The Thrustmaster T500RS Thread

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Julienm:

Thanks a lot for your insight on the wheel. We're all very eager to know everything about it so thanks for taking the time to share with us! :)
 
Julienm

Have you tried drifting or rally yet and how fast/strong is the centring of the wheel from lock to lock or big corrections in rally on a feedback setting of 4/5 compared to a higher setting?

I think this wheel brings the belt drive modern no deadzone great feedback quality you expect now, and also the speed lock to lock that the Fanatec doesn't have. Fanatec is slow, delicate motorized feel that's great for normal driving. G25/27 has better speed and right feel for rally but its old, crude and clunky. T500 potentially brings both even better speed and quality of the belt drive. What I'm looking for is not silly high amounts of FFB when turning normally but the speed lock to lock, strength when needed to simulate a wheel and all the subtle quality of the beltdrive FFB.

I just want some to realize that this is probably a big step up from what's available around this attainable price. I'm really interested but will wait to see the shifter.
 
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Regarding "FFB Strength"; does the wheel feel like your trying to parallel park a 1975 Ford LTD Station Wagon with a broken power steering pump? Or does it feel like you are driving a modern car in perfect working order?

The DFP was a constant tug-of-war. I like how the G25 feels. It's closer to what it should be.
 
I think after testing (if the Fanatec CSP's arrive) my final PC setup will be the T500 wheel, Act-Labs shifter and Fanatec Club Sport pedals.

I guess I would need to keep the T500 pedals around for PS3 use. Perhaps TM's shifter will displace the Act-Labs shifter, who knows.
 
versapak
I would think that the issue is based solely on the the game, and not the wheel.

The Fanatec is clearly able to offer a loose enough spin to accommodate drifting, but if the game sends feedback signals that keep the wheel with a tight hold, then that is what it will do.
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Well the obvious answer is no it is not solely based on the game because if I drift lock to lock in a real car the wheel doesn't just unload it also turns on it's own due to the forces the road is placing on the front wheels in relation to the angle of the car, to imitate real life a sim wheel needs a motor that can spin it as hard and fast as in the real world in any situation.

Because I am not a developer I have no idea of what is going on under the hood but I imagine that feedback is a combination of a game sending messages to the hardware and the hardware reacting based on these messages. In this case the hardware comes first and sets the standard regarding what the game can tell it to do.

For some reason Kaz felt the need to create a new FFB system which he also felt he needed a new wheel for. This says to me that either current wheels were not capable of his vision or he wanted to create a new proprietary system, my gut tells me it is a bit of both.

None of this is really important, what could or should be done or why it is happening isn't important in our decision or a comparison of features because as an end user we have no say in any of that. The only thing that is important to us is a comparison of features and how they effect us. When you compare the Fanatec to all other wheels the additional feature it has are very useful and you can be forgiven for asking why the T500RS does not have them but the fact is if the T500RS does what it claims to do it doesn't need them at least with GT5. You don't need to be able to dial in artificial dead zone because the wheel doesn't wobble on a straight, you shouldn't need drift mode because the wheel should do what it is supposed to do.

Of course the question the individual needs to ask is what other games do I want to play and what other platforms do I want to use this on because these other features might be essential in other games or on other platforms. The thing to consider then is I know for a fact that TM are looking at ways to incorporate these other features on the PS3 with other titles and they can all be added to the PC by TM and of course as we know the firmware of the T500RS can be updated as well as the drivers for PC.

My conclusion is at this time the T500RS is the best wheel for GT5 but if you have a sim life outside of GT5 I would wait and see. If you want to play Forza as well there is only one choice, GT2.
 
Ranger099
Are you seriously making a value statement based on a PRE-RELEASE driver situation, a non-essential add-on, and a grossly inaccurate pedal statement (ISR said AS GOOD as the G27 with mod - hardly run of the mill)? Really? That's the level of analysis to justify slamming the price? Wow.

Oh, I get it the T500RS is a threat to the security of your decision to buy Fanatec. Makes sense now.
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As for my Fanatec, I've been using it for over a year and my pedals are way better than the TM, so you're more fraud than freud.
 
ShylockHolmes
As for my Fanatec, I've been using it for over a year and my pedals are way better than the TM, so you're more fraud than freud.
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So you've been using Fanatec pedals for way over a year (irrelevant), they are better than a TM - which you haven't used (speculation) - and I'm a fraud??? You are HILARIOUS! :dopey:

BTW using any phrase that includes "my _______ are way better than _______", without actual proof, sounds more like a teenager defending his choice vs. an adult open to discussion.

Sincerely,

Sigmund
 
Heading to casino so I'll make it short & sweet.
Got hands on time with the Thrustmaster wheel today at CES, Unfortunately they only had rally stage as a demo & I SUCK at rally.
Quick verdict, amazing build quality but I'll be holding off until more games are fully supported.

I will purchase it but won't be in a big hurry.
 
Mr Latte .... are you sure abou the contactless potmeters Thrustmaster uses for their pedals?

I PM'ed Julienm but he doesn't answer my question.
 
kikie
Mr Latte .... are you sure abou the contactless potmeters Thrustmaster uses for their pedals?

I PM'ed Julienm but he doesn't answer my question.
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Good notice!
Nice to see someone paying attention I guess.

Let me say that is likely to be an error on my part (not intentional).
It is unlikely they are contactless on the pedals as this would be mentioned on the products list of features. It is not and the HEART technology is only listed for the wheel.

How much this effects wear n tear in real world circumstances and the performance compared to the CSP will Im sure will be invistigated in reviews and full comparisons.

TM certainly have focused it seems for precision on the wheel and maybe this will be a slight drawback of this product.
 
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Darin Gangi has updated the unboxing video claiming that EA & Codemasters have agreed to support the wheel. So far I have found chat of this on the Codemasters forums with a member caled "Fabzz_F1" stating such a press announcement has been made. However I have yet to find any proof from a published press release.

It is likely both companies will support the wheel but the BIG QUESTION is will they offer full support of the SDK including the upcoming Shifter for future titles? Shift 2 from EA isnt far off its release, will this game for instance be compatible?

If anyone finds a link please post here..
Panasonic & Thrustmaster have however teamed up for some controllers and their 2011 TVs but so far thats all I can find coming from CES.
 
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I got my on Thuesday already.
Compared to the G27 I had before, it is much more precise. The wheel and the pedals. ( stronger too, very smooth on the track and brisk on the curbs. )

Regards,

Laserpat
 
@ Julienm : Appreciate the information you provided. I'm curious to know if the wheel and pedals bolt directly to the Playseat or if you have to drill holes or use the clamp?
 
laserpat
I got my on Thuesday already.
Compared to the G27 I had before, it is much more precise. The wheel and the pedals. ( stronger too, very smooth on the track and brisk on the curbs. )

Regards,

Laserpat
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Hi Laserpat,

Can I be the first (of many I am sure) to ask for more details/feedback/opinions etc as you continue to use this product you seem to be only the second person in the world (other than ISR) to actually have this wheel!!
 
laserpat
I got my on Thuesday already.
Compared to the G27 I had before, it is much more precise. The wheel and the pedals. ( stronger too, very smooth on the track and brisk on the curbs. )

Regards,

Laserpat
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What about noise compared to the G27?
This is a very important question.
 
Zer0
Rough translation:
http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translat...Wheel-Out-now-.....Erfahrungsbericht&lp=de_en
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Well let me translate that a little better. Here's a rough outline:

Comparing T500 and G25 side by side reveals that the G25 now looks like a toy, both in terms of wheel and pedals.

The guy has tested G25 and Fanatec wheels, then went back to G25 which he preferred.

Button on T500 are all "micro switches" that allow for very nice and precise clicking. No jerkiness or such.

Shifter paddles needs getting used to since they don't move with the wheel. Compared to the G25 they feel massive and robust, clean precise shifting. Compared to this the shifting on the G25 feels wobbly and has no real pressure point.

About the FFB. Incredible. With the G25 you feel when you drive over a curb that the wheel tries to go into some random direction. The T500, on the other hand, just does it and in an extreme way. Great feeling.

When the car stands still, the T500 is confortably soft, but when the car exceeds 20km/h the resistance increases dramatically and you have to really hold on to it to turn. If the car starts drifiting at high speed this is unmistakenly felt by the driver. Trying to hold the wheel with one hand is futile, grab it or let go, otherwise it'll hurt (lol).

Pedals work clean, soft, precise without any sounds of drag/grind. The G25 seem to grind more, have some clearance and aren't as precise.

Connectors are on the back left and you don't need to detach the whole wheel to disconnect stuff.

Then he goes on how he was convinced about the G25 but he now prefers the T500 by a long shot and yadada. He mentions he played sims for 15 years. He's very happy.

One negative is when the fan starts up it is louder than the PS3 (not sure if he means just the startup or in general). But the T500 itself is quieter than the G25.

Then he adds, concerning precision, that drifting is child's play, you are flooded with with responses from the wheel, incredible.
 
Gigantoad
One negative is when the fan starts up it is louder than the PS3 (not sure if he means just the startup or in general). But the T500 itself is quieter than the G25.

Then he adds, concerning precision, that drifting is child's play, you are flooded with with responses from the wheel, incredible.
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That's what I was waiting to hear. Oh so tempted now. :)

However the fan noise is concerning, I hope matey has a ps3 slim. I wonder what size / speed the fan is and if it can be replaced very easily. :indiff:
 
It seems I can only find the wheel listed on Amazon.uk where else can I look for one in the US??? I will most likely purchase one of these I just want to see what the shifter will be like.. You know me Latte ;)
 
I just called Frys, pre-orders are two weeks till it's at your door. Hey, at least someone picked up the phone and had an answer....which is more than I can say about trying to get a hold of anyone at Fanatec for an answer.
 
Shecki
I just called Frys, pre-orders are two weeks till it's at your door. Hey, at least someone picked up the phone and had an answer....which is more than I can say about trying to get a hold of anyone at Fanatec for an answer.
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That''s better than I expected.👍 So somewhere around the 20th it should show up. Nice.
 

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