop...This t300rs has changed my racing games big time it's.Pedals are good not the best but good to jump rite in and are robust to last...the sad thing i was hoping was a 3 pedal set with clutch but you can upgrade to other fancy pedal set as this t300rs is compatible with most of the thrustmaster add-ons etc. Gear shifter/rims/pedals so on. The main body is not to heavy the fan is quite too. ultra smooth feel awesome feedback..Overall this is a bit steep on price but heck this is so so cool bit of gaming kit, well made feels good...You know you want one..... you will not regret this perchase.