The Thrustmaster T500RS Thread

[.Hz]

They should have still built in backwards compatibility. There are screeds of PS3 driving games people woul dbe stuck NOT enjoying decent support for - games that even a discount $60 DFP supports.

Without more compatability this wheel is dead on the vine.

Gt5 will be a Platinium $19.99 title in 3 months, it is already showing up used at Gamestop etc.

TM where stupid to not at least try have support for the rest of the titles out there without forcing the game author to spend money on old titles - because they will not do that.

Already the shine is wearing off the T500 and it is barely 20 days old.

That is the way of the short attention span modern consumer

You think they should, however given it's for the latest next gen games, I think it would have just been a waste of time, I mean it would be nice, sure, but there's no way that it's going to be the "downfall" of this wheel, especially if the PC drivers to indeed come out and same w/ the other PS3 games. And make up your mind man, obviously you love the wheel, that goes to show your just trying to "overemphasise your realism status", not very coherent

if you do still love your wheel then awesome, as every else here does too I take it, good stuff.

 

[.Hz]

But with what incentive to reopen closed projects to recode support for this wheel?

Thrustmaster should be doing everything they can to increase demand for their wheel, not playing snob and elite with it.

Seriously? Think about it, I imagine w/ more game support more people w/ these wheels will buy those games = more money for devs, hopefully that clicks w/ them 💡

 

[Siefex]

Question: Is the T500 RS compatible (i.e. do the mounting holes line up) with the Playseat Evolution?

Also, would you guys recommend getting a Playseat or another brand. I looked at Gamepods but the shipping is killer...

Thanks!

 

[MisterStatic]

Hound whom ever you speak to not just walk the floor looking for the wheel but to look for the part number on the system. And not the GUI Website, but the Textbased quote system.
Give them the Fry's number 6501043 and look over their shoulder making sure they spell Thrustmaster as Thrusmaster when they search for it.

In fact you can try call them first with that part # and if they have it, get them to pull it for you.

I learned more about how Fry's manages their stock in the 3 local stores than i ever needed to know

Thanks for the advice. It worked beautifully and I am now the proud new owner of a T500...they better get those damn PC drivers out soon

 

[Shogunz]

Question: Is the T500 RS compatible (i.e. do the mounting holes line up) with the Playseat Evolution?

Also, would you guys recommend getting a Playseat or another brand. I looked at Gamepods but the shipping is killer...

Thanks!

Check out the Obutto Ozone. It hasn't passed for hard-mount compatibility as yet but it works with the clamp.

 

[RC45]

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[lunarwolf]

Thanks for the advice. It worked beautifully and I am now the proud new owner of a T500...they better get those damn PC drivers out soon

congrats on new wheel, and pc drivers due out by end of jan, so not long now

 

[Overdoser]

Question: Is the T500 RS compatible (i.e. do the mounting holes line up) with the Playseat Evolution?

Also, would you guys recommend getting a Playseat or another brand. I looked at Gamepods but the shipping is killer...

Thanks!

mounting holes for steering wheels line up, for pedals you'll need to use the two center holes on the pedals and sort of "hang" them on the pedal rack. I used two washers I had and the pedals are very secure even under hard braking/throttle pressure.

 

[redmalloc]

Thanks for the advice. It worked beautifully and I am now the proud new owner of a T500...they better get those damn PC drivers out soon

Wow, congratulations. How things change... lol

Anyway, please let us know what you think of your new items! I would be especially interested to know how the pedals compare.

 

[RC45]

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[MisterStatic]

Which part was most helpful, calling ahead to have them pull the unit for you, or hovering like a hawk as they looked it up in the quoting system??

Definitely calling ahead with a known part number was the ticket. Saved me hours driving around S.J. Thanks much RC45, I don't care what they say about you...

Anyway, please let us know what you think of your new items! I would be especially interested to know how the pedals compare.

I love the wheel. I have never used a Fanatec Wheel other than the crappy old Xbox 1 one, so I can't compare (they wouldn't let me have one of the new, shiny ones...and not for lack of trying). But I have been using a G25 then G27 for the last 4 years. I played on the PS3 upstairs with the T500 for a good hour. I don't really have a great mounting solution for it right now. But, even with that I could notice major differences. The difference was even more pronounced when I went downstairs to my PC cave to check out the ClubSports with my G27. The G27 immediately felt toyish even though I was racing better sims (rFactor and iRacing). The wheel is that much more solid feeling with fantastic subtlety in its delivery of forces.

As for the pedals...the ClubSports are definitely superior. I have never used a potentiometer brake before, but once I got the settings right...well they really are as good as you have heard. And, it directly improved cornering for me once I hit the right setting. ( FYI, you don't get any of the vibration under locking if you don't have a PW with the pedals.) I am keeping the CSPs.

That being said the T500 pedals in the GT/Rally position feel pretty good. They are beyond serviceable and slightly superior to the G27 pedals. If I didn't have some extra toy cash right now, I would probably just go with those.

I really can't wait for the PC drivers for the T500. I hope they arrive in a good state with plenty of functionality (PLEASE THRUSTMASTER!). I feel that the combination of the T500, CSPs, and the Lightning SST shifter I picked up will provide more than enough for this old guy. In the meantime, GT5 really feels good. My mission tomorrow is to try to find a cheap mounting solution that my wife will accept in "her" part of the house. Or...I may just have to move the PS3 downstairs and hook it to my PC monitor:idea:.

 

[Topyn]

Received my T500 RS sample last week. This simulator is really great .
I will try this day new available firwmare (V32).

Changes in the v32 firmware:
- Racing wheel calibration has been optimized
- Wheel centre point detection has been optimized

http://ts.thrustmaster.com/eng/index.php?pg=view_files&gid=3&fid=15&pid=317&cid=11

I've update my wheel with this new firmware and it's works perfectly.
No see big difference but it's probably improve center point detection of the wheel 👍.

 

[Mr Latte]

RC45


It could in theory be possible for someone to mod one of these to the correct pinouts of the Fanatec PS2 cable.


Have you tried the Fanatec adapter cable you got with the GT2?
Although it may only support 4 connections in the RJ11 cable X360 wheel uses.

Bound to happen where some Fanatec wheel owner wants to use the T500 pedals for PS3 or X360. Particulary as personally I think within a year their very likely will be mods available that allow the T500 pedals to be superior to the Clubsports.

Its also strange "WHY" the T500 didnt release with full FFB support for an advertised "Official Licensced Product" Yet shows that indeed the T500 isnt like other wheels as it requires the new SDK to support it.

For me, new games not old are what people will want support in particulary TDU 2 & SHIFT2 both the next hot titles.
Its new games that will excite people the most not a yearning for full FFB to be supported in past titles.

Also many PS3 racing games are often sequels.
Dirt 3 and F12011 will replace their older versions and I cant think of any other BIG racing titles on PS3 that would be really missed, NFS which gets updated every year but what else?

 

[Jeff G]

In stock here: http://www.zipsprocket.com/thrustmaster-thrustmaster-t500-rs-gt5-wheel.html

And one on Amazon from a third-party seller: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004J6KRD6/?tag=gtplanet-20

 

[Siefex]

In stock here: http://www.zipsprocket.com/thrustmaster-thrustmaster-t500-rs-gt5-wheel.html

Now out of stock

And one on Amazon from a third-party seller: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004J6KRD6/?tag=gtplanet-20

I tried ordering from "Slammin Deals" last night. He, then, unexpectantly, without any notification, canceled my order at midnight last night. I paid in full and everything so I did nothing on my end to cause him to cancel. I would be leary of ordering from this guy.

 

[Jeff G]

Did you try purchasing at that price, Siefex? Or has he since hiked it up? Because if he did, I'd report him to Amazon.

 

[Siefex]

Did you try purchasing at that price, Siefex? Or has he since hiked it up? Because if he did, I'd report him to Amazon.

Nah he has it at the same price as he did yesterday evening around 6 PM when I originally ordered. I think he just canceled for some reason I do not understand. I'll try messaging him and get back to you guys as I am curious why he did so. Still, I would recommend just placing an order on Frys.com and waiting a week or so. It's cheaper there anyway.

Just my two cents. However, please do let me know Jeff if you find the T500 RS in stock anywhere else. Thanks for your help!

 

[SpecMiata-JSW]

I ordered from Futurepowerpc.com two days ago and the website said it was originally in stock, but now my shipping info says it is going to ship directly from the manufacturer. I'm not sure if I will get any notification when the wheel ships if it's coming from Thrustmaster.

I hope to hear something soon!

 

[Siefex]

I ordered from Futurepowerpc.com two days ago and the website said it was originally in stock, but now my shipping info says it is going to ship directly from the manufacturer. I'm not sure if I will get any notification when the wheel ships if it's coming from Thrustmaster.

I hope to hear something soon!

I looked at ordering from Futurepowerpc.com as well but decided not to since, for the last few days, it always said it was out of stock.

I've looked all over the place at this point and have found nothing. All I have heard from Frys is that they receive new wheels every Saturday and ship them out on Monday. In addition, Nulime.com stated that they will receive a large shipment of wheels on the 28th of January so, if that is any indication for other companies, by the 28th more wheels will likely be in stock.

Finally, one of the Thrustmaster sales reps at CES said that within 2-3 weeks, the wheel will be in stock at many additional retailers. If we line up that statement with what nulime.com told me, it sounds like it will be 10x easier to pickup this wheel by early February.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[xzaero]

Whooohooo

Amazon UK now has them in stock as of this evening - mine should be here by thursday 👍

a bit more expensive at Amazon but first place in UK to release them - otherwise save £80 and wait 2 weeks

Where have you found it for £80 less than amazon?

overclockers.co.uk raised their prices... the b*s*ards

 

[Mr Latte]

UK

Asda Entertainment £380
Play.com £399
Ocuk £350 (lol £450)
Amazon £360 (oops £460)


EDIT Sorry post was done in a hurry

 

[lunarwolf]

UK

Asda Entertainment £380
Play.com £399
Ocuk £350
Amazon £360

lol you gave me heart attack , amazon price is still 460 and ock 450

would have been pissed if they lowered price by 100 in one day before i get shipment, although I would have asked for a price reduction and probably would have gotten it from amzon

 

[Siefex]

Definitely calling ahead with a known part number was the ticket. Saved me hours driving around S.J. Thanks much RC45, I don't care what they say about you...



I love the wheel. I have never used a Fanatec Wheel other than the crappy old Xbox 1 one, so I can't compare (they wouldn't let me have one of the new, shiny ones...and not for lack of trying). But I have been using a G25 then G27 for the last 4 years. I played on the PS3 upstairs with the T500 for a good hour. I don't really have a great mounting solution for it right now. But, even with that I could notice major differences. The difference was even more pronounced when I went downstairs to my PC cave to check out the ClubSports with my G27. The G27 immediately felt toyish even though I was racing better sims (rFactor and iRacing). The wheel is that much more solid feeling with fantastic subtlety in its delivery of forces.

As for the pedals...the ClubSports are definitely superior. I have never used a potentiometer brake before, but once I got the settings right...well they really are as good as you have heard. And, it directly improved cornering for me once I hit the right setting. ( FYI, you don't get any of the vibration under locking if you don't have a PW with the pedals.) I am keeping the CSPs.

That being said the T500 pedals in the GT/Rally position feel pretty good. They are beyond serviceable and slightly superior to the G27 pedals. If I didn't have some extra toy cash right now, I would probably just go with those.

I really can't wait for the PC drivers for the T500. I hope they arrive in a good state with plenty of functionality (PLEASE THRUSTMASTER!). I feel that the combination of the T500, CSPs, and the Lightning SST shifter I picked up will provide more than enough for this old guy. In the meantime, GT5 really feels good. My mission tomorrow is to try to find a cheap mounting solution that my wife will accept in "her" part of the house. Or...I may just have to move the PS3 downstairs and hook it to my PC monitor:idea:.

Misterstatic, you are a bad influence on me. I just ordered a Lightning SST as well after looking into it. Looks like a fantastic shifter and, since I plan to play on PC 90% of the time after I beat GT5, I see no reason to wait for the Thrustmaster shifter.

So do you really think the CSPs are that much better than the Thrustmaster pedals? Is it worth spending the extra $200. Do they noticeably improve your ability to drive such as braking as compared to the Thrustmaster pedals?

 

[MisterStatic]

Misterstatic, you are a bad influence on me. I just ordered a Lightning SST as well after looking into it. Looks like a fantastic shifter and, since I plan to play on PC 90% of the time after I beat GT5, I see no reason to wait for the Thrustmaster shifter.

So do you really think the CSPs are that much better than the Thrustmaster pedals? Is it worth spending the extra $200. Do they noticeably improve your ability to drive such as braking as compared to the Thrustmaster pedals?

Sorry for the bad influence. If it makes you feel better, I am a worse influence on myself

The CSPs are fantastic mainly because of the potentiometer. I am new to modifying these kinds of things but I could see some pedal mods in the near future that would allow this with the T500 pedals.

Another consideration, and something I am a little worried about, is some simulations(rFactor) recognizing 3 separate windows joysticks (Wheel, SST, and CSPs).

The T500 pedals are great. I would try those out for a while and only pursue the CSPs if you are somehow dissatisfied.

 

[tvman]

Sorry for the bad influence. If it makes you feel better, I am a worse influence on myself

The CSPs are fantastic mainly because of the potentiometer. I am new to modifying these kinds of things but I could see some pedal mods in the near future that would allow this with the T500 pedals.

Another consideration, and something I am a little worried about, is some simulations(rFactor) recognizing 3 separate windows joysticks (Wheel, SST, and CSPs).

The T500 pedals are great. I would try those out for a while and only pursue the CSPs if you are somehow dissatisfied.

Looking for some tips on adjusting the potentiometer on CSP.

 

[Siefex]

Sorry for the bad influence. If it makes you feel better, I am a worse influence on myself

The CSPs are fantastic mainly because of the potentiometer. I am new to modifying these kinds of things but I could see some pedal mods in the near future that would allow this with the T500 pedals.

Another consideration, and something I am a little worried about, is some simulations(rFactor) recognizing 3 separate windows joysticks (Wheel, SST, and CSPs).

The T500 pedals are great. I would try those out for a while and only pursue the CSPs if you are somehow dissatisfied.

I think your advice is solid. I, however, think that I will go ahead and get the CSPs. That was the main reason I wanted a fanatec wheel in the first place when I was still interested so I still have a significant desire to pick them up.

Now to avoid looking at my bank account...

 

[MisterStatic]

Looking for some tips on adjusting the potentiometer on CSP.

So far I am having to adjust it for each sim separately. rFactor has been an easier adjustment than iRacing. With iRacing I am tending to go less sensitive (counterclockwise). I just adjust in game on some practice laps until it feels right. Since there is no labeled dial, I don't really know how to describe it. I think I have linearity set to 1.7 on iRacing, if that helps for starting point.

I can't wait to combine the T500 with these CSPs in rFactor, especially with the Touring Car Legends mod I am insanely addicted to lately.

 

[MisterStatic]

I think your advice is solid. I, however, think that I will go ahead and get the CSPs. That was the main reason I wanted a fanatec wheel in the first place when I was still interested so I still have a significant desire to pick them up.

Now to avoid looking at my bank account...

right brother, we just exceeded 1 grand

 

[Siefex]

right brother, we just exceeded 1 grand

Haha, I"m also fighting the urge to get a buttkicker once they get back in stock. At this point, if I'm halfway in the hellfire, why not jump all the way in?

Another consideration, and something I am a little worried about, is some simulations(rFactor) recognizing 3 separate windows joysticks (Wheel, SST, and CSPs).

With regard to your other concern about all three devices not working together, I think it will be fine. Don't the CSPs just register as seperate, pressure-sensitive gamepad buttons in windows? Why would rfactor care about that? I'm asking because I've never played rfactor but would like to (mainly play dirt2, Shift, and f1 2010 for the time being).

Also, do you have to install a separate driver for the Lightning SST or is it plug and play?

 

[MisterStatic]

With regard to your other concern about all three devices not working together, I think it will be fine. Don't the CSPs just register as seperate, pressure-sensitive gamepad buttons in windows? Why would rfactor care about that? I'm asking because I've never played rfactor but would like to (mainly play dirt2, Shift, and f1 2010 for the time being).

Also, do you have to install a separate driver for the Lightning SST or is it plug and play?

I just read this thread about Vista specifically and rFactor having issues with joystick assignments when there were greater than 2 devices. I have Win 7 so it might not be a problem. It looks like there are fixes using GPLShift anyway. I should get the SST tomorrow or Friday so I will be trying it out with the G27 and CSPs soon enough. I'll let you know. And then to add the T500 to the mix in a couple weeks...

Get rFactor now. The graphics may be aging but the level of presence is still very high. It is by far the best sim racing value out there right now, especially with all the free mods. I am really hoping the quality of FFB I am feeling with the T500 in GT5 transfers to rFactor.

There is a must-have FFB mod for rFactor called RealFeel. It is excellent with a G27, I can only imagine how good a T500 would depict the forces if the drivers work out right...may take a new version of RealFeel...argggh! The more I think about it, the more I realize that I probably won't be happy with T500 PC implementation for several months. That is just my gut feeling.