Hardware

Ever since the Copper Box event for Gran Turismo Sport last May, fans have been eager to learn more about the mysterious Thrustmaster wheel that was on display. We’ve now got a closer look at what to expect — but not, crucially, when we can experience it ourselves.

In the market for a racing seat and still can’t get enough of Codemasters’ DiRT Rally? Sparco Gaming and Codemasters have teamed up to create this lavish (and very loud!) racing office chair, suitable for even the most avid sim racer.

News has arrived out of Germany that Fanatec’s older racing wheel base, the ClubSport Wheel Base V2, has received a makeover and has been upgraded to V2.5. Even though the technology inside hasn’t been completely altered, the V2.5 does feature some noticeable improvements.

Sim-racing accessory manufacturer Next Level Racing has announced their latest competitor on the market of versatile rigs — the F1GT Simulator Cockpit. By allowing highly adjustable settings for both Formula 1 and GT style of racing, drivers will be able to find the best setup for immersion, regardless of what and where they drive.

The latest in high-end racing wheel technology will be coming to the Fanatec line of wheels, according to a post by the company’s CEO on the private iRacing forums. ‘Direct Drive’ has been the focus of much attention in the sim racing peripheral space recently and Thomas Jackermeier ensures that Fanatec has not been unwise to this – with products of their own planned.

In order to push the impression of driving a real car to the maximum level possible, sim-racing accessory manufacturer Fanatec has launched an improved version of their popular pedal set, the ClubSport V3. Inverted mounting points for the brake and clutch along with a longer range of travel are all designed to make the set feel more realistic.

The latest pair of racing wheels to come out of Thrustmaster’s skunkworks may seem very familiar. That’s because the wheels themselves are the same, but now come bundled with an elite set of pedals.

Virtual reality is becoming a mainstay feature within the video game industry, seemingly growing by the day. Last year Microsoft announced their own entry into the growing market, and with a starting price of $299 the company’s own efforts are sure to become the most affordable entry point, undercutting the likes of Sony’s PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift that dominate the market.

One of the latest entries in the steering wheel market was first announced last year by Thrustmaster. Dubbed the TS-PC Racer, the new product is touted as the company’s first “open-wheel” design, and officially went on sale just over a month ago. Our friends over at Inside Sim Racing thoroughly tested the wheel recently to see how it stacked up.

During its presentation at CES 2017 yesterday, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that it has sold 53.4 million PlayStation 4 units as of the beginning of the year.

Italian automotive equipment and accessory manufacturer Sparco has announced it’s entering the simulation racing market for 2017. With three sophisticated gaming seats and a new gaming rig, Sparco is more than prepared to enter the highly-demanding world of sim racing.

The news of a seventh entry in the Forza Motorsport franchise — expected to release within the next year — is unlikely to come as a surprise to anyone. What is surprising is the first mention of the team’s next project doesn’t come from Turn 10 itself, but has been outed by Fanatec CEO Thomas Jackermeier.

Virtual Reality is quickly becoming a mainstay feature within the industry, and with Sony recently staking their own claim with PlayStation VR, Microsoft has decided to step in the ring with their own offering aimed at Windows 10 users.

Black Friday has only just begun, but we’ve been keeping track of the deals since last week. One area that seems to be lacking — especially compared to last year — is sim racing hardware like wheels and seats. Fanatec has stepped up to offer a discount on a small selection of its wares, and depending on region, it could save keen racers almost 50% compared to retail.

Thrustmaster has announced the latest addition to its ever-growing lineup of racing wheel peripherals for the PC crowd, the aptly-named TS-PC Racer. Billed as the company’s first “open wheel” design, the TS-PC offers innovative features worthy of its hefty £399.99 ($499.99 USD) asking price. The unique design allow players to “experience an incredible range of sensations and information in their racing sessions.”

Confirmed earlier this year just days before E3, and revealed 12 weeks later by Andrew House, Sony’s better-equipped PS4 console with the intent of ushering in a new era has arrived: enter PlayStation 4 Pro.

Sony’s continuing the roll-out for the new PS4 Pro, due to land on shelves across the globe in only a few days. Earlier this week, the PS4 Pro Event in London revealed more news on both the system as well as GT Sport. The next big event has been announced, taking place in the same city we first were shown the system: New York City.

Senna TV, a channel dedicated to all things Ayrton-related, was in Japan recently to interview Polyphony head Kazunori Yamauchi. While talk naturally revolves around the legendary F1 driver, eagle-eyed Gran Turismo fans are treated to a few brief glimpses into Gran Turismo Sport, including our first look at future hardware in action.

Thrustmaster’s latest wheel has had a quiet debut on none other than e-commerce giant Amazon.com. While not an entirely new product, the T300 GT Edition nonetheless features a few unique changes to the regular T300 RS formula (read our review of that wheel right here).

Video games, at least in the beginning, are a fairly inexpensive hobby. Sure, a console will set you back a few bills, and games cost substantially more than a physical copy of a movie (I hear some people still buy those). But on a cost-per-hour basis, gaming has its advantages.