Thrustmaster has been aggressively expanding their sim-racing hardware line over the past year, first rolling out the new T300 RS wheel unit and then releasing updated shifter and pedal add-ons.
The company’s wheel base units are compatible with a variety of different rims, and they’ve just launched their latest high-end add-on: the TM28 Leather GT Rim. They offered to send me one for review (they’ve also purchased advertising on GTPlanet in the past), and I was happy to take a look.
At first glance, the TM28 is a handsome, colorful, and realistic looking rim, but what struck me most during unboxing was the unmistakeable, luxurious smell of leather.
It’s that nice scent you notice when sliding into a brand-new car at the dealer. The rest of the rim’s 11-inch (28cm) frame is brushed metal and steel, and weighs in at 2.2 lbs (1kg), which the company claims improves the wheel’s inertia and enhances force feedback effects.
Changing the rim on the T300 RS is very simple, but if you follow the directions exactly, it will require a few turns of a Phillips-head screwdriver to fully secure the wheel mounting mechanism. Regardless, you should be able to swap between rims in a minute or two.
The TM28 is, of course, fully compatible with all of Thrustmaster’s T-Series wheels, so you can use it with the T300 RS, T300 Ferrari GTE, T500 RS, Ferrari F1 Wheel Integral T500, and TX Racing Wheel Ferrari 458 Italia Edition bases. Because the rim’s buttons are unlabeled, their function will change between consoles and PCs, and the documentation includes a few helpful diagrams to explain what’s what (click to enlarge):
Each button is a unique, bright color, which makes them easy to see out of your peripheral vision. They’re also slightly raised and easy to feel out; I was also happy to find the paddles feature a similar satisfying click found in the T300 RS’s included wheel.
The most interesting feature on the rim is the “three-position rotary switch”. It’s effectively three buttons in one: you can turn it up or down to activate its alternate functions (it springs back into its original position) or push down on it as you would a regular button. Perhaps I’m a geek, but I enjoy using these types of switches on higher-end sim-racing wheels – they’re just more fun to use than plain, old buttons.
My only issue with the TM28 is the wheel’s button mappings for PlayStation consoles. As you can see in the diagram above, the white button is designated as the “X”, which is typically used as the “selection” button in most game menus. Because it’s on the left side of the wheel, though, this means you’ll have to either move your left thumb from the D-pad or slide your right hand over to press it. This may sound trivial, but when you’re navigating a menu-heavy game like Gran Turismo 6, it can become a chore. I eventually settled on resting my right thumb and middle finger over over the “X” and “O” buttons, respectively, to work through the menus quickly.
The TM28 rim, side-by-side with the T300 RS factory rim.
Of course, if you’re using this rim with a PC or Xbox One, this won’t be an issue at all. The buttons are well-placed and should be within easy reach of your thumbs, and almost any PC game will let you program them to do whatever you like. The rotary switch should be perfect for adjusting brake bias or anything else you’d like to use with step adjustments.
The real star of the show, though, is the hand-stitched leather (and yes, even the centering stripe at the top of the rim is yellow-dyed leather). It’s soft, supple, and just a pleasure to touch with your hands – a surprisingly nice improvement over the rubberized rims provided with both the T500 and T300 RS base units. If you’re looking for a more comfortable sim-racing experience and want to stay within the Thrustmaster ecosystem, the TM28 is a nice upgrade.
The TM28 hits stores on April 7, 2015 for $149.99 USD; it’s available for pre-order at Amazon. Please leave any questions in the comments below, or head on over to our Sim Racing Hardware forum for more discussion!
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PCars have announced today most of the FANATEC wheels wil be supported on the PS4
http://www.projectcarsgame.com/home/fanatec-wheel-support-comes-to-consoles
On another note I didn’t want to wait any longer for news on the g27 and got a T300 , honestly I wouldn’t go back to the g27 . The t300 is overall a much better wheel, the immersion has drastically improved. Save your pennies you won’t regret the purchase
Wait until you try it on Project Cars or any other sim…it’s a whole new world.
Still fingers crossed and hopes up for my G27 to work with GT7 on PS4… we need to know from PD will it work!? once and for all…
also.. these wheel upgrades from thrustmaster are great rubbish, they cost more than PS4…
I got g27 3 years ago for about 150 euros…. it has superb value for money!
these money grabbing new wheels are too expensive to buy… more than real car in some cases… we need a proper wheel similar to g27 (meaning price range).. or GT fans will have to step out and play different games… buying a new wheel setup for each GT game would be insane..
forgot to mention..
NEVER, I say NEVER.. I will play a sim racing game with controller or similar stupidity..
only with proper wheels or better not playing at all in the first place… so hopes up for real wheel and real price..
(lol, my friend bought a real OMP racing wheel for 3 times less the price..) seems like thrustmaster are getting leather from out of space animals from different worlds.. and metallic materials they use are collected from Moon’s dust!
The T300 is a much better wheel than the G27, hence more expensive. Whether it’s worth it’s price without a good set of pedals and a shifter is up for debate, but it’s hands down a better piece of equipment than the G27.
T500RS has paddles on the main body, not on its rim. I wonder how it would work when this add-on rim is put on a T500RS.
That’s an interesting question. I do think it would fit, but it probably wouldn’t be comfortable.
Two thoughts…..
1. What does it feel like to drive with?… (did I miss that part of the review?). And what are pedals like?
2. It’s like a (not so) subtle sign to us Logitech Wheel users…here’s the entry level wheel that will be supported by the PS4. Would be nice to hear how it compares (feel , force feedback, brake pedal and clutch) with the LG27 in GT
https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/thrustmaster-t300rs-racing-wheel-thread.311143/page-57#post-10511670
0r3n, this is a review for the TM28 Leather rim add-on, not the wheel unit itself. You can read my full review of the T300RS base (onto which this rim is mounted) right here. I’ve never used a Logitech G27, but I did use the similar G25 model for many years. The T300 is significantly better in every category.
Every category? How about durability?
The Logitech G-series are known to be over-engineered and notoriously last through years of abuse. How can one state that these new wheels will perform for long durations with no issues?
Actually I see comments below already complaining about this crucial point..
I do not like the direction that this industry is heading.
Come back Logitech!
You can’t make any statements about the durability of the T300, it’s too early. And the Logitech G27 is an outrageously good deal, all things considered. A good quality 3 pedal set that’s easily upgradable, full 6 speed shifter, and good FFB at a bargain price. You’ll never see a deal like that again in the wheel market. Having the wheel and pedals adaptable to the T300 on PC is a huge added bonus, allowing one to upgrade one component at a time.
You know what I meant, research; I’m not going to entertain a game of semantics. I’ve had a T500 since 2011 and it’s had zero issues; my T300 seems similarly built. I also have a Logitech G25 from 2009 that still works great.
I don´t mind the setup of the buttons, cos i always use the controller in the menus of GT6.
But people are right, Thrustmaster should sell each part of the wheelset separately or at least the wheelbase alone.
Thrustmaster needs to work on making the T300 RS more reliable…
Another $150 add-on…….
I will agree with others, though; it would be nice if we could buy the base and then buy the add-ons separately so we don’t HAVE to buy 2 pedal sets, 2 wheels, 2……
Oh, well. It i$ what it i$……
150$ here 150$ there. Instead of focusing on more products they should make other stuff more reliable.
A whole modular ecosystem of wheel bases, wheels, pedals and shifters would be a welcome upgrade.
Cool, I think I need to upgrade my wheel.